Ukraine Says Russia Now Relying on Conscripts, Mercenaries

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday declared that Ukraine had reached a strategic turning point in its fight with Russia, which he said was relying on conscripts, reservists and Syrian mercenaries to prop up its invasion force.

In a daily televised address in Kyiv, Zelenskyy called on the international community to ramp up sanctions pressure on Russia if it didn’t back down.

“It is impossible to say how many days we still have to free Ukrainian land. But we can say we will do it. For we have already reached a strategic turning point,” he said.

He said Ukraine is battling an enemy, “who collects reservists and conscripts from all over Russia to throw them into the hell of war, who came up with the idea of bringing in mercenaries against our people. Thugs from Syria.”

Earlier Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the green light for the deployment of up to 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East, doubling down on an invasion the West says has been losing momentum.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the move was a sign of the Russian army’s weakness.  

“Where’s the powerful Russian army if they can’t get by without Syrians? If they want us also to kill 16,000 Syrians – let them come,” Arestovych said at a televised briefing.

«Схеми» знайшли у керівника російського оборонного концерну віллу у Каннах

Євгеній Новицький – керівник російського оборонного концерну та соратник наближеного до Путіна олігарха Володимира Євтушенкова

South Africa’s Ramaphosa Asked to Mediate Russia-Ukraine Talks 

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has been asked to help mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine, after having spoken to his counterpart Vladimir Putin. But some analysts are questioning whether South Africa’s ties to Russia could impact its neutrality.  

The prospective role of mediator comes after the country abstained from a United Nations vote to reprimand Russia over its invasion of neighboring Ukraine. 

Bheki Mngomezulu, a professor of political science at the University of the Western Cape, said the request shouldn’t come as a surprise. 

“It’s a very tricky situation, because South Africa, by the way, has ties with both countries,” Mngomezulu said. “But in principle, I think that South Africa did the right thing on this Russian-Ukrainian issue by not siding with either side. South Africa is being looked at as a country that does not believe the use of force, but believes in negotiation.” 

The presidency did not specify whether it was Russia or another party that made the request. This lack of clarity is just one instance contributing to questions about South Africa’s neutrality. 

The country has also flip-flopped on its position on the conflict. 

South Africa’s international relations department issued a statement last month calling on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. Since then, the call has been removed from official statements, and Ramaphosa has taken a softer stance. 

“Putin was very happy that he had what Putin regards as an even-handed, balanced approach to the situation,” said Piers Pigou, a senior consultant on Southern Africa for the International Crisis Group. “That’s certainly not the perspective from many other people. It’s inexplicable for some people why South Africa cannot take a firmer stance on calling for cease-fire.” 

South Africa does have a reputation for conflict mediation. 

That stems from the peaceful transition out of its own racist apartheid regime to supporting other African nations in conflict, like Sudan. 

But the ruling African National Congress party that led those negotiations also has decades-old ties to Russia. 

“The ANC historical ties to the old Soviet Union and currently, Russia, may pose questions for the Ukrainians as to whether South African leader, like Ramaphosa, could be regarded as an honest broker,” said Charles Nupen, an attorney and executive chairman of the consulting firm StratAlign. “But I’ve got no doubt that if he were acceptable to all parties, he’s certainly got the skillset, and the right approach and experience to lead a mediation delegation.” 

However, Pigou is not as certain of South Africa’s current expertise. 

“I think that there is a tendency to kind of try and live off the legacy of a post-apartheid South Africa that was birthed in negotiations. The question, though, remains whether South Africa really has the competencies and capacities to deliver on mediation,” Pigou said. 

Regardless of who mediates negotiations, Nupen said there remain other questions on how it will play out. 

“Under whose auspices would this mediation take place? Where would it be held? How would the table be set? And, you know, what would the mediation agenda be?” he asked.

Nupen said he imagines the first priority would be to get a cease-fire in place.  

ЄС надав Україні перші 300 млн євро із пакету в 1,2 млрд – ЄК

«Це перший платіж із пакету в 1,2 мільярда євро. Відповідно, наступні попереду»

Путін «готує теракт» на ЧАЕС – ГУР

За інформацією українських розвідників, звинуватити у цьому теракті Росія хоче ЗСУ

US Senate Gives Final Approval to Ukraine Aid, Huge Budget Bill

A $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies easily won final congressional approval Thursday, hitching a ride on a government-wide spending bill that’s five months late but loaded with political prizes for both parties.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion killing thousands and forcing over 2 million others to flee, the Senate approved the overall $1.5 trillion overall legislation by a 68-31 bipartisan margin. Democrats and Republicans have battled this election year over rising inflation, energy policy and lingering pandemic restrictions, but they’ve rallied behind sending aid to Ukraine, whose stubborn resilience against brutal force has been inspirational for many voters.

