Follow real-time updates on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Biden And China’s Xi Jinping Will Discuss Russia Friday
President Joe Biden will speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday morning. Biden and Xi last spoke in November and will also touch on “managing the competition between our two countries,” Psaki said.
The phone call follows a Monday meeting between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, which prompted a senior Biden Administration official to say the U.S. has “deep concerns about China's alignment with Russia at this time.” The New York Times reported Sunday Russia requested military aid from China—a request both China and Russia denied—and the Financial Times reported Monday the U.S. believes China has indicated it may fulfill Russia’s aid appeal.
—Derek Saul
Russia Ally Uzbekistan Rebukes Ukraine Invasion, Won’t Recognize Moscow-Backed Separatist States
Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia, said on Thursday it opposed the war in Ukraine and urged for a “peaceful solution” to fighting, Reuters reported. Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov also told parliament that Uzbekistan would not recognize the independence of Russia-backed separatist states in Ukraine, one of Moscow’s key demands from Kyiv in negotiations.
The statements mark the strongest rebuke of Russia’s invasion from a former member of the Soviet Union. Like many of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, Uzbekistan has deep economic, social and historic ties to Russia.
– Robert Hart
Moscow Rejects Top UN Court Ruling To Stop Ukraine Invasion
The Kremlin rejected a Wednesday ruling from the United Nations’ top court ordering Russia to immediately halt its military offensive in Ukraine on Thursday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia “cannot take this decision into account” as it does not “consent” to the ruling.
Peskov reiterated Moscow’s argument that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) does not have jurisdiction over the matter and therefore cannot issue a valid ruling. The ICJ concluded on Wednesday that it does have jurisdiction over the case under the Genocide Convention, noting Russia’s frequent allegations of genocide in Ukraine it used to justify its invasion.
While the ICJ’s rulings are binding, it lacks the means to enforce its decisions.
– Robert Hart
Russia Says It Made $117 Million Interest Payment In Attempts To Avoid Default
Russia’s finance ministry said it had paid $117 million in interest payments on two government bonds following warnings the country would default on the payments, according to news reports.
Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov reportedly warned state media the payments may not go through if blocked by the U.S., as they were made using assets frozen under sanctions. The U.S. treasury has said it will allow the payments, CNN reported. Many of Russia’s foreign assets are inaccessible due to Western sanctions, though Siluanov said Russia has done its part to honor its obligations. He has repeatedly threatened to make payments in rubles if it cannot access frozen assets for the payments.
Read more here.
– Robert Hart
Survivors Reportedly Emerging From Bombed Mariupol Theater
People are reportedly beginning to emerge alive from a theater in Mariupol that was hit by a Russian bomb on Wednesday, according to local politician Serhiy Taruta, mayoral adviser Petro Andrushchenko and multiple news outlets. Andrushchenko told Reuters the “shelter held” and said there are survivors, though it is not clear how many survivors there are. The theater was sheltering hundreds of Ukrainian civilians and was marked with the Russian word for “children” on both sides.
The U.K.’s foreign office minister, James Cleverley, said on Thursday the bombing appeared to “be specific targeting of civilian infrastructure" and a "self-evident breach of international humanitarian law", according to the BBC. Russia has denied the attack.
– Robert Hart
Sanctions Are 'Too Few' To Stop War, Zelensky Tells German Lawmakers
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky addressed German lawmakers at the Bundestag Thursday morning, continuing his appeal for international help a day after he addressed U.S. Congress.
He said sanctions imposed on Russia were “too few” to stop the war and asked Germany for more military support. The EU has over the past few days committed a further 500 million euros ($550 million) in military aid to Ukraine.
Invoking the Berlin Wall, Zelensky said Ukraine was behind a wall and asked German’s Chancellor Olaf Sholz to “tear it down.” Ukraine has in recent days conceded that it will not join NATO anytime soon, but signed a membership application to join the European Union at the start of Russia’s invasion.
Zelensky has won praise across Europe and the U.S. for his leadership during the war and has also addressed parliaments in the U.K. and Canada, invoking local history to appeal for more aid to fight off Russian aggression.
