Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that NATO is planning for a permanent military presence on its border as per a report by 'The Telegraph'.

According to Stoltenberg, the move will reflect "the long-term consequences" of the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He said that NATO is "in the midst of a very fundamental transformation" to battle future Russian aggression.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russian-missile-strike-kills-over-50-people-at-railway-station-469676/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"What we see now is a new reality, a new normal for European security. Therefore, we have now asked our military commanders to provide options for what we call a reset, a longer-term adaptation of NATO," he added.

Decisions on the reset will be made at a NATO summit to be held in Madrid in June. Stoltenberg recently said he would extend his term as head of the alliance by a year.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine led Western nations to rethink their defense policies. It has also triggered Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War Two.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-prime-minister-boris-johnson-meets-ukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelensky-in-kyiv-469759" hreflang="en">UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv</a>

Ukraine has welcomed new pressure on Moscow, but it continues to push for harsher sanctions and more heavy weaponry.

After meeting NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said, "Either you help us now, and I'm speaking about days, not weeks, or your help will come too late and many people will die, many civilians will lose their homes, many villages will be destroyed."&nbsp;

Britain said Friday it was sending Ukraine more "high-grade military equipment" including Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and 800 anti-tank missiles. Meanwhile, Slovakia said it had given Ukraine an S-300 air defence system.

EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said the 27-nation bloc will supply 7.5 million euros to train Ukrainian prosecutors to investigate war crimes, which Russia is accused of committing.

(With inputs from agencies)

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that NATO is planning for a permanent military presence on its border as per a report by 'The Telegraph'. According to Stoltenberg, the move will reflect "the long-term consequences" of the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that NATO is planning for a permanent military presence on its border as per a report by 'The Telegraph'. According to Stoltenberg, the move will reflect "the long-term consequences" of the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that NATO is "in the midst of a very fundamental transformation" to battle future Russian aggression. "What we see now is a new reality, a new normal for European security. Therefore, we have now asked our military commanders to provide options for what we call a reset, a longer-term adaptation of NATO," he added. Decisions on the reset will be made at a NATO summit to be held in Madrid in June. Stoltenberg recently said he would extend his term as head of the alliance by a year. Russia's invasion of Ukraine led Western nations to rethink their defense policies. It has also triggered Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War Two. Also read | UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv Ukraine has welcomed new pressure on Moscow, but it continues to push for harsher sanctions and more heavy weaponry. After meeting NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said, "Either you help us now, and I'm speaking about days, not weeks, or your help will come too late and many people will die, many civilians will lose their homes, many villages will be destroyed." Britain said Friday it was sending Ukraine more "high-grade military equipment" including Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and 800 anti-tank missiles. Meanwhile, Slovakia said it had given Ukraine an S-300 air defence system. EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said the 27-nation bloc will supply 7.5 million euros to train Ukrainian prosecutors to investigate war crimes, which Russia is accused of committing. (With inputs from agencies)

Jens Stoltenberg says NATO is planning for permanent military presence on its border

India's foreign ministry has said that New Delhi is focusing on stablisation of economic ties with Russia.

The ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a news conference, "We have an etablished economic relation with Russia. Given the current circumstance post development in Ukraine, I think there is an effort by both sides to ensure that this economic relationship remains stable."

"It is not talking about increasing...it is about stabilising it because this (economic) relationship exists and it's in our interest to make sure some of this economic activity continues, and we are trying to see how we can keep that stable," Bagchi said.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-did-india-abstain-from-unga-vote-469482/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

India is also working to devise a payment mechanism to settle trade amid Western sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

"India's approach should be guided by our national beliefs and values, by our national interest and by our national strategy," said Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

"So what should India do in these circumstances? At the time when energy costs have spiked, clearly, we need to ensure that the common person in India is not subject to an additional and unavoidable burden. Similarly, fertiliser prices have a direct implication for the livelihoods of the majority of our population," he added.

India has condemned the killings of civilians in Ukraine's Bucha at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday and sought an independent investigation.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/we-were-very-frustrated-with-some-of-the-ukrainian-universities-s-jaishankar-468806" hreflang="en">We were very frustrated with some of the Ukrainian universities: S Jaishankar</a>

New Delhi has historically close ties with Moscow and has refrained from condemning its invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour, abstaining in several UN votes and hosting Russia's foreign minister for talks in India last week.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration has told lawmakers that United States would prefer India to move away from its long-term history of non-alignment G77 partnership with Russia.

America's relationship with India is a very critical one, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a Congressional hearing.

''They are the largest democracy in the world. We have a strong defence relationship with them. They are part of the Quad, with Australia and Japan, and we are moving forward on many achievements that are critical to Indo-Pacific prosperity and security,'' she said.

''We, obviously, would prefer that India move away from their long-term history of non-alignment G77 partnership with Russia,'' Sherman said in response to a question from Congressman Tim Burchett.

(With inputs from agencies)

India's foreign ministry has said that New Delhi is focusing on stablisation of economic ties with Russia. The ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a news conference, "We have an etablished economic relation with Russia.

India's foreign ministry has said that New Delhi is focusing on stablisation of economic ties with Russia. The ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a news conference, "We have an etablished economic relation with Russia. Given the current circumstance post development in Ukraine, I think there is an effort by both sides to ensure that this economic relationship remains stable." "It is not talking about increasing...it is about stabilising it because this (economic) relationship exists and it's in our interest to make sure some of this economic activity continues, and we are trying to see how we can keep that stable," Bagchi said. India is also working to devise a payment mechanism to settle trade amid Western sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. "India's approach should be guided by our national beliefs and values, by our national interest and by our national strategy," said Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. "So what should India do in these circumstances? At the time when energy costs have spiked, clearly, we need to ensure that the common person in India is not subject to an additional and unavoidable burden. Similarly, fertiliser prices have a direct implication for the livelihoods of the majority of our population," he added. India has condemned the killings of civilians in Ukraine's Bucha at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday and sought an independent investigation. Also read | We were very frustrated with some of the Ukrainian universities: S Jaishankar New Delhi has historically close ties with Moscow and has refrained from condemning its invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour, abstaining in several UN votes and hosting Russia's foreign minister for talks in India last week. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration has told lawmakers that United States would prefer India to move away from its long-term history of non-alignment G77 partnership with Russia. America's relationship with India is a very critical one, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a Congressional hearing. ''They are the largest democracy in the world. We have a strong defence relationship with them. They are part of the Quad, with Australia and Japan, and we are moving forward on many achievements that are critical to Indo-Pacific prosperity and security,'' she said. ''We, obviously, would prefer that India move away from their long-term history of non-alignment G77 partnership with Russia,'' Sherman said in response to a question from Congressman Tim Burchett. (With inputs from agencies)

India is focusing on stablisation of economic ties with Russia: MEA

Polls in the French election are indicating a tight race between far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron.

Addressing her supporters, Le Pen said "Never before has the prospect of a real change been so close, but it depends on you."&nbsp;

"Never forget and tell people around you: if the people vote, the people will win," she added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/for-macron-frances-troubled-industries-hit-home-468687" hreflang="en">For Macron, France’s troubled industries hit home</a>

Comparing Macron to a ''stunned boxer,'' Le Pen made her case on why she should be made the first female president of France.

"Never in the history of the republic has a woman occupied the role of the head of state," she said.

She has introduced a proposal for allowing French people to start working at a younger age and retire earlier. However, Macron is pushing to shift the retirement age from 62 to 65.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-emmanuel-macron-to-valerie-pecresse-top-challengers-for-elysee-palace-459263">Also see |&nbsp;From Emmanuel Macron to Valerie Pecresse: Top challengers for Elysee Palace</a>

In recent weeks, Macron has lost lead over his competitors while Le Pen is closing the gap. He is struggling to play the Russia card against her.

Hinting at Le Pen's past admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Macron said, ''I have never been an accomplice [of Putin], unlike others.''

In 2017, she had lost the second round of French election with a difference of approximately one-third of a vote.

(With inputs from agencies)

Polls in the French election are indicating a tight race between far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron. Addressing her supporters, Le Pen said "Never before has the prospect of a real change been so close, but it depends on you.

Polls in the French election are indicating a tight race between far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron. Addressing her supporters, Le Pen said "Never before has the prospect of a real change been so close, but it depends on you." "Never forget and tell people around you: if the people vote, the people will win," she added. Also read | For Macron, France’s troubled industries hit home Comparing Macron to a ''stunned boxer,'' Le Pen made her case on why she should be made the first female president of France. "Never in the history of the republic has a woman occupied the role of the head of state," she said. She has introduced a proposal for allowing French people to start working at a younger age and retire earlier. However, Macron is pushing to shift the retirement age from 62 to 65. Also see | From Emmanuel Macron to Valerie Pecresse: Top challengers for Elysee Palace In recent weeks, Macron has lost lead over his competitors while Le Pen is closing the gap. He is struggling to play the Russia card against her. Hinting at Le Pen's past admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Macron said, ''I have never been an accomplice [of Putin], unlike others.'' In 2017, she had lost the second round of French election with a difference of approximately one-third of a vote. (With inputs from agencies)

French presidential election 2022 polls: Tight race between Marine Le Pen and President Emmanuel Macron

Ratcheting up pressure on Russia, the US Congress on Thursday voted to end normal trade relations with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.

Through the legislation, US President Joe Biden can inflict steep hikes on imports such as steel and aluminum products from both Russia and its ally Belarus.

According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, "Russian President Vladimir Putin must absolutely be held accountable for the detestable, despicable war crimes he is committing against Ukraine: the images we have seen coming out of that country... are just pure evil."

"It reminds us of the worst moments in human history, caused by the evil man, Putin: hundreds of civilians murdered in cold blood."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/nato-chiefs-comments-after-meet-says-not-here-to-provoke-but-prevent-conflict-469187/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Hailing the latest actions against Russia, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "Putin's aggression and barbaric war crimes have horrified the world and demand a strong response."

It comes after the United States removed Russia's so-called most favoured nation status which requires countries to guarantee regulatory treatment as well as equal tariffs towards one another.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-suspends-russia-from-human-rights-body-over-ukraine-469196">Over reports of abuses in Ukraine, UNGA suspends Russia from human rights body</a>

Meanwhile, US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Reuters that "The United States and its allies have a lot more that we can and we will do" to punish Moscow if Russia fails to halt its invasion.

After facing a plethora of sanctions from the West, the Russian economy is going into a ''deep recession'' as per US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"And what we're seeing is a likely contraction of the Russian economy by about 15 percent," he told NBC News in a statement.

"That is dramatic... We've seen an exodus from Russia of virtually every major company in the world. And Putin, in the space of a matter of weeks, has basically shut down Russia to the world." &nbsp;

Last year, the US had imported crude oil worth $17.5 billion and $30 billion in goods from Russia.

(With inputs from agencies

Ratcheting up pressure on Russia, the US Congress on Thursday voted to end normal trade relations with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine. Through the legislation, US President Joe Biden can inflict steep hikes on imports such as steel and aluminum products from both Russia and its ally Belarus.

Ratcheting up pressure on Russia, the US Congress on Thursday voted to end normal trade relations with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine. Through the legislation, US President Joe Biden can inflict steep hikes on imports such as steel and aluminum products from both Russia and its ally Belarus. According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, "Russian President Vladimir Putin must absolutely be held accountable for the detestable, despicable war crimes he is committing against Ukraine: the images we have seen coming out of that country... are just pure evil." "It reminds us of the worst moments in human history, caused by the evil man, Putin: hundreds of civilians murdered in cold blood." Hailing the latest actions against Russia, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "Putin's aggression and barbaric war crimes have horrified the world and demand a strong response." It comes after the United States removed Russia's so-called most favoured nation status which requires countries to guarantee regulatory treatment as well as equal tariffs towards one another. Also read | Over reports of abuses in Ukraine, UNGA suspends Russia from human rights body Meanwhile, US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Reuters that "The United States and its allies have a lot more that we can and we will do" to punish Moscow if Russia fails to halt its invasion. After facing a plethora of sanctions from the West, the Russian economy is going into a ''deep recession'' as per US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "And what we're seeing is a likely contraction of the Russian economy by about 15 percent," he told NBC News in a statement. "That is dramatic... We've seen an exodus from Russia of virtually every major company in the world. And Putin, in the space of a matter of weeks, has basically shut down Russia to the world." Last year, the US had imported crude oil worth $17.5 billion and $30 billion in goods from Russia. (With inputs from agencies

Ukraine invasion: US Congress votes to end normal trade relations with Russia

In what it described as a “grim milestone,” the World Health Organization said Thursday that it has verified 103 attacks on Ukrainian health care sites and ambulances since Russian forces invaded the country on Feb. 24.

The organization said in a statement that the attacks had resulted in 73 deaths and 51 injuries. Most of the attacks were on heath care facilities, while 13 affected transportation of the sick and wounded, including ambulances, the statement said.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, said the organization was “outraged that attacks on health care are continuing” and that attacking health care was a violation of international humanitarian law.

“Peace is the only way forward,” he said. “I again call on the Russian Federation to stop the war.”

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/borodyanka-26-bodies-recovered-from-shelled-apartments-469304/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Among the attacks on health care facilities was a missile strike on a maternity hospital in the coastal city of Mariupol in March, which killed at least three people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine described the attack on the hospital as “proof that the genocide of Ukrainians is taking place.”

The WHO said Ukraine’s health care system would suffer long-term consequences from the attacks, and that such attacks were “a major blow” to the country’s progress on health reform and realizing universal health coverage.

In some cases, Ukrainians have been forced to leave the country in order to receive medical treatment. More than 300 children with cancer and their parents have been evacuated to clinics in Europe, Canada and the United States, according to the Ukrainian government.

Across the country, there are 1,000 health care facilities near or in areas of conflict, said Dr. Jarno Habicht, a WHO representative in Ukraine.

“When people are prevented from seeking and accessing health care, either because the facilities have been destroyed or out of fear that they may become a target, they lose hope,” Habicht said. “The mental health toll wreaked by the war cannot be underestimated, affecting civilians and the health workforce alike.”

In what it described as a “grim milestone,” the World Health Organization said Thursday that it has verified 103 attacks on Ukrainian health care sites and ambulances since Russian forces invaded the country on Feb.

In what it described as a “grim milestone,” the World Health Organization said Thursday that it has verified 103 attacks on Ukrainian health care sites and ambulances since Russian forces invaded the country on Feb. 24. The organization said in a statement that the attacks had resulted in 73 deaths and 51 injuries. Most of the attacks were on heath care facilities, while 13 affected transportation of the sick and wounded, including ambulances, the statement said. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, said the organization was “outraged that attacks on health care are continuing” and that attacking health care was a violation of international humanitarian law. “Peace is the only way forward,” he said. “I again call on the Russian Federation to stop the war.” Among the attacks on health care facilities was a missile strike on a maternity hospital in the coastal city of Mariupol in March, which killed at least three people. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine described the attack on the hospital as “proof that the genocide of Ukrainians is taking place.” The WHO said Ukraine’s health care system would suffer long-term consequences from the attacks, and that such attacks were “a major blow” to the country’s progress on health reform and realizing universal health coverage. In some cases, Ukrainians have been forced to leave the country in order to receive medical treatment. More than 300 children with cancer and their parents have been evacuated to clinics in Europe, Canada and the United States, according to the Ukrainian government. Across the country, there are 1,000 health care facilities near or in areas of conflict, said Dr. Jarno Habicht, a WHO representative in Ukraine. “When people are prevented from seeking and accessing health care, either because the facilities have been destroyed or out of fear that they may become a target, they lose hope,” Habicht said. “The mental health toll wreaked by the war cannot be underestimated, affecting civilians and the health workforce alike.”

WHO verifies 103 attacks on Ukrainian health care facilities and ambulances

<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: inherit; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">
At the United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Tuesday, India has condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and has supported an independent investigation into it.

Bucha, a suburb of Ukraine's capital Kyiv was under Russian occupation during the ongoing war and as its troops left the area, the dead bodies of several civilians were discovered. Russia has been held responsible for the killings, something Moscow has been dismissing but hasn't found many takers of that.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-ukraine-accuses-russia-of-genocide-in-bucha-468404/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Speaking at the meeting, India's Permanent Representative to United Nations T.S. Tirumurti said, "Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. We unequivocally condemn these killings and support the call for an independent investigation." Several images and videos have emerged of bodies strewn across the town, many of them which had hand-tied in the back. Ukraine had requested an International Criminal Court investigation into developments in Bucha. According to the mayor of the town, 300 of its inhabitants were found dead.

Expressing concern, Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti said, "The situation in Ukraine has not shown any significant improvement since the Council last discussed the issue. The security situation has only deteriorated, as well as its humanitarian consequences." Tuesday's UNSC meet saw Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressing the top UN body giving details about what happened in the town.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/satellite-images-show-civilian-deaths-in-ukraines-bucha-street-468514">Satellite images show civilian deaths in Ukraine's Bucha street</a>

The Indian envoy pointed out how, "India has been sending humanitarian supplies to Ukraine and its Neighbours, which include medicines and other essential relief material" and Delhi "stands ready to provide more medical supplies to Ukraine in the coming days." India has sent 90 Tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, which includes medicines and essentials.&nbsp;

During the address, Ambassador Tirumurti pointed to the "impact of the crisis is being felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. "Since the war energy prices, especially oil prices have substantially increased adding to the overall increased inflation globally. This has particularly hit hard developing and low-income countries emerging from the covid pandemic.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bucha-killings-are-fake-propaganda-says-putins-ally-dmitry-medvedev-468582" hreflang="en">Bucha killings are fake propaganda says Putin's ally Dmitry Medvedev</a>

India has been calling for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine for an immediate cessation of violence. PM Modi has spoken to Russian President Putin and President Zelenskyy several times, calling for dialogue. Indian envoy to the UN explained, "When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option. In this context, we take note of the ongoing efforts, including the meetings held recently between the Parties."

Tuesday's meeting saw an address by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary Dicarlo and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Martin Griffiths. There have been several meetings of the UNSC on Ukraine since January. While India has abstained on all votes at such meetings, it has been calling for respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.
</div>

At the United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Tuesday, India has condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and has supported an independent investigation into it.

