3 years ago
New Delhi:
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said his country would be "destroyed" before it surrenders its cities to invading Russian forces, as he doubled down on a call for direct talks with Vladimir Putin as the key to ending the war.
As Russia defended overnight strikes that reduced a Kyiv shopping mall to rubble, killing eight, US President Joe Biden held a call with European leaders to address the increasingly "brutal tactics" employed by Moscow -- undeterred by unprecedented Western sanctions.
But despite a soaring civilian toll, the Ukrainian president made clear his countrymen would not "hand over" the capital, the eastern city of Kharkiv, or the heavily bombarded and besieged Mariupol.
"Ukraine cannot fulfil Russian ultimatums," he said. "We should be destroyed first."
Here are the Highlights on Russia-Ukraine War
Mar 23, 2022 05:32 (IST)
Russia combat power declines in Ukraine after heavy casualties: US
Russia's combat power in Ukraine has declined below 90 percent of its pre-invasion levels for the first time since its attack began, a senior U.S. defense official said on Tuesday, suggesting heavy losses of weaponry and growing casualties.
The United States has estimated Russia assembled more than 150,000 troops around Ukraine before the Feb. 24 invasion, along with enough aircraft, artillery, tanks and other firepower for its full-scale attack.
Russia's combat power in Ukraine has declined below 90 percent of its pre-invasion levels for the first time since its attack began, a senior U.S. defense official said on Tuesday, suggesting heavy losses of weaponry and growing casualties.
The United States has estimated Russia assembled more than 150,000 troops around Ukraine before the Feb. 24 invasion, along with enough aircraft, artillery, tanks and other firepower for its full-scale attack.
Mar 23, 2022 03:54 (IST)
Ukraine War: Ukraine's Zelenskiy says Russia talks tough, sometimes confrontational
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday said peace talks with Russia to end the war were tough and sometimes confrontational but added "step by step we are moving forward."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday said peace talks with Russia to end the war were tough and sometimes confrontational but added "step by step we are moving forward."
Mar 23, 2022 01:42 (IST)
Ukraine War: Ukraine's Zelenskiy will take part virtually in NATO summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will take part virtually in a NATO summit on Thursday to discuss the war with Russia, but exact details are still being worked out, Interfax Ukraine cited Zelenskiy's press spokesman as saying on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will take part virtually in a NATO summit on Thursday to discuss the war with Russia, but exact details are still being worked out, Interfax Ukraine cited Zelenskiy's press spokesman as saying on Tuesday.
Mar 23, 2022 01:14 (IST)
Ukraine War: Russia would only use nuclear weapons faced with 'existential threat': Kremlin
Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an "existential threat," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International Tuesday.
"We have a concept of domestic security, and it's public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used," Peskov said. "So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept."
Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an "existential threat," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International Tuesday.
"We have a concept of domestic security, and it's public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used," Peskov said. "So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept."
Mar 23, 2022 01:00 (IST)
Ukraine War: Putin Dials France's Macron Over Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday and discussed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Interfax news agency said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday and discussed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Interfax news agency said.
Mar 22, 2022 23:31 (IST)
Russian strikes in east Ukraine kill at least 12, Kyiv says
At least 12 people have been killed in strikes across eastern Ukraine, an official in Kyiv said Tuesday, nearly one month into Moscow's invasion.
"In the Donetsk region, Avdiivka was fired on by artillery and aircraft, the city was razed to the ground. Five civilians were killed and 19 were injured," Ukraine's ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova, said in a statement.
She said the attack occurred late Monday.
Avdiivka in the east of Ukraine is adjacent to the de-facto capital of pro-Moscow separatists, who wrested control of two self-proclaimed republics in 2014.
At least 12 people have been killed in strikes across eastern Ukraine, an official in Kyiv said Tuesday, nearly one month into Moscow's invasion.
"In the Donetsk region, Avdiivka was fired on by artillery and aircraft, the city was razed to the ground. Five civilians were killed and 19 were injured," Ukraine's ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova, said in a statement.
She said the attack occurred late Monday.
Avdiivka in the east of Ukraine is adjacent to the de-facto capital of pro-Moscow separatists, who wrested control of two self-proclaimed republics in 2014.
Advertisement
Mar 22, 2022 19:57 (IST)
Ukraine says 300,000 people are running out of food in occupied Kherson
Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Tuesday about 300,000 people in the occupied city of Kherson were running out of food and medical supplies, and accused Russia of preventing civilians evacuating to Ukraine-controlled territory.
"Kherson's 300k citizens face a humanitarian catastrophe owing to the Russian army's blockade. Food and medical supplies have almost run out, yet Russia refuses to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians," ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on Twitter.
Russia did not immediately comment on Nikolenko's remarks. Moscow denies targeting civilians.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Tuesday about 300,000 people in the occupied city of Kherson were running out of food and medical supplies, and accused Russia of preventing civilians evacuating to Ukraine-controlled territory.
"Kherson's 300k citizens face a humanitarian catastrophe owing to the Russian army's blockade. Food and medical supplies have almost run out, yet Russia refuses to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians," ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on Twitter.
