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Tag: Russia

  • 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.”

  • FG assures Nigerians of safe evacuation from Ukraine

    FG assures Nigerians of safe evacuation from Ukraine

    The Federal Government on Friday assured Nigerians living in Ukraine of their safe evacuation amidst the Russia multiple attacks of Ukraine.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama gave the assurance while speaking to newsmen in Abuja.

    Onyeama said the Federal Government was making arrangements for a special flight operation to evacuate her citizens from Ukraine in view of the escalating tension between that country and Russia.

    He added that the Nigerian Embassy in Kiev had been contacted and told to make arrangements for those wishing to return home from other areas including Donestk and Luhensk.

    The minister assured Nigerians that the ministry was following the event since it began and assured of the Federal Government’s readiness to speedily ensure the safe evacuation of Nigerians, particularly, students in Ukraine.

    Russian military has started attacking military installations in multiple fronts in spite of Russian President Vladimir Putin assurance not to attack Ukrainian citizens.

    While Kiev is under bombardment, her citizens are seeking shelter in metro underground stations.

    Tens of thousands of people cross the border out of Ukraine, while the European Union expressed readiness to assist with the sum of 1.7 billion euros in economic aid to Ukraine.

    Turkish government has also expressed readiness to send humanitarian aid to its Ukrainain counterpart.

  • Why U.S., NATO should be blamed for Ukraine crisis – Venezuela

    Why U.S., NATO should be blamed for Ukraine crisis – Venezuela

    Venezuela blamed NATO and U.S. for the crisis in Ukraine, where Russian troops were advancing on the capital a little more than a day into their invasion of the neighboring country.

    Venezuela’s foreign ministry on Friday, said that NATO and the United States had violated the Minsk agreements, a 2014 deal aimed at ending a war in Donbas, a separatist region in eastern Ukraine.

    Russian missiles pounded Kyiv as families cowered in shelters and authorities told residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to defend against the Russian assault.

    “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expresses its worry over the worsening of the crisis in Ukraine, and laments the mockery and violation of the Minsk accords on the part of NATO, encouraged by the United States of America,” the ministry said in a statement.

    “The derailment of these (Minsk) accords has violated international law and created strong threats against the Russian Federation, its territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as impeded good relations between neighboring countries.”

    South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, said before the invasion launched on Thursday that Venezuela was with Putin , also urged a diplomatic dialogue to avoid an increase in the conflict.

    Colombia, Argentina and Chile on Thursday, called for swift withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, as other Latin American countries rejected the use of force but stopped short of calling for a Russian exit.

  • Man Utd cut ties with Aeroflot after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

    Man Utd cut ties with Aeroflot after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

    Premier League club, Manchester United have ended their sponsorship deal with Aeroflot following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The Red Devils have had a partnership with the Russian airline since 2013, and have regularly flown to European matches on the company’s aircrafts.

    However, Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has led Manchester United to sever their ties to the company.

    “In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot’s sponsorship rights,” a spokesperson said Friday.

    “We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected.”

    Manchester United used charter airline Titan Airways for their UEFA Champions League last-16 away leg against Atletico Madrid earlier this week.

    The British Government has banned Aeroflot flights to the UK as part of its package of sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine.

  • Russia ready for negotiations with Ukraine – Kremlin

    Russia ready for negotiations with Ukraine – Kremlin

    Russia is ready to send a delegation to the Belarusian capital Minsk for peace talks with Ukrainian officials, the Kremlin said on Friday.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had twice made the offer to conduct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Zelensky had made an initial proposal of talks in a speech addressed to Putin late on Wednesday, shortly before the Russian invasion.

    He said at the time: “Ukraine’s security is linked to the security of its neighbours.

    “That is why today we have to talk about security in the whole of Europe.

    “That is our main goal – peace in Ukraine and the security of our citizens.

    “For this, we are ready to talk to everyone, including you. In different formats and in any place.”

    Kiev has floated the idea that Ukraine could promise to take a neutral status on NATO membership in order to end the violence.

    “In response to Zelensky’s proposal, Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation at the level of representatives of Defence Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and presidential administration to Minsk for negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

    According to the Kremlin, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko is ready to create the conditions for a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.

  • Russian forces disable 118 military facilities in Ukraine

    Russian forces disable 118 military facilities in Ukraine

    The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday that the Russian Armed Forces have disabled 118 military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

    The ministry said 11 military airfields, 13 command posts and communication centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 14 S-300 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems and 36 radar stations were among the facilities put out of order.

    Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu had instructed Russia’s armed forces to “treat Ukrainian troops with respect” and create safety corridors for those servicemen who “have laid down their arms,” defense minister spokesman said.

    On Thursday, Russian President, Vladimir Putin authorised “a special military operation” in Donbass, and Ukraine confirmed that military installations across the country were under attack.

    Later in the day, the ministry reported 83 facilities were disabled during the operation.

  • Ukrainian leader pleads for help as Russian troops advance on Kyiv

    Ukrainian leader pleads for help as Russian troops advance on Kyiv

    Volodymyr Zelenskiy has pleaded with the international community to do more as sanctions announced so far are not enough.

