UKRAINE WRAP | US citizen killed in Ukraine, Blinken says

March 17 2022 - 21:00

US citizen killed in Ukraine, Blinken says

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said a U.S. citizen was killed in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

"I can confirm that an American citizen was killed. I don't have any more details for you than that," Blinken told reporters in a press briefing.

-Reuters

March 17 2022 - 16:21

'UN Security Council must be overhauled': Ramaphosa slams 'powerful' member states

President Cyril Ramaphosa has slammed the UN Security Council (UNSC) saying the conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated “there is a tendency for the most powerful countries to use their positions as permanent UNSC members to serve their national interests”.

“It demonstrates the weaknesses in the structure and practises and the architecture of the UN. The composition of the UNSC, in particular, does not reflect the realities of the global landscape.

March 17 2022 - 13:55

Ukraine has started 2022 spring grain sowing, says deputy minister

Ukraine has started sowing spring grain in some areas but no mass sowing campaign has yet started, deputy agriculture minister Taras Vysotskiy told Reuters on Thursday.

He said it was not yet possible to forecast how much grain would be sowed in Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russian forces.

Reuters 

March 17 2022 - 13:25

Russian gas flows via Nord Stream 1 dip in line with requests

Russian gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline declined from normal levels on Thursday but were in line with requests for gas, while the Yamal-Europe pipeline remained in reverse mode for a third consecutive day.

Flows to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline across the Baltic Sea were 62,421,782 kilowatt hours per hour (kWh/h), down from about 73,292,223 kWh/h between 1600-1700 CET yesterday, data from the pipeline operator company showed.

March 17 2022 - 12:26

LIVE: OECD briefing on its assessment of the impact of war in Ukraine

OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and Chief Economist Laurence Boone hold a news conference in Paris to present an assessment of the policy implications of war in Ukraine

March 17 2022 - 12:00

UAE keen to cooperate with Russia on energy security, says UAE minister

The United Arab Emirates is keen to cooperate with Russia on improving global energy security, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in Moscow on Thursday.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has drawn a raft of Western sanctions and disrupted global energy markets, putting a spotlight on Gulf energy exporters, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as consumers look for supplies to replace Russian oil.

In his televised comments, the minister said the UAE was planning to discuss the crises in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Iraq during his delegation's visit to Russia.

Reuters

March 17 2022 - 11:21

Zelenskiy set to address Germany’s Bundestag

Ukrainian negotiators again demanded a ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops in video negotiations on Wednesday. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to speak to Germany’s Bundestag, a day after an address to US lawmakers. President Joe Biden branded leader Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and offered $800 million-worth of new weaponry to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s military said Russian strikes continued on infrastructure sites and on densely populated areas of cities, with another apartment building hit in the capital, Kyiv. But it said Russia’s forces remain bogged down on the ground. Russia said its troops were advancing through the town of Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region in the east.

March 17 2022 - 11:00

'I studied in Russia, I was prosecuted in SA' — Lindiwe Zulu defends support for Russia

Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu clapped back at MPs and critics of the ANC’s stance towards the Russia-Ukraine conflict and her perceived bias towards Russia.

The minister said there were whispers that her stance on the conflict was influenced by the fact that she studied in Russia.

Speaking in parliament earlier this week, Zulu confirmed she did study in Russia during apartheid.

“Yes, I studied in Russia,” she said to the applause of some MPs.

March 17 2022 - 10:00

Losses mount in Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, regional governor says

Losses are mounting in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, with 53 people killed by Russian forces on Wednesday alone, the regional governor said on Thursday.

"We are suffering heavy losses - 53 citizens were killed yesterday," Governor Viacheslav Chaus said.The information could not immediately be verified. Russia denies targeting civilians.

Reuters

March 17 2022 - 09:49

Russia will put its enemies such as United States in their place, Medvedev says

Russia has the might to put enemies led by the United States in their place and Moscow will foil the West's Russophobic plot to tear Russia apart, one of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies said on Thursday.

Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia's security council, said the United States had stoked "disgusting" Russophobia in an attempt to force Russia on its knees and then rip it apart.

"It will not work - Russia has the might to put all of our brash enemies in their place," Medvedev said.

