Insider

Wealthy Russians who parked money in Florida’s ‘Little Moscow’ worry they’ll be blacklisted from buying luxury real estate

Hillary Hoffower – February 25, 2022

• Sunny Isles, Florida, is known as “Little Moscow” because of the many Russian elites who live there.
• They’re worried sanctions could prevent them from buying real estate.
• Experts say it’s likely they won’t be severely affected.

Sunny Isles, Florida, has long been an escape for Russia’s wealthy and elite, who have purchased so much luxury property in the area that it’s become known as “Little Moscow” and “Moscow by the Sea.”

“They love to be here, and they like to spend their money and enjoy their life,” Lana Bell, a Russian real-estate agent, told the News Nation correspondent Brian Entin on Monday.

President Joe Biden issued sanctions this week that target Russia’s elite and their families and restrict the Kremlin’s ability to access Western financial institutions. Though people in Little Moscow have been worried the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict will threaten their lifestyle and blacklist them from buying American real estate, Entin reported, Bell said it hadn’t been a problem. Experts told the Miami Herald’s Michael Wilner the sanctions in place were unlikely to have a strong effect in South Florida. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday showed the tensions were far from over.

“We are extending the reach of US sanctions to prevent the elites close to Putin from using their kids to hide assets, evade costs, and squander the resources of the Russian people,” a National Security Council official told the Miami Herald. “This is a new approach.”

Anders Åslund, a Swedish economist and the author of “Russia’s Crony Capitalism: The Path from Market Economy to Kleptocracy,” doesn’t think this will affect the Russian rich in the greater Miami region that Little Moscow is in. He told Wilner that the Miami Russians weren’t powerful enough to feel the sanction burn.

“These are comfortable people, rather than the top people,” he said.

Florida’s Russian rich

In Sunny Isles, condos can cost as much as $35 million. The most expensive home in the area listed on Sotheby’s is $13.9 million. It’s an area where the Trump brand is dominant, which The Washington Post reported was part of the appeal among Russian investors looking to move their money in the post-Soviet economy.

Jose Lima, a salesperson for the company that developed the region’s Trump towers, told The Post in 2016 that Russian speakers bought about one-third of the 500 units he sold.

But Russian influence stretches beyond Sunny Isles. From Hollywood to Fisher Island, Russians have spent years snapping up properties along Florida’s southeastern coast. Experts told Wilner that illicit financing had helped fuel the trend, though it’s not all related to dirty money. They estimated that Russia’s elite had more than $1 trillion in offshore accounts, which they said was disproportionally held in South Florida property.

So far, Russia’s richest billionaires have been affected by the rising conflict the most. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the richest 22 of them lost $39 billion in one day.

While many of the Little Moscow Russians didn’t want to be identified when talking to News Nation’s Entin, they did tell him off camera that they supported Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CBS News – Ukraine War

Ukraine slows Russian advance as tens of thousands of Ukrainians flee the country

February 26, 2022 – CBS News

Kyiv — After three days of fighting, Ukraine continues to push back against Russia’s unrelenting assault. The United Nations said Saturday that it had confirmed at least 240 civilian causalities.

Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., told reporters Saturday that Ukrainian forces have destroyed 102 Russian tanks, 14 fighter jets, 11 helicopters, 15 artillery pieces and 536 armored vehicles.

“We are defending our homes, we are defending our families, we are defending democracy, we are defending our choice to be sovereign, but we are also defending Europe,” the ambassador said.

CBS News’ Christina Ruffini reported Saturday that for the first time since Russia’s attack began Thursday, people were lined up at a crossing station on the Ukraine-Poland border trying to get back into Ukraine. Many of them were military-aged men who wanted to return to join the fight. However, tens of thousands of Ukrainians are still fleeing their country, prompting fears of a possible refugee crisis.

Meanwhile, dozens of residents still in the capital of Kyiv were sheltering in underground metro stations as Russian forces launched coordinated artillery and missile attacks on key sites in the city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned Friday night that the city could fall to the Russians overnight. Instead, fighting broke out in the streets of Kyiv as Ukrainians stood up to defend their country.

Entertainers and companies condemn Russia’s actions

Russian forces destroy gas pipeline in Kharkiv

The Ukrainian president’s office said Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.

The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection warned that the explosion, which it said looked like a mushroom cloud, could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised residents to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids.

Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Iryna Venediktova, said the Russian forces have been unable to take Kharkiv, where a fierce battle is underway.

The city of 1.5 million is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border.BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

U.S. diplomat says local staffers at U.S. embassy in Ukraine left behind

The U.S. has evacuated American staff members from its embassy in Ukraine, but as many as 600 local personnel were given no guidance as to what they should do in the lead up to the Russian invasion, one U.S. diplomat told CBS News. Staff were even warned that they would not get paid if they lift Kyiv, the diplomat said.

In an interview with CBS News’ Lana Zak, President of the American Foreign Service Association and former ambassador to Bulgaria Eric Rubin said locals who worked at the U.S. embassy could be in danger should Kyiv fall to Russian forces.

“What we’re hearing from both our American colleagues who have left Ukraine and from our more than 600 Ukrainian colleagues … is there was no information when it was decided that the American employees would leave,” Rubin said. “They left with very little notice. They shut down the embassy, they welded the doors shut, and our local employees did not have information about what to do and where to go, if anywhere, would they be paid, and how they were going to be protected.”

Rubin said all this happened “several weeks ago” and there still hasn’t been any support given to the local embassy employees who may wish to leave Kyiv. 

The U.S. State Department told CBS News it is “exploring all legal options” to assist the remaining employees. The department also said that special immigrant visas are available, but it was not clear how many embassy employees would qualify for them. 

Rubin called the measures “good,” but noted they should have been implemented before the invasion began. 

“Pretty much no one can leave Kyiv now,” he said. “So, if you’re in Kyiv, you’re stuck there because the city is surrounded. You can’t drive out anymore. There are no flights. There are no trains.” 

Rubin noted that the U.S. doesn’t have any legal obligations to help the local staffers to leave, but said there is a moral one. BY JORDAN FREIMAN

Thousands of Ukrainians flee to neighboring countries as Russia ramps up invasion

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/thousands-of-ukrainians-flee-to-neighboring-countries-as-russia-ramps-up-invasion/

Russian vodka taken off some U.S. and Canadian shelves in support of Ukraine

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu on Saturday directed state agencies to stop selling Russian-made vodka throughout the state. The orders come as bars around the country and officials in Canada have taken similar measures to support Ukraine. 

DeWine on Saturday said he had directed the state chamber of commerce to “cease both the purchase and sale” of vodka made by Russian Standard — the only overseas Russian-owned distillery that sells vodka in Ohio, according to the governor. The distillery has approximately 6,400 bottles for sale in the state across 487 liquor agencies, the governor said. 

Earlier Saturday, Sununu signed an executive order directing New Hampshire liquor and wine outlets to remove any spirits made in Russia and with Russian branding from its shelves until further notice. 

“New Hampshire stands with the people of Ukraine in their fight for freedom,” Sununu said Saturday on Twitter. 

Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas called on Governor Glenn Youngkin to enact similar orders. 

“We need to take strong actions to support Ukraine, so I am calling on @GovernorVA to order the removal of all Russian Vodka and any other Russian products from our ABC stores immediately,” she wrote on Twitter Saturday. BY TORI B. POWELL

More than 350,000 children don’t have access to education in Ukraine, report finds

The affects of Russia’s attack on Ukraine trickle down to Ukraine’s youngest residents. The invasion has left more than 350,000 school children without access to education, a new report from UNICEF finds. 

