Senior White House officials designing the strategy to confront Russia have begun quietly debating a new concern: that the avalanche of sanctions directed at Moscow, which has gained speed faster than they imagined, is cornering President Vladimir Putin and may prompt him to lash out, perhaps expanding the conflict beyond Ukraine.

In Situation Room meetings in recent days, the issue has come up repeatedly, according to three officials. Putin’s tendency, U.S. intelligence officials have told the White House and Congress, is to double down when he feels trapped by his own overreach. So they have described a series of possible reactions, ranging from indiscriminate shelling of Ukrainian cities to compensate for the early mistakes made by his invading force, to cyberattacks directed at the U.S. financial system, to more nuclear threats and perhaps moves to take the war beyond Ukraine’s borders.

The debate over Putin’s next moves is linked to an urgent reexamination by intelligence agencies of the Russian leader’s mental state, and whether his ambitions and appetite for risk have been altered by two years of COVID-19 isolation.

Those concerns accelerated after Putin’s order Sunday to place the country’s strategic nuclear weapons on a “combat ready” alert to respond to the West’s “aggressive comments.” (In the ensuing days, however, national security officials say they have seen little evidence on the ground that Russia’s nuclear forces have actually moved to a different state of readiness.)

It was a sign of the depth of U.S. concern that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Wednesday that he was canceling a previously scheduled Minuteman nuclear missile test to avoid escalating direct challenges to Moscow or giving Putin an excuse to once again invoke the power of the country’s nuclear arsenal.

“We did not take this decision lightly, but instead, to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday. “We recognize at this moment of tension how critical it is that both the United States and Russia bear in mind the risk of miscalculation, and take steps to reduce those risks.”

Nonetheless, Putin’s reaction to the initial wave of sanctions has provoked a range of concerns that one senior official called the “Cornered Putin Problem.” Those concerns center on a series of recent announcements: the pullout of oil companies like Exxon and Shell from developing Russia’s oil fields, the moves against Russia’s central bank that sent the ruble plunging, and Germany’s surprise announcement that it would drop its ban on sending lethal weapons to Ukrainian forces and ramp up its military spending.

But beyond canceling the missile test, there is no evidence that the United States is considering steps to reduce tensions, and a senior official said there was no interest in backing off sanctions.

“Quite the contrary,’’ said the official, who, like other U.S. officials interviewed for this story, asked for anonymity to discuss the internal debates among Biden’s advisers.

In fact, President Joe Biden announced expanded sanctions Thursday, aimed at Russia’s oligarch class. Many of those named — including Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson and one of his close advisers — rank among his most influential defenders and the beneficiaries of the system he has created.

Biden, reading a statement and taking no questions, said the sanctions have had “a profound impact already.”

A few hours after he spoke, S&amp;P dropped Russia’s credit rating to CCC-, the credit rating agency said in a statement. That is far below the junk bond levels Russia was ranked at a few days after the invasion and just two notches above a warning that the country was going into default.

It suggested that Putin’s effort to “sanctions-proof” his economy had largely failed. And at least for now, there is no discernible off-ramp for the Russian leader short of declaring a cease-fire or pulling back his forces — steps he has so far shown no interest in taking.

At a news briefing at the White House on Thursday afternoon, press secretary Jen Psaki said that she knew of no efforts to show Putin a way out. “I think right in this moment, they are marching toward Kyiv with a convoy and continuing to take reportedly barbaric steps against the people of Ukraine. So now is not the moment where we are offering options for reducing sanctions.”

Yet a senior State Department official, asked about the debates inside the administration on the risks ahead, said there were nuances in the administration’s approach that point to possible outs for the Russian leader.

Biden’s policy, the official said, was not one of seeking regime change in Russia. The idea, he said, was to influence Putin’s actions, not his grip on power. And the sanctions, the official noted, were designed not as a punishment, but as leverage to end the war. They will escalate if Putin escalates, the official said. But the administration would calibrate its sanctions, and perhaps reduce them, if Putin begins to de-escalate.

And the official said that because Putin has now exerted such control over Russian media, closing down the last vestiges of independent news organizations, he could spin some kind of de-escalation into a victory.

Yet that hope collides with the assessments of Putin’s instincts, many of which are based on open, unclassified observations.

CIA Director William Burns was an early advocate of the view that the Russian leader planned to invade and was not massing troops around Ukraine simply to gain leverage in some kind of bargaining game.

“I would never underestimate President Putin’s risk appetite on Ukraine,” Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, who has dealt with Putin for more than two decades, said in December.

Putin’s views on Ukraine are fiercely held. He seems unlikely to accept any result that does not achieve his goal of bringing Ukraine closer to the Russian fold. And, especially after the Russian military’s poor performance in the first week of the war, he may be concerned that any whiff of failure could weaken his hold on power.

Putin’s strategy in coming weeks, some other U.S. officials have warned in closed meetings since the crisis accelerated, could be to redirect the conflict toward Washington, hoping to distract from the Russian forces’ attacks on civilians in Ukraine and rouse a nationalistic response to the actions of a longtime adversary.