At the United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Tuesday, India has condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and has supported an independent investigation into it. Bucha, a suburb of Ukraine's capital Kyiv was under Russian occupation during the ongoing war and as its troops left the area, the dead bodies of several civilians were discovered. Russia has been held responsible for the killings, something Moscow has been dismissing but hasn't found many takers of that. Speaking at the meeting, India's Permanent Representative to United Nations T.S. Tirumurti said, "Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. We unequivocally condemn these killings and support the call for an independent investigation." Several images and videos have emerged of bodies strewn across the town, many of them which had hand-tied in the back. Ukraine had requested an International Criminal Court investigation into developments in Bucha. According to the mayor of the town, 300 of its inhabitants were found dead. Expressing concern, Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti said, "The situation in Ukraine has not shown any significant improvement since the Council last discussed the issue. The security situation has only deteriorated, as well as its humanitarian consequences." Tuesday's UNSC meet saw Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressing the top UN body giving details about what happened in the town. Also see | Satellite images show civilian deaths in Ukraine's Bucha street The Indian envoy pointed out how, "India has been sending humanitarian supplies to Ukraine and its Neighbours, which include medicines and other essential relief material" and Delhi "stands ready to provide more medical supplies to Ukraine in the coming days." India has sent 90 Tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, which includes medicines and essentials. During the address, Ambassador Tirumurti pointed to the "impact of the crisis is being felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. "Since the war energy prices, especially oil prices have substantially increased adding to the overall increased inflation globally. This has particularly hit hard developing and low-income countries emerging from the covid pandemic. Also read | Bucha killings are fake propaganda says Putin's ally Dmitry Medvedev India has been calling for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine for an immediate cessation of violence. PM Modi has spoken to Russian President Putin and President Zelenskyy several times, calling for dialogue. Indian envoy to the UN explained, "When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option. In this context, we take note of the ongoing efforts, including the meetings held recently between the Parties." Tuesday's meeting saw an address by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary Dicarlo and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Martin Griffiths. There have been several meetings of the UNSC on Ukraine since January. While India has abstained on all votes at such meetings, it has been calling for respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

At UNSC, India condemns killing in Ukraine's Bucha, supports independent investigation

Mykolaiv's Governor Vitaliy Kim said on Saturday that at least 35 people have been confirmed killed as a result of Russia's rocket strike on the regional administration building.

Rescuers sent by the State Emergency Service have been searching the wreckage for survivors since Russian forces struck the building.

The governor, who was not on the premises at the time of the attack, later posted social media images showing a gaping hole in the nine-story structure.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-conflict-rages-on-as-moscow-reports-air-raids-on-russian-soil-467585/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Mykolaiv, a strategically important city en route to Ukraine’s largest port of Odesa, has withstood weeks of shelling by the Russian forces.

Meanwhile, AFP journalists said the bodies of at least 20 men in civilian clothes were found lying in a single street Saturday after Ukrainian forces retook the town of Bucha near Kyiv from Russian troops.

Sixteen of the 20 corpses found on one street in Bucha were lying either on the pavement or by the verge. Three were sprawled in the middle of the road, and another lay on his side in the courtyard of a destroyed house.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/aerorozvidka-how-ukraines-elite-it-force-halted-russias-long-mechanised-brigade-eyeing-kyiv-467687" hreflang="en">Aerorozvidka: How Ukraine's elite IT force halted Russia's long mechanised brigade eyeing Kyiv</a>

As Russian troops continue their war in Ukraine, the country's defence ministry said Russian troops were on "partial retreat" from the north of Kyiv.

Earlier this week, Russia had said it would be scaling back operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv located in northern Ukraine during peace negotiations in Istanbul, however, reports claim fighting continues in some areas.

Ukraine President Zelensky in a video message said Russian troops were making a “slow but noticeable” withdrawal from northern areas.

“We are moving forward, moving carefully,” Zelensky added however the Ukraine president said the situation in the east remained “extremely difficult” as Russian troops were "preparing for new powerful blows".

“I emphasise again, hard battles lie ahead. We cannot think we have already passed all the tests," Ukraine's president warned.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/multiple-launches-russia-fires-kinzhal-dagger-hypersonic-missiles-in-ukraine-war-467136">'Multiple launches': Russia fires Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles in Ukraine war</a>

President Volodymyr Zelensky's political adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said: "Our troops are chasing them both to the northwest and northeast (of Kyiv), pushing the enemy away from Kyiv."&nbsp;

Arestovych added that Russia was in fact carrying out troop rotation and sending its forces to eastern Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the action he launched on February 24 a "special military operation aimed at demilitarising and denazifying" Ukraine.

Ukraine and its allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of aggression. Since the invasion, more than 10 million people have been displaced from their homes.

(With inputs from agencies)

Mykolaiv's Governor Vitaliy Kim said on Saturday that at least 35 people have been confirmed killed as a result of Russia's rocket strike on the regional administration building.

Mykolaiv's Governor Vitaliy Kim said on Saturday that at least 35 people have been confirmed killed as a result of Russia's rocket strike on the regional administration building. Rescuers sent by the State Emergency Service have been searching the wreckage for survivors since Russian forces struck the building. The governor, who was not on the premises at the time of the attack, later posted social media images showing a gaping hole in the nine-story structure. Mykolaiv, a strategically important city en route to Ukraine’s largest port of Odesa, has withstood weeks of shelling by the Russian forces. Meanwhile, AFP journalists said the bodies of at least 20 men in civilian clothes were found lying in a single street Saturday after Ukrainian forces retook the town of Bucha near Kyiv from Russian troops. Sixteen of the 20 corpses found on one street in Bucha were lying either on the pavement or by the verge. Three were sprawled in the middle of the road, and another lay on his side in the courtyard of a destroyed house. Also see | Aerorozvidka: How Ukraine's elite IT force halted Russia's long mechanised brigade eyeing Kyiv As Russian troops continue their war in Ukraine, the country's defence ministry said Russian troops were on "partial retreat" from the north of Kyiv. Earlier this week, Russia had said it would be scaling back operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv located in northern Ukraine during peace negotiations in Istanbul, however, reports claim fighting continues in some areas. Ukraine President Zelensky in a video message said Russian troops were making a “slow but noticeable” withdrawal from northern areas. “We are moving forward, moving carefully,” Zelensky added however the Ukraine president said the situation in the east remained “extremely difficult” as Russian troops were "preparing for new powerful blows". “I emphasise again, hard battles lie ahead. We cannot think we have already passed all the tests," Ukraine's president warned. Also see | 'Multiple launches': Russia fires Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles in Ukraine war President Volodymyr Zelensky's political adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said: "Our troops are chasing them both to the northwest and northeast (of Kyiv), pushing the enemy away from Kyiv." Arestovych added that Russia was in fact carrying out troop rotation and sending its forces to eastern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the action he launched on February 24 a "special military operation aimed at demilitarising and denazifying" Ukraine. Ukraine and its allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of aggression. Since the invasion, more than 10 million people have been displaced from their homes. (With inputs from agencies)

Mykolaiv's governor says at least 35 killed from Russian strike on government building

In a first, Pope Francis on Saturday implicitly criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine and launching a “savage” war.

"From the east of Europe, from the land of the sunrise, the dark shadows of war have now spread. We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past," he said.

''However, the icy winds of war, which bring only death, destruction and hatred in their wake, have swept down powerfully upon the lives of many people and affected us all," Francis said.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-conflict-rages-on-as-moscow-reports-air-raids-on-russian-soil-467585/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Once again, some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts, whereas ordinary people sense the need to build a future that, will either be shared, or not be at all," he said, without mentioning Putin by name.

Blasting Russia’s ''infantile'' war, Pope said the clash of interests and ideologies had "re-emerged powerfully in the seductions of autocracy, new forms of imperialism (and) widespread aggressiveness."

When he was asked by a reporter whether a visit to Kyiv was still possible. The 85-year-old replied, "Yes, it's on the table."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraines-economy-could-contract-40-in-2022-due-to-russian-invasion-467655">Ukraine's economy could contract 40% in 2022 due to Russian invasion</a>

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko had written a letter to the pope on March 8 saying Francis' presence in the capital "is key for saving lives and paving the path to peace in our city, country and beyond."

"We appeal to you, as a spiritual leader, to show your compassion, to stand with the Ukrainian people by jointly spreading the call for peace," wrote Klitschko.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/aerorozvidka-how-ukraines-elite-it-force-halted-russias-long-mechanised-brigade-eyeing-kyiv-467687" hreflang="en">Aerorozvidka: How Ukraine's elite IT force halted Russia's long mechanised brigade eyeing Kyiv</a>

The Vatican tends to not call out aggressors in hopes of keeping open options for dialogue. It had offered itself as a potential mediator but to date has been largely left on the diplomatic sidelines.

This was the pope's most pointed and personalised denunciation yet of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

"May you always cultivate legality and transparency, which will enable the eradication of corruption and criminality," the pope said.

Moscow denies targeting civilians in the action it launched on February 24, which it dubs a "special military operation." It claims that this operations is not designed to occupy territory but to demilitarise and "denazify" its neighbour. 
(With inputs from agencies)

In a first, Pope Francis on Saturday implicitly criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine and launching a “savage” war. "From the east of Europe, from the land of the sunrise, the dark shadows of war have now spread.

In a first, Pope Francis on Saturday implicitly criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine and launching a “savage” war. "From the east of Europe, from the land of the sunrise, the dark shadows of war have now spread. We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past," he said. ''However, the icy winds of war, which bring only death, destruction and hatred in their wake, have swept down powerfully upon the lives of many people and affected us all," Francis said. "Once again, some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts, whereas ordinary people sense the need to build a future that, will either be shared, or not be at all," he said, without mentioning Putin by name. Blasting Russia’s ''infantile'' war, Pope said the clash of interests and ideologies had "re-emerged powerfully in the seductions of autocracy, new forms of imperialism (and) widespread aggressiveness." When he was asked by a reporter whether a visit to Kyiv was still possible. The 85-year-old replied, "Yes, it's on the table." Also read | Ukraine's economy could contract 40% in 2022 due to Russian invasion Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko had written a letter to the pope on March 8 saying Francis' presence in the capital "is key for saving lives and paving the path to peace in our city, country and beyond." "We appeal to you, as a spiritual leader, to show your compassion, to stand with the Ukrainian people by jointly spreading the call for peace," wrote Klitschko. Also see | Aerorozvidka: How Ukraine's elite IT force halted Russia's long mechanised brigade eyeing Kyiv The Vatican tends to not call out aggressors in hopes of keeping open options for dialogue. It had offered itself as a potential mediator but to date has been largely left on the diplomatic sidelines. This was the pope's most pointed and personalised denunciation yet of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. "May you always cultivate legality and transparency, which will enable the eradication of corruption and criminality," the pope said. Moscow denies targeting civilians in the action it launched on February 24, which it dubs a "special military operation." It claims that this operations is not designed to occupy territory but to demilitarise and "denazify" its neighbour. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine invasion: Pope Francis implicitly criticises Putin for 'savage' war

Ukraine's economic ministry has said that the country's economy shrank 16 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year due to Russia's invasion.

Citing preliminary estimates, it has also predicted that the Ukraine's economy could contract 40 per cent in 2022.

"Areas in which remote work is impossible have suffered the most," it said in a statement.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-conflict-rages-on-as-moscow-reports-air-raids-on-russian-soil-467585/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The war campaign has deeply disrupted the Ukrainian economy. It has forced the country's central bank in Kyiv to limit the exchangeability of its hryvnia currency in order to preserve its reserve of dollars and euros.

Banks across the 27 EU nations have shown reluctance to accept hryvnia from the millions of refugees who have entered the European Union. They are afraid of being refused the transaction by the central bank in Kyiv.

European Union statistics agency Eurostat has said that spiralling energy bills and disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine caused consumer prices in the eurozone to surge by a new record of 7.5 per cent.

Europe has found itself caught in an oil and gas crunch due to tensions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-making-slow-but-noticeable-withdrawal-from-northern-areas-president-zelensky-467569">Russia making 'slow but noticeable' withdrawal&nbsp;from northern areas: Zelensky</a>

European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde has warned that a prolonged Ukraine conflict will keep energy prices and the cost of living spiralling, blighting a post-Covid recovery.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian forces were leaving behind “a complete disaster” as they retreat from the north, including towns just outside Kyiv.

“They are mining the whole territory, they are mining homes, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed,” he said.

“We are moving forward, moving carefully,” Zelensky added however the Ukraine president said the situation in the east remained “extremely difficult” as Russian troops were "preparing for new powerful blows".

An additional $300 million in military equipment to Ukrainian forces will be provided by US Defence Department. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement the new package “represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide new capabilities” to Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine's economic ministry has said that the country's economy shrank 16 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year due to Russia's invasion. Citing preliminary estimates, it has also predicted that the Ukraine's economy could contract 40 per cent in 2022.

Ukraine's economic ministry has said that the country's economy shrank 16 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year due to Russia's invasion. Citing preliminary estimates, it has also predicted that the Ukraine's economy could contract 40 per cent in 2022. "Areas in which remote work is impossible have suffered the most," it said in a statement. The war campaign has deeply disrupted the Ukrainian economy. It has forced the country's central bank in Kyiv to limit the exchangeability of its hryvnia currency in order to preserve its reserve of dollars and euros. Banks across the 27 EU nations have shown reluctance to accept hryvnia from the millions of refugees who have entered the European Union. They are afraid of being refused the transaction by the central bank in Kyiv. European Union statistics agency Eurostat has said that spiralling energy bills and disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine caused consumer prices in the eurozone to surge by a new record of 7.5 per cent. Europe has found itself caught in an oil and gas crunch due to tensions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Also read | Russia making 'slow but noticeable' withdrawal from northern areas: Zelensky European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde has warned that a prolonged Ukraine conflict will keep energy prices and the cost of living spiralling, blighting a post-Covid recovery. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian forces were leaving behind “a complete disaster” as they retreat from the north, including towns just outside Kyiv. “They are mining the whole territory, they are mining homes, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed,” he said. “We are moving forward, moving carefully,” Zelensky added however the Ukraine president said the situation in the east remained “extremely difficult” as Russian troops were "preparing for new powerful blows". An additional $300 million in military equipment to Ukrainian forces will be provided by US Defence Department. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement the new package “represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide new capabilities” to Ukraine. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine's economy could contract 40% in 2022 due to Russian invasion

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has said he will lead a mission to Chernobyl as soon as possible.

He said the “assistance and support” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)&nbsp;to the Chernobyl mission “will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to Ukraine.”

“The general radiation situation around the plant is quite normal. There was a relatively higher level of localised radiation because of the movement of heavy vehicles at the time of the occupation of the plant and apparently this might have been the case again on the way out. So we heard about the possibility of some personnel being contaminated but we don’t have any confirmation about that,"&nbsp;Grossi&nbsp;said at a news conference.

Grossi is currently in the Russian city of Kaliningrad for talks with senior officials about nuclear issues in Ukraine.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-russian-troops-regrouping-in-south-467365/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“What we know is what we want to see as far as the nuclear power facilities in Ukraine are concerned and this (Russian troop withdrawal) is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. We had been saying that the plant needed to be operated by its own natural operators which was the case, that it had to have a physical integrity protected, that the people there had to work under normal circumstances,”&nbsp;Grossi&nbsp;said.

Nine of Ukraine’s 15 operational reactors are currently in use, including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya facility, the agency said.

It comes after Ukraine said Russian troops had left the radioactive waste facilities with radiation sickness though some remained nearby.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I will head an <a href="https://twitter.com/iaeaorg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IAEAorg</a> assistance and support mission to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chornobyl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chornobyl</a> Nuclear Power Plant as soon as possible. It will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ukraine</a>.
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) <a href="https://twitter.com/rafaelmgrossi/status/1509832578408329217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"As they ran away from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Russian occupiers took members of the National Guard, whom they had held hostage since Feb 24, with them," the state nuclear agency Energoatom said in a statement on Telegram, citing plant workers.

"There is also evidence that a column of Russian soldiers who are besieging the town of Slavutych is currently being formed to move towards Belarus," it said.&nbsp;

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/multiple-launches-russia-fires-kinzhal-dagger-hypersonic-missiles-in-ukraine-war-467136" hreflang="en">'Multiple launches': Russia fires Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles in Ukraine war</a>

It gave no details on the condition of the soldiers it said were exposed to radiation, and it did not say how many were affected.

Since the Russian invasion, there have been fears of increased radiological risks in Chernobyl. The workforce there oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986.

Chernobyl's number four reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, causing the world's worst nuclear accident which killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe. The site lies near the Belarus border.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has said he will lead a mission to Chernobyl as soon as possible. He said the “assistance and support” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Chernobyl mission “will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to Ukraine.

