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Tag: Russia -Ukraine Crisis

  • Russia-Ukraine crisis : Russia attacks Kharkiv, kills 11 Persons

    Russia-Ukraine crisis : Russia attacks Kharkiv, kills 11 Persons

    11 persons have been killed when Russia attacked Ukraine’s second capital Kharkiv on Monday, the regional governor said, adding that dozens more were wounded.

    The shelling comes on the fifth day of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and one day after Ukrainian troops repelled an attack on Kharkiv by Moscow’s army.

    “The Russian enemy is bombing residential areas of Kharkiv, where there is no critical infrastructure, where there are no positions of the armed forces,” Oleg Sinegubov, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

    “As a result of the bombardments that are ongoing, we cannot call on the emergency services… currently there are 11 dead and dozens wounded,” he added.

    The Kremlin said earlier on Monday that the Russian military’s main task was to ensure the safety of civilians.

    But Russia has also accused nationalist groups in Ukraine of using civilians as human shields and the Ukrainian military of deploying heavy weapons to residential areas, as potential pretexts justifying civilian deaths.

    Source AFP

  • Donald Trump reacts to tension in Ukraine, attacks Putin, Biden

    Donald Trump reacts to tension in Ukraine, attacks Putin, Biden

    Donald Trump emerged from political exile Saturday to blast President Joe Biden and NATO over the Ukraine crisis and repeated his false claims of a stolen 2020 election in a speech to grassroots Republicans.

    Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, the former president spent 86 minutes repeating many of his favorite applause lines, faulting the “radical left” and its “witch hunt” against him.

    As massive explosions lit up the sky over Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, Trump blamed Russia’s invasion of its neighbor on Biden’s “weakness” and lavished praise on President Vladimir Putin’s intellect.

    “As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged,” he said, to rapt applause.

    NATO, he said, was “looking the opposite of smart” for hitting Russia with sanctions rather than resolving to “blow (Russia) to pieces — at least psychologically.”

    “The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he’s smart,” he went on. “But the real problem is that our leaders are so dumb.”

    As massive explosions lit up the sky over Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, Trump blamed Russia’s invasion of its neighbor on Biden’s “weakness” and lavished praise on President Vladimir Putin’s intellect.

    “As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged,” he said, to rapt applause.

    There were nods to a possible 2024 run — “we did it twice and we’ll do it again,” he claimed, falsely recasting his 2020 defeat to Biden as a victory — although he left the crowd guessing about whether he will personally challenge Biden to a rematch.

    – ‘Fight like hell’ -CPAC, the country’s largest conservative gathering, usually offers a valuable insight into the direction the Republicans plan to take over the coming months.

    Trump had been expected to lay out a forward-looking “vision for America,” according to organizers, as the Republicans look to take back control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

    Instead he dwelt at length on his 2020 election loss and his false claims that he was robbed by widespread voter fraud, urging the crowd to “fight like hell” or face their country being destroyed.

    It was similar to the rhetoric that inspired a mob of his supporters to storm the US Capitol on January 6 2021, for which he was punished with his second impeachment.

    His remarks came as Russian rockets began pounding the outskirts of Kyiv in an escalating crisis that ended up emerging as a major topic of discussion at CPAC.

    Trump called besieged President Volodymyr Zelensky “a brave man,” falsely claiming that the Ukrainian leader had exonerated him over the scandal that led to his first impeachment.

    While he was president, Trump withheld vital military aid from the US ally as he tried unsuccessfully to pressure Zelensky into digging up political dirt on the Biden family ahead of the 2020 election.

    “After spending four years selling out Ukraine, the defeated former president took the stage at CPAC to double down on his shameless praise for Putin as innocent Ukrainians shelter from bombs and missiles at the hands of Russia,” Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Adonna Biel said after the speech.

  • Russia hits civilian apartment in Ukraine with missiles

    Russia hits civilian apartment in Ukraine with missiles

    On Friday, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov sought to reassure the world about civilian casualties on day two of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    “Nobody is going to attack the people of Ukraine,” he said during a heated press conference, telling CNN that there were “no strikes on civilian infrastructure.”
    However, reports about apartment buildings and kindergartens being shelled, civilians being killed, and rockets being found in residential streets have been trickling in since the beginning of the offensive.
    Social media videos, photos and satellite images analyzed and geolocated by CNN confirm that on several occasions densely populated areas have been hit by Russian forces.
    CNN is reaching out to the Russian government for comment.
    Amnesty International, in a press release on Friday, accused Russian forces of “indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals,” citing three examples, including an attack on Thursday near a hospital building in Vuhledar, in the eastern Donetsk region. That attack killed four civilians and wounded ten more, Amnesty reported.
    Here are some examples CNN found.