The organization is calling for donations to help fund humanitarian assistance in the region.

“The direct and indirect effect of the protracted conflict in eastern Ukraine continues to significantly impact the lives of children and young people. Leaving families on both sides of the contact line in urgent need of sustained humanitarian assistance,” UNICEF said.

Read the full story here. BY TRE’VAUGHN HOWARD

198 Ukrainians killed, over 1,000 injured since attack began, Ukrainian ambassador says

Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity in a speech at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. She said 198 Ukrainians have died, including three children, and 1,115 have been injured since Russia began attacking the country.

“Ukrainians are fighting with everything for our homes, and the support that we need is yesterday,” she said, calling for world leaders to impose “severe financial sanctions” on Russia and disconnect them from “the majority of the civilized world.”

Since fighting began, Ukrainian forces have destroyed 102 Russian tanks, 14 fighter jets, 11 helicopters, 15 artillery pieces and 536 armored vehicles, according to Markarova. 

“We are defending our homes, we are defending our families, we are defending democracy, we are defending our choice to be sovereign, but we are also defending Europe,” the ambassador said.

Markarova added that, according to reports obtained by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Russians are handing out gas masks to local militants and the Russian military in Donetsk. “We are making this information public to warn that there might be a possibility of provocation,” she said.

A Ukrainian general also spoke Saturday, saying that Ukraine is following the Geneva Conventions in defending itself. He said Ukraine’s forces have captured around 200 Russian soldiers, who he described as not trained, badly equipped and as young as 19.BY PAULINA SMOLINSKI

Aid groups arriving at Poland-Ukraine border to help

Aid groups have flocked to the Medyka border crossing in Poland to greet and help Ukrainians arriving in the country, CBS News’ Christina Ruffini reported on Saturday. The previous day, there had only been one woman handing out tea.

In a video posted on Twitter, Ruffini said the footbridge crossing was much busier on Saturday than previous days. Aid groups handed out jugs of water and clothing, and bathrooms had been installed near the border.

“It’s kind of amazing how quickly this all has mobilized in the last 12 hours,” she said.

Also, on Saturday, there was not only a line of people arriving from Ukraine, but a line of people trying to get into Ukraine. Ruffini reported that some wanted to get family members and military-aged men were trying to go back to fight. CHRISTINA RUFFINI

Kyiv residents remain in underground metro stations on third day of Russian attack

On the third day of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, about 100 people were sheltering in the deepest subway station in Kyiv. They had either gone to the station voluntarily, or gotten stuck there when trains were stopped because of air raids.

Angelina, who moved into the station with her mother and dog on Friday, said that she was originally from Crimea, a part of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia in 2014. She said her family had moved to Kyiv to escape the Russians during that invasion.

“I know that it will be different. I believe in this,” she told CBS News when how she felt about experiencing a Russian invasion for the second time in her life.

Read the full story here.

American business owners warned to be on the alert for Russian cyberattacks

In the leadup to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were concerns about widespread Russian cyberattacks.

Chris Krebs, the former director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said Saturday those threats may soon be directed at the United States and other Western allies who have issued sanctions against Russia.

“What I would expect is as sanctions and other lethal aid support increases to Ukraine, you may see ransomware attacks, like the Conti group has indicated yesterday,” Krebs told “CBS Saturday Morning,” referring to a Russia-based cybercrime group that vowed retaliation Friday for any cyberattack against Russia.

He said if there are increased attacks in Ukraine, operational control errors could allow malware and other destructive activity to “jump the rails” and impact other countries.

“So, every business leader here in the U.S. needs to be prepared,” he said. “This is not business as usual.”

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued a “SHIELDS UP” advisory warning Americans to be prepared in case of ransomware attacks.

“So the idea is be prepared, don’t panic,” Krebs said. BY ANALISA NOVAK

Russia mounts sophisticated disinformation campaign as it invades

In 2014, Russia flooded the internet with fake accounts pushing disinformation about its takeover of Crimea. Eight years later, experts say Russia is mounting a far more sophisticated effort as it invades Ukraine.

Armies of trolls and bots stir up anti-Ukrainian sentiment. State-controlled media outlets look to divide Western audiences. Clever TikTok videos serve up Russian nationalism with a side of humor – all part of Russia’s war arsenal, alongside actual troops and weapons.

Analysts at several different research organizations contacted by The Associated Press said they are seeing a sharp increase in online activity by groups affiliated with the Russian state. At the same time, there’s been a rapid uptick across the internet in suspicious accounts spreading anti-Ukrainian content, according to a report from Cyabra, an Israeli tech company that works to detect disinformation.

The work has been underway for some time. Researchers at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab analyzed 3,000 articles by 10 state-owned Russian news outlets and noticed a big increase in unfounded claims that Ukraine was poised to strike separatist groups. Overall, Russian media claims of Ukrainian aggression surged by 50% in January, according to the research.

Read the full story here.BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Malware targeting Ukrainian organizations could affect other countries, CISA warns

In the days and weeks before Russia attacked Ukraine, “threat actors deployed destructive malware against organizations in Ukraine to destroy computer systems and render them inoperable,” the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said on Saturday. And it warned that such attacks are likely to continue, possibly affecting organizations in other countries.

On January 15, the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center reported that malware known as WhisperGate was deployed against Ukrainian organizations. On February 23, cybersecurity researchers said malware called HermeticWiper was being used for similar purposes.

The CISA said these malware attacks — which threaten to disrupt an organization’s daily operations — are likely to continue and could “unintentionally spill over to organizations in other countries.” It advised organizations to assess their security and prepare for possible attacks.

For more information on how to protect yourself against such attacks, view the CISA bulletin here.BY SOPHIE REARDON

Kirby: U.S. security assistance to Ukraine totals $1 billion over past year

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Saturday the $350 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine that President Biden authorized on Friday brings the total security assistance approved for Ukraine to $1 billion over the past year.

“And, as I have said before, the U.S. is not supporting Ukraine alone,” Kirby said. “Many other countries are contributing to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from the unprovoked Russian aggression.”

“We, along with our Allies and partners, are standing together to continue to expedite security assistance to Ukraine, and are employing all available security cooperation tools in support of the Ukrainian people as they defend themselves against Russian aggression.”

The $350 million includes body armor, munitions and other equipment.

Russian official issues stark threats to the West

Moscow may respond to Western sanctions by opting out of the last nuclear arms deal with the U.S., cutting diplomatic ties with Western nations and freezing their assets, a senior Russian official warned Saturday.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, also warned that Moscow could restore the death penalty after Russia was removed from Europe’s top rights group.

The sanctions placed new tight restrictions on Russian financial operations, imposed a draconian ban on technology exports to Russia and froze the assets of Putin and his foreign minister. Washington and its allies say that even tougher sanctions are possible, including kicking Russia out of SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

In sarcastic comments posted on a Russian social platform, Medvedev dismissed the sanctions as a show of Western “political impotence” that will only consolidate the Russian leadership and foment anti-Western feelings.

“We are being driven out of everywhere, punished and threatened, but we don’t feel scared,” he said, mocking the sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies as an attempt to vindicate their past “shameful decisions, like a cowardly retreat from Afghanistan.” BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Finland, Sweden brush off Moscow’s warning on joining NATO

Finland and Sweden have brushed off warnings from neighboring Russia that their possible joining of NATO would trigger “serious military-political consequences” from Moscow for the two countries.