    According to him, missiles on Friday pounded the Ukrainian capital as Russian forces pressed their advance.

    Air raid sirens wailed over the city of three million people, where some were sheltering in underground metro stations, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion that had shocked the world.

    A Ukrainian official said a Russian plane had been shot down and crashed into a building.

    A senior Ukrainian official said Russian forces would enter areas just outside the capital, Kyiv, later on Friday, adding that Ukrainian troops were defending positions on four fronts in spite of being outnumbered.

    Meanwhile, an estimate of 100,000 people flew as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities.

    Dozens have been reported killed, Russian troops seized the Chernobyl former nuclear power plant north of Kyiv as they advanced on the city from Belarus.

    U.S. and Ukrainian officials said Russia aims to capture Kyiv and topple the government, which Putin regards as a puppet of the United States.

    Zelenskiy said he understood Russian troops were coming for him but vowed to stay in Kyiv.

    “The enemy has marked me down as the number one target,’’ Zelenskiy said in a video message. “My family is the number two target. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.’’

    “I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine.’’

    Russia launched its invasion by land, air and sea on Thursday following a declaration of war by Putin, in the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.

    Putin said Russia is carrying out a special military operation to stop the Ukrainian government from committing genocide, an accusation the West calls a baseless fabrication.

    He said that Ukraine is an illegitimate state whose land historically belongs to Russia, a view which Ukrainians see as an attempt to erase their more than thousand year history.

    Putin’s aim remain obscure, he has said he does not plan a military occupation, only to disarm Ukraine and remove its leaders.

    However, having told Ukrainians that their state is illegitimate, it is hard to see how he could simply impose a new leader and withdraw.

    Russia has floated no name of a figure it would regard as acceptable and none has come forward.

    Meanwhile, Britain said Moscow’s aim was to conquer all of Ukraine, and its military had failed to meet its main objectives on the first day because it failed to anticipate Ukrainians would resist.

    “Its definitely our view that the Russians intend to invade the whole of Ukraine,’’ Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky.

    “Contrary to great Russian claims and indeed President Putin’s sort of vision that somehow the Ukrainians would be liberated and would be flocking to his cause he’s got that completely wrong, and the Russian army has failed to deliver on day one, its main objective.’’

    Ukrainians were circulating an unverified recording on Friday of a Russian warship ordering Ukrainian troops at a Black Sea outpost to surrender.

    Ukrainian forces downed an enemy aircraft over Kyiv early on Friday, which then crashed into a residential building and set it ablaze, said Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister.

    It was unclear whether the aircraft was manned or whether it could be a missile.

    Kyiv municipal authorities said at least eight people were injured when the object crashed into an apartment block.

    “Horrific Russian rocket strikes on Kyiv,’’ Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “Last time our capital experienced anything like this was in 1941 when it was attacked by Nazi Germany.’’

    Authorities said intense fighting was under way in the city of Sumy in the northeast.

    A border post in the southeast had been hit by missiles, causing deaths and injuries among border guards, and air raid sirens sounded over the city of Lviv in the west of the country.

    Asked if he was worried about Zelenskiy’s safety, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS: “To the best of my knowledge, President Zelenskiy remains in Ukraine at his post, and of course we’re concerned for the safety of all of our friends in Ukraine.’’

  • UEFA removes Champions League final, other games from Russia and Ukraine

    UEFA removes Champions League final, other games from Russia and Ukraine

    The 2021/2022 UEFA Champions League final match in May will be moved to Paris from St Petersburg due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    European football governing body UEFA disclosed this after a hastily-arranged executive committee meeting on Friday.

    The meeting rubber-stamped the widely-expected decision less than 36 hours after Russian forces entered Ukraine.

    The 80,000-capacity Stade de France will instead host the May 28 final, UEFA said.

    It is the third year in a row a short-noticed relocation has been required after two coronavirus disrupted seasons saw Lisbon and Porto previously step in.

    Paris has hosted five previous finals of the elite competition, including the maiden edition in 1956.

    This is along with 1975 and 1981 in the Parc des Princes, with 2000 and 2006 in the Stade de France.

    “UEFA wishes to express its thanks and appreciation to French Republic president Emmanuel Macron for his personal support and commitment to have European club football’s most prestigious game moved to France at a time of unparalleled crisis,” a statement said.

    “Together with the French government, UEFA will fully support multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure the provision of rescue for football players and their families in Ukraine who face dire human suffering, destruction and displacement.”

    Russian and Ukrainian teams involved in UEFA competitions will also be required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.

    This will impact Spartak Moscow in the Europa League, which has its last 16 draw later Friday, and both Russia and Ukraine in the next Nations League which starts in June.

    Russia are also set to host Poland and Ukraine visit Scotland next month in World Cup play-off semi-finals but these are governed by global governing body FIFA.

    Poland —- along with Russia’s potential play-off final opponents Sweden and Czech Republic —- have already called on the matches to be moved from Russia.(

  • Leave what may be the most devastating war since the start of the century – UN tells Putin

    Leave what may be the most devastating war since the start of the century – UN tells Putin

    UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has warned Russian President, Vladimir Putin, not to begin what may be the devastating war since the start of the century.

