Ukraine
Ukraine crisis pushes national security to the fore of presidential campaign in S.Korea
The competing claims from the leading presidential candidates came as the Ukraine crisis has underscored the security challenges South Korea faces against a provocative and nuclear-armed North Korea across its border, Yonhap news agency reported. Lee Jae-Myung framed the issue as a choice between peace and war and pointed to falling South Korean stock prices as an example of how war will impact the economy.
Putin demands loyalty from oligarchs after prominent figures speak out against conflict
Speaking in the Kremlin, he said that Russia had been 'forced' to take action over Ukraine and had 'no other choice' but to attack, saying the country remains 'part of the global economy' and that he 'will not hurt the system we belong to'. "I want you to show solidarity with the government," he told them, the report said.
No NATO or US troops will be sent to Ukraine
NATO is expected to focus its efforts on stopping the war from spilling over into neighboring countries, Daily Mail reported. Poland, a member of the alliance, shares an extensive land border with Ukraine. The Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, also NATO members -- will now fear a Russian assault. The alliance began moving its forces early Thursday, putting 100 warplanes on high alert in Europe, the report said.
US Congress eyes $600 mn weapons assistance to Ukraine
Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden announced further economic sanctions against Russia, as well as the deployment of additional US troops to Europe, Xinhua news agency reported. Biden reiterated that no US forces will be sent into Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday authorised "a special military operation" in Donbass. Ukraine confirmed that military targets across the country were under attack.
Concern over safety of Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said: "After the absolutely senseless attack of the Russians in this direction, it is impossible to say that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe." It comes after Russian forces seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after a 'fierce' battle, with the condition of nuclear storage facilities 'unknown', sparking fears of a radiation leak that could cause fallout in Europe, the report said.
Putin plans to encircle Ukrainian forces in Kyiv and force them to either surrender or be destroyed
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Putin plans to encircle Ukrainian forces in Kyiv and force them to either surrender or be destroyed, and the leadership of Ukraine could then fall in a week, the report said. A former senior US intelligence officer told Newsweek: 'After air and artillery end and the ground war really starts, I think Kyiv falls in just a few days. 'The military may last slightly longer but this isn't going to last long.'
Ukraine's capital may be seized this weekend
Ukraine's deputy defense minister said that one missile was shot out of the sky by their anti-missile defense systems. Another missile struck a residential building in the city, the government said. A Ukrainian jet, a SU-27, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile in a separate incident, the Ukrainian government said, Daily Mail reported.
Ukraine faces total Internet blackout amid war with Russia
The cyber invasion had already cut Internet connectivity in some parts of the country, the reports said on Friday. "#Ukraine: Partial outage of Ukrainian ISP Triolan started around 2.50 am UTC," tweeted the IODA project at Georgia Tech in the US late on Thursday. Outages also affected the Triolan Internet service provider, which services a number of cities and other areas across Ukraine, including Kharkiv, reports The Verge.
Russia, US seeking India's support ahead of Security Council vote on Ukraine
Leaders from Russia and the US contacted Indian counterparts on Thursday to discuss the Ukraine situation. The resolution would be a test of India's position in a post-Cold War world that is quickly plunging into a new Cold War. A senior US administration official said that the resolution would condemn in "strongest terms" Russia's invasion of Ukraine and invoke the UN Charter's provisions in its Seventh Chapter empowering the UNSC to take action.
Explosions heard in central Kiev
Two explosions were heard on Friday in the center of Kiev, Ukraine's capital, as the Russian special military operation entered the second day, local media reported. There was no air raid alert around the time of the blasts, which the local authorities have not yet confirmed, Xinhua reported citing the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
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