The Russian invasion of Ukraine pushed thousands of people out of their homes. Millions have been forced to flee Ukraine and seek shelter in neighboring countries. These refugees are now calling for international support to help end the war.

Russian invasion fuels refugee crisis: 1.7 MN people have fled Ukraine

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has intensified its attack. In the latest, Russian airstrikes hit apartment buildings in Sumy, claiming at least 9 lives, including that of 2 children.

Russian airstrikes hit apartment buildings in Sumy, at least 9 including 2 children killed

It is day 13 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine.

WION ground report from Kyiv: Carnage continues on day 13 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine President Zelensky will address the UK's house of commons virtually today. He is likely to urge for more war weapons amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine President Zelensky to address UK lawmakers today & likely to urge for more war weapons

It is day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Now, Putin has set conditions for a ceasefire.

Putin sets conditions for a ceasefire as Russia builds military column near Kyiv

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Zelensky held a conversation with Indian PM Narendra Modi. The outreach came after requests from Kyiv.

Indian PM Modi speaks to Ukraine President Zelensky

It is day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Now, Ukraine says that 8 Russian rockets destroyed airport in Vinnytsia.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Russian airstrike destroys airport in Vinnytsia

In Lviv, Statues were wrapped in protective sheets as the city prepares for Russian assault amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Statues wrapped in protective sheets in Lviv amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

As the world pushed for new economic sanctions against Russia and President Putin amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia's economy faces hardships. Russia scrambles to deal with sanctions.

Russia scrambles to deal with sanctions as Rouble hits record low

Crude oil prices rose up sharply amid concerns of a supply crunch even after countries agreed to release oil from reserves around the world. Oil prices surged to highest since 2008

US crude briefly tops $130 per barrel as oil prices surge to highest since 2008

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, many global businesses and agencies are quitting the Russian market. However, Chinese firms are staying put in Russia.

Chinese firms staying put in Russia despite exodus from western companies

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, many global businesses and agencies are quitting the Russian market. KPMG and PWC became the latest addition to this wave.

KPMG, PWC to exit Russia amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

It is day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine.

Day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Deadly second week of assault

IAEA raised concerns over nuclear plants in Ukraine. This comes after Russian shelling resulted in a fire incident near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant.

IAEA: Concerned over nuclear plants in Ukraine amid Russian invasion

It is day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Several orphanage residents were forced to flee.

Orphanage residents forced to flee as Russian invasion of Ukraine continues

Attempts of evacuation in Mariupol fail as second temporary ceasefire violated

Pope Francis refers to Ukraine as a 'Martyr' country as he speaks briefly on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also urged the warring parties to negotiate.

Pope Francis refers to Ukraine as a 'Martyr' country amid the ongoing Russian invasion

Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global communities including Russian citizens have been protesting against the Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.

Anti-war protest grows in Russia amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

It is day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Ukraine President Zelensky said that Odessa is next on the target of Russia.

Ukraine President Zelensky: Russia to bombard Odessa

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is about to launch an international "plan of action" in his upcoming diplomatic meetings with Canadian, Dutch, and Central European leaders next week, to ensure Russia's invasion of Ukraine fails.

UK's response to Moscow's action: PM Boris Johnson lays out 6-point plan

Day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: WION reports from the conflict zone

Day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Shelling around the capital intensify

The United Nation has estimated that approximately 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens have been displaced during the country’s conflict with Russia. WION tells you more.

UN: Over 1.5 million Ukrainians fled the country so far amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Zelensky urges people to continue resistance as Russia builds military columns near Kyiv

The Russian Orthodox Church blesses rather than fires weapons. In doing so, it has emerged as a powerful weapon in its own right in President Vladimir Putin’s civilisationalist arsenal.

Mr. Putin justified his 12-day-old invasion of Ukraine in part by asserting that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government had been preparing for the “destruction” of the &nbsp;Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Mr. Putin was referring to that part of the church that remained loyal to the Moscow Patriarch after the Ukrainian church in 2018 declared itself independent. Unwittingly, Mr. Putin may have been acknowledging that all may not be well in the church, at least from not from his perspective.

Choosing his words carefully, Metropolitan Onufry, the head of the pro-Moscow wing of the church, called for an end to the fighting.

“Forget mutual quarrels and misunderstandings and ... unite with love for God and our Motherland,” Mr. Onufry said.

The Metropolitan’s call contrasted starkly with maximalist remarks by the Moscow church’s patriarch, Archbishop Kirill, a staunch supporter of Mr. Putin. "When I say 'Russian,' I use the ancient expression from 'A Tale of Bygone Years – Where from has the Russian land come,' the land which now includes Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and other tribes and peoples,” the patriarch said.