“We promised the Ukrainian people they would not go at it alone in their fight against Putin,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said just before the vote. “And once we pass this funding in a short while, we will keep that promise.”

The House passed the compromise bill easily Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s signature was certain.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said approval “proves once more that members of both parties can come together to deliver results for the American people” – a phenomenon in short supply in recent years.

She also prodded lawmakers to revive money “urgently needed to prevent severe disruptions to our COVID response.” In an embarrassment to Biden and Democratic leaders who’d made it a top priority, the House on Wednesday dropped the measure’s $15.6 billion for continuing efforts to battle the pandemic after rank-and-file lawmakers balked at cuts in aid states had been promised.

Around half the $13.6 billion measure was for arming and equipping Ukraine and the Pentagon’s costs for sending U.S. troops to other Eastern European nations skittish about the warfare next door. Much of the rest included humanitarian and economic assistance, strengthening regional allies’ defenses and protecting their energy supplies and cybersecurity needs.

Republicans strongly backed that spending. But they criticized Biden for moving too timidly, such as in the unresolved dispute with Poland over how that nation could give MiG fighter jets to Ukraine that its pilots know how to fly.

“This administration’s first instinct is to flinch, wait for international and public pressure to overwhelm them, and then take action only after the most opportune moment has passed us by,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

White House aides told Congress last month that Biden wanted $6.4 billion to counter Russia’s invasion. He ended up formally requesting $10 billion, an amount that it took an eager Congress just a few days to boost to its final figure of $13.6 billion.

The $1.5 trillion bill carrying that aid gave Democrats a near 7% increase for domestic initiatives, which constituted a bit less than half the package. That translated to beefed-up spending for schools, housing, childcare, renewable energy, biomedical research, law enforcement grants to communities and feeding programs.

The measure also directs money to minority communities and historically black colleges, renews efforts aimed at preventing domestic violence against women and requires infrastructure operators to report serious hacking incidents to federal authorities.

Republicans lay claim to an almost 6% boost for defense, including money for 85 advanced F-35 fighter planes, 13 new Navy ships, upgrades for 90 Abrams tanks and improvements for schools on military bases. There would be another $300 million for Ukraine and $300 million for other Eastern European allies on top of the measure’s emergency funding.

The GOP also prevailed in retaining decades-old restrictions against using federal money to pay for nearly all abortions. And they forced Biden to abandon goals for his 2022 budget – politically implausible from the start – that envisioned 16% domestic program increases and defense growth of less than 2%.

Besides those policy victories, many lawmakers of both parties had one incentive to back the spending package that they have not enjoyed since 2010. Democratic leaders restored the old practice of earmarks, hometown projects for lawmakers that Congress dropped in 2011 because voters viewed it as a sleazy misspending of taxpayers’ money.

The practice restored, the expansive bill was laced with thousands of the projects at a price tag of several billion dollars. Years ago, the numbers were often higher.

Affirming the practice’s popularity, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., to strip the earmarks. Braun said they encompassed 367 pages that weighed five pounds and showed “the swamp is rising again.” The amendment’s defeat by a bipartisan 64-35 margin spoke for itself.

Government agencies have operated under last year’s lower spending levels since the new fiscal year began Oct. 1 because, as usual, Congress hadn’t approved any bills by then updating those amounts.

Months of talks produced the compromise spending pact this week. With the latest temporary spending measure expiring Friday night, Biden’s signature of the $1.5 trillion bill would avert a weekend federal shutdown, which was never going to happen because neither party had reason to spark such a battle.

The Senate sent Biden a separate bill financing agencies through Tuesday in case it takes time to complete the required reprinting and proofreading of the lengthy measure.

A lot has happened since Oct. 1, much of it challenging for Democrats. Biden’s polling numbers have sunk, high inflation has persisted, and gasoline prices have jumped. Omicron’s fade has left voters impatient to end pandemic restrictions, Biden’s marquee social and environment bill has crashed, and Russia has invaded Ukraine.

 With that election-year backdrop, Democrats saw the $1.5 trillion package as their chance to claim wins.