Russia did not immediately comment on Nikolenko's remarks. Moscow denies targeting civilians.
Mar 22, 2022 17:04 (IST)
Ten Ukrainian hospitals destroyed since start of war, minister says
Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Tuesday that 10 hospitals had been completely destroyed since Russia invaded Ukraine, and others could not be restocked with medicines and supplies because of fighting nearby.
Speaking on national television, he said COVID-19 testing was being carried out only in areas where there was no fighting, and this was complicating efforts to track the disease. Reuters could not independently verify his comments.
Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Tuesday that 10 hospitals had been completely destroyed since Russia invaded Ukraine, and others could not be restocked with medicines and supplies because of fighting nearby.
Speaking on national television, he said COVID-19 testing was being carried out only in areas where there was no fighting, and this was complicating efforts to track the disease. Reuters could not independently verify his comments.
Advertisement
Mar 22, 2022 16:25 (IST)
Ukraine City "Razed To Ground", 5 Killed, 19 Injured: Official
Five people have been killed and more than a dozen wounded in Russian strikes on a war-scared town in eastern Ukraine, an official in Kyiv said Tuesday, nearly one month into Moscow's invasion.
"In the Donetsk region, Avdiivka was fired on by artillery and aircraft, the city was razed to the ground. Five civilians were killed and 19 were injured," Ukraine's ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova, said in a statement.
Five people have been killed and more than a dozen wounded in Russian strikes on a war-scared town in eastern Ukraine, an official in Kyiv said Tuesday, nearly one month into Moscow's invasion.
"In the Donetsk region, Avdiivka was fired on by artillery and aircraft, the city was razed to the ground. Five civilians were killed and 19 were injured," Ukraine's ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova, said in a statement.
Mar 22, 2022 16:12 (IST)
Kremlin says it wants Ukraine talks to be more active, substantive
The Kremlin on Tuesday said it would like ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine to be more "active and substantive", as fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continued.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not intend to make public its detailed demands to Ukraine.
The Kremlin on Tuesday said it would like ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine to be more "active and substantive", as fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continued.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not intend to make public its detailed demands to Ukraine.
Advertisement
Mar 22, 2022 16:05 (IST)
500,000 refugees from Ukraine have mental health issues-WHO
About half a million refugees from Ukraine who have fled to Poland need support for mental health disorders, and 30,000 have severe mental health problems, the representative for the World Health Organisation in Poland said on Tuesday.
Refugees arriving in Poland are suffering from a range of health problems, including diarrhea and dehydration, but the main need is for support due to trauma, Paloma Cuchi, WHO representative in Poland, told a briefing in Geneva.
Mar 22, 2022 15:04 (IST)
10,000 Soldiers Killed In Ukraine, Says Pro-Russia Paper, Then Backtracks
Russia has lost nearly 10,000 soldiers in the Ukraine war, the website of a pro-Kremlin tabloid claimed in a report. The figure was quickly removed by the publication in a damage control move, but not before its screenshots started circulating on the internet. Read more
Advertisement
Mar 22, 2022 14:32 (IST)
More than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine -United Nations' Refugee Agency
The number of Ukrainians fleeing abroad is now 3,528,346, the United Nations' Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday, with more than 2 million crossing the border into Poland.
Mar 22, 2022 13:56 (IST)
Mar 22, 2022 13:29 (IST)
Ukraine announces no new agreements with Russia on corridors to evacuate civilians
- Ukraine said on Tuesday its efforts to evacuate civilians from besieged towns and cities were focused on the city of Mariupol but did not announce any new agreement with Russia to allow safe passage for trapped residents.
- "We are focusing on evacuations from Mariupol," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
- She listed a number of places from where buses would try to evacuate civilians but Mariupol was not among them. She also made no mention of any new agreements with Russia on establishing "humanitarian corridors" to evacuate civilians.
Mar 22, 2022 12:34 (IST)
Lviv radio gets 'new mission' after Russian invasion
- The Lvivska Khvylya local radio station in west Ukraine changed its broadcast output dramatically the day Russia invaded the country.
- The first thing staff did was to ease off on the entertainment programming and ramp up coverage of the war for their tens of thousands of listeners.
- "We are an entertainment and music radio station but we're doing a lot of news because citizens need a lot of information in these times," Volodymyr Melnyk, a 28-year-old host on Lvivska Khvylya ("Wave of Lviv"), told AFP.
- He was speaking in the station's brand-new studio in Lviv, a city 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Polish border.
- Between Ukrainian pop hits, Melnyk and his colleague Andryi Antoniuk, 41, lighten the mood with quips about the conflict.
- "In times of war, we need to be positive. We can make fun of Putin and of the Russian troops who can't take our cities, but we can't have so much fun as we had before the war," says Melnyk who has been working for the station for eight years.
Mar 22, 2022 12:17 (IST)
Who Is Buying Russian Oil, Despite A Raging International Debate?
