image source,Reuters
In Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, the Wehrmacht built a defense with sandbags.
Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine continues into the 16th day, while the capital Kyiv continues to be under attack, while the northwestern city of Lutsk, the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk and the large central city Dnipro was targeted for the first time.
BBC Chinese summarizes the situation in the past 24 hours.
Update on the situation in Ukraine:
- On March 11, there were explosions in cities in eastern and western Ukraine. In Lutsk in the northwest, an airport and jet engine factory were targeted. In Dnipro, the fourth largest city in eastern central Ukraine, one person was reportedly killed in an airstrike.There are also reports of explosions in Ivano-Frankivsk in the southwest
- Russia claims to have seized the strategic city of Volnovakha, north of the besieged port of Mariupol
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved volunteers from the Middle East to fight for Russia in eastern Ukraine
- European Commission President von der Leyen proposed at a summit in Versailles that the EU plans to gradually eliminate the bloc’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027.The target is ahead of Tuesday’s proposal
- Ukraine says power supply at Chernobyl nuclear power plant still not repaired
- UN refugee agency says 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since war began
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Russian claims that Ukraine is developing chemical weapons or weapons of mass destruction in a video address. He also warned that if Russia used such weapons against Ukraine, it would receive “the toughest sanctions response”
- Putin’s forces are reportedly besieging several cities in Ukraine, and emergency officials have warned that tactics of such sieges mean cities like Mariupol are running out of food
- Russian troops moved 3 miles (5 kilometers) toward Kyiv in the past 24 hours, a senior U.S. Defense Department official said.
- Russian troops are redeploying to nearby areas, according to an analysis of satellite images of Russian convoys near Kyiv, which could herald a renewed push towards the Ukrainian capital
- Facebook and Instagram change their rules to “temporarily” allow users to call for violence against Russian soldiers or Putin in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- The Ukrainian air force said it hit 10 Russian warplanes and destroyed two large armored convoys on Thursday. In a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force, a Russian Su-25 and Su-34 fighter jets were hit. One of the fighter jets was shot down by a Stinger man-portable missile.Ukraine provided no details on the target’s location
- A former Canadian Army sniper, dubbed one of the world’s deadliest snipers, has arrived in Ukraine to help it fend off a Russian invasion, according to reports
- Ukraine said Russian forces had bombed a nuclear research facility, accusing Moscow of “nuclear terrorism”; Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said the shelling of a nuclear facility in the northeastern city of Kharkiv was interrupted late Thursday electricity and suffer “surface” damage
image source,EPA
Ukrainian troops prepare to enter positions near Kyiv
image source,Reuters
Satellite imagery shows Russian troops gathered in trees around Lubyanka
image source,Reuters
Satellite imagery shows troop movement in Ozera, northeast of Antonov Airport
- JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank by assets, said it was exiting Russia and would not launch new operations in the country.The move comes after investment bank Goldman Sachs announced earlier on Thursday that it would shut down its operations in Russia; Warner Music, Sony Music Group and Uniqlo, among others The company also announced on Thursday that it was suspending operations in Russia
- ICRC warns of severe shortages of food and water in besieged Mariupol
- Ukraine has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it has lost all communications with the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant; IAEA Director General Grossi previously said the agency had “arranged for an inspection of the nuclear facility” but had not provide further details
- Russia’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations has asked the international body to hold an emergency meeting to discuss baseless allegations that Ukraine is producing biological weapons with U.S. assistance.US claims Russia will fabricate claims of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as an excuse for its possible future use of chemical weapons in war
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine also had an impact on the cultural world.In Italy, Russia demands the return of high-value art currently lent to local galleries
- International aviation industry security experts are increasingly concerned that Ukraine’s surface-to-air missiles could end up on the black market or into the hands of organized crime gangs
image source,Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images
Venetian artist Titian’s ‘Young Woman in a Feather Hat’ is one of the artworks demanded to be returned
The news highlights are extended:
image source,Reuters
Ukrainian refugees enter Romania from border
2.5 million refugees in Ukraine
The United Nations refugee agency says 2.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine in the more than 10 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
More than 110,000 of them are citizens of third countries.
Another 2 million people are displaced within Ukraine.
Ukraine: Electricity supply not restored at Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Ukraine’s nuclear power regulator said power had not been restored at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The statement contradicted the Russian Energy Ministry, which had said Belarusian experts had restored power to the nuclear power plant on Thursday.
Ukraine has warned that radiation may leak if cables damaged in the fierce fighting between Russia and Ukraine cannot be repaired.
EU plans to wean itself off Russia for energy
European Commission President von der Leyen proposed at a summit in Versailles that the EU plans to gradually eliminate the bloc’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027. That goal is ahead of Tuesday’s proposal.
The European Commission proposed on Tuesday to wean Europe off Russia’s fossil fuels “by 2030.” The new proposal has an even earlier target time.
Von der Leyen tweeted a photo of a slideshow she showed EU leaders, including a 2027 date for Russia to phase out fossil fuels.
The EU is expected to issue a “Versailles Declaration” later, which may include conclusions on energy, defense and the economy.
European Union leaders issued a statement overnight about their support for Ukraine, including its willingness to accept Ukraine as a member of the European Union.
image source,Getty Images
Putin: “Positive” progress in talks with Ukraine
Ongoing negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials have seen “positive” progress, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“There are certain positive shifts there, and the negotiators on our side have already briefed me on the situation,” Putin said during a meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams have held three rounds of talks on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, and on Thursday the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia met in Turkey.