Currently controlling both the White House and Congress, Democrats could lose their narrow House and Senate majorities in November’s midterm elections, meaning this could be the peak of their ability to win policy priorities for years. Before last year, the last time they controlled both branches was in 2010.

The largesse has been enabled, in part, by both parties’ relaxed attitudes toward gargantuan federal deficits.

Last year’s pandemic-fueled shortfall of $2.8 trillion was the second worst ever. It was so high that Biden has suggested that this year’s projected $1.8 trillion gap would be an accomplishment because it would be $1 trillion smaller, the biggest reduction ever.

UN Security Council to Meet Friday on Biological Weapons, at Moscow’s Request

The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Friday on alleged manufacture of biological weapons in Ukraine at the request of Moscow, whose credibility on chemical weapons was questioned during a session on Syria.

Russia on Thursday accused the United States of funding research into the development of biological weapons in Ukraine, which has faced an assault by tens of thousands of Russian troops since Feb. 24.

Both Washington and Kyiv have denied the allegations, with the United States saying they were a sign that Moscow could soon use the weapons itself.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia’s allegations in a video address on Thursday, saying, “No one is developing any chemical or any other weapons of mass destruction” in Ukraine.

Western states have charged that Russia is employing a ruse by accusing their opponents and the United states of developing biological and chemical weapons to lay the ground for their possible use in Ukraine — something Moscow has been accused of doing in Syria.

At a monthly Security Council meeting on the use of chemical weapons in Syria — a case that remains unresolved and continues to suffer from a U.N.-denounced lack of information from Damascus — both Washington and London raised Ukraine.

“The Russian Federation has repeatedly spread disinformation regarding Syria’s repeated use of chemical weapons,” the deputy U.S. envoy to the U.N., Richard Mills, said.

“The recent web of lies that Russia has cast in an attempt to justify the premeditated and unjustified war it has undertaken against Ukraine, should make clear, once and for all, that Russia also cannot be trusted when it talks about chemical weapon use in Syria.”

Mills’ U.K. counterpart, James Kariuki, denounced Moscow’s attack on Ukraine and said the “parallels with Russian action in Syria are clear.”

“Regrettably, the comparison also extends to chemical weapons, as we see the familiar specter of Russian chemical weapons disinformation raising its head in Ukraine.”

In 2018, Moscow accused the United States of secretly conducting biological weapons experiments in a laboratory in Georgia, another former Soviet republic that, like Ukraine, has ambitions to join NATO and the European Union.

The Security Council meeting Friday is slated to begin at 11 a.m. (1600 GMT). 

Chinese State Censors at Work to Control Messaging on War

Beijing is controlling messaging on the war in Ukraine, analysts and observers say, as social media companies and traditional Chinese state media outlets have been suppressing voices critical of Russia’s invasion. 

On February 22, Horizon News, an affiliate of China’s state-owned Beijing News, accidentally posted on Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, censorship instructions related to posts on the Russia-Ukraine war. 

“Do not post anything unfavorable to Russia or pro-Western,” the now deleted directive said. “If using hashtags, only use those started by People’s Daily, Xinhua, or CCTV.” 

During an opening speech in Beijing last Friday, Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, commented on the war in Ukraine without naming specific countries. “I am horrified at what is taking place in the world right now. The 21st century is a time for dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hate,” he said.  

The China Central Television (CCTV) interpreter, however, did not translate that portion of his remarks during the broadcast. 

Last weekend, Chinese video streaming company iQiyi Sports refused to broadcast English Premier League matches because of the league’s planned shows of support for Ukraine. 

According to Carl Minzner, senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, since the signing of the February 4 joint statement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping, Chinese foreign policy “has been locked into a pro-Russia” stance. 

“China’s top leader has personally tied his country to Russia. And that political orientation has set the tone for state media coverage of the Ukraine war in China itself,” Minzner told VOA. “Deviation from that stance, criticizing it, or even merely pointing out the horrific consequences of Russia’s war to civilians, risks raising questions about Xi’s own decision to support Russia so strongly at the outset.” 

Last week, while in Germany, Chinese TV celebrity Jin Xing criticized Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through a posting on Weibo. 

“A crazy Russian man said: If I don’t continue to be president, I don’t want this world!” Jin, who has over 13 million followers on Weibo, said in her now deleted post. “Stop the war and pray for peace!” 

“I didn’t delete Weibo myself, it was blocked by the system!” she wrote after the online platform deleted her post. 

On March 1, Jin asked users critical of her opinions to use their real names. She has not posted comments on her Weibo account since. 

