Sunday, February 27, 2022

Russian troops enter Ukraine's second largest city

LONG READ

Editor's note: This page recaps the news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Saturday, Feb. 26. Follow here for updates on the attack in and around Kyiv on Sunday, Feb. 27.

Russian troops have entered Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv and fighting is underway in the streets, according to the Associated Press.

Videos posted on Ukrainian media and social networks showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and a light vehicle burning on the street. Residents were urged to stay inside.

The troops in Kharkiv arrived hours after Russia unleashed a wave of attacks on Ukraine targeting airfields and fuel facilities.

Earlier there were two large explosions that rocked an area south of Kyiv just before 1 a.m. One of the blasts was near the Zhuliany airport, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said. The mayor of Vasylkiv, about 25 miles south of the capital, said an oil depot there was hit, according to the Associated Press.

Elsewhere, Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv. The explosion created mushroom-cloud and could cause an “environmental catastrophe,” warned the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection. Residents were advised to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids.

At least 240 civilian casualties are confirmed by the United Nations, including at least 64 people killed in the fighting — though it believed the “real figures are considerably higher” because many reports of casualties remain to be confirmed. More than 150,000 people have fled the Ukraine to neighboring countries and the United Nations warned that number could grow to 4 million.

Meanwhile, the United States and its European allies agreed to remove “selected” Russian banks from the international SWIFT messaging system, which allows for the movement of financial transactions.

They also moved to impose restrictions on Russia's central bank, a measure the White House and its partners said would further hammer Russia's financial systems and hit the country's wealthy and political elites.

To catch you up:

Why is Russia invading Ukraine?: Could it be the start of WWIII? We explain.

Back in the U.S.: What is the draft? And can it ever be reinstated here?

What is SWIFT?: How banning Russia from the banking system could impact the country?

Russia targets Ukraine airfields in next phase

Russia unleashed a wave of attacks on Ukraine targeting airfields and fuel facilities in what appeared to be the next phase of an invasion that has been slowed by fierce resistance. The U.S. and EU responded with weapons and ammunition for the outnumbered Ukrainians and powerful sanctions intended to further isolate Moscow.

Huge explosions lit up the sky early Sunday south of the capital, Kyiv, where people hunkered down in homes, underground garages and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale assault by Russian forces.

Associated Press

'You cannot defeat a whole nation'

On Sunday morning, Ukranian writer Illarion Pavliuk plans to set out on a dangerous journey to help his countrymen as explosions rock Kyiv, and outgunned Ukrainian forces continue to maintain control of their capital.

Pavliuk is not a solider, but he does have a military background. In 2015, he was an intelligence volunteer in the war in Eastern Ukraine. And yet, this is what Ukraine has become – a country where internationally acclaimed artists are forced to kiss their children goodnight before they go off to defend their homeland from the occupying force. "We will never give up and we are going to win this war. You cannot defeat the whole nation. And Ukrainians are absolutely united as a nation now."

His words are haunting and powerful, with his children in the background.

"What can I tell you about this war? It is difficult to say a couple of words," he says. "I would never ever imagine my four children dropping their toys and running to sit in the thickest doorway in the house because of cruise missiles above our city; ballistic missiles.

"And I would never imagine this and I will never forgive Russia."

 Carli Pierson, USA TODAY

Read the full interview: 'We will never give up': A father prepares to leave his kids and fight for Ukraine

French president asks Belarus leader to order Russian troops to leave

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Belarus counterpart to demand that the country, Ukraine’s neighbor, quickly order Russian troops to leave.

In a phone conversation Saturday, Macron denounced “the gravity of a decision that would authorize Russia to deploy nuclear arms on Belarus soil,” a statement by the presidential palace said.

Macron told Alexander Lukashenko that fraternity between the people of Belarus and Ukraine should lead Belarus to “refuse to be a vassal and an accomplice to Russia in the war against Ukraine,” the statement said.

Belarus was one one of several axes used by Russia to launch attacks on Ukraine, with Belarus the point to move toward the capital Kyiv, a senior U.S. defense official has said.

Macron has pushed persistently to try to claw out a ceasefire amid the war, using the telephone to talk to all sides, diplomacy and sanctions by the European Union.

– Associated Press

UN: At least 240 civilian casualties

GENEVA — The United Nations says it has confirmed at least 240 civilian casualties, including at least 64 people killed, in the fighting in Ukraine that erupted since Russia’s invasion on Thursday — though it believed the “real figures are considerably higher” because many reports of casualties remain to be confirmed.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs relayed the count late Saturday from the U.N. human rights office, which has strict methodologies and verification procedures about the toll from conflict.

OCHA also said damage to civilian infrastructure has deprived hundreds of thousands of people of access to electricity or water, and produced a map of “humanitarian situations” in Ukraine — mostly in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine.

The human rights office had reported early Friday an initial count by its staffers of at least 127 civilian casualties – 25 people killed and 102 injured – mostly from shelling and airstrikes.

– Associated Press

US, allies committed to removing certain Russian banks from SWIFT

The United States and its European allies have agreed to remove “selected” Russian banks from the international SWIFT messaging system, the White House announced on Saturday. The White House also announced that the US and allied countries will move to impose new ”restrictive measures” on Russia’s central bank.

The new economic penalties on Moscow come as Russia’s military continues to bombard Kyiv and other population centers in its deadly invasion of Ukraine.

A senior administration official said the U.S. and EU will work to finalize the list of Russian banks that will be barred from the SWIFT system. But Russia will feel the impact of the decision well before it’s enacted, said the official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.

“I have great confidence the effects of these measures will be felt immediately in Russia’s financial markets,” the official said.

The U.S. official suggested some banks that handle energy transactions could be exempted in the SWIFT delisting process. That would help cushion the economic blow to Europe, which relies heavily on Russia for oil and gas.

The SWIFT system is based in Belgium, where officials will have the final sign-off on the list of barred institutions.

The U.S. and EU countries also announced new steps to limit the sale of “golden passports,” which allows wealthy individuals become citizens of European countries.

– Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY

Zelenskyy says he’s open for talks with Russia

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he’s open for talks with Russia.

