Ukraine
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.
NATO to step up presence in eastern part of alliance, not inside Ukraine
NATO did not have combat troops inside Ukraine and it "had no intention of deploying NATO troops to Ukraine," Stoltenberg on Thursday told the press after an extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council. NATO's response came as Putin on Thursday authorized "a special military operation" in the Donbas region, and Ukraine confirmed that military targets across the country were under attack, Xinhua reported.
Over 150 Russian officials sign open letter condemning Putin
The deputies said they were 'convinced' Russian citizens do not back the war and blamed Putin 'personally' for ordering troops into Ukraine in an attack 'for which there is no and cannot be any justification', the report said. The letter urged Russians 'not to participate in the aggression' and called on citizens to speak out against the invasion because 'only massive popular condemnation can stop the war'.
US aviation regulator expands no-fly zone to include Ukraine, Belarus, parts of Russia
The FAA on Thursday said in a statement that it issued NOTAMs expanding the area in eastern Europe and Russia where US airlines and US pilots cannot operate. "The expanded NOTAMs now cover the entire country of Ukraine, the whole country of Belarus and a western portion of Russia," the statement said. NOTAM is a notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.
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