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has said he will lead a mission to Chernobyl as soon as possible. He said the “assistance and support” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Chernobyl mission “will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to Ukraine.” “The general radiation situation around the plant is quite normal. There was a relatively higher level of localised radiation because of the movement of heavy vehicles at the time of the occupation of the plant and apparently this might have been the case again on the way out. So we heard about the possibility of some personnel being contaminated but we don’t have any confirmation about that," Grossi said at a news conference. Grossi is currently in the Russian city of Kaliningrad for talks with senior officials about nuclear issues in Ukraine. “What we know is what we want to see as far as the nuclear power facilities in Ukraine are concerned and this (Russian troop withdrawal) is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. We had been saying that the plant needed to be operated by its own natural operators which was the case, that it had to have a physical integrity protected, that the people there had to work under normal circumstances,” Grossi said. Nine of Ukraine’s 15 operational reactors are currently in use, including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya facility, the agency said. It comes after Ukraine said Russian troops had left the radioactive waste facilities with radiation sickness though some remained nearby. I will head an @IAEAorg assistance and support mission to the #Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant as soon as possible. It will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to #Ukraine. — Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) April 1, 2022 × "As they ran away from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Russian occupiers took members of the National Guard, whom they had held hostage since Feb 24, with them," the state nuclear agency Energoatom said in a statement on Telegram, citing plant workers. "There is also evidence that a column of Russian soldiers who are besieging the town of Slavutych is currently being formed to move towards Belarus," it said. Also see | 'Multiple launches': Russia fires Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles in Ukraine war It gave no details on the condition of the soldiers it said were exposed to radiation, and it did not say how many were affected. Since the Russian invasion, there have been fears of increased radiological risks in Chernobyl. The workforce there oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986. Chernobyl's number four reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, causing the world's worst nuclear accident which killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe. The site lies near the Belarus border. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine invasion: UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will go to Chernobyl

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.&nbsp;

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been opposed by many protesters. The people opposing the move seems to have adopted a new national flag. &nbsp;

The new flag is almost the same as the original. The only difference is that it has replaced the red band at the bottom with a second white band. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-kremlin-bans-interview-ukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelensky-says-russia-is-frightened-466510">After&nbsp;Kremlin bans interview,&nbsp;Zelensky says&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;is 'frightened'</a>

The new flag seems to have been cropping up at protests. It has become a means of highlighting the fact that the protesters do&nbsp;not support the Ukraine invasion.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Russians against Putin are waving a new flag without the red stripe to symbolize the removal of blood from the flag. This is a trend Putin won't want going viral in Russia. <a href="https://t.co/c3jw6A3vYu">pic.twitter.com/c3jw6A3vYu</a>
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) <a href="https://twitter.com/davenewworld_2/status/1507867804036440077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Figuratively speaking, the new design removes the red stripe, which indicates the omission of the blood from the Russian flag. &nbsp;

Russian UX designer, Kai Katonina, who is based in Berlin was one of several people to propose the new flag. &nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;A month of the brutal Russian assault on Ukraine: Residential areas hit in Bashtanka

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/a-month-of-the-brutal-russian-assault-on-ukraine-residential-areas-hit-in-bashtanka-466509/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Describing the motivation, 31-year-old Katonina told Latvia-based Russian news site Meduza, "We needed to mark ourselves as Russians against the war and not just some more people. There was a wide consensus that we need some kind of symbol." &nbsp;

As per The Guardian, Alex Zaporozhtsev, activist, ‘For Freedom in Russia’ group, said, "We decided we can no longer use the Russian tricolour, because Putin has turned it into a fascist symbol. We took away the red stripe - it's the colour of blood - and make it white." &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been opposed by many protesters. The people opposing the move seems to have adopted a new national flag. The new flag is almost the same as the original. The only difference is that it has replaced the red band at the bottom with a second white band. Also Read: After Kremlin bans interview, Zelensky says Russia is 'frightened' The new flag seems to have been cropping up at protests. It has become a means of highlighting the fact that the protesters do not support the Ukraine invasion. Russians against Putin are waving a new flag without the red stripe to symbolize the removal of blood from the flag. This is a trend Putin won't want going viral in Russia. pic.twitter.com/c3jw6A3vYu — Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) March 26, 2022 × Figuratively speaking, the new design removes the red stripe, which indicates the omission of the blood from the Russian flag. Russian UX designer, Kai Katonina, who is based in Berlin was one of several people to propose the new flag. Watch: A month of the brutal Russian assault on Ukraine: Residential areas hit in Bashtanka × Describing the motivation, 31-year-old Katonina told Latvia-based Russian news site Meduza, "We needed to mark ourselves as Russians against the war and not just some more people. There was a wide consensus that we need some kind of symbol." As per The Guardian, Alex Zaporozhtsev, activist, ‘For Freedom in Russia’ group, said, "We decided we can no longer use the Russian tricolour, because Putin has turned it into a fascist symbol. We took away the red stripe - it's the colour of blood - and make it white." (With inputs from agencies)

Wiping off the blood: To oppose Ukraine war, Russians adopt new national flag  

The United States still doubts that Russia is serious in talks with Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, adding that Moscow should end its aggression now and pull its forces back.

"I've not seen anything to suggest that this is moving forward in an effective way because we have not seen signs of real seriousness" from Russia, Blinken said at a press conference in Morocco.

"There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does. We're focussed on the latter," he said.

"What Russia is doing is the continued brutalisation of Ukraine and its people, and that continues as we speak."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-war-us-president-joe-biden-stands-by-remarks-on-putin-466750/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

He added, “If they somehow believe that an effort to subjugate only the eastern part of Ukraine or the southern part of Ukraine ... can succeed, then once again they are profoundly fooling themselves.”

Reiterating Blinken's scepticism,&nbsp;UK PM Boris Johnson&nbsp;said,&nbsp;"The prime minister underscored that we must judge Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime by their actions not their words.

"Putin is twisting the knife in the open wound of Ukraine in an attempt to force the country and its allies to capitulate," the read-out stated.

"The prime minister stressed to his fellow leaders that we should be unrelenting in our response."

Russia’s military announced Tuesday it will “fundamentally” scale back operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city, as talks brought the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war into view.

Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant to increase trust in the talks after several rounds of negotiations failed to halt what has devolved into a bloody campaign of attrition.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/international-accord-needed-to-guarantee-security-say-ukrainian-negotiators-466674" hreflang="en">Ukraine demands security guarantee; Russia ready to scale down Kyiv operation</a>

While Russia portrayed it as a goodwill gesture, it comes as the Kremlin’s troops have become bogged down in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance that has thwarted Putin’s hopes for a quick military victory.&nbsp;

Fomin said Moscow has decided to “fundamentally ... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv” to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.”&nbsp;

Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said this was one of two steps Moscow was taking to de-escalate the 34-day-old conflict. 
He said the other was that Russia would agree to a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to take place simultaneously if and when a peace treaty was initialed by their foreign ministers.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sufficient-conditions-for-talks-between-zelensky-putin-ukraine-466749">Sufficient conditions for talks between Zelensky, Putin: Ukraine</a>

Ukrainian negotiators said they had proposed at the latest round of talks with Russia that Ukraine adopt neutral status in exchange for security guarantees, meaning Kyiv would not join military alliances or host military bases.&nbsp;

Medinsky said: "These proposals will be considered in the near future, reported to the president (Putin), and our response will be given."

Fomin said Russia had also called on Ukraine to eliminate what he called torture of captured Russian prisoners.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told CNN “we haven’t seen anything to corroborate” reports of Russia withdrawing significant forces from around Kyiv. “But what we have seen over the last couple of days is they have stopped trying to advance on Kyiv.”

(With inputs from agencies)

The United States still doubts that Russia is serious in talks with Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, adding that Moscow should end its aggression now and pull its forces back.

The United States still doubts that Russia is serious in talks with Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, adding that Moscow should end its aggression now and pull its forces back. "I've not seen anything to suggest that this is moving forward in an effective way because we have not seen signs of real seriousness" from Russia, Blinken said at a press conference in Morocco. "There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does. We're focussed on the latter," he said. "What Russia is doing is the continued brutalisation of Ukraine and its people, and that continues as we speak." He added, “If they somehow believe that an effort to subjugate only the eastern part of Ukraine or the southern part of Ukraine ... can succeed, then once again they are profoundly fooling themselves.” Reiterating Blinken's scepticism, UK PM Boris Johnson said, "The prime minister underscored that we must judge Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime by their actions not their words. "Putin is twisting the knife in the open wound of Ukraine in an attempt to force the country and its allies to capitulate," the read-out stated. "The prime minister stressed to his fellow leaders that we should be unrelenting in our response." Russia’s military announced Tuesday it will “fundamentally” scale back operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city, as talks brought the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war into view. Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant to increase trust in the talks after several rounds of negotiations failed to halt what has devolved into a bloody campaign of attrition. Also read | Ukraine demands security guarantee; Russia ready to scale down Kyiv operation While Russia portrayed it as a goodwill gesture, it comes as the Kremlin’s troops have become bogged down in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance that has thwarted Putin’s hopes for a quick military victory. Fomin said Moscow has decided to “fundamentally ... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv” to “increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations.” Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said this was one of two steps Moscow was taking to de-escalate the 34-day-old conflict. He said the other was that Russia would agree to a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to take place simultaneously if and when a peace treaty was initialed by their foreign ministers. Also read | Sufficient conditions for talks between Zelensky, Putin: Ukraine Ukrainian negotiators said they had proposed at the latest round of talks with Russia that Ukraine adopt neutral status in exchange for security guarantees, meaning Kyiv would not join military alliances or host military bases. Medinsky said: "These proposals will be considered in the near future, reported to the president (Putin), and our response will be given." Fomin said Russia had also called on Ukraine to eliminate what he called torture of captured Russian prisoners. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told CNN “we haven’t seen anything to corroborate” reports of Russia withdrawing significant forces from around Kyiv. “But what we have seen over the last couple of days is they have stopped trying to advance on Kyiv.” (With inputs from agencies)

United States still doubts that Russia is serious in talks with Ukraine: Blinken

The Chinese Communist Party has called the United States as the ''culprit'' behind the Ukraine crisis.

“The eastward enlargement of Nato, led by the United States, is the root of the Ukrainian crisis,” said the article, published on page three of the People’s Daily under the pseudonym Zhong Sheng, used by the party mouthpiece for commentary on key international issues.

“NATO has become a tool for the United States to practice its hegemony,” the commentary said.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tracking-the-russian-invasion-ukrainian-forces-hold-their-ground-on-day-34-of-the-invasion-466552/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“The US-led Nato has for a long time created turbulence around Russia, including starting ‘colour revolutions’.”

The article, which accused the US of “directing and acting” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was the first in a series planned by the newspaper to focus on blaming Washington for the war in Ukraine.

Yun Sun, director of the China programme at the Washington-based Stimson Centre think tank, said Beijing’s Ukraine messaging was primarily for its domestic audience, “and also to stress that China’s siding with Russia is just”.

“China differentiates between rhetoric, which is pro-Russia, and diplomacy, which is more balanced, and real actions, which are lacking on supporting Russia. In this case, I think the pro-Russia rhetoric is a part of the policy.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-apologies-for-saying-putin-cannot-remain-in-power-us-president-biden-466503">'No apologies' for saying Putin 'cannot remain in power': US President Biden</a>

Sun added that China’s pushing of the Ukraine bioweapons claim is an extension of the controversy surrounding the origin of Covid-19.

“The lab theory just plays into China’s narrative about Covid originating from US labs. Of course China won’t miss the opportunity,” she said.

China has refused to condemn close ally Russia over the bloody invasion of Ukraine and lagged behind many other countries in providing humanitarian aid to the war-stricken country.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has accused China of giving political backing to Russia as it invades Ukraine by "spreading blatant lies", and warned Beijing against providing material support to Moscow's war effort.

China must "live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council, refrain from supporting Russia's war effort, and join the rest of the world in calling for an immediate, peaceful end to this war," he said.

But Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that "accusing China of spreading false information about Ukraine is itself spreading disinformation".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-crisis-china-accuses-nato-of-pushing-russia-to-breaking-point-460521">Also read |&nbsp;Ukraine crisis: China accuses NATO of pushing Russia to 'breaking point'</a>

"China's position is consistent with the wishes of most countries... any unwarranted accusations and suspicions against China will be defeated," he said at a routine briefing Thursday.&nbsp;

"We have always maintained that Ukraine should become a bridge between the East and West, rather than be in the frontline in a game between great powers."

In one month, the war has created more than 3.6 million refugees and caused over 970 civilian deaths, according to UN figures, and provoked a barrage of international sanctions on Russia that have crippled its economy.

US officials have accused China of signalling its "willingness" to provide military and economic aid to Russia, and said they would be "watching very closely" to see if Beijing delivers weapons.&nbsp;

"China has provided Russia with political support, including by spreading blatant lies and misinformation, and allies are concerned that China could provide material support for the Russian invasion," said Stoltenberg.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Russia's relations with China were at their strongest level ever, at a time when Western nations are seeking to isolate Moscow with unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine.

Beijing has said it is willing to play a role in ceasefire mediation efforts, but so far has not committed to holding peace talks.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The Chinese Communist Party has called the United States as the ''culprit'' behind the Ukraine crisis. “The eastward enlargement of Nato, led by the United States, is the root of the Ukrainian crisis,” said the article, published on page three of the People’s Daily under the pseudonym Zhong Sheng, used by the party mouthpiece for commentary on key international issues.

The Chinese Communist Party has called the United States as the ''culprit'' behind the Ukraine crisis. “The eastward enlargement of Nato, led by the United States, is the root of the Ukrainian crisis,” said the article, published on page three of the People’s Daily under the pseudonym Zhong Sheng, used by the party mouthpiece for commentary on key international issues. “NATO has become a tool for the United States to practice its hegemony,” the commentary said. “The US-led Nato has for a long time created turbulence around Russia, including starting ‘colour revolutions’.” The article, which accused the US of “directing and acting” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was the first in a series planned by the newspaper to focus on blaming Washington for the war in Ukraine. Yun Sun, director of the China programme at the Washington-based Stimson Centre think tank, said Beijing’s Ukraine messaging was primarily for its domestic audience, “and also to stress that China’s siding with Russia is just”. “China differentiates between rhetoric, which is pro-Russia, and diplomacy, which is more balanced, and real actions, which are lacking on supporting Russia. In this case, I think the pro-Russia rhetoric is a part of the policy.” Also read | 'No apologies' for saying Putin 'cannot remain in power': US President Biden Sun added that China’s pushing of the Ukraine bioweapons claim is an extension of the controversy surrounding the origin of Covid-19. “The lab theory just plays into China’s narrative about Covid originating from US labs. Of course China won’t miss the opportunity,” she said. China has refused to condemn close ally Russia over the bloody invasion of Ukraine and lagged behind many other countries in providing humanitarian aid to the war-stricken country. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has accused China of giving political backing to Russia as it invades Ukraine by "spreading blatant lies", and warned Beijing against providing material support to Moscow's war effort. China must "live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council, refrain from supporting Russia's war effort, and join the rest of the world in calling for an immediate, peaceful end to this war," he said. But Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that "accusing China of spreading false information about Ukraine is itself spreading disinformation". Also read | Ukraine crisis: China accuses NATO of pushing Russia to 'breaking point' "China's position is consistent with the wishes of most countries... any unwarranted accusations and suspicions against China will be defeated," he said at a routine briefing Thursday. "We have always maintained that Ukraine should become a bridge between the East and West, rather than be in the frontline in a game between great powers." In one month, the war has created more than 3.6 million refugees and caused over 970 civilian deaths, according to UN figures, and provoked a barrage of international sanctions on Russia that have crippled its economy. US officials have accused China of signalling its "willingness" to provide military and economic aid to Russia, and said they would be "watching very closely" to see if Beijing delivers weapons. "China has provided Russia with political support, including by spreading blatant lies and misinformation, and allies are concerned that China could provide material support for the Russian invasion," said Stoltenberg. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Russia's relations with China were at their strongest level ever, at a time when Western nations are seeking to isolate Moscow with unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine. Beijing has said it is willing to play a role in ceasefire mediation efforts, but so far has not committed to holding peace talks. (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese Communist Party calls United States 'culprit' behind Ukraine crisis

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Maria Mezentseva, the head of Ukraine’s delegation to the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, has claimed that Russian soldiers raped and sexually assaulted women.

During an interview with Sky News, she said ''There is one case which was very widely discussed recently because it’s been recorded and proceeded with [by] the prosecutor’s office, and we’re not going into details, but it’s quite a scary scene when a civilian was shot dead in his house in a small town next to Kyiv.''

“His wife was,&nbsp;I’m sorry but I have to say it,&nbsp;raped several times in front of her underage child.”

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-1-month-of-ukraine-invasion-more-bluster-from-nato-465277/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Ukraine's prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova opened the country's first official rape investigation into the case after the drunken soldier is said to have broken into the family's home, killed the husband and then repeatedly raped his wife. &nbsp;

“There are many more victims rather than just this one case which has been made public by the prosecutor general,” Mezentseva said. “And of course, we are expecting many more of them, which will be public once victims will be ready to talk about that.

“That’s why you know, when we’ve been talking to Boris Johnson, when we will be talking to your Home Office, when we’ve been talking to MPs of UK, we’ve also raised this issue that this aftermath, which we are dealing with right now, the aftermath of war, has to be taken very cautiously, very seriously, and to take into account the UK experience and experience of other countries, which can help us in dealing with psychologists, and how to help these people to actually live over these cases, to keep going afterwards, to keep living.”

“We will definitely not be silent,” she added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-cites-russian-provocations-for-pausing-evacuations-of-civilians-466311">Ukraine cites Russian 'provocations' for pausing evacuations of civilians</a>

''Russian President Vladimir Putin is the one responsible for this humiliation, war crimes, and disasters,” said the Ukraine MP emphasising the bombing of foreign nationals, children, and women.&nbsp;

Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old from Enerhodar who was working as a waitress in Irpin prior to the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied town are like 'hell' and alleged the invaders engaged in horrific treatment of locals.&nbsp;

''Irpin is Hell. There are plenty of Russian soldiers out there who just shoot people who enter private homes and, at best, just kick people out of their homes,'' Anastasia told Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press.

''They rape women and the dead are just being dumped.'' &nbsp;

About 20,000 Ukrainians have been killed in Russia's month-old invasion and 10 million have fled their homes, according to Kyiv, and several cities are still coming under withering bombardment.

Humanitarian needs are direst in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Ukraine said that about 160,000 civilians remain encircled by Russian forces, desperate for food, water and medicine.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said the situation there was "catastrophic" and Russia's assault from land, sea and air had turned a city once home to 450,000 people "into dust".