Zelenskyy said in a video message Saturday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev offered to help organize such talks. He added that “we can only welcome that.”

Zelenskyy also said he and Erdogan “agree that a ban on the passage of Russian warships into the Black Sea is very important today,” adding that “it has been done.” Turkey, however, hasn’t announced any ban for Russian warships to move through Turkish Straits following Erdogan’s talk with Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy said that “Ukrainians’ readiness to protect our state, our solidarity and courage have thwarted the scenario of occupation of our country.”

“The world has seen that Ukrainians are strong, Ukrainians are brave, Ukrainians stand on their land and will not surrender it,” he said.

– Associated Press

Germany to send anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, drops opposition to SWIFT sanctions for Russia

In a significant shift, the German government said Saturday it will send weapons and other supplies directly to Ukraine and supports some restrictions of the SWIFT global banking system for Russia.

Germany’s chancellery announced it will send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 “Stinger” surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine “as quickly as possible.”

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point. It threatens our entire post-war order,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. “In this situation, it is our duty to help Ukraine, to the best of our ability, to defend itself against Vladimir Putin’s invading army.”

In addition, the German economy and climate ministry said Germany is allowing the Netherlands to ship 400 German-made anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.

Germany had long stuck to a policy of not exporting deadly weapons to conflict zones, including Ukraine. As recently as Friday, government officials said they would abide by that policy.

Germany on Saturday also joined the rest of the European Union in voicing support for SWIFT sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and German Economics Minister Robert Habeck announced the decision in a joint statement that indicated there might be limits in how far Germany is willing to go on the issue.

“We are working flat out on how to limit the collateral damage of a disconnection from #SWIFT, so that it hits the right people. What we need is a targeted and functional restriction of SWIFT,” the officials wrote in a statement.

SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It is a global messaging system connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world.

SWIFT was formed in 1973, and is headquartered in Belgium. It is overseen by the National Bank of Belgium, in addition to the U.S. Federal Reserve System, the European Central Bank and others, NBC News reported. It connects more than 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, so banks can be informed about transactions.

Earlier Saturday, Zelenskyy said that Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi also voiced his approval for disconnecting Russia from SWIFT.

The U.S. did not impose removing Russia from SWIFT following concerns from European allies in what was seen as America's harshest punishment at its disposal.

What is SWIFT?: How could banning Russia from the banking system impact the country?

– JJ Hensley and Associated Press

Russian forces meet firm resistance on path to Kyiv

Russian forces have grown increasingly frustrated by Ukrainian resistance, particularly near the capital of Kiev, and the Russian advance remains about 18 miles from the city, a senior Defense Department official said Saturday.

Russia has, however, sent reconnaissance forces into Kyiv, the official said, declining to say how many of those troops have penetrated the city.

The official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the Pentagon had used several means to determine that Russian forces invading Ukraine had been stalled by determined resistance.

The official warned that the battlefield situation is fluid and changing rapidly.

Addressing reports that some Russian military vehicles had run out of gas, the official said the invading force sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin had expended more fuel resources than it had planned for.

Ukrainian forces continue to contest the airspace over the country with warplanes and missile defense, the official said.

Also Saturday, the Pentagon announced that $350 in emergency military aid to Ukraine. That package includes Javelin anti-armor missiles, ammunition and body armor, according to the official. Prior to the invasion, military materiel had been arriving in Ukraine by cargo aircraft. U.S. military aid has continued to flow into Ukraine in the last few days but the official declined to say how it has arrived there.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that “the speed of the Russian advance has temporarily slowed likely as a result of acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance.”

“Russian forces are bypassing major Ukrainian population centres while leaving forces to encircle and isolate them,” the ministry said.

– Tom Vanden Brook and Associated Press

Snake Island defiance: Ukrainian soldier on Snake Island tells Russian officer 'go (expletive) yourself' before being killed

Fleeing to the border: Over 150,000 Ukrainians seek refuge

MEDYKA, Poland – At least 150,000 people have fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighboring countries in the wake of the Russian invasion, the U.N. refugee agency said Saturday.

Some walked many miles through the night while others fled by train, car or bus, forming lines miles long at border crossings. They were greeted by waiting relatives and friends or headed on their own to reception centers organized by neighboring governments.

“The numbers and the situation is changing minute by minute,” said Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. “At least 150,000 people have fled, they are refugees outside of Ukraine. ... At least 100,000 people – but probably a much larger number – have been displaced inside Ukraine.”

Those arriving were mostly women, children and the elderly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy banned men of military age from 18 to 60 from leaving. Some Ukrainian men were heading back into Ukraine from Poland to take up arms against the Russian forces.

- The Associated Press

Chelsea's Russian billionaire owner hands over Premier League club

LONDON — Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich suddenly handed over the "stewardship and care" of the Premier League club to its charitable foundation trustees on Saturday.

The move came after a member of the British parliament called for the Russian billionaire to hand over the club in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, made no mention of the war in his statement.

– The Associated Press

Invasion response: Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich passes 'stewardship and care' of Premier League club

Former president Poroschenko: everyone understands risk of death

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroschenko, Zelenskyy’s predecessor, said he was prepared to die to defend his country.

“I think that we should do our best to protect our nation,” he told CNN in an interview Saturday. “To protect the nation against the Russian aggressor definitely bring the risk of life.”

Poroschenko, who was wearing a flak jacket and standing outside in Kyiv with members of the Ukraine military, sounded clear-eyed and defiant.

“Everybody here – all the young and old people – fully understand that we have this risk,” he said. “Somebody has a choice to go abroad. Somebody has a choice to be the refugee in some regions of Ukraine. But many, the biggest part, make a decision to take the rifle and to protect the nation.”

“I proud for these people. I proud for this country. And I proud to be Ukrainian.”

– Ledyard King

Biden authorizes $350 million more in US military aid for Ukraine

The Biden administration is providing an additional $350 million in immediate U.S. military assistance to Ukraine as Russia continues a full-scale attack on the country with intense fighting in the capital city of Kyiv.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the drawdown of funds Saturday morning after Biden authorized the emergency military aid late Friday night through the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

“This package will include further lethal defensive assistance to help Ukraine address the armored, airborne, and other threats it is now facing,” Blinken said in a statement. “It is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous, and proud nation.”

