Russian troops advancing closer to Kyiv, US says
- Russian soldiers are advancing in the direction of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, a US official says, as Moscow continues to flow troops into the country.
- The UN refugee agency says an estimated 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes.
- US President Joe Biden unveils new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine while Western powers decry Moscow’s move.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin launches sweeping Ukraine invasion.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vows to defend his nation, declares martial law.
Red Cross fears ‘massive casualty numbers’ in Ukraine
The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could unleash death and destruction on a scale that is “frightening to contemplate”.
“I fear increased suffering, with the potential of massive casualty numbers and extensive destruction of civilian objects like water and electricity plants, as well as mass displacement, trauma, family separation, and missing persons,” Peter Maurer said in a statement.
Ukraine foreign minister speaks to Turkish counterpart
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that he has spoken to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu over the phone.
The pair discussed “practical steps to ensure security in the Black Sea region,” Kuleba said in a Twitter post.
Ukrainian leader signs decree on general mobilisation of population
Zelenskyy has signed a decree on the general mobilisation of the population in the wake of Russia’s invasion, the Interfax Ukraine news agency has said.
Citing a decree on the presidential website, the agency said the mobilisation would be carried out within 90 days of the decree coming into force.
Blinken, in call with India, stresses collective condemnation of Russian invasion
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and urged a “strong collective response” to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the State Department has said.
“Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of a strong collective response to condemn Russia’s invasion and call for an immediate withdrawal and ceasefire,” the State Department said in a statement.
Russia SWIFT ban ‘still on table’: EU financial services commissioner
The European Union may not decide to cut Russia off from the SWIFT global interbank payments system this evening, but the measure has not been taken off the table as a possible sanction, the bloc’s financial services commissioner has said.