The Ukrainian government also estimated Monday that the economic damage from the Russian invasion had reached nearly $565 billion.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. Maria Mezentseva, the head of Ukraine’s delegation to the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, has claimed that Russian soldiers raped and sexually assaulted women. During an interview with Sky News, she said ''There is one case which was very widely discussed recently because it’s been recorded and proceeded with [by] the prosecutor’s office, and we’re not going into details, but it’s quite a scary scene when a civilian was shot dead in his house in a small town next to Kyiv.'' “His wife was, I’m sorry but I have to say it, raped several times in front of her underage child.” Ukraine's prosecutor-general Iryna Venediktova opened the country's first official rape investigation into the case after the drunken soldier is said to have broken into the family's home, killed the husband and then repeatedly raped his wife. “There are many more victims rather than just this one case which has been made public by the prosecutor general,” Mezentseva said. “And of course, we are expecting many more of them, which will be public once victims will be ready to talk about that. “That’s why you know, when we’ve been talking to Boris Johnson, when we will be talking to your Home Office, when we’ve been talking to MPs of UK, we’ve also raised this issue that this aftermath, which we are dealing with right now, the aftermath of war, has to be taken very cautiously, very seriously, and to take into account the UK experience and experience of other countries, which can help us in dealing with psychologists, and how to help these people to actually live over these cases, to keep going afterwards, to keep living.” “We will definitely not be silent,” she added. Also read | Ukraine cites Russian 'provocations' for pausing evacuations of civilians ''Russian President Vladimir Putin is the one responsible for this humiliation, war crimes, and disasters,” said the Ukraine MP emphasising the bombing of foreign nationals, children, and women. Anastasia Taran, a 30-year-old from Enerhodar who was working as a waitress in Irpin prior to the Russian invasion, claimed that conditions in the Russian-occupied town are like 'hell' and alleged the invaders engaged in horrific treatment of locals. ''Irpin is Hell. There are plenty of Russian soldiers out there who just shoot people who enter private homes and, at best, just kick people out of their homes,'' Anastasia told Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press. ''They rape women and the dead are just being dumped.'' About 20,000 Ukrainians have been killed in Russia's month-old invasion and 10 million have fled their homes, according to Kyiv, and several cities are still coming under withering bombardment. Humanitarian needs are direst in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Ukraine said that about 160,000 civilians remain encircled by Russian forces, desperate for food, water and medicine. Ukraine's foreign ministry said the situation there was "catastrophic" and Russia's assault from land, sea and air had turned a city once home to 450,000 people "into dust". The Ukrainian government also estimated Monday that the economic damage from the Russian invasion had reached nearly $565 billion. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine MP Maria Mezentseva says Russian soldiers raping and sexually assaulting women

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian investigators would look into a video circulated on social media that purported to show Ukrainian forces mistreating captured Russian soldiers.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the video, which he said contained "monstrous images", needed to be legally assessed and for those who took part in what he described as torture to be held responsible.

"Currently, no one can confirm or deny the veracity of this video. It's not known where it's happening, or who the participants are," military spokesperson Oleksander Motuzyanyk said.

"The enemy produces and shares videos with the inhuman treatment of alleged 'Russian prisoners' by 'Ukrainian soldiers' in order to discredit the Ukrainian Defence Forces," Zaluzhny said.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-under-attack-will-bidens-remarks-affect-peace-talks-466450/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Ukraine's armed forces respect international norms, Zaluzhny said, accusing Russia of producing such videos in order to discredit Ukrainian soldiers. He did not provide any evidence to support his accusation.

Sergii Nykyforov, press spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the video must be assessed "in the context of both real and information wars."

The killing in action of several Russian generals and senior military figures in Ukraine has revealed the extent of the heavy losses and logistical problems encountered by Moscow's invading army.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/retaliatory-visa-measures-russia-set-to-restrict-entry-of-nationals-from-unfriendly-countries-466435" hreflang="en">Russia set to restrict entry of nationals from 'unfriendly' countries</a>

According to Kyiv, seven Russian generals have been killed since the invasion was launched on February 24, in what Western officials say would be an unusually high casualty rate among military top brass.

It is not possible to independently verify this figure and official Russian sources have so far confirmed only the death of one general and another senior naval commander.

According to the Ukraine defence ministry on Friday, the seventh Russian general to lose his life was Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev who was killed in fighting in Chornobaivka outside the southern city of Kherson.

With its aspirations for a quick victory dashed by a stiff Ukrainian resistance, Russia has increasingly focused on grinding down Ukraine’s military in the east in the hope of forcing Kyiv into surrendering part of the country’s territory to possibly end the war.

The bulk of the Ukrainian army is concentrated in eastern Ukraine, where it has been locked up in fighting with Moscow-backed separatists in a nearly eight-year conflict. If Russia succeeds in encircling and destroying the Ukrainian forces in the country’s industrial heartland called Donbas, it could try to dictate its terms to Kyiv and, possibly, attempt to split the country in two.

The Russian military declared that the “first stage of the operation” had been largely accomplished, allowing Russian troops to concentrate on their “top goal — the liberation of Donbas.”

Many observers say the shift in strategy could reflect President Vladimir Putin’s acknowledgment that his plan for a blitz in Ukraine has failed, forcing him to narrow his goals and change tactics amid a disastrous war that has turned Russia into a pariah and decimated its economy.

In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo Podoliak described an "extraordinary" death rate among Russian generals and senior military figures. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian investigators would look into a video circulated on social media that purported to show Ukrainian forces mistreating captured Russian soldiers. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the video, which he said contained "monstrous images", needed to be legally assessed and for those who took part in what he described as torture to be held responsible. "Currently, no one can confirm or deny the veracity of this video. It's not known where it's happening, or who the participants are," military spokesperson Oleksander Motuzyanyk said. "The enemy produces and shares videos with the inhuman treatment of alleged 'Russian prisoners' by 'Ukrainian soldiers' in order to discredit the Ukrainian Defence Forces," Zaluzhny said. Ukraine's armed forces respect international norms, Zaluzhny said, accusing Russia of producing such videos in order to discredit Ukrainian soldiers. He did not provide any evidence to support his accusation. Sergii Nykyforov, press spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the video must be assessed "in the context of both real and information wars." The killing in action of several Russian generals and senior military figures in Ukraine has revealed the extent of the heavy losses and logistical problems encountered by Moscow's invading army. Also read | Russia set to restrict entry of nationals from 'unfriendly' countries According to Kyiv, seven Russian generals have been killed since the invasion was launched on February 24, in what Western officials say would be an unusually high casualty rate among military top brass. It is not possible to independently verify this figure and official Russian sources have so far confirmed only the death of one general and another senior naval commander. According to the Ukraine defence ministry on Friday, the seventh Russian general to lose his life was Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev who was killed in fighting in Chornobaivka outside the southern city of Kherson. With its aspirations for a quick victory dashed by a stiff Ukrainian resistance, Russia has increasingly focused on grinding down Ukraine’s military in the east in the hope of forcing Kyiv into surrendering part of the country’s territory to possibly end the war. The bulk of the Ukrainian army is concentrated in eastern Ukraine, where it has been locked up in fighting with Moscow-backed separatists in a nearly eight-year conflict. If Russia succeeds in encircling and destroying the Ukrainian forces in the country’s industrial heartland called Donbas, it could try to dictate its terms to Kyiv and, possibly, attempt to split the country in two. The Russian military declared that the “first stage of the operation” had been largely accomplished, allowing Russian troops to concentrate on their “top goal — the liberation of Donbas.” Many observers say the shift in strategy could reflect President Vladimir Putin’s acknowledgment that his plan for a blitz in Ukraine has failed, forcing him to narrow his goals and change tactics amid a disastrous war that has turned Russia into a pariah and decimated its economy. In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo Podoliak described an "extraordinary" death rate among Russian generals and senior military figures. (With inputs from agencies)

Kremlin to investigate alleged video that shows Ukrainian forces mistreating captured Russian soldiers

The head of Ukraine's Luhansk separatist region said on Sunday that it could hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia.

"I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, during which the people will... express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation," Leonid Pasechnik said as per Russian news agencies.

Russia has supported the separatist rebels in Luhansk and the neighboring Donetsk regions since an insurgency erupted there in 2014 shortly after Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Moscow recognised there&nbsp;independence on February 21 and then cited their call for military assistance to launch the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/day-32-of-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-evacuation-continues-in-irpin-466062/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In talks with Ukraine, Moscow has urged it to acknowledge Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Pasechnik’s statement could herald a shift in the Russian position.

Ukraine said such a referendum in occupied Ukrainian territory would have no legal basis and would face a strong response from the international community, deepening Russia's global isolation.

"All fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legal validity," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement.

"Instead, Russia will facе an even stronger response from the international community, further deepening its global isolation."

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-could-russian-president-vladimir-putin-be-prosecuted-for-war-crimes-in-ukraine-465719">How could Russian President Vladimir Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine?</a>

Russian President Putin says what he casts as a "special military operation" was needed to defend Russia against the United States which he said was arming Ukraine and developing it into an "anti-Russia" with the aim of admitting it into the NATO military alliance.

Russian troops have also been besieging Mariupol as taking the strategic port city would give Moscow an unbroken control stretching from the Donbas to the Crimea peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.

Russia also says the operation was needed to defend Russian-speaking populations against persecution from Ukraine's government which it says is a puppet controlled by Washington.

Ukraine says such claims are simply a pretext for occupation and that Moscow does not understand that Ukraine is a sovereign country.

After Russian forces in 2014 took control of Crimea, first annexed by Russia in 1783, a referendum on joining Russia was held. Voters chose overwhelmingly to join Russia. Ukraine said the referendum was illegal and that Crimea is part of Ukraine.

The West imposed sanctions on Russia over the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Moscow says the majority of the people of Crimea wanted to join Russia. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The head of Ukraine's Luhansk separatist region said on Sunday that it could hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia. "I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, during which the people will.

The head of Ukraine's Luhansk separatist region said on Sunday that it could hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia. "I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, during which the people will... express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation," Leonid Pasechnik said as per Russian news agencies. Russia has supported the separatist rebels in Luhansk and the neighboring Donetsk regions since an insurgency erupted there in 2014 shortly after Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Moscow recognised there independence on February 21 and then cited their call for military assistance to launch the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. In talks with Ukraine, Moscow has urged it to acknowledge Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Pasechnik’s statement could herald a shift in the Russian position. Ukraine said such a referendum in occupied Ukrainian territory would have no legal basis and would face a strong response from the international community, deepening Russia's global isolation. "All fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legal validity," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement. "Instead, Russia will facе an even stronger response from the international community, further deepening its global isolation." Also see | How could Russian President Vladimir Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine? Russian President Putin says what he casts as a "special military operation" was needed to defend Russia against the United States which he said was arming Ukraine and developing it into an "anti-Russia" with the aim of admitting it into the NATO military alliance. Russian troops have also been besieging Mariupol as taking the strategic port city would give Moscow an unbroken control stretching from the Donbas to the Crimea peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. Russia also says the operation was needed to defend Russian-speaking populations against persecution from Ukraine's government which it says is a puppet controlled by Washington. Ukraine says such claims are simply a pretext for occupation and that Moscow does not understand that Ukraine is a sovereign country. After Russian forces in 2014 took control of Crimea, first annexed by Russia in 1783, a referendum on joining Russia was held. Voters chose overwhelmingly to join Russia. Ukraine said the referendum was illegal and that Crimea is part of Ukraine. The West imposed sanctions on Russia over the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Moscow says the majority of the people of Crimea wanted to join Russia. (With inputs from agencies)

Head of Ukraine's Luhansk separatist region says it may vote to join Russia

Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska said on Sunday that US&nbsp;President Joe Biden's speech in Warsaw indicated that some sort of "hellish ideological mobilisation" was underway that may usher in a much longer conflict in Ukraine.

Deripaska said he had thought the conflict in Ukraine was "mad" and that it could be stopped three weeks ago through talks.

"But now some sort of hellish ideological mobilisation is underway from all sides," Deripaska said. "That's it: these people are preparing to fight for a few years more."

It comes after US President Joe Biden branded Putin a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power".&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-the-story-of-ukraines-president-volodymyr-zelensky-466054/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The Kremlin had reacted in fury over Biden's comments which it said narrows the window for bilateral relations, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine now into a second month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the West of cowardice as his country fights to stave off Russia’s invading troops, making an exasperated plea for fighter jets and tanks to sustain a defense as the war ground into a battle of attrition.

He lashed out Sunday at the West’s “ping-pong about who and how should hand over jets” and other weapons while Russian missile attacks kill and trap civilians.

“I’ve talked to the defenders of Mariupol today. I’m in constant contact with them. Their determination, heroism and firmness are astonishing,” Zelensky said in a video address, referring to the besieged southern city that has suffered some of the war’s greatest deprivations and horrors.&nbsp;

“If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1 per cent&nbsp;of their courage.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/leading-energy-analyst-says-russian-gas-sales-to-china-will-not-make-up-for-loss-of-european-markets-465956">Russian gas sales to China 'will not make up for loss of European markets'</a>

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, announced an additional $100 million in aid to help Ukraine police and border guards purchase armoured vehicles, equipment and medical supplies.

On the frontlines, Russia's far-bigger military continued to combat determined Ukrainian defenders who are using Western-supplied weapons, from near the capital Kyiv to Kharkiv, the eastern Donbas region and the devastated southern port city of Mariupol.

Moscow claims its focus is on wresting from Ukraine the entire eastern Donbas region, which has been partially controlled by Russia-backed separatists since 2014.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska said on Sunday that US President Joe Biden's speech in Warsaw indicated that some sort of "hellish ideological mobilisation" was underway that may usher in a much longer conflict in Ukraine.

Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska said on Sunday that US President Joe Biden's speech in Warsaw indicated that some sort of "hellish ideological mobilisation" was underway that may usher in a much longer conflict in Ukraine. Deripaska said he had thought the conflict in Ukraine was "mad" and that it could be stopped three weeks ago through talks. "But now some sort of hellish ideological mobilisation is underway from all sides," Deripaska said. "That's it: these people are preparing to fight for a few years more." It comes after US President Joe Biden branded Putin a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power". The Kremlin had reacted in fury over Biden's comments which it said narrows the window for bilateral relations, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine now into a second month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the West of cowardice as his country fights to stave off Russia’s invading troops, making an exasperated plea for fighter jets and tanks to sustain a defense as the war ground into a battle of attrition. He lashed out Sunday at the West’s “ping-pong about who and how should hand over jets” and other weapons while Russian missile attacks kill and trap civilians. “I’ve talked to the defenders of Mariupol today. I’m in constant contact with them. Their determination, heroism and firmness are astonishing,” Zelensky said in a video address, referring to the besieged southern city that has suffered some of the war’s greatest deprivations and horrors. “If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1 per cent of their courage.” Also read | Russian gas sales to China 'will not make up for loss of European markets' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, announced an additional $100 million in aid to help Ukraine police and border guards purchase armoured vehicles, equipment and medical supplies. On the frontlines, Russia's far-bigger military continued to combat determined Ukrainian defenders who are using Western-supplied weapons, from near the capital Kyiv to Kharkiv, the eastern Donbas region and the devastated southern port city of Mariupol. Moscow claims its focus is on wresting from Ukraine the entire eastern Donbas region, which has been partially controlled by Russia-backed separatists since 2014. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine invasion: Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska says 'hellish mobilisation' is underway

US President Joe Biden met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Saturday in Warsaw, in his first face-to-face meeting with top Ukrainian officials since the start of the war.

Kuleba and Reznikov have made a rare trip out of Ukraine as a possible sign of growing confidence in the fightback against Russian forces.

The meeting took place at the Marriott Hotel in the city centre,&nbsp;opposite a Warsaw train station where there has been a constant flow of Ukrainian refugees since the conflict started.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/eu-holds-special-summit-on-energy-crisis-in-a-bid-to-reduce-dependence-on-russian-oil-465673/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-war-main-goal-is-the-liberation-of-donbass-says-russian-general-465577" hreflang="en">Ukraine war: Main goal is the liberation of Donbass, says Russian general</a>

More&nbsp;security assurances

''We did receive additional promises from the United States on how our defence co-operation will evolve,"&nbsp;Kuleba&nbsp;told reporters.

Kuleba&nbsp;said they were working with international organisations to get information on Ukrainians that have been evacuated to Russia “by force”, and also to prevent companies providing elements use in weapons to Russia.

"(When) our defenders capture enemy soldiers and their equipment, we discover especially vulnerable instruments they use in fighting against us... And we see which companies produce this or that detail or element, we inform our partners and prepare the next wave of sanctions against those foreign companies that deliver to Russia."

Biden last met Kuleba in Washington on February 22,&nbsp;two days before Russia began its assault. Since then, Kuleba has also met with Blinken in Poland next to the border with Ukraine on March 5.

Warsaw, the backdrop for the remarks, was until the collapse of communist rule in 1989 behind the Iron Curtain for four decades, under Soviet influence and a member of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact security alliance.

Now, Poland is the biggest formerly communist member of the European Union and NATO, the security alliance founded to counter the Soviet Union.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/increase-energy-output-so-that-nobody-can-use-it-as-a-weapon-to-blackmail-zelensky-to-doha-forum-465665" hreflang="en">Increase energy output so that nobody can use it as a weapon to blackmail: Zelensky to Doha Forum</a>

The rise of rightwing populism in Poland in recent years has put it in conflict with the European Union and Washington, but the threat of Russia pressing beyond its borders has drawn Poland closer to its Western neighbours.

Labels Putin a 'butcher'&nbsp;

Biden&nbsp;branded Russian President Vladimir Putin a "butcher" during a meeting with refugees who have fled the war in Ukraine to the Polish capital.

He added that Putin could not remain in power, and his war against Ukraine has been a strategic failure for Moscow.

"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden told a crowd in Warsaw. Biden also said the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its second month, had united the West, adding that NATO was a defensive alliance that never sought Russia's demise.

"The West is now stronger, more united than it has ever been," Biden told hundreds of Polish elected officials, students and U.S. embassy staff, many holding U.S., Polish and Ukrainian flags.

"We need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead."

Biden, who took office last year after a violently contested election, vowed to restore democracy at home and unite democracies abroad to confront autocrats including the Russian president and China's leader Xi Jinping.

Putin's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a "special operation", has tested that promise and threatened to inaugurate a new Cold War three decades after the Soviet Union unravelled.

Biden is on the second and final day of a visit to Poland after he met with EU and NATO leaders in Brussels earlier in the week.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/one-month-since-russia-invaded-ukraine-hundreds-dead-millions-displaced-when-will-it-end-465149">One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end?</a>

Washington, seeking to avoid a direct conflict with Russia, rejected a surprise offer by Poland to transfer Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a US base in Germany to be used to replenish Ukraine's air force.

Now, Poland wants to accelerate the purchase of US.-made Patriot missiles, F35 fighter jets and tanks for its own security, and seek reassurance on NATO commitments to defend its members.

"Above all, we want the unshakable guarantee that the United States provides within the framework of the alliance," the head of the National Security Bureau, Pawel Soloch, said on Friday.&nbsp;

"Especially here, to Poland and the countries of the region. If there was an attack on Poland, the USA would defend Poland."

The US&nbsp;and many of its allies have imposed multiple rounds of economic and other sanctions on Russian individuals, banks, and other entities in hopes that the cumulative effect over time will force Putin to withdraw his troops.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Saturday in Warsaw, in his first face-to-face meeting with top Ukrainian officials since the start of the war.