A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry Friday voiced concern about what it described as efforts by the United States and some of its allies to “drag” Finland and Sweden into NATO and warned that Moscow would be forced to take retaliatory measures if they join the alliance.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Saturday that “we’ve heard this before.”

“We don’t think that it calls for a military threat,” Haavisto said in an interview with the Finnish public broadcaster YLE. “Should Finland be NATO’s external border, it rather means that Russia would certainly take that into account in its own defense planning. I don’t see anything new as such” in the statement delivered by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Haavisto said.

Haavisto’s words were echoed by the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto who said on Friday that he didn’t see the statement meaning Moscow was threatening Finland militarily but rather what kind of “countersteps” Russia would take should Finland join NATO.  BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prince William and Duchess Kate stand with “all of Ukraine’s people”

Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, said in a tweet Saturday that they stand with the president of Ukraine and all of Ukraine’s people.

“In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future,” they said.

“Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future.” 

Thousands flee Ukraine for Poland, Moldova, other countries

Countries bordering Ukraine have seen an influx of people driven from their homes. More than 120,000 Ukrainians have left the country for Poland, Moldova and other neighboring nations, according to U.N. officials. 

The U.N. refugee agency says it has seen incredible hospitality and solidary from governments and local communities as families open their homes and share their food. The U.N. estimates that up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates. 

Refugees arriving in the Hungarian border town of Zahony said men of fighting age were not being allowed to leave Ukraine.

“My son was not allowed to come. My heart is so sore, I’m shaking, I can’t calm down, they did not let him come,” said Vilma Sugar, 68.

People are also on the move within Ukraine, where the U.N. refugee agency says it has more than 115 staff. 

Many Kyiv residents spent another night in basements, underground parking garages and subway stations, heeding the warnings of city officials.

“We’re all scared and worried. We don’t know what to do then, what’s going to happen in a few days,” said Lucy Vashaka, 20, a worker at a small Kyiv hotel. 

-CBS/AP

Stricter curfew ordered for Kyiv

The mayor of the Ukrainian capital is imposing an intensified curfew as Russian troops press on the city.

Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on Telegram that the curfew will extend from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. and “all civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”

The previous curfew imposed two days ago was from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ukrainian lawmaker posts photo, says “mothers are now giving birth in shelters” amid Russian strikes in Kyiv

Ukrainian lawmaker Anastasia Radina called on Friday for Western military powers to enforce a no-fly zone in her nation’s airspace to ease Russia’s artillery bombardment. 

Radina issued the call in a tweet that included a photo of a woman giving birth, saying: “Ukrainian mothers are now giving birth in shelters and metro stations during air raids. The Blitz of London 1940 is being repeated by Russia in Ukraine in 2022.”

“NATO must make UA [Ukraine] no fly zone,” she said. 

NATO’s deployment of thousands of troops in neighboring nations continues to grow, but none of the members states have sent troops into Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, to back up its forces. The U.S. and some of its European allies have sent millions of dollars worth of weapons and other equipment into Ukraine, in addition to providing training and other support.BY TUCKER REALS

France intercepts cargo ship suspected of link to “Russian interests targeted by sanctions”

French naval forces have intercepted in the English Channel a cargo vessel loaded with cars heading for the Baltic port city of Saint Petersburg after the EU slapped sanctions on Russia, officials said Saturday. The Russian-flagged Baltic Leader, which had set sail from the French city of Rouen, was escorted to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer by French forces, the maritime prefecture told AFP.

It is suspected of belonging to a company targeted by the sanctions. 

A French customs patrol vessel backed by a police surveillance ship and a navy patrol boat stopped the Baltic Leader, said Veronique Magnin of the regional prefecture.

The 417-foot vessel is “strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by sanctions,” she said, adding that while such a measure was “rare” it is “a sign of “firmness.” 

The move comes after the European Union on Thursday adopted unprecedented sanctions against Russian individuals, companies and other entities to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Paris told the TASS news agency the boat’s captain had telephoned the embassy, which then contacted the French authorities to ask for an explanation of the incident.BY AFP

U.K. says “bulk” of Russian invading force within 20 miles of downtown Kyiv

Britain’s defense ministry said on Saturday morning that the “bulk” of Russia’s invading military force in Ukraine was within 20 miles of the capital Kyiv. Localized street fighting has been reported since early on Friday in north and eastern Kyiv, within just a couple miles of the heart of the city. 

“Russian forces have continued their advance on Kyiv with the bulk of their forces now 30 km [19 miles] from the center of the city,” the defense ministry said in an “Intelligence Update” posted to its official Twitter page. Russia has yet to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine greatly reducing the effectiveness of the Russian Air Force.” 

Citing what it called “a staunch resistance across the country” by Ukrainian forces, the British military said its intelligence showed Russia was likely to suffer “heavy and greater” casualties than had been “anticipated or acknowledged by the Kremlin.” BY TUCKER REALS

Poland refuses to play Russia in soccer World Cup qualifier, citing “aggression” in Ukraine

Poland is refusing to play its World Cup qualifier against Russia in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Polish soccer federation president said Saturday.

Cezary Kulesza made the announcement on Twitter, citing Russia’s assault, and indicated Poland was in talks with other federations to present a unified position to FIFA.

“No more words, time to act!” Kulesza wrote, saying the move was prompted by the “escalation of the aggression.”

Previously, Poland had only said it didn’t want to play the qualifying playoff semifinal in Moscow on March 24.

The winner plays Sweden or the Czech Republic for a place at the Qatar World Cup.

Poland’s move comes a day after Europe’s top soccer body, UEFA, decided to move a major soccer final from Russia to France. The decision on Friday to move the 2021/22 Men’s Champions League final from St. Petersburg, Russia to Paris followed UEFA’s condemnation of the ongoing Russian invasion.

 – CBS/AP

Russia claims “military infrastructure” targeted, Ukrainians say apartment building hit

There were no casualties from a missile attack on a residential building in Kyiv early on Saturday, Anton Gerashenko, an advisor to Ukraine’s interior minister, said. Gerashenko said Russian troops were shelling civilian sites, and that at least 40 had been hit.

Images showed a massive, smoking hole in the apartment building.   

Russia’s ministry of defense said it launched attacks from land and sea targeting Ukraine’s “military infrastructure” overnight. The ministry claimed it had destroyed “14 military airfields, 19 command posts and communication centers,” along with anti-aircraft missile systems, radar stations, 14 Ukrainian military aircraft and dozens of tanks and other equipment. 

Ukraine’s Health Ministry was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the death toll from Russia’s assault, as it entered a third day, had climbed to at least 198 Ukrainians, including three children. The head of the ministry said 1,115 people had been wounded, including 33 children.BY HALEY OTT

Russia’s media watchdog bans reports on “invasion” or “assault” in Ukraine

Russia’s communications regulator on Saturday ordered media to remove reports describing Moscow’s attack on Ukraine as an “assault, invasion, or declaration of war” or face being blocked and fined.

In a statement, Roskomnadzor accused a number of independent media outlets including television channel Dozhd and the country’s top independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta of spreading “unreliable socially significant untrue information” about the shelling of Ukrainian cities by the Russian army and civilian deaths.

Citing a request from the General Prosecutor’s Office, the communications regulator said the media outlets, which also include Echo of Moscow radio, will be blocked unless they remove the “unreliable information.”

“Roskomnadzor also launched an administrative investigation into the dissemination of unreliable publicly significant information by the above-mentioned media,” the watchdog said. The offense is punishable by a fine of up to five million rubles ($60,000), it said.