The aid brings the U.S.’s total assistance to Ukraine to more than $1 billion over the past year, according to Blinken, including $200 million in military assistance in December and $60 million last fall.

Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine civilians to join the fight against Russia, and as he remains defiant about not leaving Kyiv, he’s made clear about the need for more help.

“I need ammunition, not a ride,” he said in a video Friday.

– Joey Garrison

In Kyiv, residents seek shelter after night of explosions, street clashes

KYIV, Ukraine – Russian troops pressed toward Ukraine’s capital Saturday after a night of air strikes and street fighting.

Ukrainian officials have reported some success in fending off assaults. A U.S. official told reporters Friday the Pentagon had information suggesting that Moscow had expected a faster advance on Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting he would stay. “The fight is here,” he said.

Skirmishes reported on the edge of Kyiv suggested that small Russian units were trying to clear a path for the main forces. A missile struck a high-rise apartment building in the city’s southwestern outskirts near one of Kyiv’s two passenger airports, Mayor Vitali Klitchsko said, leaving a jagged hole of ravaged apartments over several floors. A rescue worker said six civilians were injured.

Russia claims its assault on Ukraine is aimed only at military targets, but civilians have been killed and injured during Europe’s largest ground war since World War II.

– Caren Bohan and Associated Press

TikTok is Russia's newest weapon in arsenal for anti-Ukraine propaganda

In 2014, Russia flooded the internet with fake accounts pushing disinformation about its takeover of Crimea. Eight years later, experts say Russia is mounting a far more sophisticated propaganda effort as it invades Ukraine.

Armies of trolls and bots stir up anti-Ukrainian sentiment. State-controlled media outlets look to divide Western audiences. Clever TikTok videos serve up Russian nationalism with a side of humor.

The effort amounts to an emerging part of Russia’s war arsenal with the shaping of opinion through orchestrated disinformation fighting alongside actual troops and weapons.

Analysts at several different research organizations contacted by The Associated Press said they are seeing a sharp increase in online activity by groups affiliated with the Russian state. That’s in keeping with Russia’s strategy of using social media and state-run outlets to galvanize domestic support while seeking to destabilize the Western alliance.

Researchers saw a sudden and dramatic increase in anti-Ukrainian content in the days immediately before the invasion. On Valentine’s Day, for instance, the number of anti-Ukrainian posts created by the sample of Twitter accounts jumped by 11,000% when compared with just days earlier. Analysts believe a significant portion of the accounts are inauthentic and controlled by groups linked to the Russian government.

– David Klepper, The Associated Press

Russian propaganda: TikTok is Russia's newest weapon in arsenal for anti-Ukraine propaganda

Troops from NATO member nations could be deployed to defend Slovakia

Slovakia’s defense minister says up to 1,200 foreign troops from other NATO members could be deployed in his country in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The plan is part of the NATO initiative to reassure member countries on the alliance’s eastern flank by sending forces to help protect them. Slovakia borders Ukraine.

Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said forces from the Netherlands and Germany are among those expected to come. Germany will also provide the Patriot system to boost Slovakia’s air defense.

The country’s government and Parliament have not yet approved the plan.

Nad also said his country’s government has approved sending arms and fuel worth 11 million euros ($12.4 million) requested by Ukraine. The aid will include 10 million liters (2.6 million gallons) of fuel, 2.4 million liters (630,000 gallons) of aviation fuel and 12,000 pieces of ammunition.

– The Associated Press

Zelenskyy mobilizes Ukrainian reservists and those eligible for service

After Russia launched a military invasion into Ukraine early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called up reservists and those liable for service for a full military mobilization.

As many Ukrainians fled to neighboring countries, the Ukraine State Border Guard Service announced that men ages 18 to 60 were prohibited from leaving the country, ahead of a possible draft to increase the country's military service.

The Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, the military reserve of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, take part in a military drill outside Kyiv on February 19, 2022.
The Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, the military reserve of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, take part in a military drill outside Kyiv on February 19, 2022.

Talk of conscription led to questions in the U.S. about whether the government could ever reinstate the draft. That is highly unlikely in a country where antiwar sentiment has grown in the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress would have to reinstate the draft since induction authority expired in 1973. If approved, the president would then be authorized to induct civilians through the Selective Service Administration into the armed forces under an amendment to the Military Selective Service Act.

Even though there is no draft currently, almost all men and male immigrants aged 18 to 25 are required to register with the Selective Service. Women make up close to 17% of the U.S. armed forces, but Congress would have to pass legislation amending the act to require women register.

– Chelsey Cox

Russian protesters risk arrest to decry Putin's war

MOSCOW – Risking arrest and intimidation, Russian citizens have taken to the streets in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities to protest President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Russians with prominent platforms – celebrity actors, television presenters, comedians and pop stars – risked their state contracts and jobs to make anti-war statements.

Many Russians have seen horrifying images from the Ukraine conflict, broadcast by independent media. Some show the Russian army destroying apartment blocks with people inside, a tank rolling over a vehicle with an elderly man inside and bleeding women crying for an end to the fighting.

Demonstrators shout slogans in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country's invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow.

In St. Petersburg, Sergei Bobovnikov, an antique art expert, joined a street rally Thursday night where hundreds of people crowded the central avenue, Nevsky Prospect.

"No to war!" they chanted. "Hands off Ukraine!"

Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, cities across Europe saw large gatherings where people voiced their outrage.

In London, demonstrators outside the Downing Street residence of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held up placards Friday that read "Stop the war" and "Total embargo on Russia."

From New York to Paris, cities lit up buildings in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

– Anna Nemtsova, Caren Bohan and Associated Press

Russian official shrugs off Western sanctions

A senior Russian official has warned that Moscow could react to Western sanctions over its attack on Ukraine by opting out of the last remaining nuclear arms pact and freezing Western assets.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, shrugged off a set of crippling sanctions that the U.S., the European Union and other allies slapped on Russia as a reflection of Western “political impotence.”

In comments posted on his page on Russian social media VKontakte, Medvedev said the sanctions could offer Moscow a pretext for a complete review of its ties with the West, suggesting that Russia could opt out of the New START nuclear arms control treaty that limits the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals.