– Isabel Togoh
Russian Government Websites Facing 'Unprecedented' Cyber Attacks
Russian government websites are currently facing “unprecedented cyber attacks,” Russian news agency TASS reported on Thursday, citing the country’s digital ministry.
The targets include both government sites like Kremlin.ru and those belonging to state-owned firms like Aeroflot, Sberbank and others, the report adds.
While the ministry doesn’t name any potential suspects behind this supposed attacks, the global hacktivist group Anonymous has in recent weeks carried out several such attacks including knocking Russian government websites offline and hacking televised broadcasts.
— Siladitya Ray
Russian Invasion Is 'Stalled On All Fronts,' U.K. Defense Ministry Says
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has “largely stalled on all fronts,” the British Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence update for Thursday.
Echoing recent U.S. intelligence claims, the report notes that Russian forces continue to suffer heavy losses in Ukraine and have made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days.
The report adds that a vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including several major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands.
— Siladitya Ray
Japan Detects Four Russian Landing Ships Likely Headed Towards Ukraine
Four Russian warships passed through the Tsugaru Strait in northeastern Japan, likely carrying troops and combat vehicles to Ukraine, the Japanese Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
According to Kyodo News, the first two ships were spotted by the Japanese Navy on Tuesday at around 8 p.m. local time while the other two were detected on Wednesday morning around 7 a.m.
All four ships were identified as amphibious assault or landing ships, indicating that they may be used to carry out a sea borne attack on Ukraine’s southern coast.
— Siladitya Ray
More Than 7,000 Russian Troops Killed In Invasion According To U.S. Estimates, Report Says
More than 7,000 Russian troops have died since the invasion of Ukraine began last month, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing the “conservative side of the estimate” by U.S. intelligence.
In addition to that, an estimated 14,000 to 21,000 Russian soldiers have been wounded in battle so far, pushing the total number of casualties even higher.
The heavy death toll has reportedly led to low morale among Russian troops, which intelligence officials say has led to instances of soldiers abandoning their vehicles and walking away from the battlefield.
If the estimate is accurate, then it means that in 20 days Russia has lost more soldiers in the invasion that what the U.S. military loss across 20 years in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
— Siladitya Ray
Zelensky Says Humanitarian Corridors ‘Did Not Work’ Due To Russian Shelling
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a late-night speech humanitarian corridors designed to access besieged Ukrainian cities “did not work” on Wednesday, because the Russian military “did not stop shelling” and “did not guarantee security.”
For weeks, Ukrainian and Russian officials have discussed setting up “humanitarian corridors” to evacuate certain cities and bring in essential supplies. Thousands of civilians have fled cities like Mariupol, but Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of firing on evacuees and preventing desperately needed humanitarian aid from entering Mariupol.
“We are ready to take people out and send humanitarian aid. But we can't expose people to shelling on the road,” Zelensky said in his Thursday morning speech, according to a translation released by his office.
Zelensky compared the Russian military’s blockade of Mariupol—a city of over 400,000 that has faced intense attacks from the air in recent weeks—to Nazi Germany’s years-long siege of Leningrad. Hundreds of thousands of Russian civilians died in that World War II-era siege, including the older brother of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was born in Leningrad—now called St. Petersburg—several years after the war ended.
— Joe Walsh
French Official: Russia ‘Pretending To Negotiate’ With Ukraine
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview Wednesday the Russian government is only “pretending to negotiate” with Ukraine.
Le Drian told the French newspaper Le Parisien Russia is executing a “dramatic process of long-lasting brutality” in Ukraine, according to a translation of the interview by the Guardian. He stressed the importance of a ceasefire between the two countries, as it is “only on this basis that you can negotiate, because you don’t negotiate with a gun on your head.”
The Financial Times reported Wednesday based on unnamed sources that Ukraine and Russia have made progress in negotiating a ceasefire. In the latest proposed deal, Ukraine would receive protection from the United States, United Kingdom and Turkey, but would be unable to host military bases for foreign countries, the report said.