Roskomnadzor said “reliable information” could be found in “official Russian information outlets.”BY AFP

Biden authorizes another $350 million in military aid for Ukraine

President Biden on Thursday authorized the the U.S. government to deliver another $350 million worth of weapons and equipment from Pentagon stocks to Ukraine, to help the country’s forces repel Russia’s invasion.

Mr. Biden issued a memorandum to Secretary of Stage Antony Blinken authorizing the State Department to “provide immediate military assistance to Ukraine… in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training.”

While the White House has said it will not send American forces to back up Ukraine’s military, as the country is not a NATO member, the U.S. has steadily increased its material support for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government and military.

The last announcement of military aid came from Mr. Biden in January, when he promised a $200 million aid package as Russia massed forces around Ukraine’s borders. BY TUCKER REALS

Ukraine claims forces have killed 1,000 Russian troops

CBS News’ Holly Williams said she and her team heard what sounded like more airstrikes overnight in Kyiv as sirens wailed. Ukraine’s government said the fighting was now on the streets of the capital, and officials claimed the country’s forces had shot down two Russian planes carrying paratroopers.

U.S. and British officials have said the Ukrainian forces are putting up a much tougher resistance than many – including in Russia – expected.

Ukrainian officials claim their military has killed more than 1,000 Russian troops, which CBS News cannot independently verify.

The Ukrainians have dug in deep to defend their country. In Kyiv, the government said it had handed out 18,000 guns to volunteers, and arriving into the city from the east on Thursday, CBS News found checkpoints manned by reservists.

Russia vetoes U.N. resolution condemning Ukraine attack; China abstains

Russia has vetoed a resolution brought up in the U.N.’s Security Council that would have condemned its invasion of Ukraine. Russia cast the sole vote against the measure. The surprising vote was the abstention by China, which effectively cast Russia as alone among the world powers. 

“China is deeply concerned about the latest developments of the situation in Ukraine. Currently, it has come to the point which we do not want to see,” Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun wrote in a statement after the vote. “We welcome and encourage all efforts for a diplomatic solution, and support the Russian Federation and Ukraine in resolving the issue through negotiations.”

In total, 11 nations voted in favor, with the United Arab Emirates and India also abstaining.

Council members knew that this would be the fate of the measure — but the results of the vote were seen by supporters of the resolution as a win for the U.S. and Albania, the lead sponsors. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the sponsors would now introduce a similar resolution in the 193-nation General Assembly where there are no vetoes.

“You cannot veto our principles. You cannot veto the Ukrainian people. You cannot veto the UN Charter. And you will not veto accountability,” Thomas-Greenfield told the diplomats. 

“We are united behind Ukraine and its people, despite a reckless, irresponsible Permanent Member of the Security Council abusing its power to attack its neighbor and subvert the UN and our international system,” she added. 

Before the meeting began, representatives from 27 European nations as well as the Ukrainian U.N. Ambassador held up a Ukrainian flag in front of the anti-war tapestry Guernica to show solidarity with Ukraine. BY PAMELA FALK

Ukraine and Russia “consulting” about a place and time to hold negotiations, Zelensky spokesman says

Representatives from Ukraine and Russia have contacted each other and are discussing a place and time for potential negotiations, a spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Facebook. A Ukrainian official confirmed the authenticity of the post to CBS News’ Camilla Schick. 

The spokesman, Sergii Nykyforov, said in the post that “Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about ceasefire and peace. This is our constant position,” according to a translation of his remarks.   

“We responded in agreement to the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation,” Nykyforov continued. “Directly at these hours, the parties are consulting about the place and time of the negotiation process. The sooner the negotiations begin, the more chance there will be to restore normal life.” 

NATO to use response force for the first time to defend allies

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the 30-nation organization will send parts of the NATO Response Force and elements of a quickly deployable spearhead unit to the alliance’s eastern flank. It’s the first time the force has been used to defend NATO allies.

Stoltenberg did not say how many troops would be sent or where they might go, but he did confirm that the move would involve land, sea and air power.

In response to Europe’s biggest security crisis in decades, Stoltenberg said, “We are now deploying the NATO Response Force for the first time in a collective defense context. We speak about thousands of troops. We speak about air and maritime capabilities.”

“There must be no space for miscalculation or misunderstanding. We will do what it takes to protect and defend every ally, and every inch of NATO territory,” he said.

The NRF can number up to 40,000 troops, but Stoltenberg said that NATO would not be deploying the entire force. Parts of a spearhead unit known in NATO jargon as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, which is currently led by France, will also be sent.

Fox News

Ukrainian soldier livestreamed from Snake Island during heroic stand against Russia

Peter Aitken – February 25, 2022

A Ukrainian soldier on the ill-fated Snake Island was livestreaming as Russian warships opened fire and wiped out the 13 soldiers stationed there.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine Thursday local time. World leaders and diplomats widely condemned the attack and promised strong sanctions in response.

A Russian warship issued a warning to the Ukrainian border guards at Zmiinyi Island – also known as Snake Island – only to be told by one of the guards, “Russian Warship, go f— yourself.”

One of the soldiers was livestreaming at the time, capturing the sounds and chaos of the opening salvo.

Social media identified the soldier as a 23-year-old among the troops. All 13 soldiers died “without surrender,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an update on Thursday night.

The video has gone viral, with almost 900,000 views on Twitter, 2,200 retweets and over 6,400 likes.

A copy of the audio was posted on the website of Ukrainian news outlet Ukrayinska Pravda, and a Ukrainian official confirmed the authenticity to The Washington Post.

POPE FRANCIS CALLS FOR DIALOGUE TO END RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CONFLICT

Zelenskyy hailed the 13 soldiers and said they would all receive the honor “Hero of Ukraine.”

Snake Island sits around 30 miles off the coast of Ukraine and is less than 0.1 square mile in area, according to Axios. Despite its remote location and miniscule size, the island helped to connect a shipping corridor to multiple Ukrainian cities.

The Soviet Union handed over control of the island to Ukraine after the union’s dissolution in 1991.

Associated Press

Street fighting begins in Kyiv; people urged to seek shelter

Yuras Karmanau, Jim Heintz, Vladimir Isachenkov, and Dasha Litvinova – February 24, 2022

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine’s capital early Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter. The country’s president refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting that he would stay. “The fight is here,” he said.

The clashes followed two days of fighting that resulted in hundreds of casualties and pummeled bridges, schools and apartment buildings. U.S. officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own.

The assault represented Putin’s boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence. It triggered new international efforts to end the invasion, including direct sanctions on Putin.

As his country confronted explosions and gunfire, and as the fate of Kyiv hung in the balance, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for a cease-fire and warned in a bleak statement that multiple cities were under attack.

“This night we have to stand firm,” he said. “The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.”

Zelenskyy was urged to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the U.S. government but turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. The official quoted the president as saying that “the fight is here” and that he needed anti-tank ammunition but “not a ride.”

City officials in Kyiv urged residents to take shelter, to stay away from windows and to take precautions to avoid flying debris or bullets.

The Kremlin accepted Kyiv’s offer to hold talks, but it appeared to be an effort to squeeze concessions out of the embattled Zelenskyy instead of a gesture toward a diplomatic solution.

The Russian military continued its advance, laying claim Friday to the southern Ukraine city of Melitopol. Still, it was unclear in the fog of war how much of Ukraine is still under Ukrainian control and how much or little Russian forces have seized.