-- Associated Press

Czechs to send more arms to Ukraine

The Czech Republic’s government has approved a plan to send more arms to Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry said it is immediately sending machine guns, submachine guns, assault rifles and pistols together with ammunition worth 188 million Czech crowns ($8.6 million).

The ministry said the Czechs will transport the weapons and deliver them to a place determined by the Ukrainian side.

The Czech Republic has already agreed to donate some 4,000 pieces of artillery shells worth 36.6 million Czech crowns ($1.7 million) to Ukraine.

-- Associated Press

'Our world is crumbling': Ukrainians try to flee homes with food, belongings amid Russian invasion

A soldier walks along Ukrainian armored vehicles blocking a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine's capital Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter.
A soldier walks along Ukrainian armored vehicles blocking a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine's capital Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter.

Poles quit World Cup qualifying against Russia

WARSAW, Poland -- The Polish Football Association says it will not play its World Cup qualifying match against Russia due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

More: Poland refuses to play against Russia in 2022 World Cup qualifying playoff

“No more words, time to act!” said association president Cezary Kulesza on Twitter, saying the move was prompted by the “escalation of the aggression.”

The match had been scheduled for March 24.

-- Associated Press

Ukrainian health minister: Nearly 200 dead, 1,000 wounded

The Ukrainian health minister says that 198 people have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been wounded in the Russian offensive.

Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said Saturday that there were three children among those killed. His statement made it unclear whether the casualties included both military and civilians.

He said another 1,115 people, including 33 children, were wounded in the Russian invasion that began Thursday with massive air and missile strikes and troops forging into Ukraine from the north, east and south.

-- Associated Press

PRZEMYSL, POLAND - FEBRUARY 25: A man holds a sleeping baby after arriving by bus to a supermarket parking lot from the Polish-Ukrainian border crossing on February 25, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland.
PRZEMYSL, POLAND - FEBRUARY 25: A man holds a sleeping baby after arriving by bus to a supermarket parking lot from the Polish-Ukrainian border crossing on February 25, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland.

Zelenskyy: Ukraine is fighting 'with weapons in hand'

Zelenskyy detailed further diplomatic efforts to drum up support for Ukraine Saturday, tweeting about a conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"Ukraine is fighting the invader with weapons in hands, defending its freedom and European future. Discussed with @vonderleyen effective assistance to our country from (the European Union) in this heroic struggle. I believe that the #EU also chooses Ukraine," he tweeted.

-- Luciana Lopez

Zelenskyy: 'Our weapons are our truth'

In a selfie-style video posted to twitter early on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to stay and fight on.

"I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth," he declared, denouncing as disinformation claims that he had surrendered or fled.

-- Associated Press

KYIV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 26: An empty street is seen on February 26, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Explosions and gunfire were reported around Kyiv on the second night of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has killed scores and prompted widespread condemnation from US and European leaders.
KYIV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 26: An empty street is seen on February 26, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Explosions and gunfire were reported around Kyiv on the second night of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has killed scores and prompted widespread condemnation from US and European leaders.

Russia-Ukraine explained: Inside the crisis as US calls Russian movements an invasion

Sean Penn calls Russian invasion of Ukraine 'a brutal mistake' while filming documentary there

Sean Penn, in Ukraine working on a documentary about the ongoing Russian assault, called the invasion "already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken."

"If he doesn't relent, I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind," Penn said in a statement to USA TODAY early Saturday morning. President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people "have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle. Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost."

-- Brian Truitt

Read the whole story here: Sean Penn calls Russian invasion of Ukraine 'a brutal mistake' while filming documentary there

Biden's hitting Russia's yacht-riding rich with sanctions. Will it blunt Putin's Ukraine invasion?

Russia's wealthy oligarchs and political elites flaunt a level of in-your-face affluence across the world. This week, their wealth and connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin made some of them targets of President Joe Biden's sanctions in response to the Kremlin’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine.

But if the Biden administration really wants to hurt Russian oligarchs enough to rein in Putin's actions in Ukraine, it needs to hit them much harder – and hit a lot more of them, some U.S. officials and kleptocracy experts told USA TODAY.

By any measure, the new rounds of U.S. financial blockages issued this week go far beyond what has been done in the past to pressure Putin into curbing his rogue behavior, White House officials said. The sweeping actions would cause extreme hardship for some of Russia’s largest financial institutions and a small handful of Russian oligarchs and kleptocrats that Biden said use them as their own “glorified piggy bank.”

-- Josh Meyer

A view shows a high-rise apartment block which was hit by overnight shelling in Kyiv on February 26, 2022. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINE EMERGENCY MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE / AFP)
A view shows a high-rise apartment block which was hit by overnight shelling in Kyiv on February 26, 2022. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINE EMERGENCY MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE / AFP)

US sanctions on Russian oligarchs miss richest of rich

The term Russian oligarch conjures images of posh London mansions, gold-plated Bentleys and sleek superyachts in the Mediterranean, their decks draped with partiers dripping in jewels.

But the raft of sanctions on oligarchs announced by President Joe Biden this week in response to the invasion of Ukraine may do little to dim the jet-setting lifestyles of Russia’s ultra-rich and infamous – much less force a withdrawal of tanks and troops.

U.S. sanctions target Russian President Vladmir Putin and a handful of individuals believed to be among his closest security advisers, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

But the list is just as notable for who isn’t on it — most of the top names from Forbes’ list of the richest Russians whose multi-billion-dollar fortunes are now largely intertwined with the West, from investments in Silicon Valley start-ups to British Premier League soccer teams.

Citing the concerns of European allies, the U.S. also didn’t impose what was seen as the harshest punishment at its disposal, banning Russia from SWIFT, the international financial system that banks use to move money around the world.

-- Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyiv invasion intensifies as explosions rock Ukraine - live updates

Streets quiet in Kyiv, city reeling from night of fighting




Sat, February 26, 2022, 
By Aleksandar Vasovic, Emin and Caliskan

KYIV (Reuters) - Soldiers picking through charred debris scattered near the smouldering remains of a truck and a few civilians taking fresh air before a curfew were among scarce signs of life in Ukraine's capital on Saturday, after a second night of artillery barrages.

