TheNewsGuru

Tag: Ukraine

  • Ukraine crisis: Russia retaliates closure of airspace; 35 countries affected

    Ukraine crisis: Russia retaliates closure of airspace; 35 countries affected

    In response to the decision by multiple countries to close their airspace to Russia, Russian aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, on Monday announced that it was closing Russian airspace to 35 countries.

    Countries affected by the indefinite ban include all EU member states and Canada.

    The EU took the decision to ban Russian aircraft from its airspace as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    Humanitarian flights were exempted from the ban, while exceptions can also be made in other cases via Russian government ministries.

  • Ukraine’s turbulent history since independence in 1991

    Ukraine’s turbulent history since independence in 1991

    Russian forces fired missiles at several Ukrainian cities and landed troops on its south coast on Thursday, right after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a special military operation in eastern Ukraine.

    Here is a timeline of the main events in Ukraine’s political history since it won independence from Moscow in 1991.

    1991: Leonid Kravchuk, leader of the Soviet republic of Ukraine, declares independence from Moscow. In a referendum and presidential election, Ukrainians approve independence and elect Kravchuk president.

    1994: Leonid Kuchma beats Kravchuk in a presidential election deemed largely free and fair by observers.

    1999: Kuchma is re-elected in a vote riddled with irregularities.

    2004: Pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovich is declared president but allegations of vote-rigging trigger protests in what becomes known as the Orange Revolution, forcing a re-run of the vote. A pro-Western former prime minister, Viktor Yushchenko, is elected president.

    1994: Leonid Kuchma beats Kravchuk in a presidential election deemed largely free and fair by observers.

    1999: Kuchma is re-elected in a vote riddled with irregularities.

    2004: Pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovich is declared president but allegations of vote-rigging trigger protests in what becomes known as the Orange Revolution, forcing a re-run of the vote. A pro-Western former prime minister, Viktor Yushchenko, is elected president.

    2005: Yushchenko takes power with promises to lead Ukraine out of the Kremlin’s orbit, towards NATO and the EU. He appoints former energy company boss Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister but after in-fighting in the pro-Western camp, she is sacked.

    2008: NATO promises Ukraine it will one day join the alliance.

    2010: Yanukovich defeats Tymoshenko in a presidential election. Russia and Ukraine clinch a gas pricing deal in exchange for extending the lease for the Russian navy in a Ukrainian Black Seaport.

    2013: Yanukovich’s government suspends trade and association talks with the EU in November and opts to revive economic ties with Moscow, triggering months of mass rallies in Kyiv.

    2014: The protests, largely focused around Kyiv’s Maidan square, turn violent. Dozens of protesters are killed.

    February 2014: The parliament votes to remove Yanukovich, who flees. Within days, armed men seize parliament in the Ukrainian region of Crimea and raise the Russian flag. Moscow annexes the territory after a March 16 referendum which shows overwhelming support in Crimea for joining the Russian Federation

    April 2014: Pro-Russian separatists in the eastern region of Donbass declare independence. Fighting breaks out, which has continued sporadically into 2022, despite frequent ceasefires.

    May 2014: Businessman Petro Poroshenko wins a presidential election with a pro-Western agenda.

    July: 2014: A missile brings down passenger plane MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board. Investigators trace back the weapon used to Russia, which denies involvement.

    2017: An association agreement between Ukraine and the EU opens markets for free trade of goods and services, and visa-free travel to the EU for Ukrainians.

    2019: A new Ukrainian Orthodox church wins formal recognition, angering the Kremlin

    Former comic actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy defeats Poroshenko in an April presidential election on promises to tackle corruption and end the war in eastern Ukraine. His Servant of the People party wins a July parliamentary election.

    U.S. President Donald Trump asks Zelenskiy in July to investigate Joe Biden, his rival in the U.S. presidential race, and Biden’s son Hunter over possible business dealings in Ukraine. The call leads to a failed attempt to impeach Trump.

    March 2020: Ukraine goes into its first lockdown to curb COVID-19.

    June 2020: The IMF approves a $5 billion lifeline to help Ukraine stave off default during a pandemic-induced recession.

