Vladimir Putin Russia Ukraine war

2022 - 3 - 3

russia today

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Russia appears to have no way out as Putin goes 'all in' (The Guardian)

Analysis: Rising stakes seem to lure the president deeper into the Ukraine war, with polls backing him and his officials compromised.

And after Putin spoke with Emmanuel Macron, a French official said that Putin was “prepared to go all the way”. Russian state television has largely stuck to its script that the “special military operation” is going according to plan. While the rule of thumb in diplomatic circles was that Putin would be in power for the next decade, his appetite for risk has raised questions about whether he could provoke a public backlash or an elite power struggle earlier, especially as Russia’s economy enters recession. “I think it’s going to get worse,” said Kadri Liik, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “For Putin, the incentive is to escalate. I cannot see him modifying his war because that would be a loss in his eyes.” Any chance to come to an agreement with western powers had probably passed, she said. Despite some early defeats, Russia maintains military superiority in Ukraine, where its firepower is likely to give it the edge as the war continues.

Ukraine air force still fighting; superyacht owned by richest Russian ... (CNBC)

Russian military forces took control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, and the world narrowly escaped a full-blown nuclear catastrophe in the ...

"The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate." The emergency service said that there was a fire behind the nuclear power plant in an area that is used for training. In a statement on Facebook Friday, Reznikov said the country's south — where Russian troops have seized control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — was facing difficulties. "We have very good connections to NATO, we are in the partnership with NATO. According to European security rules, it's every country's right to decide their own security policies." "The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO planes into Ukraine and impose it by shooting down Russian planes. A fire broke out at the plant in the early hours of Friday following an attack by Russian forces. Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said in a blog post Friday that the company is also halting "many aspects" of its business in compliance with governmental sanctions. I'd like to pay tribute to all of them, for their bravery, determination and professionalism," the BBC said. "If we win — and I'm sure we will win — this will be a victory for the whole democratic world," he said. "All of you today are Ukrainians and thank you for this," Zelenskyy said during a televised address to a group of European capital cities. "Soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out," Clegg said in a statement on Twitter in response to Friday's blocking. Western companies have responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a number of ways.

Russia-Ukraine war highlights: Zelenskyy says Russia headed ... (CNBCTV18)

Russia-Ukraine war LIVE updates: Russia declared a partial ceasefire on Saturday to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and ...

British military intelligence said on Sunday that Russian forces were targeting populated areas in Ukraine but that the strength of resistance was slowing the Russian advance, Reuters Reported. "The scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance continue to surprise Russia," British military intelligence said in an update. Russian media cited an unnamed source on Sunday as saying that Ukraine was close to building a plutonium-based "dirty bomb" nuclear weapon, although the source cited no evidence. Ukraine:Authorities in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol planned to start evacuating some residents from noon (1000 GMT) under a temporary ceasefire deal, after a similar deal a day earlier collapsed with Russia and Ukraine blaming each other for the failure. Ukraine:Authorities in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol planned to start evacuating some residents from noon (1000 GMT) under a temporary ceasefire deal, after a similar deal a day earlier collapsed with Russia and Ukraine blaming each other for the failure. "The Centre should make a special plan to provide admission to the medical students returning from wartorn Ukraine in MBBS courses in various private and government colleges of the country by relaxing the rules in the interest of the country and public, the Rajya Sabha member said in the letter. Indian citizens fleeing Ukraine are being airlifted from its neighbours such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. "Under 'Operation Ganga' to rescue Indian citizens, 2,135 Indians have been brought back today (Sunday) by 11 special civilian flights from Ukraine's neighbouring countries," the ministry noted in a statement. Ukraine 24 television showed a fighter of the Azov Regiment of the National Guard who said Russian and pro-Russian forces that have encircled the port city of about 400,000 continued shelling the areas that were meant to be safe. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reassured Moldova’s leaders that the United States would rally international opposition to Russian aggression "whenever and wherever" it occurs. The agency said on Twitter that a record one-day number of over 129,000 crossed into Poland on Saturday, and almost 40,000 between midnight and 7 am on Sunday. A nation of some 38 million people, Poland is receiving the largest number of refugees among Ukraine's neighbours. In a statement after a one-hour phone call, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict." Russian authorities on Sunday continued to block independent news outlets and to arrest protesters in an effort to tighten control over what information the domestic audience sees about the invasion of Ukraine. Several prominent independent online outlets were blocked on Sunday, on top of dozens of others that were blocked last week. "From 1000 Moscow time (0700 GMT), the Russian side declares a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha," Russian news agencies quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying.

