Russia Ukraine War Updates: Putin says Moscow continuing all energy exports, including through Kyiv

The Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a political outfit of several farmer bodies, failed to make an impact in the political space during the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal-led SSM could not win any seat in Punjab where the AAP appeared set to register a comprehensive victory.
Euphoric over the success of their 'morcha', which continued for over a year at Delhi borders against the Centre's now-repealed three farm laws, several farm groups had decided last December to take the electoral plunge to bring about a “political change.”

They fought the February 20 polls in alliance with Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni-led Sanyukt Sangharsh Party.

Rajewal, a prominent farmer leader who stood against the farm laws, was the leader of the SSM and shot into limelight following the repeal of the contentious laws.

Rajewal had then said it was due the demand and "enormous pressure" of the people of Punjab that the farmer bodies' decided to enter politics.
Rajewal (79), unsuccessfully contested from Samrala assembly seat.

Despite claims of getting immense support from people on the ground, the SSM appeared to have struggled in the polls.

Moreover, prominent farmer organisations like Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), the largest outfit in the state, and BKU (Dakaunda) did not align with the SSM while two SSM candidates withdrew from contesting the polls claiming lack of support.

SSM's Rampura Phul candidate Jaskaran Singh retired and announced support forthe AAP candidate while Mansa nominee Gurnam Singh too withdrew from the contest.

The aftermath of (the Ukraine-Russia) war will be borne by every country. India has financial, defense, security, political ties with nations fighting the war...We import oil such as sunflower oil...International prices of coal, gas, fertilizers rising rapidly across the world

It is unfortunate that even when thousands of Indian students, Indian citizens were stranded in Ukraine, there was talk of breaking the morale of the country. These people also tried to malign Operation Ganga. This is a big concern for the future of India: PM Modi

President Zelenskyy signs law allowing seizure of Russian property in Ukraine. It allows Ukraine to confiscate property that belongs to Russian Federation or its residents without any compensation. The parliament passed it on March 3: Ukraine's The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine's president is telling Russian leaders that their country’s invasion of Ukraine will backfire, by landing them in court and making their people hate them.

“You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video released Thursday.

The West has slapped harsh financial and economic sanctions on Russia because of the invasion, and the Ukrainian leader said the consequences will be felt by all Russians.

“And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens — everyone you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row, when they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities, in the stolen future of Russian children.”

The crisis in Ukraine and Russia, one of the world's main sources of grain, fertilizers and energy, presents new challenges in securing food supplies on top of a prolonged pandemic, a U.N. official said Thursday.

“We weren't going well even before the pandemic, the hunger was rising slowly and then the pandemic hit,” said Gabriel Ferrero de Loma-Osorio, head of the Committee on World Food Security, a platform within the United Nations for the fight against hunger.

He told The Associated Press that an estimated 161 million more people are suffering from hunger than before the pandemic, totaling 821 million. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had a heavy impact on the availability and prices of food, "so unfortunately, we will need to be cautious, but we can see an important impact on food security globally.”

He said countries need to be careful in handling their food security. Bangladesh, for instance, imports almost half its wheat from Ukraine and Russia.

While there have not yet been global disruptions to wheat supplies, prices have surged 55% since a week before the invasion.

Russia and Ukraine combine for nearly a third of the world's wheat and barley exports. Ukraine also is a major supplier of corn and the global leader in sunflower oil, used in food processing. The war could reduce food supplies just when prices are at their highest levels since 2011.

At a conference organized by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Bangladesh, officials also discussed how to deal with the impact of climate

change, adopt new technologies and tackle diseases and pests that are affecting crops and livestock in Asia-Pacific, the world's most populous region.

On Thursday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina highlighted her country's achievement of self-sufficiency in several essential foods including rice and noted that agriculture remains the backbone of the economy of the South Asian nation of 160 million people. The delta nation is one of the worst victims of climate change with millions under threat of losing homes and land because of a rise in sea levels and salinity.

Reversing many years of progress, hunger in Asia-Pacific is on the rise again, said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. Inequalities also are increasing, particularly between rural and urban populations, while too often women and youth are being left behind.

"The pandemic has forced us to reconsider our priorities and approaches and has highlighted the importance of more sustainable and resilient societies,” he said. 

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and the bombing of civilians, including a maternity hospital.

Speaking Thursday in Warsaw, where she is demonstrating U.S. support for NATO’s eastern flank allies, Harris expressed outrage over the bombing of the maternity hospital on Wednesday and scenes of bloodied pregnant women being evacuated.

“Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching,” said Harris.

Standing alongside Harris, Polish President Andrzej Duda said, “It is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes.”

Talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine are underway on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit in Turkey.

An official photograph showed Russia’s Sergey Lavrov flanked by two advisers sitting across from his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and his officials on Thursday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sat at the head of a U-shaped table in a wood-paneled hotel conference room near the Mediterranean city of Antalya.

The talks are the first high-level talks between the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago. Cavusoglu has said the aim of the meeting is to pave the way for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents that would be facilitated by Turkey’s president.

