UKRAINE WRAP | Ukraine-Russia talks to start soon, focus on humanitarian corridors

March 03 2022 - 21:36

Ukraine puzzled by SA's 'abstain' vote at UN on 'Russian aggression'

The Ukrainian ambassador to SA, Liubov Abravitova, said on Thursday she believed SA abstained from voting on the UN General Assembly's motion to reprimand Russia because it was obliged to for the support SA received from the Soviet Union during apartheid.

“We must understand that Russia, which took the legacy of the USSR, is strongly following the narrative of its importance in the countries of Southern Africa and, generally, in Africa in their struggle against colonialism and particularly apartheid in SA,” said Abravitova.

She made the comments during a Ukrainian and US briefing following SA's decision to abstain from the vote to reprimand Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

March 03 2022 - 20:50

African voices matter, says UN official as she asks continent to condemn Russian invasion

Assistant US secretary of state for African affairs, Molly Phee, said on Thursday that her country was not dictating to Africa which side to choose, but was merely asking it to join in condemning Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s unprovoked aggression is an assault on world order. We are not asking you to choose sides; we are asking Africans to join us in supporting the principles and people who are suffering from this assault,” she said.

March 03 2022 - 20:12

Ukrainian president says Russia and Ukraine must compromise to end war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said Ukraine and Russia could find a way out of the war if the Kremlin treated Ukraine on an equal footing and came to talks with a will to negotiate in good faith.

"There are things in which some compromises must be found so that people do not die, but there are things in which there are no compromises," Zelenskyy said in a televised interview, saying he was willing to have an open conversation with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

March 03 2022 - 17:54

WATCH | Zelenskyy compares Russian attack to Covid-19 pandemic

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Russia that the people of Ukraine are “unbreakable”.

In his latest address on Thursday, Zelenskyy compared Russia's attack on Ukraine to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It's been a week now there's another virus attacked. A different disease and those who suffer from a harsh syndrome of annexation and occupation of foreign lands,” he said.

March 03 2022 - 14:18

Tens of millions in 'potentially mortal danger' in Ukraine - UN

Tens of millions of people in Ukraine are in "potentially mortal danger" as military operations escalate with bombings of major cities and reports of cluster weapons striking civilian targets, the top UN human rights official said on Thursday.

Michelle Bachelet, opening an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council to consider setting up a commission of inquiry into alleged human rights violations by Russia, called for an immediate halt to hostilities which have heavily damaged basic essential services.

"My staff in Ukraine have been contacted by several groups who fear persecution if Russian troops advance, including members of the Crimean Tatar community in mainland Ukraine, as well as prominent human rights defenders and journalists," she told the Geneva forum.

Reuters

March 03 2022 -  14:00

Ukraine-Russia talks to start soon, focus on humanitarian corridors

Talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations will begin in Belarus at about 1400 GMT and Kyiv plans to discuss setting up humanitarian corridors before moving on to other issues, Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia said on Facebook. 

Reuters

March 03 2022 - 12:34

"We are being destroyed," city council of Ukraine's Mariupol says

Mariupol city council said Russian forces were constantly and deliberately shelling vital civilian infrastructure in the southeastern Ukrainian port, leaving it without water, heating or power and preventing bringing supplies or evacuating people.

"They are breaking food supplies, setting us up in a blockade, as in the old Leningrad," it said in a statement, referring to Nazi Germany's protracted siege of the then-Soviet city now known as St. Petersburg during World War Two. Around 1.5 million people died in the more than two-year-long siege.

"Deliberately, for seven days, they have been destroying (Mariupol's) critical life-support infrastructure. We have no light, water or heat again," the council said.

It added that it was seeking to create a humanitarian corridor for Mariupol, as well as trying to restore infrastructure.

"Mariupol remains under fire. Women, children and the elderly are suffering. We are being destroyed as a nation. This is genocide of the Ukrainian people," it said.

Reuters 

March 03 2022 - 12:29

Southern port of Mariupol surrounded by Russia, says Ukrainian official

Ukraine's southern port of Mariupol is surrounded by Russian troops, interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said on Thursday.

"The occupiers want to turn it into besieged Leningrad," he said, referring to Nazi Germany's siege of the then-Soviet city where about 1.5 million people died during two years of blockade. 