One Weibo user, Tao Wen, who has over half a million followers, commented on Jin’s post, saying, “The lives you respect do not include those who were massacred by the Ukrainian Nazis in eastern Ukraine,” a sentiment that echoes Putin’s justification for sending troops into the country.  

Nazis, however, are not currently in charge of Ukraine. Its leader, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish and has relatives who were killed in the Holocaust. 

On the website of Sina, the parent company of Weibo, an article was published Thursday about Jin’s deleted comment. The writer suggested that Jin’s career path in China “may not be as smooth as before” because of her post. 

Sina Weibo is not the only Chinese social media platform where voices “unfavorable to Russia” are censored. 

Wang Jixian, a Chinese citizen living in Ukraine since December, started posting on Chinese social media WeChat what he was learning from local Ukrainian news about the war. 

“So, I was posting and nicely asking people to correct me or to inform me about the reality if they believe they know much better,” Wang said. 

He soon discovered that his WeChat account had been blocked. 

“I got so much unnecessary stress from WeChat,” Wang told VOA in a phone interview on Monday. “This morning, I sent my parents (a WeChat message), ‘Hey, I’m safe’ and suddenly found I had been blocked.” 

Wang said he saw on Chinese social media stories about the war that were “completely opposite” to what he is seeing on Ukrainian media. 

According to Yaqiu Wang, a senior researcher on China at Human Rights Watch, since Beijing and Moscow are strategic allies, Beijing “prevents Chinese people from knowing the truth” about the conflict. 

“Information control has always been the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party’s rule of China,” Wang told VOA. “Without censorship and propaganda, without covering up its abuses and deceiving the public, the party simply wouldn’t be able to stay in power.” 

 

Мер Луцька повідомив про вибухи неподалік аеродрому

Наразі інформації від правоохоронців чи рятувальників з цього приводу немає

Українські АЕС готові працювати без ядерного палива з Росії – «Енергоатом»

«Для цього «Енергоатом» й надалі закуповуватиме ядерне паливо Westinghouse. Крім того, компанія прискорить роботи щодо створення виробництва паливних касет в Україні на основі американської технології Westinghouse»

Not All Western Companies Sever Ties to Russia Over Ukraine

A shrinking number of well-known companies are still doing business in Russia, even as hundreds have announced plans to curtail ties. 

Burger King restaurants are open, Eli Lilly is supplying drugs, and PepsiCo is selling milk and baby food, but no more soda. 

The pace of businesses exiting Russia accelerated over the past week as the deadly violence and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsened, and as Western governments ratcheted up economic sanctions to punish Russia for its two-week-old invasion. Major oil companies BP and Shell walked away from multibillion-dollar investments. McDonald’s and Starbucks stopped serving customers. 

The companies that still have a presence in Russia say they have franchise owners or employees to consider; they don’t want to punish Russians by taking away food or medicine; or they provide software or financial services for Western businesses that aren’t easy to replace. 

“It’s a business calculation. On the stay side: How much revenue do they earn in Russia? Do they provide an essential service?” said Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “Each day that passes, though, calculations change. Sanctions against Russia are likely to last a long time, along with rising revulsion.” 

Some companies in lower-profile industries like agriculture have been able to fly under the radar and avoid the type of social media pressure that had been directed at brands such as McDonald’s, Uniqlo and Starbucks, before they decided to cut ties this week, if only temporarily. 

But in this era of hyper-awareness that some customers and even employees have about the positions companies take on social and moral issues, those still doing business with — or in — Russia are putting their reputations on the line. 

Take Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo, which drew negative attention after the CEO of its parent company told the Nikkei newspaper in a story published Tuesday that the reason to keep nearly 50 Russian stores open was that: “clothing is a necessity of life.” By Thursday, Uniqlo said it would close the stores. 

“There’s potentially a big downside of companies to be on the wrong side of this,” Lovely said. 

Many large multinationals didn’t flee Russia at the start of the war. But that changed as the invasion led to increasing violence — and more than 2 million refugees fleeing Ukraine. 

There are now more than 300 companies that have curtailed operations in Russia, according to a list maintained by a team at Yale. Apple stopped shipments. Google paused ad sales. Automakers halted production. Hollywood studios ceased releasing films, and Netflix stopped streaming. 

Some of these decisions were driven by the need to comply with the sanctions Western governments leveled at Russia; others came because of supply chain issues or the fear of a hit to their reputations. Sanctions have already taken a toll on Russia’s economy and global trade. 