In his war, Mr. Putin's notion of religious fault lines amounts to drawing a landscape in which much of the terrain is covered and out of sight.

Mr. Putin would have less of a problem with the repression becoming known of the pro-Kyiv wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in areas of Ukraine that Russia controls, including Crimea and the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

More problematic is the harassment and intimidation of the rapidly growing Evangelist community. If widely known in powerful Evangelist communities in the United States, it could undermine empathy for Mr. Putin as a conservative defender of family and traditional values.

“Moscow sees religion as a key front in the battle to control both Crimea and Donbas and to project influence into the rest of Ukraine,” said John E. Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine.

Similarly, largely unnoticed in the discussion about Ukraine are demographic concerns among Russian nationalists and the Orthodox church. Demographers predict that with birth rates declining among ethnic Russians and increasing among Muslims, Islam is on track to account for one-third of Russia's population by 2050.

“There won't be any Russians left in 2050,” warned Dimitri Smirnov, chairman of the church’s Patriarchal Commission on Family, Maternity and Childhood Protection. Asked by Govorit Moskva radio what the church could do to reverse the trend, Mr. Smirnov replied: “It’s too late.”

That may have been an exaggeration by the church's elite who enjoy many of the perks of being in Mr. Putin's circle, including feeding off the gravy train of hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds that have been designated for the restoration and maintenance of church properties and social work.

However, opposition to the church's course has been building among its rank and file, many of whom do not enjoy the leadership's perks. Lower-ranking priests have criticised prescribed sermons that warn against the perils of democracy, glorify Mr. Putin for restoring Russian pride, project Russian intervention in Syria as a mission to save Christians, and support Russian occupation of Ukrainian and Georgian lands.

Last week, 150 Russian Orthodox clerics called for an end to the war in an open letter.

“The church is closely tied to the current government. There is mounting hostility to its ruling class because of its ostentatious consumption, luxury, power, and repression. People feel that the church has become obsessed with earthly goods. This is risky because sooner or later, power will change hands,” said a Russian political scientist in an email exchange.

Risky as it may be, many in the Balkans fear that the church could help make Bosnia Herzegovina one of Mr. Putin's next targets should he subdue and maintain control of Ukraine.

“Russia sees the Balkans as NATO’s soft underbelly where they can foment chaos and create a mess,“ said Bosnian journalist and scholar Harun Karcic.

Noting that church support was a prerequisite for electoral success in countries like Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, and Macedonia, Mr. Karcic asserted that “whatever happens in Ukraine will not stop in Ukraine. Bosnia will likely be one of the next countries of interest.”

The journalist-scholar described Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the tripartite Bosnian presidency, as “a major Russian player who is a great supporter of the Russian Orthodox Church… Here we have a full Russian proxy who is a very public fan of the Russian Orthodox Church who effectively controls half of Bosnia.”

Last year, Mr. Dodik put Bosnia on tenterhooks, pulling Republika Srpska, the Serb constituent element of the country, out of key government institutions, including the military, the judiciary, and the tax administration. The move threatens to destabilize Bosnia, almost three decades after it was founded on the ashes of a bitter ethnic and sectarian war.

Mr. Dodik is in good company. Serbia itself has emerged as a potential monkey wrench in the Balkans by breaking with Europe and refusing to close its air space to Russian flights. Moreover, Air Serbia has doubled to 15 from seven the number of weekly flights it operates from Belgrade to Russia. 
 
(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Russian Orthodox Church blesses rather than fires weapons. In doing so, it has emerged as a powerful weapon in its own right in President Vladimir Putin’s civilisationalist arsenal.