Reuters

March 03 2022 - 12:20

Bangladesh cargo ship hit by missile, crew member killed - Bangladesh official

A missile hit a Bangladeshi owned cargo ship at the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Olvia killing one of its crew members, a Bangladesh foreign ministry official said on Thursday.

The Bangladesh-flagged Banglar Samriddhi had 29 crew members on board, all Bangladeshi nationals, and was stuck at the port of Olvia after Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the official said.

It was not clear if any other crew members were injured or the status of the ship. 

Reuters

March 03 2022 - 11:23

Why Russian TV was cut off: EU explains

“Disinformation” broadcasts coupled with increased clampdowns on independent reportage within Russia are cited by the EU for its sanctions against state-owned media assets there. 

“In this time of war, words matter,” said president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

The council of the EU on Wednesday suspended the distribution of RT and Sputnik broadcasts across its member states, saying they were instrumental in bringing forward and supporting Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The decision also shut down the RT channel in SA.

March 03 2022 - 11:12

RT and Sputnik content officially banned in EU

Russian-backed media RT and Sputnik are officially banned in the EU as the bloc hardens its stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

The restrictions prohibit broadcasting content from the two television channels and their subsidiaries, downloading their apps and sharing their output on social media platforms, according to documents published by the European Commission on Wednesday. 

“To justify and support its aggression against Ukraine the Russian Federation has engaged in continuous and concerted propaganda targeted at EU and neighbouring civil society members, gravely distorting and manipulating facts,” the commission wrote.

March 03 2022 - 11:10

Russia attacks cities as war enters second week

Russian forces pressed ahead with their offensive in Ukraine as the war entered its second week, firing missiles at Kyiv overnight and stepping up their campaign to take cities in the coastal south. 

With more than a million refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations, a second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine were due to take place on Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meanwhile travelling to Nato member states neighbouring Ukraine.

Russia continued to suffer the economic fallout from its invasion, with its rating slashed to junk on the back of a wave of sanctions by the US, the European Union and others. The global economy was further roiled with crude oil extending gains.

March 03 2022 - 10:25

Refugees cross into Romania after Ukraine invasion

Ukrainians continue to flee to Romania after Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine

March 03 2022 - 10:08

EXPLAINER | What is the chain of command for potential Russian nuclear strikes?

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the weekend his nation's nuclear forces should be put on high alert, raising fears that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could lead to nuclear escalation.

March 03 2022 - 09:30

UN General Assembly demands Russia withdraw troops from Ukraine

Most of the world’s nations have voted in favour of a United Nations resolution demanding that Russia “immediately” withdraw its military forces from Ukraine, in a powerful rebuke of Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour. 

The resolution was adopted on Wednesday at a rare emergency session of the UN General Assembly. It was supported by 141 of the UN’s 193 members. The resolution “deplores” Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine” and condemns President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put his nuclear forces on alert.

March 03 2022 - 09:05

UAE says Ukrainians eligible for visas on arrival, in apparent about-face

The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that Ukraine nationals are eligible for visas on arrival in the Gulf Arab state, in an apparent reversal of a decision to suspend visa waivers to Ukrainians as thousands flee war in their country. 

Kyiv's embassy in the UAE had said that Emirati authorities had temporarily suspended the waivers as of Tuesday, in a move that drew criticism of the Western-allied country as Europe opens its doors to refugees from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

“Concerning reports on the issuance of advance visas to Ukrainian nationals to enter the UAE, HE Faisal Lutfi, Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International co-operation, has announced that Ukrainian nationals continue to be eligible for visa on arrival to the UAE,” the Emirati foreign ministry said in a statement.

When approached by Reuters, a representative at the Ukrainian embassy said the mission was working on getting official confirmation from the UAE, the Middle East's tourism and commercial hub.

March 03 2022 - 08:40

India says no report of its students being held hostage in Ukraine

India said on Thursday it had not received any reports of its students being held hostage in Ukraine after Russia accused Ukrainian authorities of forcibly keeping a large group of them in the city of Kharkiv as “human shields. 

The northeast Ukrainian city of 1.5 million people has been one of the worst hit by attacks by Russian forces since they invaded last week, and many Indian students have struggled to leave. One Indian medical student was killed by shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday.