NATO member Turkey, which has cultivated close ties with both Russia and Ukraine, is trying to balance relations with both nations. It has positioned itself as a neutral party, seeking to facilitate negotiations between the warring sides.

Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido has decided to suspend the supply of its products to Russia.

The German brand HugoBoss also announced its withdrawal

As the war in Ukraine continued for the 15th day, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country is preparing to open six more humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of people stuck in cities under attack by Russian forces.

In his latest video address, the President claimed that on Wednesday, "we managed to organise the work of three humanitarian corridors" from the cities of Sumy, Kiev and Energodar, which led to the evacuation of more than 35,000 people, reports the online Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper

"We are preparing to open six corridors. We pray that people will be evacuated out of Mariupol, Izyum, Volnovakha... We plan to take them to safe cities of our free Ukraine," he added.

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry on Thursday claimed that Russian troops have lost combat capacity in some areas in the country as Moscow's military assault on Kiev entered the 15th day.

In its latest update posted on Facebook, the Ministry said Ukrainian forces continue to restrain Russian attacks in the eastern regions of Donetsk, Slobozhansky and part of the Tavrij operating districts.

The forces are also defending the cities of Kharkiv and Okhtirku, while efforts were on to prevent Russia's advancement in the southeastern direction, it said.

Europe faces a tough choice: Is it worth a recession to choke off oil and gas money to Russia while it fights a war in Ukraine?

While U.S. and British bans on Russian oil increase the pressure on Europe to follow suit, the continent’s dependence on Russia for energy makes an immediate embargo much more difficult. Still, some officials say it is the only way to stop pouring billions in oil and gas revenue into President Vladimir Putin’s coffers, despite the near certainty of record inflation worsening.

Amazon has suspended shipment of retail products to customers based in Russia and Belarus, and will no longer provide customers with access to its streaming service Prime Video in Russia.

The company said that it will no longer be accepting new Russia and Belarus-based AWS customers and Amazon third-party sellers.

"We are also suspending access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia, and we will no longer be taking orders for New World, which is the only video game we sell directly in Russia," the commerce giant said in a statement.

Amazon stopped any new orders of the open-world MMO New World, the only game title it sells in Russia.

Sony's gaming division Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it would stop hardware shipments and software launches in Russia, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The company will also pause shipments of the new racing game Gran Turismo 7 to the country.

"Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) joins the global community in calling for peace in Ukraine," SIE spokesperson Joe Taraborrelli said in a statement shared with The Verge.

"We have suspended all software and hardware shipments, the launch of Gran Turismo 7, and operations of the PlayStation Store in Russia."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has given the smaller nation's embassy in Washington an unexpected role: recruitment center for Americans who want to join the fight.

Diplomats working out of the embassy, in a townhouse in the Georgetown section of the city, are fielding thousands of offers from volunteers seeking to fight for Ukraine, even as they work on the far more pressing matter of securing weapons to defend against an increasingly brutal Russian onslaught.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that London would boost sanctions against Russia over the military operation in Ukraine, the Downing Street said on Wednesday.

"The Prime Minister committed to further tighten these sanctions in order to impose the maximum economic cost on Russia. He outlined the work the UK is doing to provide the military equipment Ukraine needed to defend itself," Downing Street said in a statement.

This comes a day after Zelenskyy said British PM has committed to a new "Marshall Plan" for Ukraine and hinted the US and allies will garner support for the plan.

The House overwhelmingly approved legislation Wednesday night that would ban Russian oil imports to the United States, an effort to put into law the restrictions announced by President Joe Biden in response to the escalating war in Ukraine.

Going further than Biden's import ban on Russian oil, the bill making its way through Congress would also encourage a review of Russia's status in the World Trade Organization and signal U.S. support for sanctions on Russian officials over human rights violations, as the U.S. works to economically isolate the regime.

Lawmakers in both parties have been eager to act, willing to risk higher gas prices at home in order to support Ukraine with a show of U.S. bipartisanship. The legislation was approved Wednesday, 414-17, and now goes to the Senate.

Moscow is interested in holding the next rounds of peace talks with Kiev as soon as Ukrainian negotiators are ready, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Russia has conveyed its position clearly to the Ukrainian side during the previous three rounds of negotiations, Peskov told a daily briefing, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We urge the Ukrainian side to make every effort to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians. We expect a more significant step forward during the next rounds of negotiations," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a weekly press conference.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will fly to Turkey's Antalya on Wednesday to attend a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday, she said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Thursday that Russia is not abandoning its plans to surround Kiev as Moscow's military invasion continued for the 15th day.

In its latest update on Facebook, the military said that Ukrainian forces are repelling and holding back Moscow's offensive operation in all directions despite attempts by Russian troops to advance towards the capital city.

It said the Russian troops have "lost their military capacity and are being introduced into the operation of reserves".

"To increase combat capacity, the enemy is moving to the borders of Ukraine unions and military parts from other strategic directions."

The House approved a massive spending bill Wednesday night that would rush USD 13.6 billion in US aid to battered Ukraine and its European allies, after top Democrats were forced to abruptly drop their plan to include fresh funds to battle COVID-19.