As fighting persisted, Ukraine’s military reported shooting down an II-76 Russian transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a city 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Kyiv, an account confirmed by a senior American intelligence official. It was unclear how many were on board. Transport planes can carry up to 125 paratroopers.

A second Russian military transport plane was shot down near Bila Tserkva, 50 miles (85 kilometers) south of Kyiv, according to two American officials with direct knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine.

The Russian military has not commented on either plane.

The U.S. and other global powers slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world’s economy and energy supplies, threatening to further hit ordinary households. U.N. officials said millions could flee Ukraine. Sports leagues moved to punish Russia and even the popular Eurovision song contest banned it from the May finals in Italy.

Through it all, Russia remained unbowed, vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that it stop attacking Ukraine and withdraw troops immediately. The veto was expected, but the U.S. and its supporters argued that the effort would highlight Moscow’s international isolation. The 11-1 vote, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining, showed significant but not total opposition to Russia’s invasion of its smaller, militarily weaker neighbor.

NATO, meanwhile, decided to send parts of the alliance’s response force to help protect its member nations in the east for the first time. NATO did not say how many troops would be deployed but added that it would involve land, sea and air power.

Day Two of Russia’s invasion, the largest ground war in Europe since World War II, focused on the Ukrainian capital, where Associated Press reporters heard explosions starting before dawn. Gunfire was reported in several areas.

A large boom was heard in the evening near Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the square in central Kyiv that was the heart of protests which led to the 2014 ouster of a Kremlin-friendly president. The cause was not immediately known.

Five explosions struck near a major power plant on Kyiv’s eastern outskirts, said Mayor Vitaly Klitschko. There was no information on what caused them, and no electrical outages were immediately reported.

It was unclear how many people overall had died. Ukrainian officials reported at least 137 deaths on their side from the first full day of fighting and claimed hundreds on the Russian one. Russian authorities released no casualty figures.

U.N. officials reported 25 civilian deaths, mostly from shelling and airstrikes, and said that 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes. They estimate that up to 4 million could flee if the fighting escalates.

Zelenskyy tweeted that he and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone and discussed “strengthening sanctions, concrete defense assistance and an antiwar coalition.”

Late Friday, Biden signed a memo authorizing up to $350 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total security assistance approved for Ukraine to $1 billion over the past year. It was not immediately clear how quickly the aid would flow.

Zelenskyy’s whereabouts were kept secret after Zelenskyy told European leaders in a call Thursday that he was Russia’s No. 1 target — and that they might not see him again alive. His office later released a video of him standing with senior aides outside the presidential office and saying that he and other government officials would stay in the capital.

Zelenskyy earlier offered to negotiate on a key Putin demand: that Ukraine declare itself neutral and abandon its ambition of joining NATO. The Kremlin said Kyiv initially agreed to have talks in Minsk, then said it would prefer Warsaw and later halted communications. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said later that Kyiv would discuss prospects for talks on Saturday.

The assault was anticipated for weeks by the U.S. and Western allies and denied to be in the works just as long by Putin. He argued the West left him with no other choice by refusing to negotiate Russia’s security demands.

In a window into how the increasingly isolated Putin views Ukraine and its leadership, he urged Ukraine’s military to surrender, saying: “We would find it easier to agree with you than with that gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have holed up in Kyiv and have taken the entire Ukrainian people hostage.”

Playing on Russian nostalgia for World War II heroism, the Kremlin equates members of Ukrainian right-wing groups with neo-Nazis. Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, angrily dismisses those claims.

Putin has not disclosed his ultimate plans for Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a hint, saying, “We want to allow the Ukrainian people to determine its own fate.” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia recognizes Zelenskyy as the president, but would not say how long the Russian military operation could last.

Ukrainians abruptly adjusted to life under fire, after Russian forces invaded the country from three sides as they massed an estimated 150,000 troops nearby.

Residents of a Kyiv apartment building woke to screaming, smoke and flying dust. What the mayor identified as Russian shelling tore off part of the building and ignited a fire.

“What are you doing? What is this?” resident Yurii Zhyhanov asked Russian forces. Like countless other Ukrainians, he grabbed what belongings he could, took his mother, and fled, car alarms wailing behind him.

Elsewhere in Kyiv, the body of a dead soldier lay near an underpass. Fragments of a downed aircraft smoked amid the brick homes of a residential area. Black plastic was draped over body parts found beside them. People climbed out of bomb shelters, basements and subways to face another day of upheaval.

“We’re all scared and worried. We don’t know what to do then, what’s going to happen in a few days,” said Lucy Vashaka, 20, a worker at a small Kyiv hotel.

At the Pentagon, press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. believes the offensive, including its advance on Kiev, has gone more slowly than Moscow had planned, noting that Ukraine forces have been fighting back. But he also said the military campaign is in an early stage and circumstances can change rapidly.

The Biden administration said Friday that it would move to freeze the assets of Putin and Lavrov, following the European Union and Britain in directly sanctioning top Russian leadership.

Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, called the sanctions against Putin and Lavrov “an example and a demonstration of a total helplessness” of the West.

Isachenkov and Litvinova reported from Moscow. Francesca Ebel, Josef Federman and Andrew Drake in Kyiv; Angela Charlton in Paris; Geir Moulson and Frank Jordans in Berlin; Raf Casert and Lorne Cook in Brussels; Nic Dumitrache in Mariupol, Ukraine; Matt Sedensky in New York; Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations; James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Fla., and Robert Burns, Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Eric Tucker, Nomaan Merchant, Ellen Knickmeyer, Zeke Miller, Chris Megerian and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed.

i News

Russians troops are disoriented, hungry, and don’t understand why they’re invading, says Ukrainian

Constantine Yevtushenko, 38, has said Russians are asking Ukrainians for food while having ‘no idea’ as to why they are in Ukraine

By Claire Gilbody – Dickerson – February 26, 2022

Russian soldiers in Ukraine are “don’t know why they are on our land”, a dad-of-three in Lviv has said, while they are also lacking food and fuel.

Ukrainian civilians have for the past three days been taking refuge in air shelters, underground stations and basements as they seek protection from Russian airstrikes and bombardments, which started at dawn on Thursday morning.

Constantine Yevtushenko told i news he has come across Russian soldiers who have “no idea” why they are in Ukraine and are “totally disoriented”.

The 38-year-old managing partner at UNIT.City said troops spoke of how they were in military training when their commander gave them an order to “go that way”. Before they knew it they were waging a war against their neighbour.

“They are just following the orders that they have,” Mr Yevtushenko said. “They are kids, born in 2000 and 2002, they are frustrated, our army forces don’t even know what to do with those kids, and there are thousands of those guys now on the fields of Ukraine – killed.

“They don’t have fuel, they are asking people to help them with food,” Mr Yevtushenko continued, as he pleaded with the media to help counter the information censorship in Russia as its citizens must know of the humanitarian toll the conflict has been causing.

Saying he has spoken to Russians about the situation, the dad-of-three said: “They have no information about how many of their soldiers have already died here, and it’s more than 4,000 soldiers that have died, it’s an absolute humanitarian disaster.”

‘A window of democracy’

Driving from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv to Lviv would usually take five hours or so. But due to the “huge” queues on the highways caused by desperate people wanting to flee to the west, where it is relatively safer, it took Mr Yevtushenko 13 hours to get to his parents’ house in Lviv. It took his friend 24 hours to do the same trip as traffic increased over the weekend.

His wife and three daughters have fled to Cyprus, but being of fighting age, the 38-year-old had to abide by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s order for all men between the age of 18 and 60 to not leave the country as they may have to join the frontline.