Russian forces have been pounding the centuries-old capital Kyiv and other cities with cruise missiles and shells since the start of an invasion on Thursday morning.


Many shops were closed, including those selling food, and the streets were empty except for a odd car - a contrast to the columns of vehicles choking roads in recent days as tens of thousands of residents fled west - and a few pedestrians pulling suitcases.

"I was smart enough to stock food for at least a month, we have everything," said Serhiy, a middle aged man who said he started buying extra groceries for his family well before the violence broke out.

"I did not trust politicians that this would end peacefully," Serhiy said, taking a walk before a curfew that kicked in at 5:00 p.m.

Four heavily armed soldiers manned a checkpoint near a government building. Amid reports of Russian saboteur groups in the city, passengers in cars were required to keep their hands in the open and show identification papers without sudden moves, a Reuters team reported.

A missile hit a residential building and shelling and gunfire was heard early on Saturday across the city that is home to around 3 million people and was previously extensively damaged during a Nazi German assault in 1941.

Soldiers near a Kyiv train station inspected the still smoking remains of a truck that appeared to have been carrying ammunition and had scattered burnt shrapnel across a highway. Other soldiers dug trenches.

One elderly man inspected the twisted wooden frames of the windows of his house, the glass blown out. He said he was worried a nearby metro station would be targeted. Soldiers stopped residents from entering the metro system, which will now be used for shelter from the fighting rather than for transport.

MILITIAS


In addition to the regular soldiers, on the outskirts of the city, men armed with assault rifles and wearing yellow arm bands could be seen preparing to fight as Russian forces approached.

Some wore civilian clothes and carried hunting rifles, others apparently from neighbourhood militias and other reservist groups had camouflage outfits and professional equipment.

Further out of town, Ukrainians lined up at gasoline stations and bank ATMs, despite government-imposed limits on petrol sales and cash withdrawals.

In Koncha Zaspa, just south of Kyiv, people lined up to collect water from a public pump and to buy food in a local supermarket.

(Reporting by Aleksander Vasovic and Emin Caliskan; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Advice on how to fend off Russian army from urban warfare expert hits Twitter as battle for Ukraine’s capital Kyiv rages

Mark DeCambre - 


KEY WORDS
‘You have the power but you have to fight smart.’ — John W. Spencer

That’s retired Major John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point’s Modern War Institute, who took to Twitter on Saturday to directly speak to Ukraine’s citizens as skirmishes for control of the capital Kyiv itensified. Main Russian forces advanced closer to the city Saturday night after earlier airstrikes were reported and civilians were taking up arms to defend the city against the potential for battalions of Russian troops.

“The urban defense is hell for any soldier. It usually take 5 attackers to 1 defender. Russians do not have the numbers. Turn Kyiv and any urban area leading to Kyiv into a porcupine,” wrote Spencer, who recommended that defenders of the city need to build thousands of obstacles in the streets, destroy bridges and create strongholds to attack the well-armed Russian military.

“If it is a street you still need to use. Build a S pattern obstacle that still slows a vehicle down,” he writes.

The advice from the tactical expert comes as amid the third day of the Ukrainian invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, with the aim of overthrowing Ukraine’s elected government and ending its alignment with the West.

The Wall Street Journal and others were reporting that Ukrainian forces, backed by thousands of volunteers regained control of Kyiv’s streets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was asked to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the U.S. government, turned down the offer and has urged citizens to take up arms.

Zelensky said in response: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation, who described Zelensky as upbeat. Zelensky, in a video address on the streets of Kyiv, urged citizens to keep fighting.

Some 18,000 rifles had been distributed to volunteers in the capital willing to fight, WSJ reported.

Also see: Zelensky records video in Kyiv street to reassure Ukrainians that he’s staying put amid Russian attack

‘It wasn’t Putin who invaded Ukraine’: How state media in Russia are depicting the continuing attack

Spencer’s recommendations were drawing attention on Twitter, with hedge-fund manager Pershing Square Capital’s Bill Ackman retweeting the military expert’s messages on urban tactics in Kyiv, using the hashtag #StandWithUkraine.


‘We don’t know who to shoot, they all look like us’: Russian soldiers in Ukraine becoming disoriented, US official says


Bevan Hurley
Sat, February 26, 2022

Russian forces are reportedly becoming demoralised, disoriented and hungry on the third day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A senior United States official told ABC News that Russian soldiers had been overheard complaining that Ukrainian resistance was much stiffer than they had anticipated.

On one radio call, the official said they heard a soldier saying: “We don’t know who to shoot – they all look like us.”

A resident in the western city of Lviv told inews.co.uk that Russian soldiers “don’t know why they are on our land”.

Constantine Yevtushenko told the news site soldiers were hungry, were running low on supplies, and were confused about the purpose of their mission.

“They are just following the orders that they have,” Mr Yevtushenko said. “They are kids.”

Russian efforts to take the capital city of Kyiv have successfully been repelled for the past two nights by Ukrainian armed forces, although there were reports of an offensive being planned for Saturday night.

(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Thousands of citizens have also taken up arms and been encouraged to make home-made molotov cocktails.

There have been reports of more than 1,000 Russian soldiers being killed, and several hundred more captured.

On Saturday Ukrainian officials said 198 citizens – including three children – had been killed since the invasion began.

Health minister Viktor Liashko said that 1,115 people were injured including 33 children.


Fox News Reporter in Ukraine Posts Graphic Videos Following Fighting and Russian Missiles in Kyiv (Video)



Rosemary Rossi
Sat, February 26, 2022, 

Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst was on the streets of Ukraine, documenting and sharing the graphic images on social media the morning after Russia’s insurgence into Kyiv.

As air raid sirens sounded in Ukraine’s capital late Friday night, Yingst panned his camera from safe inside his room to show no signs of life wandering the usually busy city below. When morning came, he took to the abandoned streets, showing the aftermath of the battle.

“Fierce fighting erupted between the Ukrainian army and Russian forces in the streets of Kyiv. This truck is riddled with bullet holes, and there’s blood on the sidewalk,” he said at the scene. “This morning, a Russian missile slammed into this building in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. This gives you a sense of the destruction that these weapons can cause. Right now Ukraine is appealing to the international community to send air defense systems, as their country is under attack.”