    Jan. 2021: Zelenskiy appeals to Biden, now U.S. president, to let Ukraine join NATO.

    Feb. 2021: Zelenskiy’s government imposes sanctions on Viktor Medvedchuk, an opposition leader and the Kremlin’s most prominent ally in Ukraine.

    Spring 2021: Russia masses troops near Ukraine’s borders in what it says are training exercises.

    Oct. 2021: Ukraine uses a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone for the first time in eastern Ukraine, angering Russia.

    Autumn 2021: Russia again begins massing troops near Ukraine.

    Dec. 7, 2021: Biden warns Russia of sweeping Western economic sanctions if it invades Ukraine.

    Dec. 17: Russia presents detailed security demands including a legally binding guarantee that NATO will give up any military activity in eastern Europe and Ukraine.

    Jan. 14: A cyberattack warning Ukrainians to “be afraid and expect the worst” hits Ukrainian government websites.

    Jan. 17: Russian forces start arriving in Belarus, to the north of Ukraine, for joint drills.

    Jan. 24: NATO puts forces on standby and reinforces eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets.

    Jan. 26: Washington presents a written response to Russia’s security demands, repeating a commitment to NATO’s “open-door” policy while offering “pragmatic” discussions of Moscow’s concerns.

    Jan. 28: President Vladimir Putin says Russia’s main security demands have not been addressed.

    Feb. 2: The United States says it will send 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania to help shield NATO allies in eastern Europe from any spillover from the crisis.

    Feb. 4: Putin, at the Beijing Winter Olympics, wins Chinese support for his demand that Ukraine not be allowed to join NATO.

    Feb. 7: French President Emmanuel Macron sees some hope for a diplomatic resolution of the crisis after meeting Putin in the Kremlin. Macron then visits Kyiv and praises the “sang-froid” of Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people.

    Feb. 9: Biden says “things could go crazy quickly” as the U.S. State Department advises Americans in Ukraine to leave immediately. Other countries also urge their nationals to leave.

    Feb. 14: Zelenskiy urges Ukrainians to fly flags and sing the national anthem in unison on Feb. 16, a date some Western media say Russia could invade.

    Feb. 15: Russia says some of its troops are returning to base after exercises near Ukraine and mocks Western warnings about a looming invasion. Russia’s parliament asks Putin to recognise as independent two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

    Feb. 18: U.S. ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter says Russia has probably massed between 169,000-190,000 personnel in and near Ukraine.

    Feb. 19: Russia’s strategic nuclear forces hold exercises overseen by Putin.

    Feb. 21: Macron says Biden and Putin have agreed in principle to a summit over Ukraine.

    In a televised address, Putin says Ukraine is an integral part of Russian history, has never had a history of genuine statehood, is managed by foreign powers, and has a puppet regime. Putin signs agreements to recognise breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and order Russian troops there.

    Feb. 22: U.S., UK, and their allies enact sanctions on Russian parliament members, banks, and other assets. Germany halts the final certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that was still waiting for approval.

    Putin, in a television address, demands Ukraine demilitarise and says the Minsk peace agreement over breakaway republics no longer exists, blaming Kyiv for killing the deal.

    Feb. 23: Russian-backed separatist leaders ask Russia for help in repelling aggression from the Ukrainian army.

    Feb. 24: Russian President Putin authorizes “special military operations” in eastern Ukraine and asks Ukrainian forces to lay down their arms in a televised address. Russian forces begin missile and artillery attacks on Ukrainian forces and air bases, striking areas in major cities.

  • Russian troops destroy world’s biggest cargo plane in Ukraine

    Russian troops destroy world’s biggest cargo plane in Ukraine

    The world’s biggest cargo plane, Antonov-225 Mriya, has been hit by Russian troops on an airfield near Kyiv, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said.

    The plane, dubbed “Mriya”, which is Ukrainian for “the dream”, was burnt during Russian shelling at Antonov airfield in Hostomel, near Kyiv, where it had been undergoing maintenance.

    “Russia may have destroyed our Mriya. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state,” Mr Kuleba stated.

