• Transnistria asks Moscow for help against Moldova
• McConnell, a strong supporter of aid to Ukraine, announces that he will leave the leadership of the Republicans in the Senate
• Moscow on the possible freezing of Russian assets: «Our response will be symmetrical»
• Hungary: «We will not send soldiers to Ukraine, we risk the third world war»
06.15 am – Russia to Swedish media: «Sweden in NATO is a “zone of potential confrontation”»
«Sweden’s accession to NATO inevitably leads to transforming this part of Europe from an area of stability and cooperation into an area of potential confrontation». Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said this based on what was reported by the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet on the homepage of her website.
Svenska Dagbladet explains that she participated in a press conference yesterday with the representative of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Zakharova. «The briefing was held in Moscow with 14 journalists resident in Russia while Svenska Dagbladet participated via connection» explains the newspaper. Sweden cleared the final obstacle to NATO membership on Monday, after the Hungarian parliament approved the traditionally neutral Nordic country’s membership and now awaits ratification by the Hungarian president.
04.58 am – Kiev: «42 Russian attacks in the north-east; 11 cities affected”
Attacks by Moscow forces continue on Ukraine’s north-eastern border with Russia. Russian forces hit 11 communities along the border of Sumy Oblast in 42 separate attacks. This was reported by the Ukrainian regional military administration according to Kiev media reports. At least 204 explosions were recorded in the communities of Yunakivka, Khotin, Bilopillia, Vorozhba, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Nova Sloboda, Esman, Seredyna-Buda, Znob-Novhorodske and Svesa.
Throughout the day, Russia assaulted border communities with attacks from mortars, artillery, drones, unguided bombs and grenade launchers. According to the Ukrainian army, at least 19 mines were also dropped on the community of Velyka Pysarivka. No casualties or damage to local infrastructure were reported. The village of Nova Sloboda, located about 10 kilometers from the Russian border, was the place hardest hit by the attacks, with almost 50 explosions recorded in the area in the last 24 hours. The bombings are a daily occurrence for communities near Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia. On February 27, the Ukrainian National Police reported that a strike in the village of Khotin killed two police officers and injured six others.
03.52 am – Media Kiev: «Russians bomb Kherson, a Turkish ship hit»
Russian troops launched missile attacks on the port of Kherson, during which the Turkish cargo ship Kuruoglu-3 was damaged on its starboard side. This was reported by Rbc-Ukraine. “The ship, which was moored in the port to load 2,800 tons of bulk cargoes of nitrogen fertilizers – bulk urea – and remained stranded for two years due to the war, was hit by two rockets coming from the starboard side,” writes RBC-Ukraine . Due to the threat of mines in the Black Sea, the Turkish vessel has been stranded in the port of Kherson since February 22, 2022. The Turkish organization reports that there is no information on how many crew members were on board and their conditions.
03.27 am – Kiev: «Resumption of Krasnohorivka, a city in Donetsk»
The Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade reported that it had driven Russian troops out of Krasnohorivka near Marinka in the Donetsk region, where the Russians had entered the day before. About 100 Russians were wounded or killed.
02.56 am – Scholz reiterates that Germany will not send soldiers to Ukraine: «NATO is not and will not be a belligerent party»
«As German Chancellor I will not send any soldiers of our armed forces to Ukraine. NATO is not and will not be a belligerent party.” Olaf Scholz reiterated this today on X. «We don’t want Russia’s war against Ukraine to become a war between Russia and NATO. We agree with all our allies on this”, added Scholz, then underlining the support for Kiev from Berlin and its partners.
02.21 am – Yulia Navalnaya: «Putin is the head of a criminal organization. To beat him, hunt down his friends »
(by Yulia Navalnaya) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen,
I thank you for the opportunity to be here today. After the first assassination attempt on Aleksei, at the hands of Putin, we lived for several months in southern Germany. Aleksei was recovering from the poisoning, learning to walk and write again. We took long walks, sometimes short trips. During one of these, we visited Strasbourg with our kids. It’s one of our favorite cities, mine and Aleksei’s. The two of us had been there several times, and then, three years ago, we decided to introduce it to our children. Today my husband is no longer here. I find myself in Strasbourg once again, but I no longer go for a walk with my family. I am here in front of you, I address you, and through your people I address the whole of Europe.
02:00 am – Navalny, funeral will be held tomorrow in a church in Moscow
The funeral ceremony for Alexei Navalny will take place tomorrow at 2 pm (local time) in the church of the Icon of the Mother of God in Maryeno, in the south-east of Moscow, and his body will be buried in the Borisovskoe cemetery. His spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, wrote it on X.
01.39 am – Moscow on the possible freezing of Russian assets: «Our response will be symmetrical»
The US proposal to use 285 billion dollars of Russian assets frozen around the world “undermines the foundations of the entire international financial system” and if it comes to fruition it will lead to “a symmetrical response” from Moscow. This was stated by the Russian Finance Minister, Anton Siluanov, in an interview given today to the Brazilian newspaper Folha on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting being held in Sao Paulo.
«It is a mistake, in this way the foundations of the entire international financial system are undermined. These are basically the Central Bank’s reserves which have always been outside of politics and are protected by all legislative and legal institutions,” Siluanov said. «Now it is proposed to break this system, but it is another blow in the foot, because all attempts to damage Russia in some way have turned out to be a boomerang», he added, underlining that if the Western threat really were to materialize «the response it will be symmetrical.”
«The real assets of foreign companies function and will continue to function in our country, we encourage this in every possible way, but in this case – explained the Kremlin official – even financial assets held by foreign companies from hostile countries may be subject to freezing and use for the needs of the Russian Federation”.
01:08 – Hungary: «We will not send soldiers to Ukraine, we risk the third world war»
“The position of both governments is clear and resolute: we will not send soldiers to Ukraine.” This was stated by the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó after the meeting in Rome with the head of the Farnesina Antonio Tajani. «In agreement with his Italian counterpart – writes the Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs on X -, the two analyzed the situation of the war in Ukraine, concluding that the deployment of European troops could risk triggering the Third World War».
00:42 – McConnell, a strong supporter of aid to Ukraine, announces that he will leave the leadership of the Republicans in the Senate
Mitch McConnell announces that he will leave his position as leader of the Senate Republicans in November. McConnell himself announced it when he spoke in the chamber. “It has been the honor of my life, a privilege,” said McConnell, who turned 82 last week and has been in the Senate since 1985. “It’s time for a new generation of leaders,” he added.
McConnell’s announcement comes as no surprise. The leader of the Republicans in the Senate fell last year and has since suffered health problems, including remaining immobile in front of the cameras without being able to speak.
In addressing the Senate to explain his step back from leadership while remaining as a senator, McConnell said he was aware of differences with his party on national security. The Republican leader is in fact a strong supporter of aid to Ukraine, currently blocked in the House by conservatives. The decision to leave the leadership of the Senate would fit precisely into this framework: free from institutional obligations, McConnell will feel freer to apply pressure and make his voice heard.
Over the course of his long career – he is the leader who has served in the Senate for the longest period in American history – McConnell initially worked side by side with Donald Trump on the nomination of conservative justices, including three on the Supreme Court. However, relations between the two broke down over the former president’s refusal to admit Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 elections.
00:16 – Transnistria asks Moscow for help against Moldova
The authorities of the self-proclaimed Republic of Transnistria, a pro-Russian separatist entity on the territory of Moldova, have said they intend to ask Moscow for “help” against “pressure” from Chisinau. This was reported by the Russian agency Tass.