“We note that with the co-operation of the Ukrainian authorities, many students have left Kharkiv yesterday,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.

March 03 2022 - 08:03

Kazakhstan looks for cargo shipping routes bypassing Russia - govt

Kazakhstan is in talks to ship cargoes through the Latvian ports of Riga and Ventspils as well as the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey corridor following European sanctions against Russian shippers, the Central Asian nation's government said on Thursday.

Kazakh exporters have encountered difficulties getting their cargoes shipped via Russia's Novorossiysk and St Petersburg ports, the Industry and Infrastructure Development Ministry said in a statement. 

Reuters

March 03 2022 - 07:58

A million refugees have fled Ukraine - UNHCR head

A million people have fled Ukraine in a week after Russia invaded the country, the head of the United Nations refugee agency said on Twitter.

"In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi posted.

"For many millions more, inside Ukraine, it's time for guns to fall silent, so that life-saving humanitarian assistance can be provided."

Reuters

March 03 2022 - 07:39

Fitch, Moody's slash Russia's sovereign rating to junk

Ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's downgraded Russia by six notches to "junk" status, saying Western sanctions threw into doubt its ability to service debt and would weaken the economy.

Russia's financial markets have been thrown into turmoil by sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.

The invasion has triggered a flurry of credit rating moves and dire warnings about the impact on Russia's economy.

Reuters

March 03 2022 - 07:30

Brent touches nine-year high, supply issues roil oil markets

Oil prices extended their rally on Thursday, with Brent rising above $118 a barrel as trade disruption and shipping issues from Russian sanctions over the Ukraine crisis sparked supply worries, while US crude stocks fell to multi-year lows.

Brent crude futures rose as high as $118.22 a barrel, the highest since February 2013.

Reuters

March 03 2022 - 07:28

Minister Thandi Modise defends attending Russian cocktail function amid invasion of Ukraine

The office of defence minister Thandi Modise has defended her attendance at a cocktail function at the home of Russian ambassador to SA Ilya Rogachev on the day Russia invaded Ukraine. 

“We confirm that [Modise], her special adviser, Tsepe Motumi, and the chief of the SA National Defence Force, Gen Rudzani Maphwanya, attended the Russian Motherland Defender's Day on the said date, as invited by the Russian ambassador,” said her spokesperson Cornelius Monama.

March 03 2022 - 07:25

Boxing-Klitschko praises sports bodies for sanctions against Russia, Belarus

Former world boxing heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has lauded the sports community for coming together to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes following the invasion of his country Ukraine last week.

Since the beginning of what Russian President Vladimir Putin has called "a special military operation", Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes have been frozen out of international events by many sporting bodies.

Belarus has been a key staging area for Russia's invasion of Ukraine."I'm proud of the world's unity and seeing sporting communities standing together - the International Olympic Committee, boxing federations, UEFA, FIFA, Formula One," Wladimir Klitschko told Sky Sports.

"Ban Russian teams from participating. I have nothing against the athletes but they are presenting the regime and in some way the connection with this war," Klitschko said.

Reuters 

March 03 2022 - 07:18

Russia's top carmaker to stop plants for four days

Russia's biggest carmaker, Avtovaz, will stop its Togliatti and Izhevsk plants on Saturday and from March 9 to 10 as it grapples with a crisis in supplies of electronic components, the company said on Thursday.

Avtovaz, controlled by French carmaker Renault, had paused some lines for a day this month.

Reuters 

March 03 2022 - 07:11

Russian troops enter strategic Ukrainian port of Kherson

Russian troops were in the centre of the Ukrainian port of Kherson on Thursday after a day of conflicting claims over whether Moscow had captured a major urban centre for the first time in its eight-day invasion.

March 03 2022 - 06:20

Ukrainians distraught, defiant in face of invasion

As conflict rages, some Ukrainians remain defiant in the face of Russia’s invasion while others are nervous and concerned for family members who are now defending their country.

March 03 2022 - 06:00

'We walked 8 miles with a newborn’: US couple describes their dangerous escape from Ukraine

CNN's Anderson Cooper talks with Jacob and Jessie Boeckmann, who evacuated their newborn daughter out of Ukraine after the war began.