Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are arriving in Eastern Europe, fleeing the Russian invasion of their homeland. Experts predict between 1 million and 5 million could enter the European Union in coming weeks. This time, countries such as Poland are opening doors that were previously closed to others seeking asylum. Grabbing any form of transportation …
Russian troops continue to battle Ukrainian defense forces and citizen soldiers for control of Kyiv, the capital, and other cities Sunday, the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. …
Belarusians cast ballots Sunday in a constitutional referendum that the country’s authoritarian leader called to cement his 27-year old grip on power, even as he offers the country’s territory to his ally Russia to invade Ukraine. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has edged even closer to Russia amid crippling Western sanctions over his crackdown on …
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Russian troops continued to battle Ukrainian defense forces and citizen soldiers for control of Kyiv, the capital, and other cities Sunday, the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sunday Russian troops entered Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, where they encountered heavy resistance. Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Iryna Venediktova, said the Russian forces have been unable to …
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Fears are mounting that Russian forces will turn more to targeting critical civilian infrastructure and mount indiscriminate shelling as the defenders of Kyiv maintain their resistance and hold ground despite redoubled Kremlin efforts to subjugate Ukraine’s capital. Some critical civilian infrastructure has already been hit and the Ukrainian military said it intercepted a missile heading …
Read more “Fears of Indiscriminate Russian Shelling Mount as Ukraine Battles On”
China refused to join its close friend, Russia, in vetoing a U.S.-backed resolution in the U.N. Security Council deploring Russia’s attack on Ukraine. China abstained on the motion but also made statements that could be extremely disappointing to Moscow. Zhang Jun, China’s U.N. ambassador, called for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as …
Read more “Has China Turned its Back on ‘Best Friend’ Russia?”
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, all times EST: 12:05 a.m.: A BBC reporter talks to women making Molotov cocktails in a park in Ukraine. 12:01 a.m.: Protests continue in Australia. Some information in this report came from The Associated …
The United Nations Security Council is due to vote Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which would be held on Monday, diplomats said. The vote by the 15-member council is procedural so none of the five permanent council members – Russia, …
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In a sea of blue and yellow flags and banners, protesters around the world showed their support for the people of Ukraine on Saturday and called on governments to do more to help Kyiv, punish Russia and avoid a broader conflict. Several hundred people marched through heavy rain in Sydney chanting “Ukraine will prevail,” while …
Read more “Waving Ukrainian Flags, War Protesters Rally Around World”
After telling Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop” on Saturday, Eintracht Frankfurt proceeded to frustrate Bayern Munich in their Bundesliga game until substitute Leroy Sané scored late for the league leaders. Frankfurt prominently displayed the message “STOP IT, PUTIN!” all around its stadium before kickoff, just one of several pointed messages across the league against …
Read more “Frankfurt Tells Putin to ‘Stop’ Amid Drama in Bundesliga”
YouTube on Saturday barred Russian state-owned media outlet RT and other Russian channels from receiving money for advertisements that run with their videos, similar to a move by Facebook, after the invasion of Ukraine. Citing “extraordinary circumstances,” YouTube said in a statement that it was “pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube, …
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UNICEF, the U.N. Children’s Fund, is scaling up programs for millions of children in Ukraine threatened by Russia’s invasion. Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, is under attack. Russian forces have entered the country from multiple directions. Deaths and injuries reportedly are growing. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion of the country Thursday, the dangers to …
Read more “UNICEF Boosting Aid to Children Threatened by Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”
The U.S. is revisiting cutting Russia from the global bank-to-bank payment system known as SWIFT, as the next step in a series of escalating sanctions punishing Moscow for the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden initially held back on this crucial step that would isolate Russia on the world stage and have a …
Read more “Momentum Grows to Cut Russia From SWIFT Global Banking System”
Russia’s communications regulator accused 10 local media outlets on Saturday of falsely depicting what Russia calls a special military operation in Ukraine and distributing false information about events there. Among those sent warning letters were Echo Moskvy, a popular radio station, and Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper critical of the government whose editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov was …
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine could force as many as 4 million Ukrainians to flee their country, the United Nations said this week, spawning one of the worst refugee crises in Europe in more than 70 years. According to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, as of Saturday morning, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have …
Read more “Crisis at European Borders as 150,000 Ukrainians Flee Russian Invasion”
French sea police seized a ship on Saturday that authorities suspect belongs to a Russian company targeted by European Union sanctions over the war in Ukraine, a government official told Reuters. The cargo vessel transporting cars, which was headed for St. Petersburg, is “strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by the sanctions,” …
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Explosions and gunfire could be heard Saturday in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as Russian and Ukrainian forces battled for control of the city. Ukrainian officials are urging the country’s citizens to help defend Kyiv against the Russian forces. An army base in the capital was attacked, but Ukraine’s military said that attack was repelled. A high-rise …
Read more “Ukrainian, Russian Troops Battle for Control of Kyiv”
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, all times EST: 12:05 a.m.: Russia blocked a move Friday in the U.N. Security Council to condemn and halt its invasion of Ukraine, but several nations said they would seek accountability from the full U.N. …
Russia blocked a move Friday in the U.N. Security Council to condemn and halt its invasion of Ukraine, but several nations said they would seek accountability from the full U.N. membership in the General Assembly. “Let me put it plainly: Vote yes if you believe in upholding the U.N. Charter. Vote yes if you support …
Read more “Russia Blocks UN Resolution Condemning Ukraine Invasion”
The United States is joining the European Union in sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top officials. The move came after NATO agreed to activate its Response Force, deploying additional forces to its eastern flank. VOA’s White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports. …
China’s failure to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is undermining its own long-standing defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity on the world stage, according to U.S. officials and experts. “It’s not in China’s interest to endorse a devastating conflict in Europe and defy the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity it claims to hold dear,” …
Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch. UN chief appeals to Putin to cease war on Ukraine U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made multiple appeals to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week to stop his military invasion …
VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Kyiv on the effect the invasion is having on Ukraine. …
The United States announced Friday that it would freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, following similar steps taken by the European Union and Britain, as nations around the world sought to tighten sanctions against Russia’s government over its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury Department announced the …
Read more “US, EU, Britain Announce Sanctions Against Russian President “