Some companies that plan to sever ties with Russia say it isn’t so simple. 

Citigroup said Wednesday that selling its 11 Russian bank branches will be difficult because the country’s economy has been cut off from the global financial system. Until then, Citi said it is “operating the business on a more limited basis” and is helping its U.S. and other corporate clients suspend their businesses in Russia. 

Likewise, Amazon says its biggest cloud-computing customers in Russia are headquartered elsewhere. The company said Tuesday it has stopped accepting new cloud-computing customers in Russia and that it plans to suspend e-commerce shipments to Russia. 

Fast-food companies often have franchising agreements that complicate an exit, because they don’t own those locations. 

That helps explain why Restaurant Brands International, owner of Burger King, is keeping its 800 restaurants open in Russia. And why Yum Brands, parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, announced the closure of 70 company-owned KFCs across Russia, but not the nearly 1,000 franchisee-owned KFCs, or its 50 Pizza Hut locations. 

This sometimes applies to hotels as well: Marriott says its Russian hotels are owned by third parties, and it’s evaluating their ability to remain open. 

“I think a lot of these companies are expecting a backlash if they’re staying,” said Susanne Wengle, a political science professor and Russia expert at Notre Dame. 

McDonald’s action in Russia was easier: it owns most of the 850 restaurants in Russia it will temporarily close. 

But there are companies that remain in Russia — whether in whole or in part — and say that it’s because they view their products as essential. 

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is one of them. “We continue to distribute medicines in Russia as patients with cancer, diabetes and auto-immune diseases everywhere count on us to support them,” said spokesperson Tarsis Lopez, noting that EU and U.S. sanctions do not apply to medicine. 

PepsiCo said it will stop selling soda but will continue to supply milk, baby formula and baby food in Russia. And Unilever said it will keep selling “everyday essential” Russian-made food and hygiene products to Russians, but that it will stop exporting and advertising these products. 

Tech companies have their own balancing act. Providers of internet-based services like Google, Twitter and Facebook have been mostly reluctant to take actions that could deprive Russian citizens access to information other than what they get from state media. (Russia blocked Facebook and Twitter, however, and then TikTok largely suspended its service in the country.) 

The response from industrial food producers has been complicated by Russia’s role as a major exporter of wheat and other commodities. 

Bunge, which has assets of $121 million in Russia, said Thursday that its Russian oilseed plant will operate and serve the domestic market, but that it has suspended “any new export business.” Farm equipment maker John Deere said it has stopped machine shipments to Russia; it is monitoring a Russian plant that makes seeding equipment and its dealer network in the country “day-by-day.” Cargill and ADM, other agriculture companies, have not responded to questions. 

These companies don’t want the Russian government to seize their assets should they close up shop, said Vincent Smith, an economics professor at Montana State University. 

Other companies point to their employees’ livelihoods in rationalizing decisions to stay, or not completely sever ties. 

Starbucks initially expressed concern for its 2,000 Russian employees before reversing course Tuesday. The Kuwaiti company that franchises its 130 Russian stores is closing them but continuing to pay employees. 

British American Tobacco on Wednesday said it would keep making and selling cigarettes in Russia, where it has 2,500 employees, citing a “duty of care” for employees. 

 

Harris Emphasizes US Support for NATO’s Eastern Flank

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is in Bucharest on Friday, after her visit Thursday to Warsaw, where she underscored the U.S. commitment to NATO’s eastern flank and supported calls for a probe of Russia’s alleged bombing of a Ukrainian hospital. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports.

Прокурор МКС вимагає арешту трьох учасників російсько-грузинської війни 2008 року

Навіть, якщо судді суду схвалять ордери на арешт, незрозуміло, як вони будуть виконуватись і ким

Росія ініціює скликання засідання Ради безпеки ООН через «військово-біологічну діяльність США в Україні»

Про такий намір РФ повідомив перший заступник постійного представника Росії при ООН Дмитро Полянський

Ukraine-Russia Meeting in Turkey Ends in Deadlock   

Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers met at a Turkish Mediterranean Sea resort Thursday but failed to end the fighting in Ukraine, with mutual recriminations. Both ministers indicated the diplomatic door remained open.

Speaking at a news conference after the meeting in Antalya, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized what he called Russia’s lack of sincerity.

Kuleba said, “We cannot stop the war if the country that started the aggression has no desire to do so. We are ready for diplomacy but ready to defend ourselves.”

At his news conference, his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, accused Ukraine of not being serious in seeking a diplomatic solution.