So far, however, there has been no concrete outcome from the talks.
Putin also talked about sanctions against Russia, saying that sanctions could have a positive impact on Russia.
“Now is a good time for us to work towards greater economic and technological autonomy,” he said.
War affects world food prices
International grain and feed prices could rise by 8% to 20% due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UN food agency said.
In a preliminary assessment of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said it was unclear whether Ukraine would be able to harvest crops in a potentially protracted conflict, as well as uncertainty over Russian food exports.
FAO’s assessment indicates that 20 to 30 percent of Ukraine’s usual winter crops of cereals, maize and sunflowers will not be planted or harvested.
The organization added that Russia is the world‘s largest exporter of wheat, while Ukraine is the fifth largest.
Russia and Ukraine together supply 19% of the world‘s barley, 14% of wheat and 4% of corn.
Reuters quoted the group as saying that the conflict is expected to trigger a surge in the number of undernourished people around the world by 8 million to 12 million in 2022-23.
Ukraine-Russia situation: maternity hospital bombed, Zelensky says “there are children under the rubble”
March 10 Recap:
- Peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Turkey make no progress
- Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said the two foreign ministers had agreed to work on humanitarian issues, but he said Ukraine would never surrender.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russian military operations in Ukraine are proceeding as planned
- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Russia-Ukraine talks were an important start, but “don’t expect miracles to happen overnight”
- Ukraine’s deputy prime minister says Ukraine is opening “seven humanitarian corridors” to help civilians leave cities besieged by Russian troops, including Mariupol
- Mariupol faces the worst humanitarian situation, according to Ukrainian officials, as residents have been trapped in freezing weather for days without power and water
- UK government imposes financial sanctions on Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, freezes his assets
- UK Home Secretary Patel announced that Ukrainian passport holders will be able to apply for UK refugee visas online
- In business, Uniqlo becomes latest global brand to suspend operations in Russia
- Members of the US House of Representatives have approved a $13.6bn (£10.3bn) plan to provide emergency aid to Ukraine.The package, which is expected to pass the Senate in the next few days, includes about half of the funding for Ukraine’s defense and half for refugee aid
image source,Reuters
Some areas of Koh Samui were almost flattened by Russian shelling
- Russia earlier agreed to a new 12-hour ceasefire that would allow civilians to flee Ukraine’s six worst-affected regions, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk
- Civilians have been leaving the northeastern cities of Sumy and Enerhodar, local authorities in those cities say
- Ukraine says continued Russian shelling has again prevented residents from leaving the besieged city of Mariupol and Izyum near Kharkiv
- Russia admits for the first time that it used conscripts in its invasion of Ukraine
- Ukraine says abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant lost power after Russian troops seized the site
image source,Getty Images
Authorities held funerals for three Ukrainian soldiers killed in action in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
- U.S. officials told CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner, that official U.S. estimates put the number of Russian soldiers killed in the first two weeks of the war at about 5,000 to 6,000. Ukraine claims 12,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the fighting.Russia said last week that fewer than 500 soldiers were killed in Ukraine
- Metals and mining giant Rio Tinto is cutting ties with Russia. A spokesman for the London-based Anglo-Australian company told Reuters it was “terminating all commercial relationships with any Russian business”
- Heavy equipment giants Caterpillar and John Deere are suspending work with Russian partners
image source,Reuters
Poland says it cannot take the risk of supplying Ukraine with second-hand Russian-made MiG-29 jets
- The United States has rejected a Polish offer to supply 20 second-hand Russian-made MiG fighter jets for the Ukraine war amid fears of escalation.The Pentagon called it a “high-risk” move that could escalate the current crisis
- Russia currently tolerates the West supplying Ukraine with defensive weapons, but the deployment of fighter jets would be an important escalation step.Even if they are based in Ukraine, Moscow can argue that NATO provides the weapons to expand the conflict into Russian territory
- US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Warsaw, Poland for talks with the Polish president. She stressed that the United States was prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory and announced that the United States had delivered a Patriot missile defense system to Poland.U.S. to donate to UN World Food Program
image source,Getty Images
File photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin driving the Lada in 2010
- Russian automaker Lada is halting production at its factories. The company said severe Western sanctions meant it could no longer get the spare parts it needed.Founded in 1973 during the Soviet era, this iconic brand is known for its affordable prices
- Ukraine’s military said in its latest statement on key battlefield developments that Russia “will not give up encircling” Ukraine’s capital Kyiv
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved emergency funding of $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion) for Ukraine
UK government freezes assets of Russian tycoon
image source,Reuters
Chelsea have enjoyed major success since Roman Abramovich bought the club, winning major titles including the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich’s plans to sell Premier League football club Chelsea have been halted as part of UK government sanctions.
The British government on Thursday (March 10) announced sanctions on Abramović, including freezing his assets and issuing a travel ban.
The billionaire is one of seven Russian oligarchs sanctioned by Britain. Other Russian billionaires sanctioned by the UK include Oleg Deripaska and Igor Sechin.
This is the UK’s most high-profile sanctions action to date. Abramovich’s net worth is estimated at £9.4bn, the UK government said.
The UK government said it would provide a special licence to allow Chelsea Football Club to continue operating despite sanctions.