“Are you scared?”, i asked “Of course not!” Mr. Yevtushenko replied. “We are in our land, we are protecting ourselves and we will stand till the end, there is no [other] way,” the managing partner, who has recently been coordinating efforts to ensure those in shelters get access to food, has said.

“All the nation of Ukraine is not doing well now because we are fighting the real war, the real war that nobody could even ever expect to happen in the 21st century in the middle of Europe.”

He said Ukraine needs more weapons and helicopters from Nato to counter the Russian attack, which has already claimed the lives of more than 198 civilians, including three children, despite Mr Putin’s claim he was merely targeting military infrastructure.

“I don’t think that it’s a good idea that Nato is directly a part of this war, this is our war. We don’t need your soldiers here, we will handle this, but we need the support, the ammunition, so we can protect us and you.”

He added: “You have to spread the information among your citizens because your citizens influence your politicians and we believe we are fighting for democracy now, and we believe that once it’s finished we will be rebuilding our country and we will be the window of democracy from east to west.”

CNN

Battle for Ukrainian capital underway as explosions seen and heard in Kyiv

By Nathan Hodge, Mat Chance, Tim Lester, Laura Smith – Spark and Helen Regan – February 25, 2022

(CNN)Explosions have been seen and heard in parts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as the fight by Ukrainian forces to hold back a Russian advance on the capital intensifies in the early hours of Saturday morning, amid warnings the city could fall within days and as officials handed out weapons to reservists.

“This night will be very difficult, and the enemy will use all available forces to break the resistance of Ukrainians,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a late-night video message Friday. “This night we have to stand ground. The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.”

Earlier Saturday, videos from eyewitnesses showed explosions taking place in an area north-west of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. There is a military base in the area.

CNN teams in the capital also reported hearing loud explosions to the west and south of the city Saturday. Shortly afterward, Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications said clashes are underway in an eastern suburb as well — as Russian forces close in on the capital from multiple sides.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces reported heavy fighting around the city of Vasylkiv, some 30 kilometers southwest of Kyiv.

“Heavy fighting is currently underway in the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region, where the occupiers are trying to land a landing party,” the armed forces said.

Russian forces are close to Kyiv, Zelensky confirmed in his message Friday, advancing on the capital from the north and east after seizing control Thursday of an airbase just north of the city. But “Ukrainians resist the Russian aggression heroically,” he said.

Russia’s military claimed earlier Friday its forces had staged a “successful landing operation” to capture Hostomel airfield, viewed as strategically important, on Kyiv’s outskirts.

Zelensky’s comments came hours after a video was posted on his Facebook page, showing him with a group of men, saying, “We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are defending Ukraine.”

Before dawn Friday, explosions lit up the sky above the capital as Russia targeted the city with missile strikes, according to a Ukrainian government adviser. A CNN team reported hearing two large blasts in central Kyiv and a third loud explosion in the distance, followed by at least three more explosions to the south-west of the city a few hours later.

“Strikes on Kyiv with cruise or ballistic missiles continued,” Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine told reporters via text message Friday.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Russian reconnaissance troops had entered the Obolon district of northern Kyiv, just a few miles from the city center. Videos from the area showed chaotic scenes as civilians tried to hide from small arms fire.

Ukrainian military vehicles move past Independence Square in central Kyiv on February 24, 2022.

A tweet from the ministry asked citizens of the district to report any suspicious movements, adding: “Make Molotov cocktails and take down the occupier.”

CNN witnessed a group of Ukrainian security forces leave the city police headquarters with weapons and ammunition — apparently heading towards Obolon.

Meanwhile, 92 people working at the Chernobyl power plant, the site of the world’s worst-ever nuclear disaster, have been taken hostage, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US said Friday. Russian forces took control of the site on Thursday, sparking fears that the fighting could interfere with the operation of nuclear waste facilities.

As Russian troops advance, US intelligence officials are concerned that Kyiv could fall under Russian control within days, according to two sources familiar with the latest intelligence.

However, the latest British defense intelligence assessment said Russia had made “limited progress” Friday in its attack.

“Fighting continues in key locations. Russia has made limited progress so far today and Ukraine retains control of key cities. Ukrainian MOD reports that Russian forces have arrived in the suburbs of Kyiv,” the UK Ministry of Defense tweeted.  

A senior US defense official told reporters that the Russians have “about a third of their combat power” in Ukraine out of the total combat power they have amassed on the country’s borders right now, but “that does not mean that they will not commit more.”

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry earlier said that airborne assault troops blew up a bridge over the Teteriv River at Ivankiv, about 30 miles north of Kyiv, successfully preventing a Russian column of forces from advancing towards the capital, which has a population of close to 3 million.

For now, Ukraine’s democratically elected government remains intact but President Volodymr Zelensky warned in a video address late Thursday that “enemy sabotage groups” had entered this city and he is their No. 1 target. “They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state,” he said.

“Russian forces continued to launch missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine. They say that they are only targeting military facilities, but these are lies. In fact, they do not distinguish in which areas they operate,” he said. “Such attacks on our capital haven’t occurred since 1941.”In an address Friday morning, Zelensky said Ukrainians were “showing their true heroism” but that they were defending their country “alone.” The sanctions imposed on Russia by Western powers are “not enough to get these foreign troops off our soil,” he said.

A few hours later, Zelensky released a message in which he again called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks. “There is fighting all over Ukraine now. Let’s sit down at the negotiation table to stop the people’s deaths,” he said, speaking in Russian.

Shortly afterward, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was ready to send a delegation to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, for talks with Ukraine, Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti reported.

“As you know, today the President of Ukraine Zelensky announced his readiness to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine,” Peskov said, according to RIA. The talks would concern “neutral status,” he suggested. Peskov said later Friday that the Ukrainian side had countered with a proposal to meet in Warsaw and then dropped contact.

Zelensky has not directly proposed neutral status but has signaled a willingness to discuss it, while insisting his country be provided security guarantees.

“Ukraine has been and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace. This is our constant position,” Sergii Nykyforov, a spokesperson for Zelensky, said late Friday. He also denied what he called “claims that we have refused to negotiate.”

Meanwhile, Putin called on Ukraine’s armed forces to overthrow their government in remarks to his security council Friday.

“Do not let Banderites (Ukrainian nationalists) and neo-Nazis use your children, wives and old people as human shields,” Putin said in remarks aired on Russian state television. “Take power into your own hands, it looks like it will be easier for us to come to an agreement than with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis that has settled in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people.”

Putin frequently repeats the baseless and inaccurate claim that the democratically elected Ukrainian government is a “Nazi” or “fascist” regime. The language has been roundly condemned internationally, especially considering that Zelensky is Jewish.

Asked by CNN at a news conference Friday what Moscow’s plans were for the leadership of Ukraine as Russian forces advance on Kyiv, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov replied: “Nobody is going to attack the people of Ukraine.”

In an interview with CNN on the streets of Kyiv, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Putin of being “simply crazy” in wanting to “come here to kill Ukrainians” — and vowed they would resist. “We demonstrate a unique quality that we can stand against Russian aggression,” he said.

A photograph taken on February 24, 2022 shows an Ukrainian infantry combat vehicle standing guard on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Homes damaged

The advance on Kyiv comes only a day after Russian forces entered Ukraine from three sides, by land, sea and air, prompting a barrage of international condemnation and sanctions — and questions about Putin’s wider ambitions for the country and its capital.

It’s unclear how long Ukrainian forces can resist the advance of Russian forces who are much better equipped and have superior air power.

