Vladimir Putin Russia Ukraine war

A roundup of key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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United Nations: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, called for the establishment of safe and ...

Transnistria, a narrow strip of land bordering Ukraine, was carved out of Moldova in the country’s 1992 civil war and is held by pro-Russian separatists. Poland and other European nations rejected the demand. Bulgaria gets more than 75% of its gas from Russia and has few immediate options to replace that supply. Mondelez earlier this month was still promoting “The Batman” Oreo cookies, with a chance for Russians to win thousands of U.S. dollars in a related contest online. Earlier this year, Congress approved $13.6 billion in military, humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine as part of a broader spending bill. The company estimates that will lower its earnings by three cents per share this year. In March, Mondelez’s two Ukrainian factories were significantly damaged, the company said, and the war has increased its costs related to making and selling its snacks. Mondelez said it would discontinue new capital investments and suspend advertising media spending. But exports hit a snag in recent days when Rosneft Oil Co. struggled to find buyers for enough oil to fill a fleet of tankers, traders familiar with the sale said. Mr. Abramovich has become the highest-profile member of the oligarch class in recent weeks. Many U.S. allies left oil and gas shipments out of their harshest sanctions on Russia. Importers in India and elsewhere swooped in to buy cheap Russian barrels at a time of rocketing energy prices. Mr. Guterres travels to Kyiv on Thursday.

Russia has said that the threat of a nuclear war is very significant, as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed the risks should not be underestimated. However ...

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cannot do the kinds of things it has done in invading Ukraine," Austin told the press. In terms of our — their ability to win, the first step in winning is believing that you can win. Heappey also appeared to emphasize that the West was not responsible for these attacks, despite providing Ukraine with weapons that have the range to reach Russian territory. "It is simply wrong to go first to Russia," Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy told press on Saturday. "There is no justice and no logic in this order. I don't think that right now there is an imminent threat of escalation," James Heappey told the BBC Breakfast program on Tuesday. Kuleba said that the war would be over sooner if allies sent more weapons to Ukraine and imposed additional sanctions on Russian oil and gas. Simson did not specify exactly what the sanctions would target, though the EU has come under pressure for its continued buying of Russian energy resources, providing Moscow with billions in revenues every week. "The visit was a first step ahead of more regular travel in the immediate future," the embassy said. "The human impact and the suffering already caused by this war are staggering. Russia has said that the threat of a nuclear war is very significant, as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed the risks should not be underestimated. "Nobody wants to see a nuclear war that nobody can win at. According to Turkey, Erdogan emphasized how important it was for Russia and Ukraine to continue high level talks like those that Erdogan hosted in Istanbul last month.

Get the latest updates here. Fighting. The British Ministry of Defence says Russian forces are likely attempting to encircle heavily fortified Ukrainian ...

Officials have in the past few weeks reported cross-border shelling. - At the invitation of the United States, 40 countries will hold a security summit in Germany to discuss further arms supplies to Ukraine as well as to ensure the country’s longer-term security once the war is over. - The British Ministry of Defence says Russian forces are likely attempting to encircle heavily fortified Ukrainian positions in the east of Ukraine.

Countries around the world are stepping up to meet Ukraine's urgent needs, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Ukraine updates.

Asked for his assessment of what’s happening in Russia, Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s propaganda system is hard to penetrate, but citizens are increasingly feeling the effects of sanctions. He said Ukrainians won the battle for Kyiv and the city is coming back to life. Heappey said the likelihood of nuclear war is "vanishingly small" since it would not be in the best interests of any country. “It's impossible not to be moved by what the Ukrainians have achieved.” Ukraine has the right to use Western-provided weapons to strike military targets on Russian soil, U.K. Defense Minister James Heappey said. That's what really worries a lot of people," said Olena Khorenjenko, 33, a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Moldova and is familiar with Transnistria. The level of support is the highest that Gallup has ever found in a survey about various refugee situations, dating back to 1939. "Ukraine’s defense of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness," the British assessment says. Russian forces control most of the city; holdouts are centered in and around the sprawling Azovstal steel plant. Before 2022, the highest level of support for refugees entering the U.S. was for allowing "several hundred ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo" in 1999, when 66% approved. Austin said Germany, which had balked at providing heavy weaponry to Ukraine, has agreed to send 50 anti-aircraft weapons to the embattled nation now in its third month of a grueling war against Russia's invading forces. He said meetings similar to the one Tuesday will be held once a month, either virtually or in person.