In a possible gesture to Kyiv, however, Lavrov said Russian President Vladimir Putin could be ready to hold a summit with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Since the start of Russian-Ukrainian tensions, Zelenskyy has called for direct talks with Putin.

Lavrov also warned the West it was playing a dangerous game by arming Ukraine with sophisticated weapons, including surface-to-air missiles.

He said, “Therefore the threat is set to last for years. There will be risks for civil aviation, and not only in the Ukrainian sky. They [the risks] can spread across Europe.”

The Ukrainian foreign minister said he received no response to proposals to help mitigate the humanitarian crisis, including a 24-hour cease-fire and the opening of a corridor to allow hundreds of thousands of civilians to escape the besieged city of Mariupol.

In addition, Lavrov rejected Kviv’s accusations that Russian forces attacked a maternity hospital in Mariupol, claiming Ukrainian forces had taken it over and that there were no patients using the building.

Lavrov said, “About the maternity hospital, this is not the first time we have seen pathetic cries about the so-called atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces.”

Moscow is facing international condemnation over the hospital attack.

Given the apparent lack of progress, it remained unclear whether the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers agreed to meet again. The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who hosted Thursday’s talks, would not comment on future gatherings, other than to say Thursday’s meeting was held in a civil fashion.

Ankara, which has good ties with Kyiv and Moscow, has sought a mediating role since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month. Columnist Sezin Oney of the Turkish news portal PolitikYol said Ankara saw the conflict as an opportunity.

“Ukraine is an important ground for Turkey now; Turkey is using its own strategic junctures to expand its power,” Oney said. “So, this is Turkey’s new power play as it aspires to become a bigger player on the world stage.”

But given the lack of progress Thursday, it remained unclear whether Ankara has a further diplomatic role to play.

Голова НАЗК України «подякував» міністру оборони Росії за корупцію в російській армії

Міністерство оборони Росії наразі публічно листа не коментувало

Disney заявив, що припинить свою діяльність у Росії

У компанії пояснили це «невпинною агресією» Росії на Україну та гуманітарною кризою, яку вона спричинила

Twitter Offers Darkweb Site to Restore Access for Russian Users

Twitter says it has created a version of its microblogging service that can be used by Russians despite the regular version of the service being restricted in the country.

The service will be available via a special “onion” URL on the darkweb that is accessible only when using a Tor browser.

Onion URLs and Tor have long been used by those seeking to work around censorship as well as those who are involved in illegal activities on the darkweb.

The announcement of the new site was made by a software engineer who does work for Twitter.

“This is possibly the most important and long-awaited tweet that I’ve ever composed.

“On behalf of @Twitter, I am delighted to announce their new @TorProject onion service,” wrote Alec Muffett.

З Сумської області евакуювали 60 тисяч людей, з Київської близько 20 тисяч – Верещук

Верещук повідомила, що вчора евакуювали 52 дітей будинку дитини в місті Ворзелі на Київщині та 55 жінок з пологового будинку.

«Росія заплатить»: в Україні збирають дані про завдані російською армією збитки

«Ці дані потрібні українському уряду для формування позовів до Росії у міжнародних судах про відшкодування цих збитків»

New York City Volunteers Mobilize to Help War-Ravaged Ukraine

The United Nations estimates that with Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, more than 12 million Ukrainians inside their country and about 4 million refugees will need assistance in the coming months. Some New Yorkers are stepping in to help. Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Natalia Latukhina.

Ukrainian, Russian Foreign Ministers End Talks With No Breakthrough

The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia held talks in Turkey Thursday marking the first high-level discussions between the two countries since Russia launched an all-out invasion of its neighbor. But after a 90-minute dialogue, both sides said there had been no breakthrough.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he had discussed a 24-hour cease-fire with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, but no progress was made. “We also talked on the cease-fire, but no progress was accomplished on that,” Kuleba told reporters after the meeting concluded. He described the in-person meeting as “difficult” and accused Lavrov of bringing “traditional narratives” to the negotiating table.

“I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender,” said Kuleba. 

Meanwhile, Lavrov said Russia is ready to continue negotiations and he said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss “specific” issues. He blamed Western powers for the conflict, saying Russia was forced to act because the West had rejected “our proposal on security guarantees.” And he echoed Putin’s claims that Russia’s military campaign was going according to plan.

Hopes for any breakthrough had been low heading into the negotiations in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya. Ukraine’s Kuleba cautioned he had “low expectations.”