    Aircraft manufacturer, Antonov Company, said: “Until the An-225 is reviewed by experts, we cannot report the technical condition.”

    Russia has not publicly confirmed the attack, but heavy fighting was witnessed at Hostomel airfield, north-west of the capital, last week.

    Aerial images also show what appears to be significant air-strike damage and grassfires near the Antonov Airport.

    The plane became well known due to its size, and even visited Australia in 2016.

    Designed in the 1980s, it is the longest and heaviest aircraft ever built. It also boasts the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service.

    Ukroboronprom said its restoration was estimated to take more than $US3 billion ($4.17 billion) and five years to complete.

    “Our task is to ensure that these costs are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine’s aviation and the air cargo sector,” it said in a statement.

  • Anyim in pains over safety of Nigerians in Ukraine, prays for their safety, urges speedy action from FG

    Anyim in pains over safety of Nigerians in Ukraine, prays for their safety, urges speedy action from FG

    …says this is the time to show all our citizens, that our nation cares for every Nigerian in distress

    Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, presidential aspirant in the 2023 general election in pains over the wellbeing of Nigerians in war-ravaged Ukraine and said he is fervently praying for their safety.

    In a statement he personally signed on Sunday evening, the former President of the Senate said he is worried about Nigerians studying in Ukraine who have been trapped in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

    The former SGF who is a frontliner on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said he was happy that the Federal Government (FG) said it was on top of the development and urged the Administration to intervene, at the appropriate time, in the matter by evacuating Nigerians trapped in the crisis before any harm befalls any of them.

    In the statement titled: “Developments in Ukraine” reads: “We are watching with apprehension, the unfolding events in Ukraine.

    “Our thoughts and prayers are with our citizens residing in Ukraine at these tensed and uncertain moments.

    “I join all Nigerians, particularly parents of young people who are studying in Ukraine, in praying for your safety.

    “I call on the Nigerian government to watch the developments closely and not to spare any efforts to ensure the safe evacuation of our citizens as quickly as it becomes possible.

    “The Federal Government has given assurances that it is abreast with the latest developments and I earnestly urge all our officials, at home and abroad, to rise to the occasion with the sense of urgency it deserves.

    “Now is the time to show all our citizens, that our nation cares for every Nigerian in distress; and that we shall spare no efforts to reach out to all law-abiding Nigerians, here and abroad, whenever they are in need”, the statement concluded.

    It would be recalled that Russia recently invaded Ukraine complaining that she was uncomfortable with Ukraine’s romance with America and the West especially Ukraine’s reported plan to join the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

  • Ukraine: Maternity hospital in Kyiv delivers newborns in underground bomb shelter [PHOTOS]

    Ukraine: Maternity hospital in Kyiv delivers newborns in underground bomb shelter [PHOTOS]

    The crisis in Ukraine has forced a maternity hospital in the city of Kyiv to move the delivery of newborns into an underground bomb shelter.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dr. Sergey Baksheev from Kyiv’s Maternity Hospital Number 3 posted pictures of medical staffs attending to women in labour in the underground bomb shelter.

    The underground bomb shelter has a temporary ward with beds and medical equipment set up with which staff help to deliver newborns and provide medical care for women in labour with.

    “Even in such circumstances, Ukrainians come into the world,” Baksheev obstetrician-gynaecologist stated via Facebook.

    TNG reports on 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, one of its neighbours to the southwest.

    Early reports declared it the largest conventional warfare operation in Europe since World War II. The countries had been in a state of conflict since 2014.

    See photos below:

    Я буду писать на русском языке для того, что бы меня поняли бесконечно любимые мои друзья и читатели из России,…

    Posted by Сергей Бакшеев on Friday, 25 February 2022

  • War: Presidency reacts to inhuman, discriminatory treatments of Nigerians, others in Ukraine

    War: Presidency reacts to inhuman, discriminatory treatments of Nigerians, others in Ukraine

    The Presidency has frowned at the reported inhuman and discriminatory treatments of Nigerians and other citizens of African countries, who are being denied the same right of passage out of Ukraine.

    Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said all citizens should be treated with dignity irrespective of the colour of their passports or their skin.