Gazprom says it has suspended gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria over their refusal to pay in Russian roubles.

The statue depicted a Ukrainian and Russian worker on a plinth, holding aloft together a Soviet order of friendship. Bulgaria said it has taken steps to find alternative gas supplies and no restrictions on gas consumption were required for now. “If Putin succeeds there will be untold further misery across Europe and terrible consequences across the globe. So we must be prepared for the long haul and double down on our support for Ukraine,” she will say according to advance extracts of a speech she will give later on Wednesday to diplomats and business leaders in London. This is consistent with earlier reports that the airbase at #Tiraspolwas likely preparing for Russian aircraft on April 6 and 7. We now see what this ‘friendship’ is – destruction of Ukrainian cities, ruining the lives of Ukrainians, killing tens of thousands of peaceful people. Poland is on the list of unfriendly countries,” TASS reported. “We want the facility to be ready in 2025, we are speeding this up. “Our forces defeated hostile positions on Zmiinyi Island. A hit on the control point was recorded, the destruction of the Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system. “They apparently did it to prevent the possibility of deploying our forces there. “He really believes in this Soviet myth. That they could organise a paratrooper operation there,” Oleksiy Arestovich said in televised remark.

Russia halts gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria; Volodymyr Zelenskiy accuses Moscow of seeking to destabilise Moldova region.

Lambrecht said the government has agreed to sign off the delivery of around 50 Gepard anti-aircraft weapons systems. Germany willauthorise the delivery of 50 anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, the German defence minister, Christine Lambrecht, said. “We must be prepared for the long haul and double down on our support for Ukraine. “The goal is obvious – to destabilise the situation in the region, to threaten Moldova. They show that if Moldova supports Ukraine, there will be certain steps,” Zelenskiy said in his latest national address. Russia will stop supplying gas to Poland and Bulgaria from Wednesday.Warsaw has refused to pay its supplier, Gazprom, in roublesand earlier announced that it was imposing sanctions on 50 entities and individuals including Russia’s biggest gas company. Russia’s defence ministry warned of an immediate “proportional response” if Britain continues its “direct provocation” of the Kyiv regime, after the UK armed forces minister, James Heappey,described Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil that hit supplies and disrupt logistics as “completely legitimate”.

Russia to cut gas supplies to two European nations within hours, wants rouble payments.

"Nato, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy," he said. "That is why the EU needs to be united and impose an embargo on energy resources, depriving the Russians of their energy weapons." "Poland has the necessary gas reserves and sources of supply that protect our security – we have been effectively independent of Russia for years," she said on Twitter. "The balance sheet is supplemented by domestic gas production and fuel reserves accumulated in underground gas storage facilities," the firm said in a statement. To put things in perspective, the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, receives 77 per cent of its natural gas from Gazprom, and its sole oil refinery – the largest in the Balkans – is owned by Russia's Lukoil, with the nation almost completely reliant on Russia to meet its gas needs. The shutdown comes just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that so-called "unfriendly" foreign nations would have to pay the state-run energy company in rubles instead of euros and dollars, with the demand seen as a bid to support the Russian currency as the invasion of Ukraine rages on.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: There has been much speculation with several health experts analysing Putin's body language and the way he has addressed public ...

The New York Post has even reported that the Russian President looked noticeably bloated when he posed for photographs at an awards ceremony for the country's Olympic athletes. Experts believe he has done this to enhance his “tough guy” image and to prevent his advancing age from betraying that representation, according to news.com.au. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shone a spotlight on President Vladimir Putin's personal life with several news outlets attempting to analyse the long time Russian head of state's health.

Russia said it stopped natural gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, making good on a threat to cut off buyers if they refuse Russian President ...

The Kremlin's move to cut off natural gas shipments to Bulgaria and Poland was a blow to Europe, which relies on Russia for much of its energy.

