Reuters
Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now
(Reuters) – February 28, 2022
Here’s what you need to know about the Ukraine crisis right now:
HEADLINES
* Russian artillery bombarded residential districts of Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv on Monday, killing possibly dozens of people, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow’s invading forces met stiff resistance from Ukrainians on a fifth day of conflict. Talks on a ceasefire ended without a breakthrough. A member of the Ukrainian delegation said the discussions were difficult and the Russian side was biased. read more
* Russian President Vladimir Putin told France’s Emmanuel Macron that a Ukraine settlement was only possible if Kyiv was neutral, “denazified” and “demilitarised” and Russian control over annexed Crimea was formally recognised, the Kremlin said. read more
* Russia faced deepening isolation and economic turmoil as Western nations, united in condemnation of its assault, hit it with an array of sanctions. read more
* Ukraine’s Western allies increased weapons transfers in support. Finland agreed to ship 2,500 assault rifles and 1,500 anti-tank weapons. read more
* Russia’s defence ministry said its nuclear missile forces and Northern and Pacific fleets had been placed on enhanced combat duty, Interfax news agency reported, in line with an order the previous day from President Putin. read more
* The head of a U.N. agency said on Monday over 500,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since the start of Russia’s invasion. read more
* The European Union is preparing to grant Ukrainians who flee the war the right to stay and work in the 27-nation bloc for up to three years, EU officials said. read more
* Ukraine and its allies called on Monday for a United Nations inquiry into possible war crimes committed by Russia during its military actions in Ukraine. read more
* The websites of several Russian media outlets were hacked on Monday, Reuters checks showed, with their regular sites replaced by an anti-war message and calls to stop President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. read more
SANCTIONS AND ECONOMIC FALL-OUT
People fleeing Russian invasion of Ukraine arrive at a temporary camp in Przemysl, Poland, February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Supplies for refugees fleeing the Russian invasion in Ukraine are slightly covered in snow at the border checkpoint in Medyka,
Armored vehicles are seen as pro-Russian separatists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Russian regular forces enter Mykolaivka amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine February 27, 2022 in this still image taken from video. REUTERS/via REUTERS TV
* Russia’s central bank more than doubled its key policy rate on Monday and introduced some capital controls as the country faced deepening economic isolation, but its governor said sanctions had stopped it selling foreign currency to prop up the rouble. read more
* The United States on Monday blocked Americans from engaging in any transactions involving Russia’s central bank, National Wealth Fund and finance ministry in further punishment of Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. read more
* Airlines on Monday braced for a potentially lengthy dispute after the European Union banned Russian airlines from its airspace and Moscow responded in kind, barring carriers from 36 countries including all 27 members of the EU. Dozens of flights were cancelled or sent on costly detours as the crisis hit airline shares. read more
* FIFA is set to suspend Russia’s national teams from international football until further notice, a source with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters on Monday. read more
* The International Olympic Committee’s executive board has recommended that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events, the IOC said on Monday. read more
* Energy giant BP, global bank HSBC and the world’s biggest aircraft leasing firm AerCap joined a growing list of companies looking to exit Russia on Monday, as Western sanctions tightened the screws on Moscow. read more
* The Russian rouble fell to fresh record lows on Monday while world stocks slid and oil prices jumped, as the West ramped up sanctions against Russia over its Ukraine invasion, with steps including blocking banks from the SWIFT global payments system. read more
QUOTES
* “I took a train from Kyiv to Lviv to a point where the taxi put us. I walked the last 50 kilometres,” a Ukrainian woman said on arrival at a border crossing with Poland in snowy freezing weather. read more
* “There are bombings, sirens, we have to go (downstairs). We also receive treatment here, medications we have, but we need more food…basic stuff,” said a tearful Maryna, a mother at a Kyiv children’s hospital where her nine-year-old son is suffering from blood cancer. read more