US President Joe Biden met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Saturday in Warsaw, in his first face-to-face meeting with top Ukrainian officials since the start of the war. Kuleba and Reznikov have made a rare trip out of Ukraine as a possible sign of growing confidence in the fightback against Russian forces. The meeting took place at the Marriott Hotel in the city centre, opposite a Warsaw train station where there has been a constant flow of Ukrainian refugees since the conflict started. Also read | Ukraine war: Main goal is the liberation of Donbass, says Russian general More security assurances ''We did receive additional promises from the United States on how our defence co-operation will evolve," Kuleba told reporters. Kuleba said they were working with international organisations to get information on Ukrainians that have been evacuated to Russia “by force”, and also to prevent companies providing elements use in weapons to Russia. "(When) our defenders capture enemy soldiers and their equipment, we discover especially vulnerable instruments they use in fighting against us... And we see which companies produce this or that detail or element, we inform our partners and prepare the next wave of sanctions against those foreign companies that deliver to Russia." Biden last met Kuleba in Washington on February 22, two days before Russia began its assault. Since then, Kuleba has also met with Blinken in Poland next to the border with Ukraine on March 5. Warsaw, the backdrop for the remarks, was until the collapse of communist rule in 1989 behind the Iron Curtain for four decades, under Soviet influence and a member of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact security alliance. Now, Poland is the biggest formerly communist member of the European Union and NATO, the security alliance founded to counter the Soviet Union. Also read | Increase energy output so that nobody can use it as a weapon to blackmail: Zelensky to Doha Forum The rise of rightwing populism in Poland in recent years has put it in conflict with the European Union and Washington, but the threat of Russia pressing beyond its borders has drawn Poland closer to its Western neighbours. Labels Putin a 'butcher' Biden branded Russian President Vladimir Putin a "butcher" during a meeting with refugees who have fled the war in Ukraine to the Polish capital. He added that Putin could not remain in power, and his war against Ukraine has been a strategic failure for Moscow. "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden told a crowd in Warsaw. Biden also said the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its second month, had united the West, adding that NATO was a defensive alliance that never sought Russia's demise. "The West is now stronger, more united than it has ever been," Biden told hundreds of Polish elected officials, students and U.S. embassy staff, many holding U.S., Polish and Ukrainian flags. "We need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead." Biden, who took office last year after a violently contested election, vowed to restore democracy at home and unite democracies abroad to confront autocrats including the Russian president and China's leader Xi Jinping. Putin's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a "special operation", has tested that promise and threatened to inaugurate a new Cold War three decades after the Soviet Union unravelled. Biden is on the second and final day of a visit to Poland after he met with EU and NATO leaders in Brussels earlier in the week. Also see | One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end? Washington, seeking to avoid a direct conflict with Russia, rejected a surprise offer by Poland to transfer Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a US base in Germany to be used to replenish Ukraine's air force. Now, Poland wants to accelerate the purchase of US.-made Patriot missiles, F35 fighter jets and tanks for its own security, and seek reassurance on NATO commitments to defend its members. "Above all, we want the unshakable guarantee that the United States provides within the framework of the alliance," the head of the National Security Bureau, Pawel Soloch, said on Friday. "Especially here, to Poland and the countries of the region. If there was an attack on Poland, the USA would defend Poland." The US and many of its allies have imposed multiple rounds of economic and other sanctions on Russian individuals, banks, and other entities in hopes that the cumulative effect over time will force Putin to withdraw his troops. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden meets Ukrainian ministers in first face-to-face meeting since Russia's invasion

When Ukrainian forces hit a Russian tank with an American-made Javelin missile on a highway on the northern reaches of the capital, Kyiv, the explosion was so huge that it tossed the turret 10 yards down the road and shredded the rest of the vehicle and the men inside.

The charred body parts of Russian soldiers were still decomposing on the asphalt three weeks later, alongside scattered metal debris and ammunition. A single felt boot, favorite footwear for centuries in Russia’s frozen villages, lay blackened among the detritus.

“Good shot,” the Ukrainian commander said with elation, surveying the wreck. A deputy commander of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, which controlled the area, he asked that he be identified only by his nom de guerre, Sulim. He pointed to blackened chunks of human flesh and bone on the road from Russian soldiers killed in the strike, and added, “It was all humane, it was all very quick.”

“They came four times,” Sulim, 40, said. “Let them come again. I am waiting.”

The Russian army has come, again and again, trying to penetrate villages and suburbs around Kyiv for weeks, in what has become a seesaw battle for the critical areas that could be used to enter or encircle and eventually shell the capital.

Ukrainian media officers escorted several teams of journalists on a rare visit through villages close to Russian lines in the countryside of greater Kyiv on Friday to show some of the damage from early fighting, as well as the success of the Ukrainian resistance and the counterattacks that Ukraine’s military has mounted.

The villages visited were not among those recently liberated by the continuing Ukrainian counteroffensive, but they had come under attack as Russian forces had tried to seize them two weeks ago. Similar battles are now being waged daily.

This spot on the edge of a village, on a highway leading into Kyiv, marked the limit of the Russian advance in the area under Sulim’s watch. Two tanks — a T-90 that was hit by the Javelin and a T-72 — according to the commander, were ambushed on the road March 2 during the first week of the war. A half-dozen burned-out armored vehicles lay nearby — beside a cluster of houses and in a gully — wrecks from several skirmishes over the period of a week.

Russian forces were still just 4 miles away, but the commander asked that the village names not be published to safeguard his positions.

The villages on the front line were mostly deserted, with just a few men and women guarding houses and looking after their livestock. The first line of houses facing the road where the tank battle happened were badly damaged from artillery or tank shells.

A farmer, Valerii, 62, who kept cows and sheep in a property below the road said he had lost half of his animals in the fighting. “Everything is destroyed,” he said forlornly. “It was in the morning. I had just fed the animals when the tank came. It was about 100 yards from me. I hid.” He gave only his first name so as not to be further identified.

Later he ran into some Russian scouts in the woods and they had let him go, he said, but he was close to tears at the state of his farm.

“They come to our house and are trying to impose their orders,” he said of the Russians. “How can they? They should not do that. How can I go into your house and tell you what to do? I come to you, and I should behave according to your rules.”

The commander said they had found 10 bodies of Russian soldiers from the battle. “There were no prisoners,” he said. Ukrainian forces took away five of the bodies, and the local villagers buried the other five, he said.

Their armored vehicles had exploded with such force that the heavy steel hatches and doors had been sheared off and hurled in separate directions. In the gully where two armored personnel carriers had crashed and burned, a military sleeping bag and jacket lay beside one wreck, along with discarded rations and scattered ammunition.

As he walked through the wreckage, the commander picked up a soldier’s silver dog tag. It bore the number 785 000 and the imprint of the Soviet Army — VS USSR. He picked up an empty army satchel, with a tag with the name A.G. Gagarin on it and his unit number, 666. “They did not succeed,” he said grimly. “Gagarin is OK, he is dead.”

Several soldiers at the scene voiced thanks to the United States for providing Javelin portable antitank missiles and to Britain for sending NLAWs, next generation light anti-tank weapons. Yet despite their success in ambushing the Russian armored vehicles and tanks, the Ukrainian troops were wary of the firepower of the Russian army and kept the visit to their positions short.

Ukrainian artillery sounded close by as it fired at Russian positions to the north. Black smoke rose beyond nearby woods where the shells had fallen.

“Personally, we want to close the skies,” Sulim said, repeating a call by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over the country to save its cities from punishing airstrikes.

“The Russians are bombing civilians, women and children,” he said. “Would you want us to bomb you?” he asked of the Russian population.

The commander, who served in Iraq on several tours as part of a Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent, said he was from a region of Ukraine that is close to the Russian border. He said he had often interacted with Russian officers after fighting began in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

He told them that if Russia had offered a better life, he would have readily supported a union between the two countries. “But it’s not good,” he said. “The officers agreed with me. They are not living well there. They live in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but everywhere else they just survive.”

At a second village, two powerful Russian missiles had gouged yards-wide craters beside the road, smashing houses and farm buildings in a wide arc. Two Iskander ballistic missiles had struck the village in the first week of the war, Ukrainian military officers said. The missiles were possibly aimed at Ukrainian military positions in the village, but they primarily damaged people’s homes and farms.

Yuriy Yunevich, 51, and his family had been asleep at home when the missiles hit at 3 a.m., one just yards from their house. “Everything was thrown like a wave,” he said. The walls of his house were buckled and his roof shorn off. His greenhouses were ripped apart, and the cows were lying down amid the broken bricks of their stalls.

He sent his wife and children away after that but said he could not leave, because his cows had to be milked and fed, and his German shepherd was expecting puppies soon. He was giving the milk and curd to the soldiers, he said. It was not the time to sell his produce, he added.

As he spoke, a sniper rifle shot rang out from a Ukrainian position nearby. Russian positions were barely 1 mile away, soldiers said.

“I think we will not let them in,” Yunevich said of the Russian army. He rejected any thought of living in peace under the Russians. “This is our land,” he said.

When Ukrainian forces hit a Russian tank with an American-made Javelin missile on a highway on the northern reaches of the capital, Kyiv, the explosion was so huge that it tossed the turret 10 yards down the road and shredded the rest of the vehicle and the men inside.

When Ukrainian forces hit a Russian tank with an American-made Javelin missile on a highway on the northern reaches of the capital, Kyiv, the explosion was so huge that it tossed the turret 10 yards down the road and shredded the rest of the vehicle and the men inside. The charred body parts of Russian soldiers were still decomposing on the asphalt three weeks later, alongside scattered metal debris and ammunition. A single felt boot, favorite footwear for centuries in Russia’s frozen villages, lay blackened among the detritus. “Good shot,” the Ukrainian commander said with elation, surveying the wreck. A deputy commander of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, which controlled the area, he asked that he be identified only by his nom de guerre, Sulim. He pointed to blackened chunks of human flesh and bone on the road from Russian soldiers killed in the strike, and added, “It was all humane, it was all very quick.” “They came four times,” Sulim, 40, said. “Let them come again. I am waiting.” The Russian army has come, again and again, trying to penetrate villages and suburbs around Kyiv for weeks, in what has become a seesaw battle for the critical areas that could be used to enter or encircle and eventually shell the capital. Ukrainian media officers escorted several teams of journalists on a rare visit through villages close to Russian lines in the countryside of greater Kyiv on Friday to show some of the damage from early fighting, as well as the success of the Ukrainian resistance and the counterattacks that Ukraine’s military has mounted. The villages visited were not among those recently liberated by the continuing Ukrainian counteroffensive, but they had come under attack as Russian forces had tried to seize them two weeks ago. Similar battles are now being waged daily. This spot on the edge of a village, on a highway leading into Kyiv, marked the limit of the Russian advance in the area under Sulim’s watch. Two tanks — a T-90 that was hit by the Javelin and a T-72 — according to the commander, were ambushed on the road March 2 during the first week of the war. A half-dozen burned-out armored vehicles lay nearby — beside a cluster of houses and in a gully — wrecks from several skirmishes over the period of a week. Russian forces were still just 4 miles away, but the commander asked that the village names not be published to safeguard his positions. The villages on the front line were mostly deserted, with just a few men and women guarding houses and looking after their livestock. The first line of houses facing the road where the tank battle happened were badly damaged from artillery or tank shells. A farmer, Valerii, 62, who kept cows and sheep in a property below the road said he had lost half of his animals in the fighting. “Everything is destroyed,” he said forlornly. “It was in the morning. I had just fed the animals when the tank came. It was about 100 yards from me. I hid.” He gave only his first name so as not to be further identified. Later he ran into some Russian scouts in the woods and they had let him go, he said, but he was close to tears at the state of his farm. “They come to our house and are trying to impose their orders,” he said of the Russians. “How can they? They should not do that. How can I go into your house and tell you what to do? I come to you, and I should behave according to your rules.” The commander said they had found 10 bodies of Russian soldiers from the battle. “There were no prisoners,” he said. Ukrainian forces took away five of the bodies, and the local villagers buried the other five, he said. Their armored vehicles had exploded with such force that the heavy steel hatches and doors had been sheared off and hurled in separate directions. In the gully where two armored personnel carriers had crashed and burned, a military sleeping bag and jacket lay beside one wreck, along with discarded rations and scattered ammunition. As he walked through the wreckage, the commander picked up a soldier’s silver dog tag. It bore the number 785 000 and the imprint of the Soviet Army — VS USSR. He picked up an empty army satchel, with a tag with the name A.G. Gagarin on it and his unit number, 666. “They did not succeed,” he said grimly. “Gagarin is OK, he is dead.” Several soldiers at the scene voiced thanks to the United States for providing Javelin portable antitank missiles and to Britain for sending NLAWs, next generation light anti-tank weapons. Yet despite their success in ambushing the Russian armored vehicles and tanks, the Ukrainian troops were wary of the firepower of the Russian army and kept the visit to their positions short. Ukrainian artillery sounded close by as it fired at Russian positions to the north. Black smoke rose beyond nearby woods where the shells had fallen. “Personally, we want to close the skies,” Sulim said, repeating a call by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over the country to save its cities from punishing airstrikes. “The Russians are bombing civilians, women and children,” he said. “Would you want us to bomb you?” he asked of the Russian population. The commander, who served in Iraq on several tours as part of a Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent, said he was from a region of Ukraine that is close to the Russian border. He said he had often interacted with Russian officers after fighting began in eastern Ukraine in 2014. He told them that if Russia had offered a better life, he would have readily supported a union between the two countries. “But it’s not good,” he said. “The officers agreed with me. They are not living well there. They live in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but everywhere else they just survive.” At a second village, two powerful Russian missiles had gouged yards-wide craters beside the road, smashing houses and farm buildings in a wide arc. Two Iskander ballistic missiles had struck the village in the first week of the war, Ukrainian military officers said. The missiles were possibly aimed at Ukrainian military positions in the village, but they primarily damaged people’s homes and farms. Yuriy Yunevich, 51, and his family had been asleep at home when the missiles hit at 3 a.m., one just yards from their house. “Everything was thrown like a wave,” he said. The walls of his house were buckled and his roof shorn off. His greenhouses were ripped apart, and the cows were lying down amid the broken bricks of their stalls. He sent his wife and children away after that but said he could not leave, because his cows had to be milked and fed, and his German shepherd was expecting puppies soon. He was giving the milk and curd to the soldiers, he said. It was not the time to sell his produce, he added. As he spoke, a sniper rifle shot rang out from a Ukrainian position nearby. Russian positions were barely 1 mile away, soldiers said. “I think we will not let them in,” Yunevich said of the Russian army. He rejected any thought of living in peace under the Russians. “This is our land,” he said.

At the edge of Kyiv, Ukrainians show off their counteroffensive

Russia's defence minister reappeared on television images broadcast Saturday, after his two-week absence from view prompted questions from journalists.

In the video, uploaded on social media, Shoigu said he had discussed issues related to the military budget and defence orders with the finance ministry.

"We continue ahead-of-schedule delivery of weaponry and equipment by means of credits. The priorities are long-range high-precision weapons, aircraft equipment and maintenance of engagement readiness of strategic nuclear forces," said Shoigu, who is overseeing what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-threat-of-a-nuclear-war-russia-reasserts-rights-to-use-nukes-465794/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The meeting was attended by a number of top Russian army officials including the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, who also had not been seen in public recently.

Shoigu appeared on screen in a video clip of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Security Council on Thursday, but was not shown speaking.

Prior to that, he had not been seen in public since March 11, fuelling speculation about his whereabouts. Some Russian media reports have speculated that Shoigu could have health problems.

On Saturday, the defence ministry denied reports that Shoigu had suffered a heart attack and was in hospital.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-could-russian-president-vladimir-putin-be-prosecuted-for-war-crimes-in-ukraine-465719" hreflang="en">How could Russian President Vladimir Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine?</a>

Writing on messaging app Telegram, the ministry said that reports saying that Shoigu was recovering at Moscow's Burdenko military hospital were "obviously fake".

In early March, Russia imposed prison terms of up to 15 years for publishing "fake" news about the army.

Security and defence analyst, Michael Clarke, said the recent silence from Shoigu and Gerasimov is significant.

He said: "Their silence indicates that this operation has not gone to plan, otherwise they would have given daily updates at the most senior level.

"The speculation is that they are in disgrace and the loyalty of the armed forces at senior levels may be in doubt."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-reveals-military-death-toll-amid-heavy-fighting-in-kherson-465622" hreflang="en">Russia reveals military death toll amid heavy fighting in Kherson</a>

Earlier this week, the Kremlin referred to a conversation between the minister and Putin on the occasion of a report on developments of the "special military operation" at a meeting of the Russian security council, brushing aside speculation about Shoigu's prolonged absence.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to quell rumours, telling journalists: "The defence minister has a lot to take care of at the moment. There is a special military operation going on.

"This is not the moment for media activity," he added.

Defence minister since 2012, he has sometimes been tipped as a potential successor to Putin in the Kremlin. He and Putin have been pictured in Siberia taking holidays together, fishing and picking mushrooms.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Russia's defence minister reappeared on television images broadcast Saturday, after his two-week absence from view prompted questions from journalists. In the video, uploaded on social media, Shoigu said he had discussed issues related to the military budget and defence orders with the finance ministry.