The Russian Orthodox Church blesses rather than fires weapons. In doing so, it has emerged as a powerful weapon in its own right in President Vladimir Putin’s civilisationalist arsenal. Mr. Putin justified his 12-day-old invasion of Ukraine in part by asserting that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government had been preparing for the “destruction” of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Mr. Putin was referring to that part of the church that remained loyal to the Moscow Patriarch after the Ukrainian church in 2018 declared itself independent. Unwittingly, Mr. Putin may have been acknowledging that all may not be well in the church, at least from not from his perspective. Choosing his words carefully, Metropolitan Onufry, the head of the pro-Moscow wing of the church, called for an end to the fighting. “Forget mutual quarrels and misunderstandings and ... unite with love for God and our Motherland,” Mr. Onufry said. The Metropolitan’s call contrasted starkly with maximalist remarks by the Moscow church’s patriarch, Archbishop Kirill, a staunch supporter of Mr. Putin. "When I say 'Russian,' I use the ancient expression from 'A Tale of Bygone Years – Where from has the Russian land come,' the land which now includes Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and other tribes and peoples,” the patriarch said. In his war, Mr. Putin's notion of religious fault lines amounts to drawing a landscape in which much of the terrain is covered and out of sight. Mr. Putin would have less of a problem with the repression becoming known of the pro-Kyiv wing of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in areas of Ukraine that Russia controls, including Crimea and the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. More problematic is the harassment and intimidation of the rapidly growing Evangelist community. If widely known in powerful Evangelist communities in the United States, it could undermine empathy for Mr. Putin as a conservative defender of family and traditional values. “Moscow sees religion as a key front in the battle to control both Crimea and Donbas and to project influence into the rest of Ukraine,” said John E. Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine. Similarly, largely unnoticed in the discussion about Ukraine are demographic concerns among Russian nationalists and the Orthodox church. Demographers predict that with birth rates declining among ethnic Russians and increasing among Muslims, Islam is on track to account for one-third of Russia's population by 2050. “There won't be any Russians left in 2050,” warned Dimitri Smirnov, chairman of the church’s Patriarchal Commission on Family, Maternity and Childhood Protection. Asked by Govorit Moskva radio what the church could do to reverse the trend, Mr. Smirnov replied: “It’s too late.” That may have been an exaggeration by the church's elite who enjoy many of the perks of being in Mr. Putin's circle, including feeding off the gravy train of hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds that have been designated for the restoration and maintenance of church properties and social work. However, opposition to the church's course has been building among its rank and file, many of whom do not enjoy the leadership's perks. Lower-ranking priests have criticised prescribed sermons that warn against the perils of democracy, glorify Mr. Putin for restoring Russian pride, project Russian intervention in Syria as a mission to save Christians, and support Russian occupation of Ukrainian and Georgian lands. Last week, 150 Russian Orthodox clerics called for an end to the war in an open letter. “The church is closely tied to the current government. There is mounting hostility to its ruling class because of its ostentatious consumption, luxury, power, and repression. People feel that the church has become obsessed with earthly goods. This is risky because sooner or later, power will change hands,” said a Russian political scientist in an email exchange. Risky as it may be, many in the Balkans fear that the church could help make Bosnia Herzegovina one of Mr. Putin's next targets should he subdue and maintain control of Ukraine. “Russia sees the Balkans as NATO’s soft underbelly where they can foment chaos and create a mess,“ said Bosnian journalist and scholar Harun Karcic. Noting that church support was a prerequisite for electoral success in countries like Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, and Macedonia, Mr. Karcic asserted that “whatever happens in Ukraine will not stop in Ukraine. Bosnia will likely be one of the next countries of interest.” The journalist-scholar described Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the tripartite Bosnian presidency, as “a major Russian player who is a great supporter of the Russian Orthodox Church… Here we have a full Russian proxy who is a very public fan of the Russian Orthodox Church who effectively controls half of Bosnia.” Last year, Mr. Dodik put Bosnia on tenterhooks, pulling Republika Srpska, the Serb constituent element of the country, out of key government institutions, including the military, the judiciary, and the tax administration. The move threatens to destabilize Bosnia, almost three decades after it was founded on the ashes of a bitter ethnic and sectarian war. Mr. Dodik is in good company. Serbia itself has emerged as a potential monkey wrench in the Balkans by breaking with Europe and refusing to close its air space to Russian flights. Moreover, Air Serbia has doubled to 15 from seven the number of weekly flights it operates from Belgrade to Russia. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Russian societal tensions are mirrored in Putin’s Orthodox church

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Zelensky held a conversation with Indian PM Narendra Modi. The outreach came after requests from Kyiv. The duo also discussed evacuations.

Second call between Indian PM Modi & Ukraine President Zelensky to discuss evacuations

After 12 days of intense fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian Armies, Russia has declared a temporary ceasefire from 7 AM GMT to facilitate evacuations in Ukraine.

Russia calls for a temporary ceasefire from 7 AM GMT to facilitate evacuations in Ukraine

It is day 12 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Now, Russia is enlisting Syrian fighters.

Russia enlists help of Syrian fighters in Ukraine

Now, according to reports, Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv, at 7am. Russian defence ministry confirmed that they will hold a temporary ceasefire to facilitate evacuations in some areas in Ukraine.

Russia calls for a temporary ceasefire amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is a mass influx of people out of Ukraine due to the humanitarian situation, the number of refugees could grow to 1.5 million.

The plight of Ukrainians worsen: Almost 1.5 million people displaced amid Russian invasion

It is day 11 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Russia has intensified attacks.

Ukrainians prepare for Russian assault as capital Kyiv turns fortress amid Russian invasion

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