LIVE: Russia – Ukraine invasion latest news
12.50: UN rights body approves probe into alleged Russian violations in Ukraine –The U.N. Human Rights Council voted overwhelmingly onn Friday for a resolution condemning alleged rights violations during Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and setting up a commission of inquiry to investigate them. “It is our common duty to ensure accountability by mandating the documentation and verification of Russia’s crimes and identification of those responsible,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Yevheniia Filipenko, told the Council minutes before the vote.
12.48: Russian advance on port city of Mykolayiv has been halted, says Ukrainian official –A Russian advance on the Ukrainian port city of Mykolayiv has been halted, an adviser to Ukraine’s president said on Friday, after local authorities reported Russian troops entering the ship-building hub on the Black Sea for the first time. “We can feel cautious optimism about the future prospects of the enemy offensive – I think that it will be stopped in other areas also,” military adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in a televised briefing.
11.50: Putin is playing with fire attacking nuclear plant -UK’s Wallace – British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Friday said Russia’s Vladimir Putin was playing with fire by attacking a nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s southeast and called on him to stop targeting such sites.
11.05: Italy’s Draghi condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine nuclear plant Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Friday condemned Russia’s attack near the Zaporizhzhia Ukrainian nuclear power plant, calling it an “attack against everyone’s security”. “Prime Minister Mario Draghi condemns Russia’s atrocious attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – an attack against everyone’s security,” his office said in a statement.
11.00: The Times – Volodymyr Zelensky survives 3 assassination attempts in days: Two different groups have been sent to kill him, yet both have been thwarted by anti-war elements within Russia’s Federal Security Service, according to the Times’ sources.
The Times: Volodymyr Zelensky survives 3 assassination attempts in days.
Two different groups have been sent to kill him, yet both have been thwarted by anti-war elements within Russia’s Federal Security Service, according to the Times’ sources.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 4, 2022
10.56: Poland arrests Spanish national suspected of spying for Russia – Poland has arrested a Spanish national of Russian origin on suspicion of participating in foreign intelligence activities, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) said on Friday. The man, identified as an agent of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU), was detained in Przemysl – near Poland’s border with Ukraine – on the night of Feb. 27-28, ABW said in a statement.
10.53: More EU sanctions to come? – European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Friday that all options remained on the table about new sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. “We will consider everything,” Borrell told reporters when asked about new sanctions, and specifically about the possible suspension of the EU’s gas imports from Russia. “Everything remains on the table,” he added on his arrival to a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
10.49: We don’t seek conflict with Russia but we are ready for it, U.S. says – NATO will defend all its allies and territory against a Russian attack, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, as he arrived for a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in Brussels. “Ours is a defensive alliance. We seek no conflict. But if conflict comes to us we are ready for it and we will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he told reporters, while condemning what he called Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
10.44: France activates crisis cell at ASN nuclear watchdog after fire at Ukraine nuclear plant – France has activated the crisis cell at its ASN nuclear watchdog body after an earlier fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, French Energy Minister Barbara Pompili said on Friday.
10.42: Ukraine says it will not share details of any Russia talks in advance – Ukraine will not share details on the timing or location of any talks with Russia in advance, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said in a video broadcast on Friday. On Thursday, negotiators said a third round of ceasefire talks could take place early next week.
10.34: Russia conducts searches at shuttered human rights group – Russian law enforcement officers carried out searches on Friday at the Moscow office of human rights group Memorial International as well as Civic Assistance, an organisation that helps migrants and refugees, the OVD-Info protest monitor said. It was not immediately clear what the searches were about and there was no comment from the police. Memorial International was ordered to shut down in December amid a sweeping crackdown.
Unidentified men in uniform search two offices of #Memorial in #Moscow.
Human rights activists say they do not know from which agency and for what purpose they came. pic.twitter.com/GkFkVJ3mCE
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 4, 2022
It was not immediately clear what the searches were about and there was no comment from the police. Memorial International was ordered to shut down in December amid a sweeping crackdown.
10.14: UK will seize Russian oligarch properties where there is legal basis-minister – Britain will seize the properties of Russian oligarchs if there is the legal basis to do so, British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Friday. “If we’ve got the evidence and there is the legal basis, we’ll do it,” Raab told LBC Radio when asked about the prospect of properties being seized in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Asked if he would support using such properties to house Ukrainian refugees, he said: “Yes, absolutely. We’re looking at everything in the round.”
10.12: NATO must adjust after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – Romania – NATO must adapt military posture at its eastern flank to new reality after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Friday, without spelling out if he wanted permanent presence of allied troops there. “We have to adapt the posture to the reality, which shows that the Russians troops are in Ukraine and in Belarus, so we need to rethink everything,” he told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
10.02: NATO should discuss all scenarios to stop Ukraine war, Canada says – Canada wants NATO to discuss all scenarios to isolate Russia, the country’s foreign minister Melanie Joly said on Friday when asked whether the alliance should consider a no-fly zone over Ukraine. On her arrival at an extraordinary meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Joly said that NATO’s red line was to avoid triggering an international conflict, when asked about the no-fly zone. But then she added: “we want to make sure that scenarios are being discussed”.
10.00: Difficult to believe Russian attack on nuclear plant not deliberate -UK’s Raab – It is very difficult to believe a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was not deliberate, British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Friday. Ukraine said Russian military forces had seized the plant – Europe’s largest – after attacking it in the early hours of Friday, setting an adjacent five-storey training facility on fire.