And Zelenskyy also appeared to lower expectations of any major breakthrough, telling a German broadcaster Thursday “only after direct talks between the two presidents can we end this war.” 

The dialogue brokered by Turkey was mediated by Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and photographs released at the start showed the Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian delegations sitting around a U-shaped table, with each minister accompanied by two other officials.

Turkey’s Cavusoglu said when announcing the talks earlier this week he hoped it would mark “a turning point and… an important step towards peace and stability.” And on Wednesday, after holding more phone conversations with Kuleba and Lavrov, he said the talks could “crack the door open to a permanent cease-fire.”

International outrage

But passions are running especially high in Ukraine following the bombing Wednesday of a children’s hospital in the besieged Ukrainian town of Mariupol which, according to Kyiv, killed at least three people, including a young girl. Ukraine has dubbed the attack on the hospital a “war crime.” U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the attack as “horrific” and the U.S. accused Russia of a “barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians.” 

Amid international outrage over the bombing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov adopted a defensive tone saying Moscow will seek information from the Russian military. “We will certainly ask our military about this, since we don’t have clear information about what happened there. And the military are very likely to provide some information,” Peskov told reporters at a news briefing.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry is demanding an immediate “cessation of hostilities.” Meanwhile, Russia remains determined that Ukraine must abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Moscow also says Kyiv must accept Moscow’s jurisdiction over Crimea — the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 — and recognize the independence of two pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy told German broadcasters that he’s willing to consider some compromise, but Ukraine has ruled out ceding any territory or accepting Crimea’s annexation and Kyiv is pressing to be admitted as a member of the European Union. Ukraine also wants firm security guarantees from the U.S. and Western powers; that is likely to be unacceptable to Russia, which is demanding Ukraine accepts a status of “neutrality.” Midweek, Peskov said the status of neutrality must be enshrined in an amended constitution for Ukraine.

A top foreign policy aide to Zelenskyy, Ihor Zhovkva, said in an interview with Bloomberg Wednesday that while “we are ready for a diplomatic solution, our first and foremost pre-condition for having such kind of negotiations is immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Russian troops.

On Tuesday Zelenskyy signaled he is ready to drop Ukrainian ambitions to join NATO. “Regarding NATO, I have cooled down regarding this question a long time ago, after we understood that NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine,” he said in an interview with the U.S. network ABC News.

But there are few signs Putin is ready to compromise as much as he would seemingly have to in order to strike a deal with Ukraine, recently telling French President Emmanuel Macron his military will press on and that everything is going to plan. That is in spite of stiffer-than-expected resistance stalling his efforts to seize Kyiv and Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv.

Some Western diplomats had noted ahead of Thursday’s talks an apparent shift in Putin’s recent statements in which he has appeared to back away from talk of a new government being needed in Kyiv. But Western diplomats say that if talks resume, they remain uncertain what Putin is ready to settle for. 

“He has a clear plan right now to brutalize Ukraine. But to what end?” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. But he queried, “What is his endgame?” He said he hoped Putin “will decide to try to finally cut the losses that he’s inflicted on himself and inflicted on the Russian people.”

Until Thursday, only two rounds of low-level talks have taken place between the Ukrainians and the Russians, and they focused on establishing humanitarian corridor for civilians fleeing intensifying Russian bombing and shelling.

UK slaps Sanctions on 7 More Russian Oligarchs

Britain says it has added several high-profile Russian billionaires to its sanctions list, including including Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Premier League soccer club Chelsea, and industrialist Oleg Deripaska, who has called for an end to the war Moscow launched with Ukraine last month.

The British government said in a statement on March 10 that the new list also includes Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin, VTB Bank Chairman Andrei Kostin, Gazprom chief Aleksei Miller, pipeline firm Transeft’s owner, Nikolai Tokarev, and Bank Rossia Chairman Dmitry Lebedev.

The move, taken in response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, freezes the U.K. assets of those on the list and also imposes a travel ban on them, meaning they are banned from visiting the United Kingdom. and are also barred from transactions with U.K. individuals and businesses.

“Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the U.K.’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement announcing the additions to the sanctions list.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Since then, Many Western nations have imposed crippling sanctions on Moscow and many Russian officials and billionaires who are seen as having close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On March 7, Deripaska said peace was needed “as soon as possible,” adding “the whole world will be different after these events and Russia will be different.”

Abramovich, 55, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, put the soccer club up for sale earlier this month and promised to donate money from the proceeds to help victims of the war in Ukraine.