Two residential buildings in Kyiv suffered damage in the early hours of Friday, but it’s not clear if they were intentionally struck or hit by debris, or if anyone was injured.

Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Evgeny Yenin told CNN a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet was shot down over Kyiv. Photos tweeted by the emergency forces appear to show a fire at a two-story private house with debris from what looks to be a plane nearby. It is unclear if the house was hit by remnants of the jet.

Separately, images showed firefighters working to put out a blaze at an apartment building on the left bank of the city.

Photos: Russia invades UkraineSmoke and flames are seen near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, February 26. Explosions have been seen and heard in parts of the capital as Ukrainians battle to hold back advancing Russian troops.

As they approach, many Ukrainians are preparing to fight back. Some 18,000 guns with ammunition have been distributed to reservists in the Kyiv region alone since the Russian invasion began early Thursday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said, with more weapons on their way.

Outside the Kyiv region, fighting continued in cities including Sumy, in the northeast, Chernihiv in the north and Kherson to the south.

A CNN team that visited a bridge crossing from Russian-held areas into the southern city of Kherson saw four large shell craters, 10 discarded Ukrainian armored vehicles and several bodies, but the Ukrainians appeared to have been able to push Russian forces back.

Low-flying jets could be seen overhead and air raid sirens wailed across the city.

A Russian defense ministry spokesperson said in a statement that a “counter-offensive” was underway in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, and that Ukrainian service members had surrendered to Russian troops and pro-Russian separatists. CNN could not immediately check the veracity of those claims.

Makeshift bunkers

Officials in the country believe Russia’s plan is to overthrow the Ukrainian leadership and install a pro-Russian government.

Those fears were shared with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said Thursday that he’s “convinced” Moscow is going to try to overthrow the Ukrainian government.

If that happens, Blinken said he believes “Moscow has developed plans to inflict widespread human rights abuses — and potentially worse — on the Ukrainian people.”

The fighting in Ukraine appears to be some of the worst conventional warfare Europe has seen since World War II and the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s. Preliminary figures indicate 137 Ukrainian solders have been killed, including every soldier defending an island in the Black Sea that was taken over by Russian troops, according to President Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a statement in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 25.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said its armed forces had caused around 800 casualties among Russian forces since the attacks started early on Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether the ministry was referring solely to the number killed and CNN is not able to independently verify Ukraine’s figures.

By the end of Thursday, Putin’s forces had launched “in total more than 160 missiles for airstrikes,” a senior US defense official said, prompting a response reminiscent of the late 1930s, with vulnerable children evacuated by train from eastern Ukraine and packed subway stations turned into makeshift bunkers as air raid sirens wailed.

A family takes shelter along with other Kyiv residents in an underground parking garage on Friday. Some areas of the Ukrainian capital were hit by aerial attacks.

In an ominous sign a ground war could escalate, Zelensky barred male citizens between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country, according to the State Border Guard Service.

Zelensky also ordered a general military mobilization “in order to ensure the defense of the state, maintaining combat and mobilization readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, in a declaration signed late Thursday.

More than 100,000 people have already fled areas most at risk of attack within Ukraine, according to the United Nations refugee agency. The mass movement followed warnings from the US Ambassador to the UN, who said Russia’s actions in Ukraine could create one of the largest refugee crises facing the world today, displacing as many as five million people.

Polish officials reported an increase in the number of people crossing into the country from Ukraine in the hours after the Russian invasion began.

Sanctioning Putin

The United States will impose sanctions on Putin and Lavrov, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday, hours after the European Union and United Kingdom said they would do the same.

The EU also announced a slew of other new sanctions on Russia, designed to have “maximum impact on the Russian economy and political elite.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the sanctions would hit Russia’s financial, energy and transport sectors, visa policy, and include export controls and export financing bans.

“We want to financially isolate Russia, we want to cut all the ties between Russia and the international financial system,” said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described Russia’s attack on Ukraine as a “brutal act of war.”

The alliance activated the NATO Response Force (NRF) for the first time ever in response to the invasion. The NRF is made up of land, air, sea and special operations forces from the allies that can deploy quickly in support of the NATO alliance.

“We have over 100 jets at high alert, operating in over 30 different locations, and over 120 ships from the high north, to the Mediterranean. We activated the defense plans yesterday, and now elements of this force are being deployed,” Stoltenberg said during a press briefing on Friday, following an extraordinary meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels. He also clarified that while the United States, Canada and European allies have “deployed thousands more troops” to the eastern part of the alliance, NATO is not deploying the entire Response Force.

A big concern for NATO is whether Putin’s intentions lie beyond Ukraine, a prospect that risks drawing all 30 members — including the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany — into a wider conflict on European soil.

“You don’t need intelligence to tell you that that’s exactly what President Putin wants. He has made clear he’d like to reconstitute the Soviet Empire, short of that he’d like to reassert a sphere of influence around the neighboring countries that were once part of the Soviet bloc,” said Blinken on CBS Evening News.

Blinken said NATO would stand in the way if those were Putin’s ultimate goals.

“Now, when it comes to a threat beyond Ukraine’s borders. There’s something very powerful standing in his way. That’s article five of NATO, an attack on one is an attack on all,” the top diplomat said.On Thursday, the US Secretary of Defense ordered the deployment of 7,000 US service members to Europe. The deployment brings the number of US troops moved towards eastern Europe at more than 14,000.

CNN’s Julia Kesa and Ivana Kottasova in Kyiv and Josh Pennington, MJ Lee and Michael Callahan contributed reporting. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, Jim Sciutto, Katie Bo Lillis, Anna Chernova, Vasco Cotovio, Jonny Hallam, Joseph Ataman, Antonia Mortensen, Lindsay Isaac and Ellie Kaufman also contributed.

What is a thermobaric bomb? Fears Putin will use weapon which can destroy cities block-by-block

The so-called ‘vacuum bombs’ are capable of vaporizing human bodies and reducing cities to rubble

By Georgina Littlejohn – February 26, 2022

After a night of fighting in Kyiv, Ukrainian troops have so far managed to repel Russian troops from seizing the capital.

But Western officials have warned that if the Ukrainian military resistance continues to hold up the Russian assault, President Putin could resort to using thermobaric weapons.

But what is a thermobaric weapon and how dangerous is it?

What is a thermobaric weapon?

Dubbed the ‘father of all bombs’, a thermobaric weapon works by using oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, making it far deadlier than a conventional weapon.

The so-called ‘vacuum bombs’ are capable of vapourising human bodies, crushing internal organs and reducing cities to rubble causing huge loss of life.

Who developed them?

Both the United States and the Soviet Union developed thermobaric weapons in the 1960s.

In September 2007, the largest thermobaric weapon ever made was detonated by Russia and created an explosion equivalent to 39.9 tons.

The US version reportedly costs over £11 million ($16 million) each.

In 2017, the US dropped one which weighed 21,600 pounds on the Taliban in Afghanistan. It left a crater more than 300 metres wide after it exploded six feet above the ground.

Is the West concerned Russia will resort to using them?

Western allies fear Russia could use thermobaric weapons against Ukrainian forces if they continue to hold up their advance.

They believe because Russian forces missed most of their day one objectives of the invasion, they could resort to indiscriminate firing to make up ground.

One official said this could include thermobaric weapons which Russia is known to have in its armory and has used in past conflicts.

The Tos-1 Buratino weapons are understood to have crossed into Ukraine, although they have yet to be used.

Moscow has previously employed them in Chechnya and Syria.