9.55: Gazprom says Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine continue as normal – Russian state gas company Gazprom GAZP.MM said on Friday it was shipping gas to Europe via Ukraine in line with customers’ requests. The requests stood at 109.5 million cubic metres as of March 4, in line with the previous day’s level, it said.
9.44: Russia to introduce jail terms for spreading ‘fake’ information about the army – The lower house of the Russian parliament on Friday passed a law which makes it a jailable offence to spread “fake” information about the armed forces. The law, passed by the State Duma in the third and final reading, introduces fines and jail terms for those who intentionally spread false information about the armed forces that has a serious impact, according to a statement by the lower house.
9.31: China urges all sides to ensure safety of Ukraine nuclear facilities – China’s foreign ministry on Friday urged all sides to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, after a fire broke out in a building adjacent to a nuclear plant there during intense fighting. “We will monitor the situation and call on all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation and ensure the safety of relevant nuclear facilities,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily briefing.
9.15: Hungary PM Orban says sanctions are “double-edged weapon” – Hungary has supported European Union sanctions against Russia but its own economy will be also inevitably impacted by them, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday. “Sanctions have a price as it is a double-edged weapon, and we will pay this price in the short term,” Orban said in an interview, adding the government had to work to mitigate the direct damage from the measures against Russia.
9.12: Mariupol under Ukrainian control but subject to intense strikes, UK says – The southeastern port city of Mariupol remains under Ukrainian control but it has been encircled by Russian forces and subjected to intense strikes, Britain said in an intelligence update on Friday. “Mariupol remains under Ukrainian control but has likely been encircled by Russian forces,” the Ministry of Defence said. “The city’s civilian infrastructure has been subjected to intense Russian strikes.”
8.47: French minister Beaune: latest Russian attacks in Ukraine “extremely worrying” – France’s European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said the European Union must stand firm as Russian attacks in Ukraine intensify, adding it was too early to assess the consequences of a fire that broke out near the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. “One can see the attacks intensify, which is extremely worrying and serious,” Beaune told reporters as he arrived at a meeting of EU European Affairs Ministers in Arles, southern France.
8.39: Ukraine says Russian forces seize Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Russian military forces have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s southeast, a local authority said on Friday. “Operational personnel are monitoring the condition of power units,” it said on social media, adding that the efforts sought to ensure the operations were in line with safety requirements. Ukraine has said Russian forces attacked the plant in the early hours of Friday, setting an adjacent five-story training facility on fire.
8.37: New Development Bank says it has put new transactions in Russia on hold – The New Development Bank (NDB) established by the BRICS group of emerging nations said it has put new transactions in Russia on hold. “In light of unfolding uncertainties and restrictions, NDB has put new transactions in Russia on hold. NDB will continue to conduct business in full conformity with the highest compliance standards as an international institution,” it said in a statement posted on its website.
8.01: IAEA says ‘essential’ parts of Ukraine nuclear plant not affected – Essential equipment at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was unaffected after a fire there, with no change in radiation levels, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday, citing the country’s regulatory authorities.
7.24: Russia restricts access to BBC Russian service and Radio Liberty – Russia’s communications watchdog has restricted access to BBC Russian service as well as Radio Liberty and the Meduza media outlet, the RIA news agency reported on Friday. Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was being used to undermine the internal political situation and security in Russia.
The website of the #Russian service of the BBC stopped opening in #Russia
According to GlobalCheck, its availability is 17%, which may indicate its blocking. pic.twitter.com/5dJE0oyrJO
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 3, 2022
6.46: Fire put out near Ukrainian nuclear power plant – Ukraine’s state emergency service said on Friday that fire has been put out near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukraine said in the early hours of Friday Russian forces had attacked the plant and a five-story training facility building next to it was on fire.
6.14: Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus, CEO says – Home rental company Airbnb Inc ABNB.O is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus, Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky said.
5.33: U.S. waives COVID test for Americans leaving Russia, Belarus – The United States is waiving a requirement for negative COVID-19 tests from Americans leaving Belarus or Russia to travel home, the State Department said on Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it would exercise its discretion to allow travel by U.S. citizens, permanent residents and holders of valid immigrant visas who were in either country by a Feb. 28 cut-off date.
3.22: World Bank Ukraine loan disbursement grows to 460 mln euros – A World Bank emergency cash disbursement to Ukraine will grow to 460 million euros ($509 million) with contributions from Sweden and the Netherlands, and will be submitted for board approval on Friday, two people familiar with the transaction said. Ukraine’s government could receive the funds almost immediately after the board approves the loan, which may be delayed until Monday, one of the sources told Reuters.
2.58: Google pauses all ad sales in Russia – Alphabet Inc’s GOOGL.O Google said on Thursday that it had stopped selling online advertising in Russia, a ban that covers search, YouTube and outside publishing partners. The move by the world’s top seller of online ads by revenue follows similar pauses in Russia by smaller internet companies Twitter Inc TWTR.N and Snap Inc SNAP.N.
2.01: Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is on fire, says mayor of local town – The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the largest of its kind in Europe, was on fire early on Friday after an attack by Russian troops, the mayor of the nearby town of Energodar said in an online post.