Зеленський: російські пропагандисти відповідатимуть за співучасть у воєнних злочинах

«Воєнні злочини неможливі без пропагандистів, які їх прикривають»

Лавров пояснив, чому війська РФ атакували пологовий будинок у Маріуполі

За словами Лаврова, «цей пологовий будинок давно захоплений батальйоном «Азов» й іншими радикалами»

Turkey, Israel Reset Ties But Pursue Rival Mediations in Russia-Ukraine War

As Turkey and Israel take their biggest step in years toward reviving strained relations, some analysts say the two regional powers prefer going it alone in another diplomatic effort — trying to mediate a peaceful resolution of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Ankara on Wednesday, calling it a “historic visit that will be a turning point in relations” that have been strained for more than a decade. Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, is the most senior Israeli official to visit Turkey since the last visit by an Israeli prime minister in 2008.

Speaking alongside Herzog, Erdogan told reporters he and the Israeli president “exchanged views about events in Ukraine” and expressed hope that their meeting will create new opportunities for bilateral and regional cooperation. He did not elaborate.

Herzog expressed appreciation to Erdogan for inviting the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers to meet jointly with Turkey’s top diplomat in Antalya on Thursday. The planned meeting will be the highest-level dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

“The war in Ukraine is a humanitarian disaster, which is shocking the whole world,” Herzog said. “We cannot remain indifferent to such human suffering, and I welcome any endeavor that will lead to the end of the bloodshed.”

Herzog said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the government also are “doing their utmost on this matter.” Regarding Turkey’s mediation effort, he said “I pray for positive results.”

Bennett flew to Moscow on March 5 for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the only foreign leader known to have made the journey after Russia began its invasion, which has isolated Putin from the West.

The Israeli prime minister’s mediation effort also has involved regular contact with Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz through phone calls and WhatsApp messages, U.S. news site Axios reported on Wednesday.

There are no indications that Bennett and Erdogan have coordinated those diplomatic efforts, according to several international security analysts contacted by VOA. They also said Turkey and Israel have a variety of motivations to pursue their mediation bids separately.

Erdogan has been offering to support dialogue to resolve Russia-Ukraine tensions since at least April 2021, when he hosted Zelenskyy for talks in Istanbul as Kyiv raised alarm over Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine’s border. The Turkish president later traveled to the Russian city of Sochi in September for talks with Putin.

Oxford University international relations scholar Samuel Ramani said Turkey began its mediation efforts last year as more of a messenger between Putin and Zelenksyy, but has now transitioned to more of a formal mediation role.

“Israel seems confined at this stage to being a messenger. So, Turkey is much further ahead in this regard, and that’s probably why Erdogan is not cooperating with Israel,” Ramani said.

Hanna Notte, a Berlin-based analyst for the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, said Erdogan also sees an opportunity as a Russia-Ukraine mediator to repair recent damage to Turkey’s relations with its Arab and Western partners and allies.

She said Turkey developed a reputation in some Arab states as a meddler in their affairs in recent years, while also incurring U.S. anger and sanctions for buying a Russian air defense system that Washington sees as undermining the NATO alliance of which Ankara is a member.

“If the Turks play a constructive role as a mediator and improve their international standing, I don’t see how that would be augmented by coordinating with the Israelis directly,” Notte said. “If anything, the Turks want to have the limelight for themselves rather than sharing it with another regional player,” she added.

Israel’s motivations for pursuing a solo mediation bid are different from Turkey’s, said Yaakov Amidror, an Israel-based analyst for the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

One of the motives is idealistic, he said. “In Israel, we see this war as a big tragedy that should be stopped.”

Unlike Turkey, Israel also has relatively few conflicting security interests with Russia and sees that as an advantage in being trusted as a messenger between Russia and Ukraine, Amidror added.

Another factor inhibiting coordination of Israeli and Turkish mediation efforts is that the political leaders of the two sides have only just started rebuilding trust after years of tensions, said analyst Gallia Lindenstrauss of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. The two nations withdrew ambassadors from their respective embassies in 2018 and have not said when they will return.

Notte said she believes Israel and Turkey would only see a benefit to cooperation as mediators if they calculate that it would heighten the chance of a positive outcome.

“But I’m not very hopeful for any kind of international mediation because I don’t believe Russia has made a strategic decision to back away from its maximalist demands,” Notte said. “It’s not so much to do with the abilities of Turkey and Israel as mediators, as it is with the calculus right now in the Russian government.”