Russia's defence minister reappeared on television images broadcast Saturday, after his two-week absence from view prompted questions from journalists. In the video, uploaded on social media, Shoigu said he had discussed issues related to the military budget and defence orders with the finance ministry. "We continue ahead-of-schedule delivery of weaponry and equipment by means of credits. The priorities are long-range high-precision weapons, aircraft equipment and maintenance of engagement readiness of strategic nuclear forces," said Shoigu, who is overseeing what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine. The meeting was attended by a number of top Russian army officials including the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, who also had not been seen in public recently. Shoigu appeared on screen in a video clip of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Security Council on Thursday, but was not shown speaking. Prior to that, he had not been seen in public since March 11, fuelling speculation about his whereabouts. Some Russian media reports have speculated that Shoigu could have health problems. On Saturday, the defence ministry denied reports that Shoigu had suffered a heart attack and was in hospital. Also see | How could Russian President Vladimir Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine? Writing on messaging app Telegram, the ministry said that reports saying that Shoigu was recovering at Moscow's Burdenko military hospital were "obviously fake". In early March, Russia imposed prison terms of up to 15 years for publishing "fake" news about the army. Security and defence analyst, Michael Clarke, said the recent silence from Shoigu and Gerasimov is significant. He said: "Their silence indicates that this operation has not gone to plan, otherwise they would have given daily updates at the most senior level. "The speculation is that they are in disgrace and the loyalty of the armed forces at senior levels may be in doubt." Also read | Russia reveals military death toll amid heavy fighting in Kherson Earlier this week, the Kremlin referred to a conversation between the minister and Putin on the occasion of a report on developments of the "special military operation" at a meeting of the Russian security council, brushing aside speculation about Shoigu's prolonged absence. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to quell rumours, telling journalists: "The defence minister has a lot to take care of at the moment. There is a special military operation going on. "This is not the moment for media activity," he added. Defence minister since 2012, he has sometimes been tipped as a potential successor to Putin in the Kremlin. He and Putin have been pictured in Siberia taking holidays together, fishing and picking mushrooms. (With inputs from agencies)

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu reappears amid speculation over whereabouts

How could Russian President Vladimir Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine?

Ukraine has launched a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) called 'Meta History: Museum of War' in an expansion of a cryptocurrency fundraising push.

The collection is a series of digital images, including silhouettes of warplanes, screengrabs of news reports, and a cartoon-style image of an explosion, each one marking a different day in the conflict.

Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation said it is meant "to spread truthful information among the digital community in the world and to collect donations for the support of Ukraine."&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukrainian-forces-try-to-recapture-towns-outside-kyiv-amid-russian-invasion-465643/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

NFT sales platforms use the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies, and transform anything from illustrations to memes into virtual collectors' items that cannot be duplicated.

Just over a month into the invasion, Russia’s attack has slowed into a grinding war of attrition. Russian forces in Ukraine appear to have shifted their focus from a ground offensive aimed at Kyiv to instead prioritizing what Moscow calls the liberation of the contested Donbas region, suggesting a new phase of the war.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-russias-missiles-in-ukraine-are-failing-to-hit-the-target-465689" hreflang="en">Why Russia's missiles in Ukraine are failing to hit the target</a>

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces are under great strain in many parts of the country, and the United States and other countries are accelerating their transfer of arms and supplies to Ukraine.

The global NFT boom, with US artist Beeple selling artwork at a record-breaking $69 million last year, has encouraged people to turn to digital art.&nbsp;

Opinions on the merits of NFT art vary wildly. The most famous collections, Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks, feature cartoon images replicated 10,000 times with algorithm-generated variations.

They are often pilloried for blocky graphics or tacky animation style.&nbsp;

Also, those who buy NFTs do not get a physical product, rather they receive a verified entry on a blockchain, essentially a piece of computer code.

The value comes from the supposed rarity or fame of the object, often driven by celebrity endorsements.

(With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine has launched a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) called 'Meta History: Museum of War' in an expansion of a cryptocurrency fundraising push. The collection is a series of digital images, including silhouettes of warplanes, screengrabs of news reports, and a cartoon-style image of an explosion, each one marking a different day in the conflict.

Ukraine has launched a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) called 'Meta History: Museum of War' in an expansion of a cryptocurrency fundraising push. The collection is a series of digital images, including silhouettes of warplanes, screengrabs of news reports, and a cartoon-style image of an explosion, each one marking a different day in the conflict. Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation said it is meant "to spread truthful information among the digital community in the world and to collect donations for the support of Ukraine." NFT sales platforms use the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies, and transform anything from illustrations to memes into virtual collectors' items that cannot be duplicated. Just over a month into the invasion, Russia’s attack has slowed into a grinding war of attrition. Russian forces in Ukraine appear to have shifted their focus from a ground offensive aimed at Kyiv to instead prioritizing what Moscow calls the liberation of the contested Donbas region, suggesting a new phase of the war. Also see | Why Russia's missiles in Ukraine are failing to hit the target Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces are under great strain in many parts of the country, and the United States and other countries are accelerating their transfer of arms and supplies to Ukraine. The global NFT boom, with US artist Beeple selling artwork at a record-breaking $69 million last year, has encouraged people to turn to digital art. Opinions on the merits of NFT art vary wildly. The most famous collections, Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks, feature cartoon images replicated 10,000 times with algorithm-generated variations. They are often pilloried for blocky graphics or tacky animation style. Also, those who buy NFTs do not get a physical product, rather they receive a verified entry on a blockchain, essentially a piece of computer code. The value comes from the supposed rarity or fame of the object, often driven by celebrity endorsements. (With inputs from agencies)

'Meta History: Museum of War': Ukraine launches NFT in crypto crowdfunding push

France's foreign ministry said Friday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy in Paris showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States.

"These publications are unacceptable," a ministry spokesperson said after two tweets on Thursday, now deleted, that depicted kneeling Europeans licking the buttocks of a man dressed as Uncle Sam, and another showing two doctors wearing American and EU insignia injecting Europe with syringes marked "Russophobia", "Neo-Nazism" and "Sanctions."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-voa-co-production-us-president-joe-biden-meets-leaders-from-nato-g7-and-eu-465534/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"We are trying to maintain a demanding channel of dialogue with Russia and these actions are completely inappropriate."

France's European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune had slammed the cartoon post on Thursday calling it "a disgrace" in response to the drawing which had been posted earlier in the afternoon by the Twitter account of the Russia Embassy in France.

The Russian Embassy in Paris had timed its publication of the cartoon to coincide with Thursday's unprecedented triple summit in Brussels of NATO, the G7 and the European Union to discuss how to tackle Russia's war in Ukraine.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-us-sign-mega-lng-deal-in-an-attempt-to-curb-reliance-on-sanctions-hit-russia-465514" hreflang="en">EU, US sign mega LNG deal to curb reliance on sanctions-hit Russia</a>

Western leaders met in Brussels to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe, increase military aid to Ukraine and tighten their sanctions on Russia as Moscow's assault on its neighbour entered its second month.

French President Emmanuel Macron has sought to keep dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and continues to speak regularly with him as part of efforts to get a ceasefire and begin a credible negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is facing total war declared by the West.

Lavrov said at a meeting on Friday that “a real hybrid war, total war was declared on us.” He said the goal was “to destroy, break, annihilate, strangle the Russian economy, and Russia on the whole.”

During the first month of what Russia describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine, the West imposed tough measures targeting Russia’s economy and financial system as well as President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs.

Despite that, Lavrov said Russia was not isolated.

“We have many friends, allies, partners in the world, a huge number of associations in which Russia is working with countries of all continents, and we will continue to do so,” Lavrov said. He added that the vast majority of states won’t join the Western sanctions policy against Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)

France's foreign ministry said Friday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy in Paris showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States.

France's foreign ministry said Friday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy in Paris showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States. "These publications are unacceptable," a ministry spokesperson said after two tweets on Thursday, now deleted, that depicted kneeling Europeans licking the buttocks of a man dressed as Uncle Sam, and another showing two doctors wearing American and EU insignia injecting Europe with syringes marked "Russophobia", "Neo-Nazism" and "Sanctions." "We are trying to maintain a demanding channel of dialogue with Russia and these actions are completely inappropriate." France's European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune had slammed the cartoon post on Thursday calling it "a disgrace" in response to the drawing which had been posted earlier in the afternoon by the Twitter account of the Russia Embassy in France. The Russian Embassy in Paris had timed its publication of the cartoon to coincide with Thursday's unprecedented triple summit in Brussels of NATO, the G7 and the European Union to discuss how to tackle Russia's war in Ukraine. Also read | EU, US sign mega LNG deal to curb reliance on sanctions-hit Russia Western leaders met in Brussels to strengthen their forces in Eastern Europe, increase military aid to Ukraine and tighten their sanctions on Russia as Moscow's assault on its neighbour entered its second month. French President Emmanuel Macron has sought to keep dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and continues to speak regularly with him as part of efforts to get a ceasefire and begin a credible negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is facing total war declared by the West. Lavrov said at a meeting on Friday that “a real hybrid war, total war was declared on us.” He said the goal was “to destroy, break, annihilate, strangle the Russian economy, and Russia on the whole.” During the first month of what Russia describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine, the West imposed tough measures targeting Russia’s economy and financial system as well as President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs. Despite that, Lavrov said Russia was not isolated. “We have many friends, allies, partners in the world, a huge number of associations in which Russia is working with countries of all continents, and we will continue to do so,” Lavrov said. He added that the vast majority of states won’t join the Western sanctions policy against Russia. (With inputs from agencies)

France summons Russian envoy over 'unacceptable' tweets that mocked Europe

President Vladimir Putin on Friday said the West was trying to cancel Russian culture, including the works of great composers such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, and Sergei Rachmaninov.

"Today they are trying to cancel a thousand-year-old country," Putin said during a televised meeting with Russian winners of culture-related prizes.

"I am talking about the progressive discrimination against everything connected with Russia, about this trend that is unfolding in a number of Western states, with the full connivance and sometimes with the encouragement of Western elites," Putin added.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-faces-economic-pressure-due-to-sanctions-imposed-by-the-west-465419/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"The proverbial 'cancel culture' has become a cancellation of culture," Putin said, adding that works by Russian composers were being excluded from concerts and books by Russian authors "banned".

"The last time such a mass campaign to destroy unwanted literature was carried out was by the Nazis in Germany almost 90 years ago... books were burned right on the squares," Putin said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-warns-nato-retaliation-if-russia-uses-chemical-weapons-in-ukraine-465405">Biden warns NATO retaliation if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine</a>

A number of events involving Russian cultural figures who have voiced support for the war have been cancelled, including some involving Valery Gergiev, General director of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre, who spoke to Putin during Friday's meeting.

Gergiev has been dismissed as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and lost the chance to conduct at Milan's La Scala after he failed to condemn Russia's invasion.

"Not so long ago children's author J.K Rowling was cancelled because she, a writer of books that have sold millions of copies around the world, didn't please fans of so-called gender freedoms," Putin said.

Since Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24, the West has piled sanctions on Moscow that have seen Russia increasingly isolated, politically and financially, and extending to spheres such as sports and culture.

Putin has tried to justify attacks on Ukraine saying that his operation aims to “denazify” Ukraine, a country with a Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust and who heads a Western-backed, democratically elected government.

The Holocaust, World War II and Nazism have been important tools for Putin in his bid to legitimize Russia’s moves in Ukraine, but historians see their use as disinformation and a cynical ploy to further the Russian leader’s aims.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-month-of-russia-ukraine-conflict-here-are-the-top-10-developments-465411" hreflang="en">One month of Russia-Ukraine conflict: Here are the top 10 developments</a>

World War II, in which the Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people, is a linchpin of Russia’s national identity. In today’s Russia, officials bristle at any questioning of the USSR’s role.

Some historians say this has been coupled with an attempt by Russia at retooling certain historical truths from the war. They say Russia has tried to magnify the Soviet role in defeating the Nazis while playing down any collaboration by Soviet citizens in the persecution of Jews.

On Ukraine, Russia has tried to link the country to Nazism, particularly those who have led it since a pro-Russian leadership was toppled in 2014.

“In terms of all of the sort of constituent parts of Nazism, none of that is in play in Ukraine. Territorial ambitions. State-sponsored terrorism. Rampant antisemitism. Bigotry. A dictatorship. None of those are in play. So this is just total fiction,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, a history professor at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University.

What’s more, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish and has said that three of his grandfather’s brothers were killed by German occupiers while his grandfather survived the war. That hasn’t stopped Russian officials from comparing Zelensky to Jews who were forced to collaborate with the Nazis during the Holocaust.

(With inputs from agencies)

President Vladimir Putin on Friday said the West was trying to cancel Russian culture, including the works of great composers such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, and Sergei Rachmaninov.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday said the West was trying to cancel Russian culture, including the works of great composers such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, and Sergei Rachmaninov. "Today they are trying to cancel a thousand-year-old country," Putin said during a televised meeting with Russian winners of culture-related prizes. "I am talking about the progressive discrimination against everything connected with Russia, about this trend that is unfolding in a number of Western states, with the full connivance and sometimes with the encouragement of Western elites," Putin added. "The proverbial 'cancel culture' has become a cancellation of culture," Putin said, adding that works by Russian composers were being excluded from concerts and books by Russian authors "banned". "The last time such a mass campaign to destroy unwanted literature was carried out was by the Nazis in Germany almost 90 years ago... books were burned right on the squares," Putin said. Also read | Biden warns NATO retaliation if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine A number of events involving Russian cultural figures who have voiced support for the war have been cancelled, including some involving Valery Gergiev, General director of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre, who spoke to Putin during Friday's meeting. Gergiev has been dismissed as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and lost the chance to conduct at Milan's La Scala after he failed to condemn Russia's invasion. "Not so long ago children's author J.K Rowling was cancelled because she, a writer of books that have sold millions of copies around the world, didn't please fans of so-called gender freedoms," Putin said. Since Putin sent Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24, the West has piled sanctions on Moscow that have seen Russia increasingly isolated, politically and financially, and extending to spheres such as sports and culture. Putin has tried to justify attacks on Ukraine saying that his operation aims to “denazify” Ukraine, a country with a Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust and who heads a Western-backed, democratically elected government. The Holocaust, World War II and Nazism have been important tools for Putin in his bid to legitimize Russia’s moves in Ukraine, but historians see their use as disinformation and a cynical ploy to further the Russian leader’s aims. Also read | One month of Russia-Ukraine conflict: Here are the top 10 developments World War II, in which the Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people, is a linchpin of Russia’s national identity. In today’s Russia, officials bristle at any questioning of the USSR’s role. Some historians say this has been coupled with an attempt by Russia at retooling certain historical truths from the war. They say Russia has tried to magnify the Soviet role in defeating the Nazis while playing down any collaboration by Soviet citizens in the persecution of Jews. On Ukraine, Russia has tried to link the country to Nazism, particularly those who have led it since a pro-Russian leadership was toppled in 2014. “In terms of all of the sort of constituent parts of Nazism, none of that is in play in Ukraine. Territorial ambitions. State-sponsored terrorism. Rampant antisemitism. Bigotry. A dictatorship. None of those are in play. So this is just total fiction,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, a history professor at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. What’s more, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish and has said that three of his grandfather’s brothers were killed by German occupiers while his grandfather survived the war. That hasn’t stopped Russian officials from comparing Zelensky to Jews who were forced to collaborate with the Nazis during the Holocaust. (With inputs from agencies)

Vladimir Putin accuses West of trying to cancel Russian culture

US President Joe Biden has said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will retaliate if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.

"The single most important thing is for us to stay unified and the world continue to focus on what a brute this guy is and all the innocent people's lives that are being lost and ruined," Biden told reporters in Brussels, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Biden's Europe trip for the series of high-level meetings, is designed to underscore Washington's willingness to defend NATO allies, as fears rise that the month-old war in Ukraine could yet spark what he has called "World War III".

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/a-trio-of-emergency-summits-in-brussels-us-president-joe-biden-wants-russia-out-of-g-20-465389/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Around the capital, Kyiv, and other areas, Ukrainian defenders have fought Moscow’s ground troops to a near-stalemate, raising fears that a frustrated Putin will resort to chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

With the war headed into a second month, the two sides traded heavy blows in what has become a devastating war of attrition.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has also said that Russia may find a pretext to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/one-month-since-russia-invaded-ukraine-hundreds-dead-millions-displaced-when-will-it-end-465149" hreflang="en">One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end?</a>

"We are concerned partly because we see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext accusing Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies of preparing to use chemical and biological weapons," he told reporters after a NATO summit in Brussels, adding any use of chemical weapons would have widespread consequences.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with the Western allies via video for planes, tanks, rockets, air defense systems and other weapons, saying his country is “defending our common values.”

He said thousands of people, including 128 children, have died in the first month of the war. Across the country, 230 schools and 155 kindergartens have been destroyed. Cities and villages “lie in ashes,” he said.

The Russian invasion unleashed on February 24 has killed thousands of people, sent 3.6 million abroad, smashed cities and driven more than half of Ukraine's children from their homes, according to the United Nations. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden has said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will retaliate if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine. "The single most important thing is for us to stay unified and the world continue to focus on what a brute this guy is and all the innocent people's lives that are being lost and ruined," Biden told reporters in Brussels, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US President Joe Biden has said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will retaliate if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine. "The single most important thing is for us to stay unified and the world continue to focus on what a brute this guy is and all the innocent people's lives that are being lost and ruined," Biden told reporters in Brussels, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden's Europe trip for the series of high-level meetings, is designed to underscore Washington's willingness to defend NATO allies, as fears rise that the month-old war in Ukraine could yet spark what he has called "World War III". Around the capital, Kyiv, and other areas, Ukrainian defenders have fought Moscow’s ground troops to a near-stalemate, raising fears that a frustrated Putin will resort to chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. With the war headed into a second month, the two sides traded heavy blows in what has become a devastating war of attrition. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has also said that Russia may find a pretext to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons. Also read | One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced - When will it end? "We are concerned partly because we see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext accusing Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies of preparing to use chemical and biological weapons," he told reporters after a NATO summit in Brussels, adding any use of chemical weapons would have widespread consequences. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with the Western allies via video for planes, tanks, rockets, air defense systems and other weapons, saying his country is “defending our common values.” He said thousands of people, including 128 children, have died in the first month of the war. Across the country, 230 schools and 155 kindergartens have been destroyed. Cities and villages “lie in ashes,” he said. The Russian invasion unleashed on February 24 has killed thousands of people, sent 3.6 million abroad, smashed cities and driven more than half of Ukraine's children from their homes, according to the United Nations. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden warns NATO retaliation if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine

A semi-professional female soccer team which fled war in Ukraine has found a new training ground and shelter at the German Bundesliga club- 1. FC Cologne.

Ukrainian Female Footballers have found a new training ground

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree that combines all national TV channels into one platform, citing the importance of a "unified information policy" under martial law, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

Ukrainian privately owned media channels have hitherto continued to operate since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The decree announcement, made on the presidential website, did not specify how quickly the new measure would come into force.

Ukrainian authorities said Sunday that Russia’s military bombed an art school sheltering some 400 people in the port city of Mariupol, where heavy street fighting was underway weeks into a devastating Russian siege.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-art-school-bombed-in-mariupol-satellite-images-show-the-extent-of-damage-464097/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The fall of Mariupol would allow Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine to link up. But Western military analysts say that even if the surrounded city is taken, the troops battling for control there a block at a time may be too depleted to help secure Russian breakthroughs on other fronts.