The horrific footage – which he warned social media users was graphic – showed a bullet-ridden truck and blood on the brick street in several places surrounding it. Although no victims of the shooting are shown, the image nonetheless conveys the peril of the vehicle’s occupants.

As he wandered the “mostly empty” streets, Yingst noted the “long lines of civilians in Kyiv today waiting to pick up weapons” and that the few open grocery stores were “packed with people.”

Shortly thereafter, Yingst shared footage of the destruction, including a look at a residential building that was hit with a Russian missile that morning.



Reporting on Fox News, Yingst said, “When we were at the site where that missile hit earlier today, as we walked through the debris, you could see photos of a family who lives in that apartment complex – their home completely destroyed. Another example of the most vulnerable population so often caught amid the crossfire, as is the case here in Ukraine.”

 

Ukrainian defense forces and civilian volunteers were able to slow the advance of more than 150,000 Russian troops invading the country. Russian troops have killed at least 198 people and wounded at least 1,115, according to the Ukrainian National Guard.

Russia moves weapons capable of inflicting mass casualties into position, claim intelligence official


Sat, February 26, 2022, 12:08 PM·4 min read

Russian forces attempting to storm Kyiv and other main cities are being reinforced after meeting fierce resistance with large numbers of troops and heavy weaponry capable of inflicting massive casualties, according to western intelligence analysts.

The Ukrainian capital is said to be the destination for two Russian armies – the 41st Combined Arms Army (CAA) and the 1st Guards Tank Army – as part of an encirclement operation from three sides with a fourth one being considered.

Western officials have expressed deep concern that frustration at a long delay in capturing Kyiv may lead to Vladimir Putin ordering the use of weapons capable of causing huge loss of lives, including thermobaric missiles.

Among the weapons which have been seen to be moving towards the capital and other cities are TOS-1 thermobaric launchers, BM-21 122mm Grad, BM-21 220mm Uragan, and 300mm Smerch systems. All are area denial systems which are not used for precision strikes, but clearing stretches of ground.

In addition, intelligence officials have seen the appearance of the 27M Malka 203mm heavy self-propelled howitzer and 2S4 Tyulpan 240 mm heavy self-propelled mortars which can be used on large buildings.

The 41st CAA and the 1st Guards Tank Army have around 35,000 to 40,000 personnel with support. But smaller numbers are expected to be deployed fully into Ukraine.

The main routes to Kyiv being targeted by the Russian general staff, it is claimed, are from Belarus down to the west bank of the Dnieper river; from the Gomel down to the east back of the Dnieper, west of Chernihiv; and through Kursk, Borzna and Bovary. A fourth option would be the force now fighting in Kharkiv moving up to the east bank of the Dnieper.

Officials say that using the heavy option may take some time and the Russians are likely to persist with the current operational plan of taking Kyiv without inflicting huge numbers of deaths and injuries.


This map details the progress of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during Thursday and Friday (Press Association Images)

It is widely accepted, however, that Russian forces are behind their schedule in their projected rate of progress. Britain’s defence secretary Ben Wallace’s conclusion that they have failed to reach their military objective in the first few days is widely shared by Ukrainian and other international officials.

The Ukrainian-controlled territories in the Donbas, which President Putin said will be merged into the “Peoples Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk, are yet to be captured. And, despite intense fighting, none of the main cities targeted by the Russians have fallen.

Russian forces have proved surprisingly vulnerable to air strikes despite having overwhelming superiority in the number and quality of warplanes and in missiles and cannons. The Ukrainians have been highly effective in the use of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones they have been acquiring, and have already used successfully against separatist forces in the Donbas. The state-backed Russian channel Sputnik highlighted the use of the drones, but claimed that most of them have been shot down.

There has also been surprise at weakness in the Russian communications and coordination systems. There are stories of lost Russian columns asking for directions to Kyiv. These may be exaggerated, but some American units also asked for directions to Baghdad during the 2003 invasion. In any event, Ukrainian authorities are removing road signs on the approaches to Kyiv in an attempt to disorientate the Russians.

Ukrainian soldiers take positions outside a military facility as two cars burn in a Kyiv street, on Saturday (AP)

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed on Saturday that it had shot down a Russian transporter plane carrying soldiers. It said that a Ukrainian SU-27 fighter jet intercepted the Russian IL-76 MD aircraft as it was trying to land paratroopers in the Kyiv region. The IL-76 MD can carry up to almost 170 soldiers, as well as a crew of seven.

Ukrainian officials claim that over 3,500 Russian troops have been killed since the invasion began. Russia’s military spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov held that Moscow had suffered no casualties during the invasion.

Ukraine’s health minister Viktor Liashko stated that 198 Ukrainians have been killed in that time, and 1,115 people injured, including 33 children. The figures were not broken down between combatants and civilians. On Friday the president’s office stated that 40 soldiers have been killed.


Ukrainian servicemen captured by the Russians in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday (EPA)

After intense missile strikes, artillery barrages and gunfights in the outskirts of Kyiv during the night, Saturday was relatively quiet in the city. President Zelensky, who had turned down Joe Biden’s offer to fly him and his family to safety, declared that the Russians have sent “missiles, fighters, drones, artillery, armoured vehicles, saboteurs and airborne forces” against Ukraine, but “we are defending the country, the land of our future children.

“Kyiv and key cities around the capital are controlled by our army. The occupiers wanted to block the centre of our state and put their puppets here, as in Donetsk. We broke their plan."

Mr Zelensky also once again stated that the civilian population in Kyiv would be armed. On Saturday the Interior Ministry announced that “18,000 machine guns” will be handed to volunteers.

A curfew in the capital was extended from 10pm-8am to 5pm-8am by the mayor, Vitali Klitschko, who declared that violators would be considered “the enemy”. Armed groups of civilians have been setting up checkpoints in the streets during the course of the day, at times “arresting” suspects: another volatile mix in the combustible state of affairs in Ukraine.