    He said: ”From video evidence, first-hand reports, and from those in contact with their wards and/or Nigerian consular officials there have been unfortunate reports of Ukrainian police and security personnel refusing to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards the Ukraine-Poland border.

    ”In one video widely circulating on social media, a Nigerian mother with her young baby was filmed being physically forced to give up her seat to another person.

    ”There are also separate reports of Polish officials simply refusing Nigerian citizens’ entry into Poland from Ukraine.

    ”One group of Nigerian students having been repeatedly refused entry into Poland have concluded they have no choice but to travel again across Ukraine and attempt to exit the country via the border with Hungary.”

    According to the presidential aide, it is paramount that everyone is treated with dignity and without favour, adding that all who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under UN Convention.

    “While efforts to begin talks between Russia and Ukraine are underway, paramount on our minds is the safety and human rights of some four thousand Nigerian citizens and many others from friendly African nations today stranded in Ukraine.”

    He stated that Nigeria would continue to support all and every diplomatic effort to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end.

    According to him, there is a long history dating back to decades of Nigerians and other Africans studying in Ukraine, particularly medicine, noting that the majority of Nigerian citizens in the country today are university-enrolled students.

    ”As a nation, we are proud of those educated in Kyiv and Kharkiv and other cities and centres of learning who have returned to Nigeria to perform great service for our nation and our people.

    ”Without the generosity of spirit of the Ukrainian people that would never have been possible.

    ”We pray for those directly affected by this conflict.

    ”Nigeria, with our 200 million people, support all and every diplomatic effort to bring this war to an end,” Shehu said.

  • Move to the Hungarian Zahony border, others – FG tells Nigerians in Ukraine

    Move to the Hungarian Zahony border, others – FG tells Nigerians in Ukraine

    The Federal Government has advised Nigerians in Ukraine to move to the Hungarian Zahony border and Romanian Suceava, Tulcea, Satu Mare County & Maramures borders.

    In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday stated that it was fully abreast of all the challenges Nigerians crossing into countries bordering Ukraine, especially the Polish border, were facing and it is taking adequate measures to assuage these challenges.

    It was gathered that shortly after Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s half-hour speech declaring war on Ukraine, Annora Omolu, a Nigerian undergraduate at Kyiv Medical University heard a small blast by the window of her apartment.

    The blast startled the 20-year-old who started simultaneously shaking and praying.

    In the days before Putin’s speech, she had been calm because everything in Kyiv had seemed normal.

    But as she remained glued to the television, her calmness quickly gave way to crippling fear.

    At daybreak, she tried to book a flight to Lviv in western Ukraine, some 469 kilometres from the capital, to join other Nigerians there and cross to Poland. But the Ukrainian government had shut down its airspace.

     

  • Chelsea release statement on Ukraine, without mentioning Russia

    Chelsea release statement on Ukraine, without mentioning Russia

    English Premier League clubside Chelsea, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, have made a 24-word statement on Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it was without mentioning Russia at all.

    “The situation in Ukraine is horrific and devastating,” the London club said on Sunday.

    “Chelsea FC’s thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine. Everyone at the club is praying for peace.”

    Abramovich had said on Saturday he was giving “the stewardship and care of Chelsea” to trustees of the club’s charitable foundation, even though media reports have suggested he would remain as owner.

    Abramovich is one of Russia’s richest people and is considered to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    British media reports however said it was “not known yet” if he would be sanctioned as part of the UK government’s measures against Russia.

  • Putin suspended as honourary president of world judo federation

    Putin suspended as honourary president of world judo federation

    The world judo governing body (IJU) has taken personal action against Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

    “In light of the ongoing war (conflict) in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of Mr. Vladimir Putin’s status as Honorary President and Ambassador of the International Judo Federation,” it said in a statement on Sunday.

    Putin is a keen judo player and has reached the level of black belt in the sport.

    Russia has huge influence in judo with IJU president Marius Vizer considered a friend of Putin and the European governing body is led by Russian Sergey Soloveychik.

    Both bodies receive considerable sponsorship from Russia.

    The planned Grand Slam in Kazan in May was cancelled on Friday.

