Edited by: TJVNews.com
Russian forces escalated their attacks on crowded urban areas Tuesday, bombarding the central square in Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, and Kyiv’s main TV tower in what the country’s president called a blatant campaign of terror, according to an AP report.
“Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed after the bloodshed on the square in Kharkiv.
Ukrainian authorities said five people were killed in the attack on the TV tower, which is a couple of miles from central Kyiv and a short walk from numerous apartment buildings. The AP reported that a TV control room and power substation were hit, and at least some Ukrainian channels briefly stopped broadcasting, officials said.
Zelenskyy’s office also reported a powerful missile attack on the site of the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial, near the tower. A spokesman for the memorial said a Jewish cemetery at the site, where Nazi occupiers killed more than 33,000 Jews over two days in 1941, was damaged, but the extent would not be clear until daylight, as was reported by the AP.
At the same time, a 40-mile (64-kilometer) convoy of hundreds of Russian tanks and other vehicles advanced slowly on Kyiv in what the West feared was a bid by Russian President Vladimir Putin to topple Ukraine’s government and install a Kremlin-friendly regime, the report indicated. Russian forces pressed their assault on other towns and cities across the country, including the strategic ports of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.
In yet another development on Tuesday, AP reported that Ukraine has effectively asked that Russia be kicked off the internet.
In a letter sent Monday to the president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Ukraine’s deputy minister for digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, cited the “atrocious crimes” of Russia’s invasion, including its alleged breach of the Geneva Conventions in attacking civilian targets.
The AP reported that Federov said the crimes “have been made possible mainly due to the Russian propaganda machinery” and cited cyberattacks “from the Russian side” that have impeded the ability of Ukrainians and their government to communicate.
Federov asked that ICANN revoke, permanently or temporarily, the domains .ru and .su and shut down the root servers in Moscow and St. Petersburg that match domain names and numbers.
Back in the United States, President Biden is scheduled to deliver his first annual state of the union address on Tuesday evening.
Biden originally planned to address a panoply of domestic issues such as the improving state of affairs as it pertains to the coronavirus as well as speaking about domestic policy priorities and offering hope for the skyrocketing inflation rates that Americans have been grappling with.
Now that Russia has attacked Ukraine, the speech will focus on the heroism displayed by the Ukrainian people in the face of existential peril as well as the intrepid leadership of their president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden will speak to “the importance of the United States as a leader in the world, standing up for values, standing up for global norms. The AP reported that Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone a few hours before his speech at the Capitol.
In an interview with CNN and Reuters, Zelenskyy said he urged Biden to deliver a strong and “useful” message about Russia’s invasion. Ahead of the speech, the White House announced that Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova would join first lady Jill Biden in the galleries to watch Biden’s address, according to the AP report.
In another development, the number of Ukrainians who have fled their country for Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary has swelled to over 500,000 and the number keeps increasing. Currently, only women and children are permitted to board trains to other countries as men in Ukraine between the ages of 18-60 have been ordered to stay and fight the Russians.
A UN representative said the refugee crisis could swell to approximately four million people if the battles keep raging and peace has not been established. Many Ukrainians are following their government’s orders and are making Molotov cocktails and arming themselves with government owned rifles that have been distributed.
The media has made note of the high level of patriotism and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people in the fact of such egregious adversity.
On Monday, the first round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting between Ukraine and Russia ended with no agreement except to keep talking, while an increasingly isolated Moscow ran into unexpectedly fierce resistance on the ground and economic havoc at home, according to an AP report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Russian soldiers in Ukraine: “More than 4,500 of your soldiers have been killed. Put down your weapons, do not trust your commanders and this propaganda. Just save yourself and leave.”
Six days into Russia’s invasion, the Kremlin again raised the specter of nuclear war, while an embattled Ukraine moved to solidify its ties to the West by applying to join the European Union — a largely symbolic move unlikely to sit well with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long accused the U.S. of trying to pull Ukraine out of Moscow’s orbit.
The AP reported that top Putin aide and head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that the talks lasted nearly five hours and that the envoys “found certain points on which common positions could be foreseen.” He said they agreed to continue the discussions in the coming days.
As the talks wrapped up, several blasts could be heard in Kyiv, though few details were immediately known. Russian troops, while attacking on multiple fronts, continued to advance slowly on the capital city of nearly 3 million people, as was reported by the AP.