And that’s the best way to address that.” The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. Russia is focusing most of its air activity on southern and eastern Ukraine, providing support to ground forces, the British defense officials said. The suspension will last from Wednesday “until the payments are made” in rubles, Gazprom said. Russian shelling and airstrikes devastated residential areas, causing fires and severe damage to homes and prompting evacuations, Haidai wrote Wednesday. He accused Russian forces of aiming at housing stock and reported that at least two people were killed, including a 68-year-old man whose yard was shelled. “I think he’s got a lot of room for maneuver.” The site’s loss could disrupt vital oil supplies to the Ukraine war’s northeastern front, where Russian troops are pressing ahead with an attempt to seize territory in the Donbas region. It is the first supply disruption since Russian President Vladimir Putin said “unfriendly countries” would have to pay for natural gas in rubles instead of other currencies. The governor didn’t speculate on the possible cause of the fire. I appeal to Russia’s soldiers & their superiors to put an end to their violence. “This is unjustified and unacceptable.” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, called the explosions that were reported overnight in three regions of Russia “karma” — without claiming responsibility — and suggested they may even have been a “divine intervention.” Russian media, citing local officials, said explosions were reported in the Belgorod, Voronezh and Kursk regions, although the claims could not be independently verified.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin praised Germany's promise Tuesday to supply Ukraine with “Cheetah” antiaircraft systems — part of a new wave of equipment from ...

“It is a considered view reached as to what is the right and responsible decision in all circumstances.” It’s going to be harder to fight” the fires. Rylov and other athletes sported the letter “Z” on their outfits, a symbol used by supporters of Russia’s invasion. But some think the invasion of Ukraine could reduce Russia’s firefighting resources, with many personnel and a great deal of equipment deployed to the war. There is no evidence to support this allegation. The first trip was Tuesday, he said, and officials are “accelerating planning” to return to the capital, Kyiv.“It is something we want to do as soon as it is responsible for us to do so,” Price said. And that’s the best way to address that.” Donbas: Ukrainian leaders continue to report some of the fiercest fighting in this eastern region that is home to pro-Russian separatists, where Russian troops have spent weeks refocusing their invasion. SIM cards are small chips used in phones, which would be useful to would-be assassins. “I genuinely believe this is a dumb FSB officer being told to get 3 SIMs,” tweeted Eliot Higgins, founder of the investigative research unit Bellingcat, which has covered Russia extensively. Among the arsenal apparently seized by the FSB were Molotov cocktails, a grenade, several pistols and a sawed-off shotgun, as well as Nazi paraphernalia, a green wig and copies of three expansion packs to the video game “The Sims 3.” Wait. What? Russia’s renewed assault on eastern Ukraine is underway, and peace talks have yet to produce results, even as Western officials say Moscow has clearly scaled back its ambitions.

Ukraine condemns Russia's 'gas blackmail' as Poland, Bulgaria say Gazprom is set to cut their gas supplies on Wednesday.

Warsaw said this week that it too was sending weaponry to Ukraine’s army in the form of tanks. It has supported sanctions against Russia and sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine but has been hesitant to provide military aid. Several years ago, Poland opened its first terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Swinoujscie on the Baltic Sea coast, and later this year, a pipeline from Norway is to become operational. Before the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Europe received about 40 percent of its gas from Russia, mainly for residential heating, electrical generation and the fuel industry, with Germany particularly dependent on it. Only Hungary has agreed to do so, with other countries rejecting the demand as an unacceptable one-sided breach of contracts and a violation of sanctions. Putin’s demand was apparently intended to help bolster the Russian currency against Western sanctions.

Get the latest updates here. Fighting. Ukraine's general staff said Russian forces were pressing their offensive in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions and they had ...

Ukraine is the world’s fifth-biggest exporter of wheat. - Russian President Vladimir Putinagreed“in principle” to UN and International Committee of the Red Cross involvement in the evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in Ukraine’s southern city of Mariupol, the United Nations said. - Ukrainian authorities dismantled a Soviet-era monument in the centre of Kyiv meant to symbolise friendship between Russia and Ukraine, a response to Moscow’s invasion, according to the city’s mayor.

Russian defense officials said their air force hit 59 military facilities in Ukraine overnight, while Russian air-defense systems shot down 18 Ukrainian drones ...

Russia committed to removing the munitions and its estimated 1,500 troops in Transnistria at a 1999 summit in Istanbul of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe but has never done so, citing security concerns of Russian-speaking people in Transnistria. Cobasna, on the eastern edge of the strip of Moldovan territory claimed by pro-Russian Transnistria, is the site of a huge ammunition depot established in the 1940s by the Soviet Union. The weapons stash, often characterized as the largest in Europe, has been a focus of decades of international efforts to resolve the standoff in Moldova. No casualties were reported in any of the incidents.