Negotiations have reportedly centered on Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO. Earlier Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is considering a concept of neutrality for Ukraine, similar to the status of Austria and Sweden. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pushed back on this idea on Telegram Wednesday, saying the model can “only be Ukrainian” and must include security guarantees from other countries.
Zelensky told the NBC Nightly News on Wednesday negotiations have been “fairly difficult,” and in a late-night speech, Zelensky said his demands include “security guarantees” and “restoration of territorial integrity.”
—Mason Bissada
Melitopol Mayor Released In Prisoner Swap, Ukraine Says
The mayor of Melitopol was released from Russian custody after five days of captivity in exchange for nine captured Russian soldiers, the Ukrainian government’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security claimed in a Telegram post early Thursday.
Russia has not appeared to comment on the purported prisoner swap.
On Friday, Mayor Ivan Fedorov was reportedly detained by armed men in Melitopol, a southern Ukrainian city controlled by Russian forces. An official in the Luhansk People’s Republic—a Russian-backed breakaway state in eastern Ukraine—said Federov could face terrorism charges. By Wednesday, Ukrainian government officials announced Federov had been freed but didn’t immediately specify the terms of his release.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko—deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office—said Federov will return to his duties, according to news agency Interfax Ukraine. It’s unclear how this will work, considering that Russian authorities have already reportedly installed a new mayor.
— Joe Walsh
U.K.: Russia Likely Switching To Less Precise Weapons With Higher Civilian Casualty Risk
Russia has probably resorted to using weapons that are less precise and “more likely to result in civilian casualties” in its invasion of Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense said Wednesday.
The Ministry said the Russian military has likely used more “stand-off” air-launched weapons—which can hit targets from a distance—than it originally planned, possibly forcing it to switch to outdated and less precise technology. The United Kingdom cited the invasion’s slower-than-expected pace and Russia’s inability to control the airspace for this change.
On Friday, the Ministry reported Russian forces are relying on unguided ‘dumb’ munitions that are “relatively inaccurate and indiscriminate,” and are significantly more likely to result in civilian casualties. It also said Russia has used “stand-off” weapons because Ukrainian air defenses have prevented Russia from taking over the sky.
Russia has launched more than 900 missiles since the invasion began, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Monday.
The United Nations has confirmed 726 civilian deaths since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, though it said the true figure is likely far greater. Some officials believe Russia is intentionally attacking civilians. Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told Politico Friday, “we have credible reports that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian objects.”
—Mason Bissada
Satellite Photos Show Destruction Across Northern Ukraine
Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies this week show extensive damage to residential areas in several northern Ukrainian cities, as the country grapples with intense aerial attacks.
The photos show the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. Russian forces have struggled to take control of major cities in northern Ukraine, but they have pummeled some areas with artillery attacks and missile strikes. Chernihiv was surrounded by Russian troops last week, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said, and Kharkiv—the country’s second-largest city—has faced frequent attacks from the air.
— Joe Walsh
11,000 More People Flee Mariupol, City Council Says
Some 11,000 people were evacuated from the besieged city of Mariupol Wednesday, heading to the city of Zaporizhia about 120 miles northwest, the Mariupol city council said on Telegram.
The city council reported 20,000 people had left Mariupol—a city of over 400,000—the day prior, leaving in about 4,000 cars through humanitarian corridors.
The port city has struggled to evacuate civilians since Russia began its siege earlier this month, bombarding it with heavy shelling and other attacks that city officials claim had killed over 2,400 lives as of Monday, according to a radio interview translated by the New York Times.
On Wednesday, officials in Mariupol said a Russian bomb hit a theater where hundreds of Ukrainians were sheltering, according to CNN. Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies showed the building had the Russian word for “children” written on the ground next to it two days before it was reportedly bombed.
—Mason Bissada
Kremlin Calls Biden’s Allegations Of War Crimes In Ukraine ‘Unacceptable And Unforgivable’
Shortly after President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s TASS news agency the comments were “unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric,” according to Reuters.
Biden’s comments to reporters marked the first time he has directly referred to Putin as a war criminal. Last week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the United States was hesitant to refer to attacks on civilian sites in Ukraine as war crimes because the issue was still under legal review. The same day, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia was committing “war crimes” in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a resolution that accused Putin and other Russian officials of committing war crimes including intentional attacks on civilians, and implored the International Criminal Court to investigate Putin and the Russian military. The ICC opened an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine earlier this month.