    Kindergarten in Okhtyrka, orphanage in Vorzel

    A kindergarten in Okhtyrka, in the north-eastern region of Sumy, was hit by shelling on Friday, according to several public officials. The mayor Pavel Kuzmenko, claimed the shelling was carried out by a Russian Uragan multiple launch rocket system, injuring several children.
    News of the alleged attack on Sonechko kindergarten was confirmed by the Head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration Dmytro Zhivitsky who said this was the third shelling in Okhtyrka on Friday.
    A video circulating on social media which CNN geolocated to the kindergarten in Okhtyrka shows injured people covered in blood on the ground in front of the entrance.
    In the aftermath of the alleged attack, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused the Russian Federation of “war crimes.”
    “Today’s Russian attacks on a kindergarten and an orphanage are war crimes and violations of the Rome Statute,” Kuleba tweeted.
    “Together with the General Prosecutor’s Office we are collecting this and other facts, which we will immediately send to the Hague. Responsibility is inevitable,” he added.
    The orphanage was also mentioned by Lyudmila Denisova, the ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights.
    “As a result of heavy armor shelling of an orphanage in the town of Vorzel in the Kyiv region, 51 children are currently at risk of life and health, 3 of whom have severe health problems and 15 infants. Two buildings of the institution were damaged,” she said.
    A video appeared on Facebook on Friday showing a projectile hitting the tarmac on a residential road. The user posting it then attached a photo of a remnant in hand with the words “the fragment is on our doorstep.”
    CNN geolocated the video to a residential address in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv.
    Experts and open source analysts are debating whether the rocket contained a cluster munition based on the footage.

    Chuhuiv apartment building

    An apartment block in the eastern city of Chuhuiv, outside Kharkiv, was damaged in an attack on Thursday that Ukrainian officials attributed to Russian forces.
    The Ukrainian Defense Ministry listed Chuhuiv as one of the targets of the intensive shelling and strikes on the first day of the Russian offensive.
    Maxar released new imagery of a nearby airport that was the likely target of the attack. In the images, it is possible to see damage to fuel storage areas and other airport infrastructure.
    News agencies such as Agence France-Presse and Anadolu released images that showed a resident of the Chuhuiv apartment building crying among the wreckage of the strike, an old woman wrapped in a blanket sitting outside and firefighters attending a fire inside the building.
    At least one victim could be seen lying on the ground. Photos also showed a single large crater in the ground which hints at the use of a single missile or rocket for the attack, Amnesty said.
    Source CNN
  • War : Russia Tennis Star Andrey Rublev Appeals For Peace

    War : Russia Tennis Star Andrey Rublev Appeals For Peace

    Russian tennis player, Andrey Rublev, wrote “no to war” on a camera lens as he joined compatriot Daniil Medvedev in calling for peace.

    Rublev defeated Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) on Friday to advance to the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

    After confirming his place in the final with either Denis Shapovalov or Jiri Vesely, the 24-year-old world number seven took a penalty.

    He then scribed “no to war” on the lens of a television camera.

    It’s not uncommon for players to write messages on camera lenses, but an appeal for peace was an emotive move from Rublev.

    On Thursday, Russia invaded Ukraine after weeks of rising political tensions.

    The conflict escalated on Friday, with reports of fighting within the capital city of Kyiv.

    Rublev’s actions came after Medvedev, who will succeed Novak Djokovic, as world number one next week, said he wanted to “promote peace.”

    Rublev had initially expressed his wish for peace at a news conference at the Dubai event.

    “In these moments, you realize that my match isn’t important,” Rublev said, with a video clip shared to his official Instagram account.

    “It is not about my match, how it affects me. What is happening is much more terrible.

    “You realize how important it’s to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united.

    “We should take care of our Earth and of each other. This is the most important thing.”

  • Britain Bars Chelsea’s Russian Owner Roman Abramovich From UK

    Britain Bars Chelsea’s Russian Owner Roman Abramovich From UK

    Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich is reported to have been effectively barred from living in Britain ever again.

    The billionaire has not been seen at his Premier League football club’s south-west London home, Stamford Bridge, for months.

    He withdrew his application for a British Tier 1 investor visa in 2018, after reported delays in his application following criticism of Russian oligarchs in the wake of the Salisbury poisonings.

    According to The Sun, senior security sources now say it is unlikely that the 55-year-old will ever be allowed to live in Britain again.

    Immigration officials are reportedly under instructions to make it impossible for Mr Abramovich – who owns a £125million mansion near Kensington Palace – to base himself in the UK.

    His case is said to be being handled by the Home Office’s ‘Special Cases Unit’.

    It comes after Mr Abramovich was named by MPs on Tuesday as being one of 35 oligarchs identified by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as one of the ‘key enablers’ of the ‘kleptocracy’ run by the country’s president Vladimir Putin.

    He vehemently denies he is close to the Kremlin or has done anything that would merit sanctions being imposed against him – as Britain looked to impose sanctions on Russia amid rising tensions with Ukraine.

    In 2018 Mr Abramovich became an Israeli citizen, allowing him to enter for Britain for up to six months.

    He used his Israeli passport last October to make a short trip to London.

    However, a senior source told The Sun that any attempt by the oligarch to apply for a permanent visa would ‘almost certainly be rejected’.

