russia ukrain crises

1. LIVE UPDATES: Russia-Ukraine crisis
DEVELOPING / UPDATED 7 HOURS AGO
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
LIVE UPDATES: Russia-Ukraine crisis
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
After weeks of escalating tensions in the region and sanctions imposed by
Western nations, Russia has begun its invasion of Ukraine, with President
Vladimir Putin authorizing a military operation in the eastern part of the
country on Thursday, February 24.
“Russia cannot feel safe, develop, and exist with a constant threat
emanating from the territory of modern Ukraine,” Putin said. “All
responsibility for bloodshed will be on the conscience of the ruling regime
in Ukraine.”
Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv shortly after Putin’s
announcement that signaled what appeared to be the start of war in
Europe. Ukraine vowed to defend itself from what it called a “war of
aggression.”
“The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now,” said Ukrainian
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

2. Bookmark and refresh this page for updates and analyses of the latest news
on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.
LATEST UPDATES
7 HOURS AGO
US ready to take diplomatic steps Ukraine will find helpful – State
Department
The United States is willing to take diplomatic steps that the Ukrainian
government would find helpful, a State Department spokesperson said on
Saturday, March 12, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the West
should be more involved in negotiations to end the war.
“If there are diplomatic steps that we can take that the Ukrainian
Government believes would be helpful, we’re prepared to take them,” the
spokesperson said.
“We are working to put the Ukrainians in the strongest possible negotiating
position, including by increasing pressure on Russia by imposing severe
costs and by providing security assistance to help Ukrainians defend
themselves.”
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter

3. Copy URL
7 HOURS AGO
Chernobyl, Zaporizhzhia nuclear plants being run by Ukrainian staff – Russia
The Ukrainian nuclear power plants at Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia, both
now under the control of Russian forces, are being run and managed by
their Ukrainian staff, Russia’s atomic energy agency Rosatom said on
Saturday, March 12, according to the RIA news agency.
Rosatom’s statement said an external power supply was being restored to
the defunct Chernobyl plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in
1986, with the help of Russian specialists.
It also said activities to ensure safety at the plants were being carried out in
coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
7 HOURS AGO
In call with Macron and Scholz, Putin showed not ready to end war, says
Elysee
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not show a willingness to end a war
with Ukraine during a call on Saturday, March 12, with French President
Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a French presidency

4. official said.
The French and German leaders reiterated their call for an immediate
ceasefire in Ukraine as a condition for full negotiations, the official said.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
7 HOURS AGO
Eastern town of Volnovakha destroyed after Russia invasion – local
governor
The eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha has been completely destroyed
following the Russian invasion but fighting continues for territory there to
prevent a Russian encirclement, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on
Saturday, March 12.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
8 HOURS AGO
Russia planning ‘pseudo’ independence referendum in Kherson, says local
official

5. Russian occupying forces are planning to stage a “pseudo” referendum in
the southern Ukrainian port city of Kherson to create a breakaway region,
the deputy head of the local council said on Saturday, March 12.
“The creation of the (republic) will turn our region into a hopeless hole
without life or a future,” Sergey Khlan said in a post on social media.
Russian forces captured Kherson following the start of an invasion on
February 24, but pro-Ukraine protesters have taken to the streets in the
city to protest the invasion force.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
8 HOURS AGO
Scholz, Macron demand Ukraine ceasefire in call with Putin
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron
called for an immediate ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict during a 75-minute
phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, March 12, a
German government spokesperson said.
“The conversation is part of ongoing international efforts to end the war in
Ukraine,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the
participants agreed to say nothing further about the substance of the

6. phone call.
Scholz had earlier spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
about the situation, the spokesperson added.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
8 HOURS AGO
Putin briefed French and German leaders on Russia-Ukraine talks – Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron
and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the state of negotiations
between Moscow and Kyiv and responded to their concerns about the
humanitarian situation in Ukraine during a three-way phone call on
Saturday, March 12, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin did not elaborate on Putin’s comments about the state of talks,
17 days into the war that began when Russian forces invaded Ukraine on
February 24.
On Friday, Putin said there had been “certain positive shifts” in the talks,
which have been taking place in Belarus, but gave no details.

7. The Kremlin statement said Macron and Scholz raised questions about the
humanitarian situation arising from what Russia calls its special military
operation in Ukraine, and Putin responded with allegations of human rights
abuses by Ukrainian forces. It did not cite evidence in support of those
allegations.
The three leaders agreed to keep in contact, the Kremlin said.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
8 HOURS AGO
Around 1,300 Ukrainian troops killed since Russian invasion – Zelenskiy
Around 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the start of the
Russian invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, March
12.
Speaking at a news briefing, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian and Russian
negotiating teams had started discussing concrete topics rather than
exchanging ultimatums.
He said the West should be more involved in negotiations to end the war
but welcomed efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to mediate
between Ukraine and Russia, and said he had suggested to Bennett holding

8. talks in Jerusalem.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
9 HOURS AGO
Ukraine bans fertilizer exports, says agriculture ministry
Ukraine, a major global producer of agricultural products, has banned
exports of fertilizers given the Russian invasion, the agriculture ministry
said on Saturday, March 12.
Ukraine has already banned exports of some agricultural commodities and
introduced licenses for its key export goods – wheat, corn and sunflower
oil.
“The cabinet of ministers is introducing a zero quota for the export of
mineral fertilizers that is a de facto ban on the export of fertilizers from
Ukraine,” the ministry said in a statement. It said the ban would help “to
maintain balance in the domestic market” and applied to nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium and complex fertilizers.
Ukraine traditionally starts spring field work in late February or in March.
Farmers say they will start sowing in safe areas as soon as they can.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday the country must

9. sow as many crops as possible this spring, despite the Russian invasion.
The country’s agriculture producers’ union said this week farmers were
likely to reduce areas sown to sunseed, rapeseed and corn this year,
replacing them with cereals – buckwheat, oats and millet.
Ukraine, the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil, had forecast before
the invasion that it could export more than 60 million tonnes of grain,
including 33 million tonnes of corn and 23 million tonnes of wheat, in the
2021/22 July-June season. The agriculture ministry said Ukraine had
exported 43 million tonnes of various grains in the 2021/22 season as of
February 23, the day before the invasion.
REUTERS
Facebook
Twitter
Copy URL
10 HOURS AGO
Italy seizes Russian oligarch Melnichenko’s sailing yacht
Italian police have seized a superyacht from Russian billionaire Andrey
Igorevich Melnichenko, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday, March
12, a few days after the businessman was placed on an EU sanctions list
following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 143-meter (470-foot) Sailing Yacht A, which has a price tag of 530

10. million euros ($578 million), has been sequestered at the northern port of
Trieste, the government said.
Designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug in Germany, the vessel
is the world’s biggest sailing yacht, the government said.
Melnichenko owned major fertilizer producer EuroChem Group and coal
company SUEK. The companies said in statements on Thursday that he had
resigned as a member of the board in both companies and withdrawn as
their beneficiary, effective Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Melnichenko, Alex Andreev, said the businessman had
“no relation to the tragic events in Ukraine. He has no political affiliations.”
“There is no justification whatsoever for placing him on the EU sanctions
list,” Andreev said. “We will be disputing these baseless and unjustified
sanctions, and believe that the rule of law and common sense will prevail.
REUTERS