—Mason Bissada
Bombed Mariupol Shelter Had ‘Children’ Written Prominently Beside It
A theater in Mariupol that was sheltering hundreds of Ukrainian civilians was marked with the Russian word for “children” written in large letters on the ground beside it two days before the Russian military reportedly bombed the building, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies on Wednesday.
Human Rights Watch says the imagery “clearly shows the building was marked on either end.”
Mariupol’s city council said the theater and makeshift shelter was bombed earlier Wednesday, an act it described as “horrific and inhumane.” Russian forces have surrounded Mariupol and pummeled the city with aerial attacks in recent days.
— Joe Walsh
Biden Says Putin Is A ‘War Criminal’
President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” while speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, marking the first time the White House has alleged Russia’s actions during its invasion of Ukraine amount to war crimes.
When asked by a reporter last week why the U.S. isn’t comfortable calling the bombing of a maternity hospital which killed three people a war crime, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. was conducting a legal review to “make considerations of labeling something as a ‘war crime.’”
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed calls for an investigation into possible Russian war crimes, and said that intentional attacks on civilians are war crimes. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield was one of the first high-ranking U.S. officials to say Russia was committing war crimes in Ukraine last week. In Congress, the Senate voted Tuesday evening to condemn Russia for committing atrocities against the Ukrainian people, and calling for Putin to be charged with war crimes and other human rights abuses.
Still, while the International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into potential war crimes committed by Russia, it’s unlikely that Russian officials would face trial, as Russia would have to extradite the individuals to be tried, or they would have to be arrested in a country that recognizes the court’s authority.
— Anna Kaplan
Russian Bomb Hits Theater Where Hundreds Of Ukrainians Sheltered, Mariupol City Council Says
Russian forces bombed a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of residents were reportedly sheltering, the Mariupol City Council said in a Telegram post cited by Reuters. The city council posted an image of the theater after the bombing, which CNN verified, appearing to show the ruins of the theater surrounded by smoke.
The city council wrote in the post it is “impossible to estimate the scale of this horrific and inhumane act,” as it claimed Russian shelling continued throughout the city. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said in a tweet the Neptune swimming pool also sustained heavy damage in the attack.
Forbes could not independently verify reports of the bombing, and it is unclear how many casualties occurred. Mariupol, a city of more than 400,000 residents in southern Ukraine, has been hit with heavy bombardment for several days as Russian forces have encircled the city.
— Anna Kaplan
Melitopol Mayor Released From Russian Captivity, Ukrainian President’s Office Says
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol who was kidnapped by Russian forces, has been “released from Russian captivity,” according to a Telegram post from Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s President’s Office.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the President's Office, said Fedorov is safe, and that he has already spoken to Yermak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a video posted to Telegram and cited by Interfax Ukraine. Tymoshenko also said Fedorov will soon return to his duties, though it is unclear what they will look like, as the Russian military reportedly installed a new mayor—former city council member Galina Danilchenko—days after his abduction.
Multiple media outlets reported Russian troops put a hood over Fedorov’s head and took him into custody last week, then accused him of “terrorist activities.”
— Anna Kaplan
Biden Sending Ukraine $800 Million More In Military Aid
The U.S. will provide $800 million worth of military equipment to Ukraine, President Joe Biden said in a speech Wednesday, including drones, 800 anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems, small arms and 20 million rounds of ammunition.
Biden’s announcement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed directly to Biden in his video address to Congress on Wednesday, asking Biden “to be the leader of peace” by ramping up his support for Ukraine. The new measures come short of Zelensky’s primary plea Wednesday of establishing a no-fly zone, which many warn could amount to a declaration of world war. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday NATO members are “united” in not establishing a no-fly zone in Ukraine or sending troops to the country.