'Unite' around Putin, Kremlin urges Russians amid Ukraine war (Aljazeera.com)

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledges 'heated debates among cultural figures', tells Russians now not the time 'to be divided'. Russian President Vladimir Putin ...

There are those who completely misunderstand the essence of what is happening,” he added. “Yes, indeed, there are heated debates among cultural figures,” Peskov said. Anti-war protests have taken place in a number of Russian cities since the invasion began on February 24, with police detaining more than 8,000 participants, according to OVD-Info, a rights group tracking political arrests.

Putin's War at Home (U.S. News & World Report)

But it's not just the Ukrainian people who are putting up a surprising fight. Protests have sprung in Moscow and other Russian cities since the attack began in ...

A Russian court last year sentenced Navalny to a federal penal colony after he was charged with embezzlement and missing check-ins with Russia's prison service while he was in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack with military-grade nerve agent that he and his supporters attribute directly to Putin's orders. A popular local governor ran afoul of the Kremlin after defeating a candidate aligned with Putin’s United Russia Party. The governor was arrested on what most believe were trumped-up charges that he was involved in murders many years ago. “A lot of people are talking about the popularity of war back in Russia, Russian mothers and everything,” Moulton says. And with Ukraine denying Russia an easy – and most importantly, swift – victory, the early financial impact of a wide range of sanctions levied by the U.S. and many other countries and alliances is becoming clearer by the day. The government in the early days of the pandemic was less than transparent with its people then, reportedly suppressing information about the virus’ severity and threatening medical workers with retaliation for disclosures. And while the sheer number of Russian soldiers that have been killed so far in the latest conflict in Ukraine is difficult to corroborate, it is undeniable that there have been significant losses. “The answer may depend on how successful Putin is in persuading the Russian people that Russia is really the victim and that the U.S. and the ‘West’ have started the fight.” Recent polling data backs this up: A Levada Center survey put Putin’s approval rating at 71% in February. His favorability may be benefiting from nationalist fervor that accompanies a foreign conflict – likely a part of the Russian leader’s calculus. In 2011, after serving four years as prime minister because he had been term-limited after two terms as president, Putin’s announcement that he would once again seek the presidency sparked outrage among a population that thought he was manipulating the political system. Surveys seem to confirm the idea that many Russians struggle with the tension of looming war and loss. Protests have sprung in Moscow and other Russian cities since the attack began in the early morning hours of Feb. 24. The specifics of Russian losses are a closely guarded secret.

Putin wants 'normalization' of global relations, saying there is 'no ... (The Washington Post)

Vladimir Putin said Russia saw no need to aggravate tensions with other countries, claiming that Moscow's reactions to Ukraine only came “in response to ...

“We want people around him to feel the squeeze.” “There is no other way to stop this war.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Putin has played a direct role in command decisions on particular operations in the war. Putin’s defiance in negotiations with Ukraine has left leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron convinced that “the worst is yet to come” in the invasion. Before the attack on the nuclear power plant, Zelensky on Thursday repeated his request to speak directly with Putin, who has rebuffed the Ukrainian president’s demands. “We will just have to move some projects a little to the right, to acquire additional competencies. “Many, unfortunately, are going crazy.” The United States and countries around the world have imposed historic, wide-ranging sanctions on Russia in hopes of isolating the country and pressuring Putin to abandon the war. The Russian economy in particular is feeling the sting of the international community’s actions. Some of that pressure has been directed toward Russian oligarchs around the world. “There is no need to escalate the situation, impose restrictions. Putin’s comments came hours after a Russian projectile hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine overnight, igniting a fire that caused widespread alarm but triggered no release of radioactive material.

Russia's war in Ukraine: A wrap of the latest developments (Eyewitness News)

A fire at Europe's biggest nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia is put out, with Ukraine accusing Russia of "nuclear terror" in shelling the plant. Russian ...

KYIV - Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine: Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine. Russia's war in Ukraine: A wrap of the latest developments