Ukrainian man offers to tow enemy tank back to Russia after it runs out of fuel
RUSSIA'S BATTLE OF THE BULGE MOMENT

Andy Gregory
Sat, February 26, 2022

The driver pulled up alongside the tank and asked soldiers from his open window whether they had broken down (Twitter/Grab)

A Ukrainian man has filmed himself offering to tow an enemy tank back to Russia, after spotting the assault vehicle having apparently ground to a halt in the middle of a motorway.

The latest in a series of viral clips of Ukrainians bravely confronting Russian troops shows the driver pulling up alongside the motionless military vehicle, and asking several soldiers from his open window whether they have broken down.

Upon being told that they have run out of fuel, the driver prompts laughter from the soldiers as he asks: “Can I tow you back to Russia?”



According to translations on social media, he then tells the soldiers they are en route to Kyiv after they fail to tell him where they are supposed to be going.

Asked by the soldiers for news on the invasion, he tells them that Ukraine is winning the war while Moscow’s troops are good at surrendering because “they also do not know where they are going”.


As a parting shot, the Ukrainian claims to have asked “the whole column” of Russian vehicles advancing towards the capital but that “no one knows where they are and where they are going”. The footage shows him driving past yet another stationary tank within 30 seconds.


It is not the only report of Moscow tanks running out of fuel as Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Russia’s sovereign neighbour enters its third day, with a UK government minister among those suggesting the Kremlin’s plan “is nowhere near running to schedule” amid strong Ukrainian resistance.

A Ukrainian military Facebook account claimed on Friday that Russian troops stopped near Konotop, north east of Kyiv, had “a problem with fuel and supplies”, alleging that some invading soldiers were walking around with gas canisters “trying to buy fuel” and others were “demanding food from the local population” while businesses had been looted.


Ukrainian service members are seen at the site of a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv (AFP via Getty Images)

“The main armoured columns approaching Kyiv are still some way off. That is a testament to the incredible resistance the Ukrainian armoured forces have put up over the last 48 hours or so,” UK armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News on Saturday.

“Clearly the Russian plan is to take Kyiv but the reality is that the Ukrainians are thwarting them thus far. It looks like the Russian plan is nowhere near running to schedule.

“I think that will be a great cause of concern for President Putin and rather points to the fact that there was a lot of hubris in the Russian plan and that he may be awfully advised.”

Fighting intensified overnight in the Ukrainian capital, as small Russian raiding groups’ attempts to infiltrate the city saw street skirmishes break out, as Moscow’s forces continue to advance on Kyiv from multiple directions.

Follow live updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

But the UK Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that the speed of the Russian advance had “temporarily slowed likely as a result of acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance”.

"Russian forces are bypassing major Ukrainian population centres while leaving forces to encircle and isolate them,” the ministry said in an intelligence update.

“Overnight clashes in Kyiv are likely to have involved limited numbers of pre-positioned Russian sabotage groups. The capture of Kyiv remains Russia's primary military objective.”

Watch: Ukrainian civilians use their bodies to block Russian tanks

Grayson Quay, Weekend editor
Sat, February 26, 2022

Russian tank ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian citizens in the city of Bakhmach stood in front of advancing Russian tanks on Saturday, according to video verified by CNN.

Per CNN, "[i]n the video, tanks can be seen driving on roads in Bakhmach, which is just over 110 miles northeast of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv."

The video shows a man climbing onto a Russian tank as it drives down a city street. The tank stops, and the man climbs down and briefly kneels in front of it before standing up and moving out of the way.

According to CNN's translation, a voice can be heard saying, "They are throwing their bicycles underneath the Russian tanks," though no one can be seen doing so on the video. The voice also describes people "throwing themselves under the wheels." As the video ends, someone can be seen climbing back onto the tank.



Ukraine's government has encouraged civilians to help defend their country, handing out assault rifles and urging citizens to assemble Molotov cocktails. The Russian Defense Ministry has condemned these actions, arguing that arming untrained civilians "will inevitably lead to accidents and casualties," per CNN.

The U.S. Defense Department believes that 50 percent of the approximately 200,000 troops Russia massed on Ukraine's border in the months leading up to the invasion are now fighting inside Ukraine, USA Today reported Saturday afternoon.

According to USA Today, Russian reconnaissance forces have entered Kyiv and engaged in street battles with Ukrainian troops, but the main force driving south from Belarus toward the capital city is still around 18 miles away.

Bakhmach is around 150 miles from Kyiv, and is located midway between the capital and the northeastern city of Kharkiv, which has seen some of the heaviest fighting of the war so far, according to CNBC.


Ukraine: Tank filmed crushing car driven by elderly civilian on Kyiv street


Samuel Lovett
Fri, February 25, 2022

A tank has been filmed crushing a civilian car in a northern district of Kyiv, as Vladimir Putin’s troops continue their advance on the Ukrainian capital.

In a video shared with and verified by The Independent, the armoured vehicle can be seen cutting across the road before driving over the oncoming car.

A second video shows a group of men attending to the wreckage on Obolonsky Avenue, in which an elderly man can be seen moving behind the wheel of the car. A local resident who shared the footage with The Independent said: “Russian ‘liberators’ on the streets of Kyiv crush the cars of civilians.”

The BBC has reported that the driver was pulled alive from the wreckage.

However, there was some argument on social media, that the armoured vehicle was Ukrainian, not Russian, and its driver lostcontrol of the vehicle.

Russian forces are moving through the northern outskirts of Ukraine's capital, and US officials have warned that president Vladimir Putin may be intent on installing a new, more friendly government in Kyiv.

Local residents in the city have been urged to fight back with Molotov cocktails against the encroaching troops, with instructions of how to make the petrol bombs circulated on the Ukrainian Interior Ministry’s social media.

Some 18,000 machine guns have also been handed out to “all those who want to defend our capital with weapons in their arms,” according to government adviser Vadym Denysenko.

Among the signs that the Ukrainian capital was increasingly threatened, the military said that a group of Russian spies and saboteurs was seen in a district of Kyiv about three miles north of the city centre. Air strikes were later reported to have struck the city.

Elsewhere in the capital, soldiers have established defensive positions at bridges, and armoured vehicles rolled down the streets, while many residents stood uneasily in doorways of their apartment buildings.