Biden declined to comment when asked about sending fighter jets to Ukraine. Last week, the Biden administration rejected Poland’s offer to give roughly two dozen MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. so that they could be transferred to Ukraine, saying Russia could interpret the move as an act of American aggression – and that the jets likely wouldn’t be very useful – though a large bipartisan group of Congress members support supplying fighter jets to Ukraine.
Congress appropriated $13.6 billion for aid to Ukraine as part of a larger $1.5 trillion spending bill that Biden signed Tuesday, including $4 billion in assistance for Ukrainian refugees.
—Derek Saul
U.S., Russia Hold First High-Level Talks Since War Began
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke Wednesday with Nikolay Patrushev, the head of the Russian Security Council, the White House announced, in the first known diplomatic contact between high-level officials of the countries since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.
Sullivan told Patrushev Russia should stop targeting Ukrainian cities if it’s “serious about diplomacy” and warned of consequences if Russia uses biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine, according to a statement from National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne.
Last month, the U.S. sanctioned Patrushev, the secretary of the Russian Security Council since 2008 and a close Putin associate. The Biden administration engaged the Kremlin repeatedly early in the year to try to convince it not to attack Ukraine, including several phone calls between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but cut off ties after Russia invaded.
—Derek Saul
Russian TV Protester Fears For Her Safety
Marina Ovsyannikova is “extremely concerned” for her safety, she told Reuters Wednesday, while Russian authorities weigh charges against her for holding up an anti-war sign during a live news broadcast at Russian state television’s Channel One Monday..
Russian authorities fined Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, 30,000 rubles (about $276) Wednesday for posting a video on VKontakte criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ovsyannikova told Reuters, she was trying to stop people from being “zombies” and blindly listening to Russian propaganda: “I really want to feel like this sacrifice was not in vain, and that people will open their eyes."
Following Ovsyannikova’s protest, at least three more journalists at state-run Russian outlets resigned, including one at Channel One and two at the NTV network, according to the BBC.
—Derek Saul
Zelensky Invokes American Memories Of 9/11 And Pearl Harbor In Address To Congress
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Americans to “remember” 9/11 and Pearl Harbor in his virtual address to both chambers of Congress Wednesday morning, appealing for additional aid from the United States. Zelensky compared what Ukrainians have experienced over the last three weeks to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, calling for the U.S. to support a no-fly zone over Ukraine, provide further weapons assistance and sanction all Russian politicians.
In the middle of his speech, Zelensky showed a video of destruction in Ukraine from the war, and spoke in English for the second half of his address. Zelensky concluded by calling on President Joe Biden personally to further support Ukraine: “President Biden, you are the leader of the nation, your great nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.”
Congress greeted Zelensky with raucous standing ovations before and after his speech. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) introduced Zelensky and began a “Slava Ukraini!” chant, a Ukrainian national slogan that translates to “glory to Ukraine.”
Zelensky has addressed several other international legislative bodies recently, including Canadian and British Parliaments, who also gave Zelensky a standing ovation after his speech.
Zelensky addressed more than 300 Congress members in a Zoom meeting on March 5, calling for a no-fly zone and a ban on Russian oil imports. The White House announced a ban on all Russian energy imports three days later, but has not supported a no-fly zone, and several American lawmakers warned doing so could set off “World War III.” President Joe Biden signed off Tuesday on a funding bill that granted $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine, including support for defense equipment and humanitarian assistance.
—Derek Saul
Key Takeaways: Ukraine Rejects Russia's Models Of Neutrality
- Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraine’s lead negotiator in its talks with Russia, pushed back on Russia’s suggestions about implementing Austrian and Swedish models of neutrality for Ukraine in a Wednesday Telegram post.
- In the post, Podolyak rejected the feasibility of using other countries as models for negotiations, considering Russia is waging a “direct war” on Ukraine, emphasizing Ukraine must secure “legally verified security guarantees” in any agreement.
- Earlier Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called for the Austrian and Swedish models of neutrality, explaining Ukraine could keep its military but not maintain foreign bases.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did indicate in a Tuesday speech the door appears to no longer be “open” for Ukraine to join NATO, and, if Ukraine cedes its right to join NATO, it would be a major concession for Ukraine, which states its hopes to join NATO in its constitution.
—Derek Saul