Passage of the Ukraine aid and the USD 1.5 trillion government-wide legislation that carried it let both parties lay claim to election-year victories for their priorities.

Democrats won treasured domestic initiatives, Republicans achieved defense boosts, and both got their imprint on funds to counter Russia's brutal invasion of its western neighbour. Senate approval was assured by week's end or perhaps slightly longer.

Hours earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had to abandon the bill's USD 15.6 billion for combating the pandemic, a decision she called “heartbreaking" and that spelled defeat for a top priority of President Joe Biden and party leaders.

Ukarine has said that Russian forces surrounding the southern port city of Mariupol have destroyed a maternity hospital.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said children were under the wreckage, and called on Western leaders to impose a no-fly zone, the BBC reported.

He also posted footage apparently from inside the hospital, which appears badly damaged.

There is no information yet on casualties, or on who was inside the hospital at the time.

The Mariupol city council said the strike had caused "colossal damage", and published footage showing burned out buildings, destroyed cars and a huge crater outside the hospital.

Ukraine regains control of Derhachi, Kharkiv Oblast, reports the Kyiv Independent

Head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Oleh Synegubov announced that Russian forces were attempting to encircle the city but were repelled by a Ukrainian counterattack.

Twitter has launched a privacy-protected version of its site to bypass surveillance and censorship after Russia restricted access to its service in the country.

Russia has blocked access to Facebook and has limited Twitter in an attempt to try to restrict the flow of information about its war in Ukraine. Both companies have said they are working on restoring access to people inside Russia even as they restrict the country's state media from their services.

Known as an "onion" service, users can access this version of Twitter if they download the Tor browser, which allows people to access sites on what is also referred to as the "dark web." Instead of .com, onion sites have a .onion suffix.

35,000 civilians evacuated from Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, says Zelenskyy

India is set to wind up on Thursday its evacuation mission 'Operation Ganga' that was launched 12 days ago to bring back Indian nationals following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Over 17,000 Indians, mostly students, have been evacuated so far under the mission. The last flight is scheduled for Thursday evening, people familiar with the development said.

India is winding up Operation Ganga as the evacuation of almost all the stranded Indians in Ukraine would be completed by Thursday, the people said, adding the Indian mission will still continue to look for people who may have stayed back in some isolated pockets.

The Pentagon has slammed the door on any plans to provide MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, even through a second country, calling it a "high-risk" venture that would not significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Polish counterpart on Wednesday and told him the US assessment.

He said the US is pursuing other options that would provide more critical military needs to Ukraine such as air defense and anti-armor weapons systems.

Poland had said it was prepared to hand over MiG-29 planes to NATO that could then be delivered to Ukraine, but Kirby said US intelligence concluded that it could be considered escalatory and trigger a "significant" Russian reaction.

"Alternative options to help Ukraine include working with other allies & partner nations around the world who may have additional air defence capabilities willing to provide them to Ukraine. We're having discussions with many countries regarding this": Pentagon Press Secy John Kirby

"Today is the day that defines everything. It defines who is on which side. Russian bombs fell on a hospital in Mariupol. As of now, 17 people are injured. Rescuers are still going through the debris," The Kyiv Independent quotes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

The International Monetary Funds has approved USD 1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, the fund said in a statement.

"The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved a disbursement of USD 1.4 billion (SDR 1005,9 million) under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to help meet urgent financing needs and mitigate the economic impact of the war," Russia's Sputnik News Agency reported citing the statement.

On Monday, the World Bank approved a USD 723 million package of loans and grants for Ukraine, providing government budget support amid the all-out conflict with Russia.

The international lender approved a supplemental budget support package for Ukraine, called Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine - or FREE Ukraine - for USD 489 million, the bank said in a statement.

The Biden administration has publicly warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as the White House rejected Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova this week, without evidence, accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs in its territory, supported by the US White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Russia's claim "preposterous" and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for itself using such weapons of mass destruction against Ukraine.

"This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine," Psaki tweeted Wednesday.

"Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them."

WarnerMedia's CEO Jason Kilar has announced on Wednesday that amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the entertainment conglomerate will be "pausing all new business in Russia".

According to Variety, in a memo to WarnerMedia staff, Kilar said, "I want to share with each of you a number of decisions we have made with regard to WarnerMedia's business operations in Russia."

"Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing all new business in Russia. This includes ceasing broadcast of our channels, halting all new content licensing with Russian entities and pausing our planned theatrical and games releases," he continued.

The Pentagon on Wednesday (local time) said it would oppose any plans to provide MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, calling it "high-risk".

"We do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force at this time and therefore have no desire to see them in our custody either," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said.

He also said: "We believe the best way to support the Ukrainian defence is by providing them with the weapons and assistance that they need most to defeat Russian aggression, in particular, anti-armour and air defence."

"We assess that adding aircraft to the Ukrainian inventory is not likely to significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force. Therefore, we believe that the gain from transferring those MiG-29s is low," he added.