Three weeks into the invasion, Western governments and analysts see the conflict shifting to a war of attrition, with bogged down Russian forces launching long-range missiles at cities and military bases as Ukrainian forces carry out hit-and-run attacks and seek to sever their supply lines.

Zelensky said that the siege of Mariupol, a strategic mostly Russian-speaking port in the southeast where utilities and communications have been cut for days, would go down as a war crime.

"Our cities have turned into multi-storey ruins, every area is like a horror movie," Sergiy Gaiday, head of the Lugansk regional administration, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/high-risk-of-attack-from-belarus-on-western-volyn-region-of-ukraine-says-presidential-office-464023" hreflang="en">Ukraine sees high risk of attack from Belarus on western Volyn region</a>

The war in Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin launched on February 24 to stamp out the pro-Western leanings in the ex-Soviet country, has sparked the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, felled Russia-West relations to Cold War-era lows, and is wreaking havoc in the world economy still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday that Moscow had again fired its newest Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile, destroying a fuel storage site in the southern Mykolaiv region.

The strike would mark the second time the sophisticated weapon was used in combat, a day after Russia said it used it to destroy an underground arms storage site in western Ukraine close to the border with NATO member Romania.

Humanitarian conditions continued to deteriorate in the mostly Russian-speaking south and east of the country, where Russian forces have been pressing their advance, as well as in the north around the capital Kyiv.

Aid agencies have warned they are struggling to reach hundreds of thousands of people trapped by the invading Russian forces.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree that combines all national TV channels into one platform, citing the importance of a "unified information policy" under martial law, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree that combines all national TV channels into one platform, citing the importance of a "unified information policy" under martial law, his office said in a statement on Sunday. Ukrainian privately owned media channels have hitherto continued to operate since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The decree announcement, made on the presidential website, did not specify how quickly the new measure would come into force. Ukrainian authorities said Sunday that Russia’s military bombed an art school sheltering some 400 people in the port city of Mariupol, where heavy street fighting was underway weeks into a devastating Russian siege. The fall of Mariupol would allow Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine to link up. But Western military analysts say that even if the surrounded city is taken, the troops battling for control there a block at a time may be too depleted to help secure Russian breakthroughs on other fronts. Three weeks into the invasion, Western governments and analysts see the conflict shifting to a war of attrition, with bogged down Russian forces launching long-range missiles at cities and military bases as Ukrainian forces carry out hit-and-run attacks and seek to sever their supply lines. Zelensky said that the siege of Mariupol, a strategic mostly Russian-speaking port in the southeast where utilities and communications have been cut for days, would go down as a war crime. "Our cities have turned into multi-storey ruins, every area is like a horror movie," Sergiy Gaiday, head of the Lugansk regional administration, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Also read | Ukraine sees high risk of attack from Belarus on western Volyn region The war in Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin launched on February 24 to stamp out the pro-Western leanings in the ex-Soviet country, has sparked the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, felled Russia-West relations to Cold War-era lows, and is wreaking havoc in the world economy still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday that Moscow had again fired its newest Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile, destroying a fuel storage site in the southern Mykolaiv region. The strike would mark the second time the sophisticated weapon was used in combat, a day after Russia said it used it to destroy an underground arms storage site in western Ukraine close to the border with NATO member Romania. Humanitarian conditions continued to deteriorate in the mostly Russian-speaking south and east of the country, where Russian forces have been pressing their advance, as well as in the north around the capital Kyiv. Aid agencies have warned they are struggling to reach hundreds of thousands of people trapped by the invading Russian forces. (With inputs from agencies)

Zelensky signs decree to combine national TV channels into one platform

President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said on Sunday that Ukraine sees a high risk of an attack on western Ukraine's Volyn region being launched from Belarus.

Russia is sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major war games, military officials said.

It comes after Zelensky had rebuked Belarusians for allowing their country to be used as a staging ground for the Russian invasion, adding that Ukrainian cities are facing an attack on a scale unseen since World War II when Belarus and Ukraine faced a Nazi invasion as parts of the Soviet Union.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/people-hold-rallies-across-the-globe-against-the-ongoing-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-464018/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“But you aren’t on the same side with us in the war that is going on now,” Zelensky said in Russian, which is widely spoken in Belarus.&nbsp;

“The Russian military is launching missiles at Ukraine from your territory. From your territory they are kiling our children, they are destroying our homes and trying to blow up everything that has been built for decades.”

The US again stressed its concern, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki describing the Russian forces’ move into Belarus as part of as “extremely dangerous situation.”

The Russian invasion has mostly focused on northern, southern and eastern areas of Ukraine, though missiles also hit the Yavoriv military base last week, close to the Polish border.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belarus-president-lukashenko-dismisses-concerns-about-putins-health-463824" hreflang="en">Belarus President Lukashenko dismisses concerns about Putin's health</a>

Earlier, Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said that the country had deployed a dozen Su-35 fighter jets and several air defence units to Belarus.

“A situation may arise when forces and means of the regional group of forces will be insufficient to ensure reliable security of the union state, and we must be ready to strengthen it,” Fomin said at a meeting with foreign military attaches.&nbsp;

“We have reached an understanding with Belarus that it’s necessary to engage the entire military potential for joint defence.”

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/all-you-need-to-know-about-kinzhal-hypersonic-missiles-that-russia-used-in-ukraine-for-the-first-time-463754" hreflang="en">All you need to know about Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Russia 'used in Ukraine for the first time'</a>

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has edged even closer to Russia amid crippling Western sanctions over his crackdown on domestic protests, has recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons.

"Now the reason for what's happening in the world is unipolarity, the monopolisation of our planet by the United States of America," Lukashenko said in an interview with the Japanese television channel TBS.

The Belarusian leader denigrated the Ukrainian president as an American puppet and charging that the Russian attack resulted from Zelensky’s failure to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand for Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO.

He also bemoaned the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. The theme is one Putin has frequently discussed, not least when he suggested in speeches before the invasion that Ukraine was an artificial construct and an "inalienable part" of Russian history and culture.

"The collapse of the Soviet Union is a tragedy," Lukashenko said. "If the Soviet Union had survived to this day, we could have avoided all sorts of conflicts in the world...

"While the USSR existed, the world was multipolar and one pole balanced the other," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said on Sunday that Ukraine sees a high risk of an attack on western Ukraine's Volyn region being launched from Belarus. Russia is sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major war games, military officials said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said on Sunday that Ukraine sees a high risk of an attack on western Ukraine's Volyn region being launched from Belarus. Russia is sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major war games, military officials said. It comes after Zelensky had rebuked Belarusians for allowing their country to be used as a staging ground for the Russian invasion, adding that Ukrainian cities are facing an attack on a scale unseen since World War II when Belarus and Ukraine faced a Nazi invasion as parts of the Soviet Union. “But you aren’t on the same side with us in the war that is going on now,” Zelensky said in Russian, which is widely spoken in Belarus. “The Russian military is launching missiles at Ukraine from your territory. From your territory they are kiling our children, they are destroying our homes and trying to blow up everything that has been built for decades.” The US again stressed its concern, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki describing the Russian forces’ move into Belarus as part of as “extremely dangerous situation.” The Russian invasion has mostly focused on northern, southern and eastern areas of Ukraine, though missiles also hit the Yavoriv military base last week, close to the Polish border. Also read | Belarus President Lukashenko dismisses concerns about Putin's health Earlier, Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said that the country had deployed a dozen Su-35 fighter jets and several air defence units to Belarus. “A situation may arise when forces and means of the regional group of forces will be insufficient to ensure reliable security of the union state, and we must be ready to strengthen it,” Fomin said at a meeting with foreign military attaches. “We have reached an understanding with Belarus that it’s necessary to engage the entire military potential for joint defence.” Also see | All you need to know about Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Russia 'used in Ukraine for the first time' Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has edged even closer to Russia amid crippling Western sanctions over his crackdown on domestic protests, has recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons. "Now the reason for what's happening in the world is unipolarity, the monopolisation of our planet by the United States of America," Lukashenko said in an interview with the Japanese television channel TBS. The Belarusian leader denigrated the Ukrainian president as an American puppet and charging that the Russian attack resulted from Zelensky’s failure to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand for Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO. He also bemoaned the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. The theme is one Putin has frequently discussed, not least when he suggested in speeches before the invasion that Ukraine was an artificial construct and an "inalienable part" of Russian history and culture. "The collapse of the Soviet Union is a tragedy," Lukashenko said. "If the Soviet Union had survived to this day, we could have avoided all sorts of conflicts in the world... "While the USSR existed, the world was multipolar and one pole balanced the other," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

High risk of attack from Belarus on western Volyn region of Ukraine, says presidential office

In the first weeks of the first major European land war of the 21st century, the United States has sent tank-killing weapons to Ukrainian forces, but not fighter jets. It is equipping embattled Ukrainian troops with lightweight “kamikaze” attack drones, but not, at least in an obvious way, conducting an aggressive cyberwar to degrade Russia’s technological advantage.

The White House will commit no U.S. or NATO planes to the skies above Ukraine, a move U.S. officials fear could risk turning a regional war into a global conflagration, but it is providing Ukraine with missiles that could accomplish the same task of destroying Russian aircraft.

Such is the tenuous balance the Biden administration has tried to maintain as it seeks to help Ukraine lock Russia in a quagmire without inciting a broader conflict with a nuclear-armed adversary or cutting off potential paths to de-escalation.

Navigating this path has led to a tangle of decisions and sometimes tortured distinctions when it comes to what kinds of assistance Washington should provide, even as the situation on the ground evolves, pictures of dead civilians circulate around the globe, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine pleads with Congress and President Joe Biden to do more to help.

The balancing act informs every aspect of U.S. policy about the war, including the scope of the punishing sanctions imposed on the Russian economy, the granularity of the battlefield intelligence provided to Ukrainian troops, the killing power of the weapons systems coming over the border and whether, as Biden did this past week, to label President Vladimir Putin of Russia as a war criminal.

CIA officers are helping to ensure that crates of weapons are delivered into the hands of vetted Ukrainian military units, according to U.S. officials. But as of now, Biden and his staff do not see the utility of an expansive covert effort to use the spy agency to ferry in arms as the United States did in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union during the 1980s. They have judged that such a campaign would be an unnecessary provocation, in part because NATO supply lines remain open and there is a functioning government in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The new war has forced a recalculation on other fronts. In one example, U.S. officials have floated the idea of Turkey’s government providing Ukraine with the sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft system. It is the very system, made by Russia, that U.S. officials punished Turkey — a NATO ally — for buying from Moscow several years ago. Now U.S. diplomats see a way to pull Turkey away from its dance with Russia — and give the Ukrainians one of the most powerful, long-range anti-aircraft systems in existence.

In the White House and the Pentagon, there have been active debates over which lethal weapons delivered to Ukraine meet the nuanced interpretations of what international law allows. U.S. officials acknowledge that the judgments of government lawyers are valuable only up to a point and that all that really matters is the judgment of one person: Putin.

The Russian president has his own complex calculus about when the military support to Ukraine from the United States and its NATO allies crosses the line. He has his own reasons not to escalate, given the combined power of the NATO members and his own military’s evident difficulties against Ukrainian forces. But he is also unlikely to accept defeat or a stalemate in Ukraine without further testing U.S. resolve, despite explicit public warnings from Washington against the use of chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons.

U.S. intelligence about Putin’s decision-making is maddeningly imprecise, and the West does not have a strong track record predicting what he might consider an aggression that cannot be tolerated. CIA Director William Burns told Congress this month that Putin’s views had “hardened over the years.”

The Russian threshold could also be changing by the day or even the hour. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that his country was prepared to raise the costs for any nation helping the Ukrainians in their struggle, declaring that all vehicles shuttling weapons into Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets.

A Clash Over Fighter Planes

On Wednesday, the task of articulating the intricacies of the U.S.’ military policy toward Ukraine fell to a group of generals under a barrage of questions from top members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees.

Biden has made clear that he will not accede to Zelenskyy’s insistent pleas that NATO impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Clearing hostile aircraft from the skies would put the United States and its allies in combat with Russian forces. And a required step for a no-fly zone — suppressing enemy anti-aircraft weaponry — would mean attacking Russian air defense installations inside Russian territory.

But during the closed-door session, lawmakers pressed members of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff about another flashpoint: the administration’s decision not to help supply Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighter jets that Poland has offered and that Zelenskyy has said his forces desperately need.

Administration officials have said the move would be “escalatory,” and, according to people briefed on the exchanges, the lawmakers asked the generals if there was any hard intelligence that the jets might push Putin toward intensifying the conflict by treating the United States as a “co-belligerent” in the war.

Intelligence officials have, in fact, told the administration that the MiGs could trigger a Russian move against NATO. During the congressional briefing, the generals said that the main issue was the capability of a MiG-29 to threaten Russian soil.

In contrast to a Javelin anti-tank missile that has only limited range on the battlefield, a MiG-29 could fly from Kyiv to Moscow in a matter of minutes, the generals said, a capability that the Kremlin might see as a direct threat.

The same day, the White House put forth another consideration: that to be delivered to Ukraine, the MiGs would have to take off from an air base in a NATO country, possibly inviting retaliation on NATO territory by the Russians.

As a matter of international law, the provision of weaponry and intelligence to the Ukrainian army has made the United States a co-belligerent. But while Putin has made threats about launching attacks to impede the military assistance, he has not yet acted to stop it by attacking bases in neighboring countries — NATO allies — where the equipment originates.

That could change, U.S. officials said, especially if Putin thinks he is cornered or in danger of losing.

“It is a fine line the administration is still walking in every dimension of its support for Ukraine,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former senior intelligence official who specialized in Russia and is now at the Center for a New American Security. “They are trying to figure out, how do you get right up to the line without crossing over in a way that would risk direct confrontation with Russia?”

Planes with pilots might be off the table, but armed drones are not. This past week, Biden announced that the United States would ship small Switchblade drones to Ukraine that could be used to blow up Russian armored vehicles. The single-use kamikaze drones have bladelike wings; do not require either a long runway or a complex satellite uplink; and can be controlled to dive-bomb tanks or troops, self-destructing when they explode.

Unlike the large Predator and Reaper drones used for decades in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries, the portable drones pose no threat to Russian soil. Still, the White House authorized an initial shipment of only 100 of them to Ukraine — a small batch that could be intended to see how Putin reacts to their deployment on the Ukrainian front lines. Depending on the response, hundreds or thousands more could be on the way.

The proposal for Turkey to supply Ukraine with Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft systems would also test what Putin is willing to accept from NATO — and how far a NATO ally that in recent years often appeared to be building bridges to Moscow is willing to go in reiterating its commitment to the alliance and backing Ukraine.

The idea came up when Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, visited Turkey two weeks ago. Sherman declined to talk about her discussions.

A different senior U.S. official said the United States knew the proposal would anger Putin. Ukraine already uses Turkish-made drones, but Turkey is worried that providing the anti-aircraft systems could make the country a target of Russia’s wrath.

At the same time, the upside for Turkey could be substantial: It was suspended by the Trump administration from the F-35 fighter program — in which it was a buyer and a manufacturer of parts for the advanced aircraft — after its purchase of the Russian S-400s. A deal to send the anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine could open the door to reentry into the F-35 program.

The State Department declined to comment. Officials at Turkey’s embassy in Washington did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The Conflict of the Future, Delayed

The Ukraine war features tank columns and trenches, all features of Europe’s bloody conflicts of the past century. Thus far, there is little evidence that the United States — or Russia — is eager to escalate the conflict in the 21st century battleground of cyberspace.

Days before the war began, there was a flurry of cyberattacks on Ukrainian financial institutions and government ministries, including one that was found and partly neutralized by Microsoft. A European satellite system sometimes used by the Ukrainian military was also hit, knocking out service, although it is still unclear whether the Russians carried out the attack.

What has been missing thus far is a large-scale Russian cyberattack that knocks out the power grid or communications systems inside Ukraine, which for the most part continue to operate despite the withering Russian barrage of artillery and airstrikes.

Until the invasion began, U.S. Cyber Command had a unit based in Kyiv that was helping the government fend off attacks. It is now operating from a nearby NATO country. There is fragmentary evidence that the United States and its allies worked to counter some of the attacks and to prevent others from being launched. But action seems to have been limited.

Inside the Biden administration, there is a view that Putin could be choosing his moment to launch a cyberattack against the U.S. financial system in retaliation for the devastating financial sanctions imposed on his country by the United States and its allies. Unless and until that happens, the administration appears resolved not to launch a significant first strike and invite retaliation — especially given the risks to the U.S. economy and financial system if Russia were to target them.

Keeping the Temperature Down

“The water in Afghanistan must boil at the right temperature,” Pakistan’s then-president, Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, told his intelligence chief as Pakistan began supplying the mujahedeen in their grueling battle against Soviet troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

In other words, hot enough to convince the Russians that the country was not worth the struggle but not so hot as to provoke a broader war in the region.

The weapons that helped turn the tide of that conflict, shoulder-fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles, are now being unloaded from cargo planes in NATO countries and delivered to Ukrainian troops on the front lines to help keep Russia from controlling the skies.

U.S. officials are divided on how much the lessons from Cold War proxy wars, like the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan, can be applied to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Some officials say those conflicts established that the great powers could ship small arms and missiles to proxy forces without triggering a wider war.

At the same time, Ukraine is far more important to Putin than Afghanistan was to Soviet leaders.

Given Russia’s bloody history with Stinger missiles, U.S. officials have been wary of advertising their use in Ukraine. During a trip to an airfield near Ukraine’s border this month with Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporters watched Stinger missiles being unloaded from a cargo plane but were barred from disclosing the whereabouts of the base.

Even after two senior U.S. officials told the House Armed Services Committee during a public hearing that Stinger missiles were among the munitions being sent to Ukraine, spokespeople avoided using the S-word from the lecterns at the White House and Pentagon.

Until this past week. On Wednesday, the White House released a detailed list of the weapons it was providing as part of an $800 million package of arms to Ukraine.

At the top of the list: “800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems.”

In the first weeks of the first major European land war of the 21st century, the United States has sent tank-killing weapons to Ukrainian forces, but not fighter jets.