    “In the name of humanity, don’t start what may be the most devastating war since the start of the century,” Guterres appealed to Putin.

    Guterres urged Russian President to bring his troops back to his country and announced 20 million dollars for humanitarian support in Ukraine.

    In his words: “Today, I’m announcing that we will immediately allocate 20 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund to meet urgent needs,” Guterres told journalists in New York on Thursday.”

    According to him, “protecting civilians must be priority number one in supporting the people.”

    Guterres reiterated that the UN and its humanitarian partners are “committed to staying and delivering, to support people in Ukraine in their time of need.”

    The UN Secretary-General pointed out that Russian military operations inside the sovereign territory of Ukraine was “on a scale that Europe has not seen in decades, conflict directly with the United Nations Charter.”

    President Putin had launched military action in Ukraine on Thursday.

    In spite of a sustained UN-led and international diplomatic push to avert military action in Ukraine, President Putin did just that, triggering a barrage of reactions, beginning with the UN chief condemning the move and appealing for peace.

    In the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia

    “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations,” Guterres said, quoting the Charter.

    The UN chief underscored that the use of force by one country against another is “the repudiation of the principles that every country has committed to uphold,” which he stated applies to the present military offensive.

    “It’s wrong. It’s against the Charter. It’s unacceptable. But it’s not irreversible,” Guterres said.

    As deaths rise and images of fear, anguish and terror in every corner of Ukraine are pervasive, Guterres reminded that “people, every day innocent people, always pay the highest price.”

    “In line with the Charter, it’s not too late to save this generation from the scourge of war,” Guterres said, “we need peace.”

    The top UN official described what happened as the “saddest moment” in his tenure as UN Secretary-General.

    In light of this development, Guterres said: “I must change my address and say: In the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia.”

    The Russian President had listed three conditions to put an end to the standoff, advising Kyiv to renounce its bid to join NATO, to partially demilitarize and to recognize Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

    But, Ukraine rejected Putin’s demands.

  • What sanctions have been imposed on Russia over attack on Ukraine?

    What sanctions have been imposed on Russia over attack on Ukraine?

    After Russian forces entered Ukraine from Belarus which is about 20 miles from the capital Kyiv and launched multiple attacks on major cities resulting in both military and civilian casualties, a number of sanctions have already been announced by Western powers against Russia, in an attempt to compel President Vladimir Putin to take urgent steps towards deescalating the conflict.

    The sanctions target different areas, hitting specific financial institutions, Russia’s capacity to raise sovereign debt on international markets as well as several individuals, but analysts say that the measures fall short of the options available and may not have much impact.

    Below is a list of sanctions announced against Russia so far:

    EU

    The 27-member bloc unanimously announced on Tuesday initial sanctions aimed at the 351 Russian politicians who voted for recognising the two separatist regions in Ukraine, as well as 27 other Russian officials and institutions from the defence and banking sectors. They also sought to limit Moscow’s access to EU capital and financial markets.

    US

    US President Joe Biden has announced economic sanctions on Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sanctioning and freezing Russian banks that together hold around $1 trillion in assets, including state-owned VEB and Promsvyazbank, in what he calls the first tranche of sanctions.

    Canada

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also announced sanctions against 58 Russian individuals and entities in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which he called “a massive threat to security and peace around the world.”

    These sanctions will target members of the Russian elite and their families, security officials, the Wagner group — a private military company — as well as Russian banks, he said, adding that Canada was also cancelling export permits for Russia.

    UK

    Britain’s foreign office on Thursday imposed 50,000 pound limit on Russian nationals’ deposits in UK Banks. This means that Russian nationals will not be allowed to have deposits of more than 50,000 pounds ($66,860) at British banks.

    Three Russian billionaires affected by the sanction include Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg. The Rotenbergs are co-owners of SGM Group, which makes oil and gas infrastructure. Timchenko is the owner of private investment firm Volga Group.

    In addition, five Russian banks have also been excluded from London’s financial system as part of further sanctions and the UK has banned ban Russia’s Aeroflot and prohibited all dual use export

    Ukraine

    Ukraine’s parliament has approved imposing sanctions on 351 Russians, including lawmakers who supported the recognition of the independence of separatist-controlled territories and the use of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.

    The sanctions restrict almost all possible types of activities, in particular a ban on entry into Ukraine, prohibit access to assets, capital, property, licenses for business.

    Germany

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the halting of the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia – a Baltic Sea gas pipeline which connects mainland Russia with Germany. The deal has been long sought by Moscow but criticised by the US for increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy.

    Australia

    Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the imposition of penalties on Russia’s Security Council for “behaving like thugs and bullies” in connection with the aggression against Ukraine.

    Japan

    Japan says it will announce its sanctions on Russia Friday in the areas of finance and export controls. Japan’s sanctions will include banning the issuance of Russian bonds in Japan and freezing the assets of certain Russian individuals as well as restricting travel to Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.