A 17-mile (25-kilometer) convoy consisting of hundreds of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles was 17 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of Kyiv, according to satellite imagery from the Maxar company. People in Kyiv lined up for groceries after the end of a weekend curfew, standing beneath a building with a gaping hole blown in its side.
Also on Monday, Israel National News reported that Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine confirmed that an Israeli Jew was shot and killed near Kyiv during an attempt to leave the city and reach the border of Ukraine.
The victim was identified as Roman Brodsky a 37-year-old man who was shot while traveling from Kyiv to join the secure bus convoys to leave the borders of Ukraine. The man’s family has been notified of his death, as was reported by INN.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement: that Brodsky “was killed in Ukraine while part of a convoy of vehicles on their way to the border with Moldova. His vehicle was shot and he was killed.”
“The director of the Department of Israelis Abroad spoke with his wife, who is currently in Ukraine with the deceased’s children. His parents, who live in Israel, received the difficult message. The Foreign Ministry wishes to express its sincere condolences to the family in its difficult time and will continue to assist the family as much as possible,” the ministry said.
INN reported that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated: “I have sadly received the sad news of the death of Roman Brodsky, an Israeli citizen, in Ukraine.”
“On behalf of all the citizens of Israel, I would like to send my condolences to the wife, children and family of the late Roman, in Israel and in Ukraine. We continue to do everything we can to help Israelis return home,” Bennett said.
Also on Monday, Zelenskyy requested that his country be granted immediate full membership in the European Union, according to the INN report. The US has decided to suspend embassy activities in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. A senior US official has said that if Belarus continues to assist in Russian aggression in Ukraine, they will also face the consequences.
The Ukrainian government on Monday afternoon reported that dozens of people had been killed in extensive bombings in Kharkiv, the second largest city in the country, as was reported by INN. A senior Ukrainian government official said that hundreds of people were injured in the attack.
Zelenskyy said 16 children have been killed and 45 injured in the past four days. “We will release prisoners with military backgrounds if they agree to enlist in the war against Russia,” he said.
The AP reported that video from Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, showed residential areas being shelled, with apartment buildings shaken by repeated, powerful blasts. Flashes of fire could be seen along with gray plumes of smoke.
Footage released by the government from Kharkiv depicted what appeared to be a home with water gushing from a pierced ceiling. On the floor lay what looked like an undetonated projectile. The AP reported that authorities in Kharkiv said at least seven people had been killed and dozens injured. They warned that casualties could be far higher.
In Israel, one hundred tons of humanitarian aid equipment is being prepared to be sent to Ukraine, including water purification systems, emergency kits for water supply, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, coats, medicines and medical equipment.
INN reported that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to exercise caution with regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“These are sensitive and complex days in the global arena. On such days, caution should be exercised. Unfortunately, in recent days we have heard too many unnecessary statements and too many false predictions,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Likud faction meeting Monday, according to the INN report.
“I call on the government to act responsibly: To talk less about what should not be talked about and to deal much more with the real existential threat to our security, and this is of course Iran’s return in the near future to the dangerous nuclear agreement. With regards to this matter specifically, Lapid and Bennett do not say anything and do nothing,” the opposition leader claimed.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid vowed Monday that Israel will back a United Nations resolution against Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, and promised Israeli support for the country, calling it an Israeli ‘obligation’.
“Today is the fifth day of the war in Ukraine,” Lapid said Monday afternoon. “The UN will vote today or tomorrow on a resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Israel will cosponsor and vote in favor of the resolution, together with a decisive majority of the world’s countries.”
INN reported that Lapid’s declaration Monday is the first time Israel has publicly committed to backing the UN resolution against the Russian invasion.
Hitherto, Israel has avoided direct criticism of Russia, or condemnation of the invasion, even as Israel voiced support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the INN report.
On Sunday, Lapid made similar comments during a cabinet meeting, telling ministers Israel should vote in favor of the UN resolution against the Russian invasion.
In his statement Monday, INN reported that Lapid hinted that Israel could join other countries imposing sanctions on Moscow.
“Israel is thoroughly examining the potential impact of sanctions on Russia. We established an inter-ministry team that will examine the effects and consequences of the sanctions on the Israeli economy and policy.”
“At the same time, Israel will be part of the international effort to assist the people of Ukraine. We have a moral, historical, and ethical obligation to be part of this effort. Today and tomorrow, three planes will depart Israel for Ukraine with a large shipment of emergency aid. Thousands of coats, blankets, and sleeping bags, medical equipment, tents, and water purification equipment.”