    Russia is becoming increasingly isolated in the sports world but global football governing body FIFA has not yet responded to increasing concern and development regarding the matter.

    Poland and Sweden have said they would not play against Russia in the play-offs for the World Cup in Qatar.

    European football ruling body UEFA has already said matches cannot be played in Russia, or Ukraine.

    Also, it is set to consider the sponsorship deal it has with Russian state firm Gazprom.

    Hans-Joachim Watzke, interim president of the German federation, said it was “dirty money” that “we cannot take any more”.

    Presidential candidate Peter Peters said it was “a clear yes” to ending the cooperation.

    Gazpom sponsor the UEFA Champions League and Euro 2024 in Germany but Schalke 04, a second division side, have already removed their name from their shirts.

    Volleyball is one of the few sports still considering a major event in Russia with the men’s world championships scheduled for August.

    This is under review though, with some nations saying they will not travel to Russia to take part.

  • War :Scores of Nigerian students stranded in Ukraine

    War :Scores of Nigerian students stranded in Ukraine

    Lolade Lawal’s life has been turned upside down in a way she never imagined.

    The third-year medical student from Nigeria is coming to terms with the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that started last week.

    “It is scary, very scary. I’m very worried. People are running for their lives. We are hiding in groups so we can keep an eye on each other,” Lawal told Al Jazeera over the phone as she sheltered with other students at a safe bunker in the northeastern city of Sumy.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered what he said was a “special military operation” against Ukraine on Thursday. A full-scale invasion followed, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declaring martial law, saying his country would defend itself.

    On Saturday, fighting reached the streets of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv as Russian troops pressed ahead.

    According to the US military, Russia now has at least 50 percent of its estimated 150,000-strong invasion forces in Ukraine.

    The conflict has so far killed more than 200 civilians, including three children. Nearly 1,100 have been injured in the conflict, including 33 children, according to Ukraine’s health ministry.

    The United Nations estimates more than 100,000 people have been displaced within the country since the conflict started.

    “There’s no escape. Trains have stopped working. Most supermarkets are closed and those that are opened are running very low on food stocks. ATMs are not working and everyone is desperately looking for money,” Lawal said, as sirens went off in the background.

    There are no official figures on the number of African students currently studying in Ukraine but Lawal said “there are hundreds of us in our city”.

    “At my university, there are about 100 Nigerian students. I’m sheltering with some of them,” Lawal added.

    Some students have managed to cross the border into Poland.

    “I live in Kyiv. I have been living here since March last year,” Somto Orah, a student at State University of Telecommunications in Kyiv, told Al Jazeera.

    “We have received no support from any government authorities. The school only gave us bomb shelter to hide when the air raid siren is on. The sirens came on and off for about five times yesterday before I left,” Orah, a Nigerian national, added.

    “There is little food. I couldn’t access cash for two days now. Every ATM on the road has no cash.”

    Others have had even less luck.

    Samuel George, a first-year software engineering student, fled Kyiv after the shelling and sirens got too much for him to handle.

    “I drove from Kyiv. We are trying to survive. We don’t want to die in a foreign country,” George said.

    As he neared the Polish border, Samuel’s luck ran out. He said he had a minor road accident with a vehicle carrying Ukrainians because the road was narrow.

    He said they took his money and stopped him from driving any further.

    “They are not officials, police or military. They are normal citizens who stopped us Africans from driving to the border. They let Ukrainians pass through but not us,” George said.

    “I’m now walking to the border. I have no other option. I don’t know how much further the border is. They even took our money. It is like they are not human beings,” George said, adding that he could no longer talk on the phone because his hands were freezing in the sub-zero temperature.

    On Saturday, the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs said more than 115,000 people had crossed into Poland from Ukraine, adding that everyone from Ukraine was allowed to enter, even those without a valid passport.

    But for Somto and several other students, crossing the border into Poland has not been easy.

    “I will be heading to Nigeria from Poland if I’m able to cross. But if I see a school offer around Schengen, I will take it up because I don’t want my school life to be disrupted,”

    he said as he joined the queue at the border gate.