In the first weeks of the first major European land war of the 21st century, the United States has sent tank-killing weapons to Ukrainian forces, but not fighter jets. It is equipping embattled Ukrainian troops with lightweight “kamikaze” attack drones, but not, at least in an obvious way, conducting an aggressive cyberwar to degrade Russia’s technological advantage. The White House will commit no U.S. or NATO planes to the skies above Ukraine, a move U.S. officials fear could risk turning a regional war into a global conflagration, but it is providing Ukraine with missiles that could accomplish the same task of destroying Russian aircraft. Such is the tenuous balance the Biden administration has tried to maintain as it seeks to help Ukraine lock Russia in a quagmire without inciting a broader conflict with a nuclear-armed adversary or cutting off potential paths to de-escalation. Navigating this path has led to a tangle of decisions and sometimes tortured distinctions when it comes to what kinds of assistance Washington should provide, even as the situation on the ground evolves, pictures of dead civilians circulate around the globe, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine pleads with Congress and President Joe Biden to do more to help. The balancing act informs every aspect of U.S. policy about the war, including the scope of the punishing sanctions imposed on the Russian economy, the granularity of the battlefield intelligence provided to Ukrainian troops, the killing power of the weapons systems coming over the border and whether, as Biden did this past week, to label President Vladimir Putin of Russia as a war criminal. CIA officers are helping to ensure that crates of weapons are delivered into the hands of vetted Ukrainian military units, according to U.S. officials. But as of now, Biden and his staff do not see the utility of an expansive covert effort to use the spy agency to ferry in arms as the United States did in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union during the 1980s. They have judged that such a campaign would be an unnecessary provocation, in part because NATO supply lines remain open and there is a functioning government in Kyiv, Ukraine. The new war has forced a recalculation on other fronts. In one example, U.S. officials have floated the idea of Turkey’s government providing Ukraine with the sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft system. It is the very system, made by Russia, that U.S. officials punished Turkey — a NATO ally — for buying from Moscow several years ago. Now U.S. diplomats see a way to pull Turkey away from its dance with Russia — and give the Ukrainians one of the most powerful, long-range anti-aircraft systems in existence. In the White House and the Pentagon, there have been active debates over which lethal weapons delivered to Ukraine meet the nuanced interpretations of what international law allows. U.S. officials acknowledge that the judgments of government lawyers are valuable only up to a point and that all that really matters is the judgment of one person: Putin. The Russian president has his own complex calculus about when the military support to Ukraine from the United States and its NATO allies crosses the line. He has his own reasons not to escalate, given the combined power of the NATO members and his own military’s evident difficulties against Ukrainian forces. But he is also unlikely to accept defeat or a stalemate in Ukraine without further testing U.S. resolve, despite explicit public warnings from Washington against the use of chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons. U.S. intelligence about Putin’s decision-making is maddeningly imprecise, and the West does not have a strong track record predicting what he might consider an aggression that cannot be tolerated. CIA Director William Burns told Congress this month that Putin’s views had “hardened over the years.” The Russian threshold could also be changing by the day or even the hour. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that his country was prepared to raise the costs for any nation helping the Ukrainians in their struggle, declaring that all vehicles shuttling weapons into Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets. A Clash Over Fighter Planes On Wednesday, the task of articulating the intricacies of the U.S.’ military policy toward Ukraine fell to a group of generals under a barrage of questions from top members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees. Biden has made clear that he will not accede to Zelenskyy’s insistent pleas that NATO impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Clearing hostile aircraft from the skies would put the United States and its allies in combat with Russian forces. And a required step for a no-fly zone — suppressing enemy anti-aircraft weaponry — would mean attacking Russian air defense installations inside Russian territory. But during the closed-door session, lawmakers pressed members of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff about another flashpoint: the administration’s decision not to help supply Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighter jets that Poland has offered and that Zelenskyy has said his forces desperately need. Administration officials have said the move would be “escalatory,” and, according to people briefed on the exchanges, the lawmakers asked the generals if there was any hard intelligence that the jets might push Putin toward intensifying the conflict by treating the United States as a “co-belligerent” in the war. Intelligence officials have, in fact, told the administration that the MiGs could trigger a Russian move against NATO. During the congressional briefing, the generals said that the main issue was the capability of a MiG-29 to threaten Russian soil. In contrast to a Javelin anti-tank missile that has only limited range on the battlefield, a MiG-29 could fly from Kyiv to Moscow in a matter of minutes, the generals said, a capability that the Kremlin might see as a direct threat. The same day, the White House put forth another consideration: that to be delivered to Ukraine, the MiGs would have to take off from an air base in a NATO country, possibly inviting retaliation on NATO territory by the Russians. As a matter of international law, the provision of weaponry and intelligence to the Ukrainian army has made the United States a co-belligerent. But while Putin has made threats about launching attacks to impede the military assistance, he has not yet acted to stop it by attacking bases in neighboring countries — NATO allies — where the equipment originates. That could change, U.S. officials said, especially if Putin thinks he is cornered or in danger of losing. “It is a fine line the administration is still walking in every dimension of its support for Ukraine,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former senior intelligence official who specialized in Russia and is now at the Center for a New American Security. “They are trying to figure out, how do you get right up to the line without crossing over in a way that would risk direct confrontation with Russia?” Planes with pilots might be off the table, but armed drones are not. This past week, Biden announced that the United States would ship small Switchblade drones to Ukraine that could be used to blow up Russian armored vehicles. The single-use kamikaze drones have bladelike wings; do not require either a long runway or a complex satellite uplink; and can be controlled to dive-bomb tanks or troops, self-destructing when they explode. Unlike the large Predator and Reaper drones used for decades in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries, the portable drones pose no threat to Russian soil. Still, the White House authorized an initial shipment of only 100 of them to Ukraine — a small batch that could be intended to see how Putin reacts to their deployment on the Ukrainian front lines. Depending on the response, hundreds or thousands more could be on the way. The proposal for Turkey to supply Ukraine with Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft systems would also test what Putin is willing to accept from NATO — and how far a NATO ally that in recent years often appeared to be building bridges to Moscow is willing to go in reiterating its commitment to the alliance and backing Ukraine. The idea came up when Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, visited Turkey two weeks ago. Sherman declined to talk about her discussions. A different senior U.S. official said the United States knew the proposal would anger Putin. Ukraine already uses Turkish-made drones, but Turkey is worried that providing the anti-aircraft systems could make the country a target of Russia’s wrath. At the same time, the upside for Turkey could be substantial: It was suspended by the Trump administration from the F-35 fighter program — in which it was a buyer and a manufacturer of parts for the advanced aircraft — after its purchase of the Russian S-400s. A deal to send the anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine could open the door to reentry into the F-35 program. The State Department declined to comment. Officials at Turkey’s embassy in Washington did not respond to messages seeking comment. The Conflict of the Future, Delayed The Ukraine war features tank columns and trenches, all features of Europe’s bloody conflicts of the past century. Thus far, there is little evidence that the United States — or Russia — is eager to escalate the conflict in the 21st century battleground of cyberspace. Days before the war began, there was a flurry of cyberattacks on Ukrainian financial institutions and government ministries, including one that was found and partly neutralized by Microsoft. A European satellite system sometimes used by the Ukrainian military was also hit, knocking out service, although it is still unclear whether the Russians carried out the attack. What has been missing thus far is a large-scale Russian cyberattack that knocks out the power grid or communications systems inside Ukraine, which for the most part continue to operate despite the withering Russian barrage of artillery and airstrikes. Until the invasion began, U.S. Cyber Command had a unit based in Kyiv that was helping the government fend off attacks. It is now operating from a nearby NATO country. There is fragmentary evidence that the United States and its allies worked to counter some of the attacks and to prevent others from being launched. But action seems to have been limited. Inside the Biden administration, there is a view that Putin could be choosing his moment to launch a cyberattack against the U.S. financial system in retaliation for the devastating financial sanctions imposed on his country by the United States and its allies. Unless and until that happens, the administration appears resolved not to launch a significant first strike and invite retaliation — especially given the risks to the U.S. economy and financial system if Russia were to target them. Keeping the Temperature Down “The water in Afghanistan must boil at the right temperature,” Pakistan’s then-president, Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, told his intelligence chief as Pakistan began supplying the mujahedeen in their grueling battle against Soviet troops in neighboring Afghanistan. In other words, hot enough to convince the Russians that the country was not worth the struggle but not so hot as to provoke a broader war in the region. The weapons that helped turn the tide of that conflict, shoulder-fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles, are now being unloaded from cargo planes in NATO countries and delivered to Ukrainian troops on the front lines to help keep Russia from controlling the skies. U.S. officials are divided on how much the lessons from Cold War proxy wars, like the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan, can be applied to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Some officials say those conflicts established that the great powers could ship small arms and missiles to proxy forces without triggering a wider war. At the same time, Ukraine is far more important to Putin than Afghanistan was to Soviet leaders. Given Russia’s bloody history with Stinger missiles, U.S. officials have been wary of advertising their use in Ukraine. During a trip to an airfield near Ukraine’s border this month with Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporters watched Stinger missiles being unloaded from a cargo plane but were barred from disclosing the whereabouts of the base. Even after two senior U.S. officials told the House Armed Services Committee during a public hearing that Stinger missiles were among the munitions being sent to Ukraine, spokespeople avoided using the S-word from the lecterns at the White House and Pentagon. Until this past week. On Wednesday, the White House released a detailed list of the weapons it was providing as part of an $800 million package of arms to Ukraine. At the top of the list: “800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems.”

For the US, a tenuous balance in confronting Russia

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is healthy, sane and "in better shape than ever."

"He and I haven't only met as heads of state, we're on friendly terms," Lukashenko said in a recording of the interview shared by state news agency BelTA.&nbsp;

"I'm absolutely privy to all his details, as far as possible, both state and personal."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/week-4-of-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-zelensky-renews-calls-for-talks-with-russia-463788/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Putin's latest public appearance had sparked fresh speculation about the Russian president's health after he walked with a prominent limp.

Lukashenko is supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, allowing him to launch attacks from Belarusian territory.&nbsp;

"The West, and you, should get this stupidity, this fiction out of your heads," he told the interviewer.

"Putin is absolutely fit, he's in better shape than ever ... This is a completely sane, healthy person, physically healthy - he's an athlete."

"As they say here - he'll catch a cold at all our funerals."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-pro-invasion-rally-russian-president-vladimir-putin-dons-costly-loro-piana-jacket-463688" hreflang="en">As Russians face financial crisis, President Vladimir Putin dons costly Loro Piana jacket in pro-war rally</a>

The Belarusian people oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine, being facilitated by the Minsk regime, and see their country's fate tied to the outcome of the war, Belarus's exiled opposition leader said Thursday.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya insisted on the need to distinguish between the position of Belarus's autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko and the people he rules with an iron fist.

"These are two different issues," she said in an interview in Geneva.

Belarusians, she said, were now not only forced to fight against their own regime, "but also for Ukrainians, because we understand that the fate of Belarus depends on the fate of Ukraine".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-russia-conflict-time-for-meaningful-talks-says-president-volodymyr-zelenskiy-463642">Ukraine-Russia conflict: Time for meaningful talks, says President Zelensky</a>

The West responded to Belarus hosting Russian troops for the invasion by slamming it with new tough sanctions along with Russia.

Lukashenko ominously warned that more sanctions from the West are “pushing the world to the brink of World War III.”

The Belarusian leader, who said previously that his country could host Russian nuclear weapons, said that he warned French President Emmanuel Macron in a call Saturday that he was ready to make the move if the US and its allies deploy nuclear weapons to NATO members Poland and Lithuania, which border Belarus.

"The collapse of the Soviet Union is a tragedy," Lukashenko said. "If the Soviet Union had survived to this day, we could have avoided all sorts of conflicts in the world...

"While the USSR existed, the world was multipolar and one pole balanced the other," he said. "Now the reason for what's happening in the world is unipolarity - the monopolisation of our planet by the United States of America." 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is healthy, sane and "in better shape than ever." "He and I haven't only met as heads of state, we're on friendly terms," Lukashenko said in a recording of the interview shared by state news agency BelTA.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is healthy, sane and "in better shape than ever." "He and I haven't only met as heads of state, we're on friendly terms," Lukashenko said in a recording of the interview shared by state news agency BelTA. "I'm absolutely privy to all his details, as far as possible, both state and personal." Putin's latest public appearance had sparked fresh speculation about the Russian president's health after he walked with a prominent limp. Lukashenko is supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, allowing him to launch attacks from Belarusian territory. "The West, and you, should get this stupidity, this fiction out of your heads," he told the interviewer. "Putin is absolutely fit, he's in better shape than ever ... This is a completely sane, healthy person, physically healthy - he's an athlete." "As they say here - he'll catch a cold at all our funerals." Also read | As Russians face financial crisis, President Vladimir Putin dons costly Loro Piana jacket in pro-war rally The Belarusian people oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine, being facilitated by the Minsk regime, and see their country's fate tied to the outcome of the war, Belarus's exiled opposition leader said Thursday. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya insisted on the need to distinguish between the position of Belarus's autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko and the people he rules with an iron fist. "These are two different issues," she said in an interview in Geneva. Belarusians, she said, were now not only forced to fight against their own regime, "but also for Ukrainians, because we understand that the fate of Belarus depends on the fate of Ukraine". Also read | Ukraine-Russia conflict: Time for meaningful talks, says President Zelensky The West responded to Belarus hosting Russian troops for the invasion by slamming it with new tough sanctions along with Russia. Lukashenko ominously warned that more sanctions from the West are “pushing the world to the brink of World War III.” The Belarusian leader, who said previously that his country could host Russian nuclear weapons, said that he warned French President Emmanuel Macron in a call Saturday that he was ready to make the move if the US and its allies deploy nuclear weapons to NATO members Poland and Lithuania, which border Belarus. "The collapse of the Soviet Union is a tragedy," Lukashenko said. "If the Soviet Union had survived to this day, we could have avoided all sorts of conflicts in the world... "While the USSR existed, the world was multipolar and one pole balanced the other," he said. "Now the reason for what's happening in the world is unipolarity - the monopolisation of our planet by the United States of America." (With inputs from agencies)

Belarus President Lukashenko dismisses concerns about Putin's health

Britain’s foreign secretary has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using talks with Ukraine as a “smokescreen” while he ramps up violence against the country.

Liz Truss told the Times of London newspaper that she was “very skeptical” about Russia’s seriousness in the talks, accusing Russian forces of trying to create space to regroup and unblock their stalled campaign.

She said that “we don’t see any serious withdrawal of Russian troops or any serious proposals on the table” and said Russia would resort to “worse and worse” violence as its military campaign falters.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-russia-war-britain-blames-russia-over-hoax-call-463726/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Truss echoed comments by British intelligence that Putin could turn to "more and more extreme actions," adding "we've seen appalling atrocities already."

"The Kremlin has so far failed to achieve its original objectives. It has been surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian resistance and has been bedevilled with problems of its own making," Chief of Defence Intelligence Jim Hockenhull said on Friday.

"Russia is now pursuing a strategy of attrition. This will involve the reckless and indiscriminate use of firepower. This will result in increased civilian casualties, destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure and intensify the humanitarian crisis," he added.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/all-you-need-to-know-about-kinzhal-hypersonic-missiles-that-russia-used-in-ukraine-for-the-first-time-463754" hreflang="en">All you need to know about Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Russia 'used in Ukraine for the first time'</a>

Truss said that Britain could potentially act as a guarantor if any settlement is reached, and that Putin "didn't believe" the international community would impose the scale of sanctions that it has.

Britain has recently targeted high-profile oligarchs, including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.&nbsp;

UK's media regulator on Friday revoked Russian-backed television channel RT's licence to broadcast in the United Kingdom with immediate effect, citing its links to the Kremlin.

Truss suggested it was "extremely difficult" to envisage these sanctions being lifted, saying "these oligarchs have enabled Vladimir Putin to do what he's doing."

Russian troops have taken heavy losses while blasting residential areas in Ukraine to rubble, sending more than 3 million refugees fleeing.&nbsp;

Moscow denies it is targeting civilians in what it calls a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Britain’s foreign secretary has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using talks with Ukraine as a “smokescreen” while he ramps up violence against the country.

Britain’s foreign secretary has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using talks with Ukraine as a “smokescreen” while he ramps up violence against the country. Liz Truss told the Times of London newspaper that she was “very skeptical” about Russia’s seriousness in the talks, accusing Russian forces of trying to create space to regroup and unblock their stalled campaign. She said that “we don’t see any serious withdrawal of Russian troops or any serious proposals on the table” and said Russia would resort to “worse and worse” violence as its military campaign falters. Truss echoed comments by British intelligence that Putin could turn to "more and more extreme actions," adding "we've seen appalling atrocities already." "The Kremlin has so far failed to achieve its original objectives. It has been surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian resistance and has been bedevilled with problems of its own making," Chief of Defence Intelligence Jim Hockenhull said on Friday. "Russia is now pursuing a strategy of attrition. This will involve the reckless and indiscriminate use of firepower. This will result in increased civilian casualties, destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure and intensify the humanitarian crisis," he added. Also see | All you need to know about Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Russia 'used in Ukraine for the first time' Truss said that Britain could potentially act as a guarantor if any settlement is reached, and that Putin "didn't believe" the international community would impose the scale of sanctions that it has. Britain has recently targeted high-profile oligarchs, including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich. UK's media regulator on Friday revoked Russian-backed television channel RT's licence to broadcast in the United Kingdom with immediate effect, citing its links to the Kremlin. Truss suggested it was "extremely difficult" to envisage these sanctions being lifted, saying "these oligarchs have enabled Vladimir Putin to do what he's doing." Russian troops have taken heavy losses while blasting residential areas in Ukraine to rubble, sending more than 3 million refugees fleeing. Moscow denies it is targeting civilians in what it calls a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour. (With inputs from agencies)

Putin uses Ukraine talks as 'smokescreen' to increase violence, says UK

ukraine-invasion

Ukraine Invasion, News on Ukraine Invasion, stories on Ukraine Invasion, articles on Ukraine Invasion, Ukraine Invasion stories at Wion, Ukraine Invasion news, Ukraine Invasion latest news

ukraine invasion