Sirens have sounded out across Kyiv since the early hours of Friday, with residents forced to take shelter in underground metro stations following a series of Russian overnight aerial attacks that hit the densely populated Pozniake neighbourhood, in which at least eight people were reportedly injured.

Tetyana Filevska, a resident of the city and deputy director of the Ukrainian Institute, told The Independent: “We urgently need all the help to our army, people and country. We need guns and equipment, medicines, economic aid - but most of all we need solidarity in fighting Russia.

“We are keeping Europe safe, you all have to understand this. Putin won’t stop on Ukraine. He will go further.”

Alongside Kyiv, multiple other Ukrainian cities are under attack by Russian forces. The Kremlin’s defence ministry says its troops have surrounded the city of Chernihiv, which is about 150 km north of the capital. Explosions and gunfire have also been reported in Kharkiv, close to the eastern border, and the southern port of Mariupo


Ukraine’s Tiananmen Square: Desperate civilian stands in front of Russian armoured vehicles

Rachel Sharp
Sat, February 26, 2022,

Gut-wrenching footage has emerged of the moment a desperate Ukrainian civilian stood in front of a Russian convoy in a scene reminiscent of Tiananmen Square.

The video, posted on social media by Ukrainian outlet HB, shows the brave man risking his life by trying to block a convoy of armoured vehicles streaking along the road towards him.

Gasps are heard from the people filming the incident as the man confronts the Russian troops and the vehicles appear to drive around him.


His brave act is believed to have taken place in the south of Ukraine, close to Crimea.

The man does not appear to be harmed during the 28-second clip of footage.

The incident echoed the iconic image of a lone protester standing in front of a line of tanks in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in June of 1989.

The man, who became known as “Tank man”, was seen holding two shopping bags as he faced down a line of tanks in the square.

At the time, the square had become the site of huge protests as the Chinese people called for greater political freedom from the Communist government.

The Communist rulers sent in troops to crush the protesters and at least 200 people are believed to have been killed.

Many social media users commented that the lone man seen in the footage in Ukraine is the country’s “tank man” as it continues to come under attack from Russia.

Russian troops continued to advance on Kyiv on Friday with tanks seen entering the Ukrainian capital while explosions rang out across the city.

Fears are mounting that the city could fall within a matter of hours or days, while Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Ukrainian troops to overthrow their own leaders as he seeks to topple the nation’s government.

At least 137 Ukrainians have been killed, including civilian men, women and children since the Russian president declared war in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Among the dead are 13 border guards who were killed in an attack on a tiny island in the Black Sea after they bravely refused to surrender to Russian troops.

Viral video footage shows a Ukrainian man rushing into a column 
of Russian military vehicles (Twitter / @TweetsNV)

Despite the offensive, Ukrainian troops and citizens are fighting back, with the government calling on its people to defend Kyiv and banning men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country so they can be called up to serve.

Around 18,000 firearms have been handed out to volunteers and people are being urged to make Molotov cocktails to protect the capital city.

While Russia has not revealed its fatalities, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that it had killed more than 1,000 Russian troops since the conflict began.

“Russia has not suffered so many casualties during the fighting in any of its armed conflicts since its inception,” the ministry said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling on the wider international community to take more action after several nations including the US, the UK and the EU unveiled a series of sanctions on Russia in response to its act of war.

A lone protester stands in front of a line of tanks in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in June of 1989 (1989 AP)

RUSSIAN INVASION OF CZECHLOSLOVAKIA 1968



















Russia Used Beatings and Tricks to Forcibly Send Rookie Troops to Ukraine, Rights Group Says

RUSSIA DID THE SAME DURING THE CHECHEN WAR

Allison Quinn
Thu, February 24, 2022

Getty

Russian soldiers from all across the country were deceived into heading to the Ukrainian border, and some were beaten if they resisted, according to the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers, a Russian non-governmental organization that works to expose human rights violations within the military.

The group is reportedly preparing a complaint for the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office alleging that their sons only recently joined the military as conscripts and were told they were going to the border with Ukraine for drills. But their statuses were then abruptly changed to contract soldiers— a role for those with more combat and training experience—and they were suddenly thrust into war.

“They are switching entire regiments to contract [soldiers,] although the guys did not submit any formal requests for this, and took no such initiative. There are instances of physical violence, and beatings of those who refuse to become contract soldiers. And after that it’s completely unknown [what happens to them], because they take away their phones,” Andrei Kurochkin, the deputy chairman of the group, told Takie Dela.

Ukraine Admits It’s ‘Impossible’ to Say if Chernobyl Is Safe

“We've had a flurry of calls from scared mothers all over Russia. They are crying, they don’t know if their children are alive or healthy,” he was quoted saying, adding that it’s a “complete catastrophe” when military service is performed “under duress.”

“If there is a war, then professionals should deal with it, and not untrained ‘green’ guys,” Kurochkin said.

After hours of battles in multiple cities on Thursday, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian troops had suffered losses, though they stopped short of providing specific figures. As of Thursday evening, the Russian soldiers were taking “an operational pause and regrouping,” the ministry said.

Ukrainian authorities said two Russian soldiers were also captured.

The claims that some Russian soldiers were literally forced into the war with Ukraine come after Britain’s Defense Ministry released footage it said showed Russia was using mobile crematoriums to conceal its own soldiers’ deaths from the world.

Defense Minister Ben Wallace told The Telegraph the vehicle-mounted crematoriums “evaporate” each body placed inside them.

He described the crematoriums as a “very chilling side effect of how the Russians view their forces.”

“If I was a soldier and knew that my generals had so little faith in me that they followed me around the battlefield with a mobile crematorium, or I was the mother or father of a son, potentially deployed into a combat zone, and my government thought that the way to cover up loss was mobile crematorium, I'd be deeply, deeply worried,” Wallace was quoted saying.

Amid a worldwide outcry over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has been quick to stifle dissent at home. Numerous protests were staged in cities across the country on Thursday, but they were quickly dispersed by riot police who bundled protesters into police vans. OVD-Info, a media resource that tracks arrests during mass protests, reported more than 1,500 arrests in multiple cities.