    Mr Abramovich has an estimated wealth of £8.4billion.

    As well as his huge property portfolio, he also owns a series of superyachts, including the £450million Solaris, which has a missile detection system.

    Mr Abramovich has never held UK citizenship and made his money selling assets purchased from the state when the Soviet Union broke up.

    He arrived at Chelsea in 2003 and transformed the team from outside challengers to a Premier League giant with the help of Jose Mourinho.

    The bulk of Abramovich’s UK wealth is to be found in Evraz, a steel and mining giant listed on the London stock market.

    In the Commons on Tuesday, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran read out a list that featured Mr Abramovich’s name alongside other oligarchs including Arsenal investor Alisher Usmanov.

  • Ukraine crisis: Crude oil hits $100 per barrel

    Ukraine crisis: Crude oil hits $100 per barrel

    At last, the price of crude oil (Brent) has hit the roof at $100 per barrel in the international market, due mainly to the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

    The price of oil had been predicted to rise to $100 per barrel because of a sustainable increase in demand after the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown, but it did not.

    Nevertheless, there were indications that the prices of other crudes, including Nigeria’s Bonny Light, currently hovering at $96.60 per barrel, will continue to rise.

  • UEFA considers stripping Russia of 2022 Champions League final hosting right

    UEFA considers stripping Russia of 2022 Champions League final hosting right

    UEFA is under pressure to move the Champions League football final from St Petersburg after Russia’s recognition of two breakaway Ukrainian regions.

    Officials at European football’s governing body have been holding discussions on the effect of Russia’s deepening intervention in Ukraine on whether the Champions League final can still be staged in St Petersburg.

    The showpiece game in European football is due to be played in the Russian city on May 28, the biggest sporting event in the country since the 2018 World Cup.

    UEFA said over the weekend that it was “constantly and closely monitoring the situation” and had no plans to change the final venue.

    But a person with knowledge of the situation said the Ukraine crisis was discussed by top-level officials at UEFA on Tuesday, including its president, Aleksander Ceferin.

    The European football governing body has not issued a fresh statement since fears were raised of a fuller Russian invasion of Ukraine after Moscow announced on Monday the recognition of independence for separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

    The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss talks assessing the geopolitical situation.

    Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would be “inconceivable” that major international football tournaments could take place in Russia after its recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

    Johnson made the comments in the House of Commons on Tuesday when Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey encouraged the prime minister to “push for this year’s Champions League final to be moved from St Petersburg”.

    “It is absolutely vital in this critical moment that President [Vladimir] Putin understands that what he is doing is going to be a disaster for Russia,” he said.

    “It is clear from the response of the world to what he has done already in Donbas that he is going to end up with a Russia that is poorer … a Russia that is more isolated.”

  • American President, Joe Biden, Threatens To Sanction Russia Over Planned Ukraine Invasion

    American President, Joe Biden, Threatens To Sanction Russia Over Planned Ukraine Invasion

    American President, Joe Biden, has put a video call through to his Russian Counterpart Vladmir Putin to renounce his decision to invade neighbour Ukraine or risk being sanctioned by America and its allies.

    He warned that Washington and its allies wouldn’t hesitate to respond “decisively” if the threat becomes reality.

    However, in a swift response ,Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, accused the United States of waging a “propaganda campaign” against Moscow in a separate phone call with his American counterpart Antony Blinken.

    The European Union is not withdrawing its diplomatic presence from Ukraine, its foreign policy chief has said, after the US warned that Russian forces could invade at any time.

    Russia -Ukraine Crisis

    “The EU and its member states are coordinating their actions in view of the current threats on Ukraine. Our diplomatic missions are not closing. They remain in Kyiv and continue to operate in support to EU citizens and in cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities,” Josep Borrell said in a statement.

    “We recall that any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe cost in response,” Borrell said.

    Ukrainians March In Protest Amid Russia’s Threat

    Meanwhile ,Several thousand Ukrainians have rallied to show unity amid fears of a Russian invasion, as Ukraine’s leader told people not to panic and pushed back against what he said was a glut of bleak war predictions being reported in the media.

    Ukrainians marched through the centre of Kyiv in a column, chanting “Glory to Ukraine” and carrying Ukrainian flags and banners that said “Ukrainians will resist” and “Invaders must die”.

    “Panic is useless. We must unite and fight for independence,” said student Maria Shcherbenko.

    Vladimir Putin

    http://thenewsguru.ng/world-news/finally-eu-sets-motion-global-sanctions-regime-address-serious-human-rights-violations/

    Macron and Putin In Phone Call Conversation For 90 minutes

    Meanwhile ,French President Emmanuel Macron, has waded in the looming crisis when he put a call through to Moscow asking that negotiations should be employed in order to avoid a full blown war in the region.

    Aftermath of Macron’s visit to Moscow earlier in the week, where both presidents engaged in discussions to chart a new course on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements as well as conditions for security and steadiness in Europe.