Polish PM says his country will 'deal with this blackmail' after Russia halts supply of gas; 287 British MPs 'closed from entering Russian Federation'

Kazakhstan, an oil-rich former Soviet republic, has so far not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but has called for the crisis to be resolved in line with the United Nations charter. - US secretary of state Antony Blinken told Congress that the US is working on reopening its embassy inUkraine. “I think this will play out over the next few weeks,” he said. - A Ukrainian commander in the besieged city of Mariupol said there are more than 600 injured civilians and fighters in the Azovstal steel works. The money will come from the agriculture department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). “About 2,500km of roads and almost 300 bridges have been ruined or damaged.” - Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described Russia’s actions as amounting to “energy blackmail” against Europe in his nightly nationaladdress. US President Joe Biden saidnegotiations for the release of Trevor Reed, 30,“required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly”. They will not continue to rise if they do not play by the rules. - Truss singled out China, demanding it “play by the rules”. “China is not impervious. But my view, is that inaction would be the greatest provocation,” she said. “We’ve got to double down on our support for Ukraine,” she said. “This new humanitarian parole program will complement the existing legal pathways available to Ukrainians, including immigrant visas and refugee processing.

By providing arms but avoiding military intervention western leaders are prolonging this hideous conflict, says former BBC Moscow correspondent Angus ...

For Ukraine’s sake, we need to stop him now, one way or the other, before nothing is left of the country we want to protect. Encouraging the Ukrainians to continue, however just their cause, is merely making their country uninhabitable. If Russia’s aim was to exterminate the Ukrainian nation, then the west’s approach is helping to do just that. If Russia continues to suffer “defeats” at this pace, then in another two months the entire south of Ukraine will be in ruins, cities such as Odesa will resemble Mariupol, and thousands upon thousands more Ukrainians will have died. Yet the west’s current approach of supporting Ukraine’s war aim of defeating the aggressor, and providing arms for that purpose while pointedly avoiding direct military intervention, is guaranteed to prolong the war. It follows that supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do.

Russia has cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, targeting Europe's economy to pressure Ukraine's allies.

Bulgaria gets more than 90 percent of its gas from Russia, and officials have said they were working to find other sources, such as from Azerbaijan. The statement said the U.K. assesses Ukrainian forces pose a threat to Russian aircraft, but the ministry did not go into greater detail. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom,” Biden said in a statement. This followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand in March for European nations to pay for gas in rubles. “The Russian advances even in this area are proceeding methodically rather than rapidly,” said the report, released Monday evening. A massive fire also broke out this week at a fuel depot in nearby Bryansk. Ukraine didn’t confirm responsibility for the reported incidents on Russian territory. “His safe return is a testament to the priority my Administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad. The move was made to help boost Ukraine’s economy and its exports to the trading bloc of 27 nations after Russia’s invasion. “This is not blackmail," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday. "Russia has been and remains a reliable supplier of energy resources to its consumers. Europe is heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies and the halt ratcheted up the economic stakes in a standoff that is increasingly resembling the Cold War. “The satellite recorded the excavated trenches on the territory of the Staryi Krym cemetery. Vadim Boychenko, Mariupol's mayor, claimed in the same statement that Russian forces have enlisted locals to help with burials in exchange for supplies.

In an address to the Council of Legislators in St Petersburg, the Russian leader said his response to any threats will be "lightning-fast" and deadly, ...

Previously, gas payments from Bulgaria and Poland have been made in euros. "Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his way back to the United States," his parents, Joey and Paula, and his sister, Taylor, said in a statement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said continual deliveries of supplies and weaponry to Ukraine means the NATO alliance has positioned itself as "in essence engaged in war with Russia" and accused the organisation of "pouring oil on the fire". In an address to the Council of Legislators in St Petersburg, the Russian leader said "all the objectives will definitely be carried out" in the Ukraine war. In an address to the Council of Legislators in St Petersburg, the Russian leader said his response to any threats will be "lightning-fast" and deadly, adding that "all the objectives will definitely be carried out" in the conflict with Ukraine. He said what he called the "special military operation" in Ukraine would "guarantee the safety" of people in the Donbas and Crimea.