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, messages aimed at the advancing Russian soldiers popped up on billboards, bus stops and electronic traffic signs across the capital, as was reported by the AP. Some used profanity to encourage Russians to leave. Others appealed to their humanity.
Fighting raged in other towns and cities scattered across the country. The strategic port city of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, is “hanging on,” said Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovich. An oil depot was reported bombed in the eastern city of Sumy, according to the AP report.
The Russian military has denied targeting residential areas despite abundant evidence of shelling of homes, schools and hospitals, as was reported by the AP
In the resort town of Berdyansk, on the Azov Sea, dozens of protesters chanted angrily in the main square against their Russian occupiers, who captured the town Sunday. The AP reported that they described the soldiers as exhausted young conscripts.
As the invasion dragged on slower than many in the West expected, with the outgunned Ukrainians mounting stiff resistance, the Kremlin reported that its land, air and sea nuclear forces had been put on high alert following Putin’s weekend order. Stepping up his rhetoric, Putin denounced the U.S. and its allies as an “empire of lies.”
Asked on Monday if US citizens should be concerned about the possibility of nuclear war, President Biden answered, “No.”
For many, the nuclear high alert stirred up memories of the Cold War, and fears that the West could be drawn into direct conflict with Russia, as was reported by the AP. But a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States had yet to see any appreciable change in Russia’s nuclear posture.
Also on Monday, the US expelled 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations over national security concerns, according to a Reuters report.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations described the Russian diplomats as “intelligence operatives” who had been “engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security.”
“This action has been in development for several months,” said U.S. mission spokesperson Olivia Dalton, as was reported by Reuters.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters the diplomats had been asked to leave by March 7. He said Russia would respond to the move “because it’s diplomatic practice.”
Reuters reported that Nebenzia then raised the issue at the start of a U.N. Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, describing the U.S. move as “hostile” and a violation of its commitments as host of the U.N. headquarters in New York.
U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Richard Mills responded: “Those diplomats that have been asked to leave the United States were engaged in activities that were not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations as diplomats,” as was reported by Reuters.
He said they had been asked to leave “so they do not harm the national security of the host country,” adding that the decision was taken in full accordance with the U.N. headquarters agreement.
As far-reaching Western sanctions on Russian banks and other institutions took hold, the ruble plummeted, and Russia’s Central Bank scrambled to shore it up, as did Putin, signing a decree restricting foreign currency.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Nasdaq Inc (NDAQ.O) and Intercontinental Exchange Inc’s (ICE.N) NYSE had temporarily halted trading in the stocks of Russia-based companies listed on their exchanges, their websites showed.
The halts were due to regulatory concerns as the exchanges seek more information following economic sanctions imposed on Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said.
Reuters reported that the Nasdaq-listed stocks halted are: Nexters Inc , HeadHunter Group PLC (HHR.O), Ozon Holdings PLC (OZON.O), Qiwi PLC (QIWI.O) and Yandex (YNDX.O).
Trading halts for disclosure of material information on Nasdaq are instituted to ensure that “material information is fairly and adequately disseminated to the investing public and the marketplace, and to provide investors with the opportunity to evaluate the information in making investment decisions,” according to the exchange’s rulebook.
The NYSE-listed stocks halted were Cian PLC (CIAN.N), Mechel PAO and Mobile TeleSystems PAO .
NYSE-owner ICE also said it would not add any new debt issuances from sanctioned Russian entities to its fixed income indices, and that affected existing debt would be removed on March 31, as per the Reuters report.
The AP reported that in Moscow, people lined up to withdraw cash as sanctions drove up prices and threatened to reduce the standard of living for millions of ordinary Russians.
In yet another blow to Russia’s economy, the oil giant Shell said it is pulling out of the country because of the invasion, announcing it will withdraw from its joint ventures with state-owned gas company Gazprom and other entities and end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 p
ipeline project between Russia and Europe, as was reported by the AP.
The economic sanctions, ordered by the U.S. and other allies, were just one contributor to Russia’s growing status as a pariah country. The AP reported that Russian airliners are now banned from European airspace, Russian media is restricted in some countries, and some high-tech products can no longer be exported to the country. On Monday, in a major blow to a soccer-mad nation, Russian teams were suspended from all international soccer.
Across Ukraine, meanwhile, terrified families huddled overnight in shelters, basements or corridors. (Sources: AP, Reuters, INN) – Additional reporting by Fern Sidman