“My fear would be that if they don’t meet their timescale and objectives they would be indiscriminate in their use of violence,” the official said.

“They don’t adhere to the same principles of necessity and proportionality and rule of law that Western forces do.”

Associated Press

West unleashes SWIFT bans, more crushing penalties on Russia

Zeke Miller, Raf Casert, Ellen Knickmeyer, Ken Sweet – February 26, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and European nations agreed Saturday to impose the most potentially crippling financial penalties yet on Russia over its unrelenting invasion of Ukraine, going after the central bank reserves that underpin the Russian economy and severing some Russian banks from a vital global financial network.

The decision, announced as Ukrainian forces battled Saturday to hold Russian forces back from Ukraine’s capital and residents sheltered in subway tunnels, basements and underground garages, has potential to spread the pain of Western retaliation for President Vladimir Putin’s invasion to ordinary Russians far more than previous rounds of penalties.

“Putin embarked on a path aiming to destroy Ukraine, but what he is also doing, in fact, is destroying the future of his own country,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The European Union, United States, United Kingdom and other allies have steadily stepped up the intensity of their sanctions since Russia launched the invasion late last week.

While U.S. and European officials made clear they still were working out the mechanics of how to implement the latest measures, and intend to spare Russia’s oil and natural gas exports, the sanctions in total potentially could amount to some of the toughest levied on a nation in modern times. If fully carried out as planned, the measures will severely damage the Russian economy and markedly constrain its ability to import and export goods.

The U.S. and European allies announced the moves in a joint statement as part of a new round of financial sanctions meant to “hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.”

The central bank restrictions target access to the more than $600 billion in reserves that the Kremlin has at its disposal, and are meant to block Russia’s ability to support the ruble as it plunges in value amid tightening Western sanctions.

U.S. officials said Saturday’s steps were framed to send the ruble into “free fall” and promote soaring inflation in the Russian economy.

The decline of the ruble would likely send inflation soaring, which would hurt everyday Russians and not just the Russian elites who were the targets of the original sanctions. The resulting economic disruption, if Saturday’s measures are as harsh as described, could leave Putin facing political unrest at home.

Analysts predicted intensifying runs on banks by Russians, and falling government reserves as Russians scrambled to sell their targeted currency for safer assets.

The U.S. officials noted that previously announced sanctions have already had an impact on Russia, bringing its currency to its lowest level against the dollar in history and giving its stock market the worst week on record.

Saturday’s move also includes cutting key Russian banks out of the SWIFT financial messaging system, which daily moves countless billions of dollars around more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions around the world.

The fine print of the sanctions was still being ironed out over the weekend, officials said, as they work to limit the impact of the restrictions on other economies and European purchases of Russian energy.

Allies on both sides of the Atlantic also considered the SWIFT option in 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimea and backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia declared then that kicking it out of SWIFT would be equivalent to a declaration of war. The allies — criticized ever after for responding too weakly to Russia’s 2014 aggression — shelved the idea back then. Russia since then has tried to develop its own financial transfer system, with limited success.

The U.S. has succeeded before in persuading the Belgium-based SWIFT system to kick out a country — Iran, over its nuclear program. But kicking Russia out of SWIFT could also hurt other economies, including those of the U.S. and key ally Germany.

Only rarely has the West and its allies fired a full salvo of its available financial weapons on a country. Iran and North Korea, two previous targets, had far smaller roles in the world economy, while Russia, with its enormous petroleum reserves, plays a much bigger role in global trade, and parts of Europe depend on its natural gas.

The disconnection from SWIFT announced by the West on Saturday is partial, leaving Europe and the United States room to escalate penalties later. Officials said they had not fully settled on which banks would be cut off.

Announcing the measures in Brussels, the EU Commission president, von der Leyen, said she would push the bloc to “paralyze the assets of Russia’s Central bank” so that its transactions would be frozen. Cutting several commercial banks from SWIFT “will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally,” she added.

“Cutting banks off will stop them from conducting most of their financial transactions worldwide and effectively block Russian exports and imports,” she added.

Getting the EU on board for sanctioning Russia through SWIFT had been a tough process since EU trade with Russia amounted to 80 billion euros, about 10 times as much as the United States, which had been an early proponent of such measures.

Germany specifically had balked at the measure since it could hit them hard. But Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement that “after Russia’s shameless attack … we are working hard on limiting the collateral damage of decoupling (Russia) from SWIFT so that it hits the right people. What we need is a targeted, functional restrictions of SWIFT.”

As another measure, the allies announced a commitment “to taking measures to limit the sale of citizenship — so-called golden passports — that let wealthy Russians connected to the Russian government become citizens of our countries and gain access to our financial systems.”

The group also announced the formation this week of a trans-Atlantic task force to ensure that these and other sanctions on Russia are implemented effectively through information sharing and asset freezes.

“These new sanctions, which include removing several Russian banks from SWIFT and sanctioning Russia’s central bank, are likely to cause serious damage to the Russian economy and its banking system,” said Clay Lowery, executive vice president of the Institute of International Finance. “While details on how the new sanctions affect energy are still emerging, we do know that sanctions on its central bank will make it more difficult for Russia to export energy and other commodities.”

Rachel Ziemba, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said that even without a complete SWIFT ban, “these measures will still be painful to Russia’s economy. They reinforce the measures already taken earlier this week by making transactions more complicated and difficult.”

Ziemba says how much pain the sanctions render on the Russian economy will depend on which banks are restricted and which measures are taken to restrict the ability of the Central Bank to operate.

“Regardless, these sort of escalating sanctions, removing banks from SWIFT, restricting the Central Bank, this will all make it more difficult to get commodities from Russia and will increase the pressure on the financial market.”

Meantime, the U.S. Embassy in Russia is warning Americans of multiple reports of non-Russian credit and debit cards being declined in Russia. In a tweet Saturday night, the American Embassy said the problem appears to be related to recent sanctions, imposed on Russian banks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The embassy says U.S. citizens in Russia should be prepared with alternate means of payment should cards be declined. It also reminded U.S. citizens that the State Department advises against travel to Russia.

Casert reported from Brussels and Sweet from New York. Associated Press writers Frank Jordan, Fatima Hussein and Josh Boak contributed to this report.

U.S. News

Jon Stewart Praises ‘Grace’ Of Comedian-Turned-President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

“We’re watching Shecky Greene transform into Churchill,” he said of Ukraine’s leader.

By Hilary Hanson – February 26, 2022

Comedian Jon Stewart expressed admiration and respect on Saturday for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was a successful comedian before being elected Ukraine’s president.

The former “Daily Show” host discussed Zelenskyy with writers Robby Slowik and Rob Christensen on his new show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart.”

“We are comedians, and we know the general brand of cowardice that runs through our business,” said Stewart.

That, he said, was in stark contrast to the actions of Zelenskyy, who has emerged as a strong wartime leader during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy has posted videos expressing his resolution to stay in Kyiv, the country’s capital, and fight, despite threats to his life. When the United States offered to evacuate Zelenskyy from the city, he reportedly said, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

“We’re watching Shecky Greene transform into Churchill,” Stewart said, a reference to the nightclub comedian who was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who led the United Kingdom during World War II.

He also imagined a darkly funny scene involving a group of comics complaining about the “horrors” of their profession ― like being poorly treated at a comedy club ― before Zelenskyy chimes in to recount the genuine horrors of war.

Stewart praised what he characterized Zelenskyy’s “grace” under the circumstances.

“What this dude is doing, it is incredibly moving,” he said.