Reuters

March 17 2022 - 09:34

Hackers try to break through Putin's digital iron curtain

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reports on hackers and activists trying to break through Putin's digital iron curtain after Russia shut down Twitter and Facebook in the country.

March 17 2022 - 09:19

Egyptians count rising bread costs as Ukraine war disrupts wheat exports

Food prices in Egypt were already climbing before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Now bread, a politically symbolic staple on which many Egyptians are heavily dependent, is also getting costlier as Black Sea wheat exports are disrupted and global prices surge.

That is piling financial pressure on families who have already endured years of austerity, in a country where nearly a third of the 103-million population live below the official poverty line and many more struggle to get by.

Shoppers say the cost of a packet of unsubsidised loaves has risen by a quarter in the three weeks since Russia's invasion of its neighbour, while prices of oil, eggs, pasta and other widely consumed foods are also climbing.

March 17 2022 - 09:08

UK military intelligence says Russia's invasion of Ukraine has largely stalled

 Russia's invasion of Ukraine has largely stalled on all fronts, with Russian forces suffering heavy losses and making minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days, British military intelligence said on Thursday.

"Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated," The Ministry of Defence said. "The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands." 

Reuters

March 17 2022 - 09:04

EFF meets Russian ambassador — 'We must deepen meaningful ties with Russia economically'

“There is nothing wrong with Russia protecting its territory.”

So says the EFF after meeting the Russian ambassador to SA Ilya Rogachev in Tshwane, on Wednesday. 

EFF leader Julius Malema led the delegation and claimed the party received “first-hand information on the ongoing military operations in Ukraine” from the embassy.

“We must deepen meaningful ties with Russia economically against the Nato war alliance,” the EFF said after the meeting.

March 17 2022 - 08:37

Man learns of wife and children's deaths from graphic Twitter photo

Serhiy Perebyinis describes to CNN's Erin Burnett the moment he found out that his wife and two children had been killed after recognizing them in a graphic photo on Twitter.

March 17 2022 - 08:00

From tackling crime to Ukraine-Russia conflict — five issues addressed by David Mabuza in parliament

Deputy president David Mabuza faced tough questions from members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Wednesday. 

These included questions on the government's position on the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia and anti-immigration and its response to the outcry about undocumented foreign nationals, among other issues. 

March 17 2022 - 07:33

Sanctions on Russia are also about protecting Japan says former minister Kono

Japan's sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are necessary, even if they squeeze energy supplies, because Tokyo one day could need allies to counter China in East Asia, said Taro Kono a former defence chief and ex-foreign minister.

“We need to tell the people in Japan that to protect ourselves we need to help the others too,” Kono told Reuters. “If there is any aggression anywhere on this planet, we need to stop them,” he added.

Japan counts neighbouring China as its top national security threat, followed by North Korea and Russia. Some officials in Tokyo, including Kono, worry Russia's attack on Ukraine could embolden Beijing to act against Taiwan too.

Taiwan, which Beijing consider a renegade province, lies only around 100 kms (62 miles) from the nearest Japanese island. It's capture by Beijing would also put Chinese forces within close to maritime trade routes that sustain Japan's economy.

China's “spending on forces is four times more than our national defence budget. Japan alone couldn't fight against the Chinese forces if they invade Japan,” said Kono, who last year ran against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.

March 17 2022 - 06:10

Fool’s gold: why it’s anchors aweigh for Russia’s bullion

Russia spent years building a giant stash of gold, an asset central banks can turn to during a crisis. But any attempt to sell it will now be a challenge, just when it’s needed most.

The Bank of Russia expanded its gold reserves almost six-fold since the mid-2000s, creating the world’s fifth biggest stockpile that’s valued at about $140bn (about R2-trillion). It’s the type of asset it could sell to shore up the rouble, which has plunged as global economies isolate Russia for invading Ukraine.

March 17 2022 - 06:00

JONATHAN JANSEN | Ukraine: another example of some being more equal than others

War brings out the best in humanity, and the worst. Nowhere is this more evident than in the response of the academic community to the crisis in Eastern Europe. There are two distinct clusters of emails in my inbox. One calling for the scientists and scholars to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the other calling for some reflection first: why now? That is a question worth pondering.

But first let me state a personal position clearly as I have already done in several of my social media postings. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is barbaric in its cruelty.