Crude prices have started to soar again, with the Brent futures up over 2 per cent to nearly $120 a barrel on Tuesday, following a more than 7 percent rise in the previous session. Read more
Mar 22, 2022 11:03 (IST)
Latest Ukraine Satellite Pics Show Burning Apartments, Storage Tanks
Latest satellite photos by Maxar Technologies show widespread destruction across Ukrainian cities amid relentless Russian bombardment. Eight people are killed in the bombing of a shopping centre in northwest Kyiv. The 10-storey building is completely destroyed in the blast. Russia claims the mall was used to store rocket systems.
Mar 22, 2022 10:11 (IST)
Ukraine's Zelensky says everything on table if Putin meets
- Ukrainian leader Volodymr Zelensky said all issues would be on the table if Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed to direct talks to end the war, including contested Crimea and Donbas, but he warned his country would be "destroyed" before it surrenders.
- On the ground, there was no let-up in the violence, with Kyiv under a new 35-hour curfew after Russian strikes reduced a Kyiv shopping mall to rubble, and the Pentagon saying Moscow was stepping up air and sea operations.
- President Joe Biden meanwhile warned that Putin was considering using chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine as he held talks with European leaders on what he called Moscow's increasingly "brutal tactics".
- Nearly a month into the conflict, there has been little progress in talks between the two sides, and Zelensky has repeatedly urged direct discussions with his Russian counterpart.
- He insisted again on Monday that a meeting with Putin "in any format" was needed to end the war.
Mar 22, 2022 09:27 (IST)
China's Russian traders smell profit as Ukraine sanctions bite
- For Marat, a Russian businessman based in Shanghai, sanctions on his home country have heralded an unexpected opportunity in China as companies struggle to keep their supply chains open.
- The 42-year-old has already been contacted by a components company hunting for partners in China after being cut off from its suppliers in Europe and North America.
- "'Just be ready'", he said was the message from the firm based in Belarus, a Russian ally also under sanctions for supporting its invasion of Ukraine.
- "It will be a bigger workload for me, and for sure, as a result, bigger rewards," said Marat, who gave one name only due to the sensitivity of commenting on the war inside China.
- Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the bloody assault on Ukraine, Western capitals have frozen Moscow out of the global financial system, tipping its currency into freefall and pushing the country to the verge of default.
- But China -- a longtime Russian ally -- has refused to follow suit, throwing Moscow a potential economic lifeline to match the diplomatic cover it has provided by refusing to condemn the invasion.
Mar 22, 2022 08:45 (IST)
Putin's "Back Is Against The Wall", May Use Chemical Weapons, Says Biden
- Ukraine's military said on Tuesday residents should brace for more indiscriminate Russian shelling of critical infrastructure, as U.S. President Joe Biden issued one of his strongest warnings yet that Moscow is considering using chemical weapons.
- Russian troops have failed to capture any major Ukrainian city more than four weeks into their invasion, and increasingly are resorting to causing massive destruction to residential areas using air strikes, long-range missiles and artillery.
- The southern port of Mariupol has become a focal point of Russia's assault and lies largely in ruins with bodies lying on the streets, but attacks were also reported to have intensified on the second city Kharkiv on Monday.
- Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement issued on Tuesday that Russian forces were expected to continue to attack critical infrastructure using "high-precision weapons and indiscriminate munitions".
- Without citing evidence, Biden said Russia's false accusations that Kyiv had biological and chemical weapons illustrated that President Vladimir Putin was considering using them himself.
Mar 22, 2022 08:02 (IST)
96-Year-Old World War II Holocaust Survivor Killed In Ukraine's Kharkiv
He survived the Nazi Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II. He survived the Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp in the same war. And the Bergen-Belsen camp. Read more
Mar 22, 2022 07:50 (IST)
Biden says Putin is weighing use of chemical weapons in Ukraine
- Russia's false accusations that Kyiv has biological and chemical weapons illustrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering using them himself in his war against Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday, without citing evidence.
- Putin's "back is against the wall and now he's talking about new false flags he's setting up including, asserting that we in America have biological as well as chemical weapons in Europe, simply not true," Biden said at a Business Roundtable event.
- "They are also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That's a clear sign he's considering using both of those."
Mar 22, 2022 07:15 (IST)
Ukraine's President Asks Nation To Fight On, Calls For Talks With Putin
Ukraine's leaders today accused Russian forces of firing on unarmed protesters in the occupied southern city of Kherson, with videos appearing to show residents fleeing flash-bang grenades and sustained gunfire. Read more
Mar 22, 2022 07:12 (IST)
Joe Biden Calls India "Shaky" In Russia Confrontation Over Ukraine War
- US President Joe Biden said Monday that India was an exception among Washington's allies with its "shaky" response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Biden lauded the US-led alliance, including NATO, the European Union and key Asian partners, for its united front against President Vladimir Putin.
- This includes unprecedented sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's currency, international trade and access to high-tech goods.
- However, unlike fellow members of the Quad group -- Australia, Japan and the United States -- India continues to purchase Russian oil and has refused to join votes condemning Moscow at the United Nations.