If Putin wants to strike at the U.S. financial system, as Biden has struck at his, he has only one significant pathway in: his well-trained army of hackers and an adjacent group of criminal ransomware operators, some of whom have publicly pledged to help him in his battle.

Tatyana Bolton, the policy director for cybersecurity and emerging threats at the R Street Institute, expressed confidence Thursday that the financial industry was ready.

“The JPMorgans of the world spend more on cybersecurity than many government agencies,’’ said Bolton, a former senior official in the Department of Homeland Security whose family emigrated from Russia.

But she was concerned about the possibility that Putin would finally activate “pre-positioned malware in the energy sector as a means of getting back at the United States.”

Members of Congress have also raised concerns that Putin could unleash Moscow’s network of criminal hackers, who have conducted ransomware attacks that have shut down hospitals, meat processing plants and the Colonial Pipeline network that carried nearly half of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel on the East Coast.

“If the situation escalates further, I think we are going to see Russian cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., a member of the House Intelligence Committee who was co-chair of an influential cyberspace commission.

Another possibility is that Putin will threaten to push farther into Moldova or Georgia, which, like Ukraine, are not members of NATO — and thus territory that the U.S. and NATO forces would not enter. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making Moldova one of his stops on a reassurance tour that began Thursday.

There are larger worries, involving potential nuclear threats. On Sunday, as the fighting accelerated, Belarus passed a referendum that amended its constitution to allow for nuclear weapons to be based, once again, on its territory. U.S. officials are expecting that President Alexander Lukashenko may well ask Putin to place tactical weapons in his country, where they would be closer to European capitals. And Putin has shown, twice this week, that he is ready to remind the world of the powers of his arsenal.

But the next move for Putin is likely to further intensify his operations in Ukraine, which would almost certainly result in more civilian casualties and destruction.

“It wasn’t a cakewalk for Putin, and now he has no choice but to double down,” said Beth Sanner, a former top intelligence official. “This is what autocrats do. You cannot walk away or you look weak.”

Senior White House officials designing the strategy to confront Russia have begun quietly debating a new concern: that the avalanche of sanctions directed at Moscow, which has gained speed faster than they imagined, is cornering President Vladimir Putin and may prompt him to lash out, perhaps expanding the conflict beyond Ukraine.

Senior White House officials designing the strategy to confront Russia have begun quietly debating a new concern: that the avalanche of sanctions directed at Moscow, which has gained speed faster than they imagined, is cornering President Vladimir Putin and may prompt him to lash out, perhaps expanding the conflict beyond Ukraine. In Situation Room meetings in recent days, the issue has come up repeatedly, according to three officials. Putin’s tendency, U.S. intelligence officials have told the White House and Congress, is to double down when he feels trapped by his own overreach. So they have described a series of possible reactions, ranging from indiscriminate shelling of Ukrainian cities to compensate for the early mistakes made by his invading force, to cyberattacks directed at the U.S. financial system, to more nuclear threats and perhaps moves to take the war beyond Ukraine’s borders. The debate over Putin’s next moves is linked to an urgent reexamination by intelligence agencies of the Russian leader’s mental state, and whether his ambitions and appetite for risk have been altered by two years of COVID-19 isolation. Those concerns accelerated after Putin’s order Sunday to place the country’s strategic nuclear weapons on a “combat ready” alert to respond to the West’s “aggressive comments.” (In the ensuing days, however, national security officials say they have seen little evidence on the ground that Russia’s nuclear forces have actually moved to a different state of readiness.) It was a sign of the depth of U.S. concern that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Wednesday that he was canceling a previously scheduled Minuteman nuclear missile test to avoid escalating direct challenges to Moscow or giving Putin an excuse to once again invoke the power of the country’s nuclear arsenal. “We did not take this decision lightly, but instead, to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday. “We recognize at this moment of tension how critical it is that both the United States and Russia bear in mind the risk of miscalculation, and take steps to reduce those risks.” Nonetheless, Putin’s reaction to the initial wave of sanctions has provoked a range of concerns that one senior official called the “Cornered Putin Problem.” Those concerns center on a series of recent announcements: the pullout of oil companies like Exxon and Shell from developing Russia’s oil fields, the moves against Russia’s central bank that sent the ruble plunging, and Germany’s surprise announcement that it would drop its ban on sending lethal weapons to Ukrainian forces and ramp up its military spending. But beyond canceling the missile test, there is no evidence that the United States is considering steps to reduce tensions, and a senior official said there was no interest in backing off sanctions. “Quite the contrary,’’ said the official, who, like other U.S. officials interviewed for this story, asked for anonymity to discuss the internal debates among Biden’s advisers. In fact, President Joe Biden announced expanded sanctions Thursday, aimed at Russia’s oligarch class. Many of those named — including Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson and one of his close advisers — rank among his most influential defenders and the beneficiaries of the system he has created. Biden, reading a statement and taking no questions, said the sanctions have had “a profound impact already.” A few hours after he spoke, S&P dropped Russia’s credit rating to CCC-, the credit rating agency said in a statement. That is far below the junk bond levels Russia was ranked at a few days after the invasion and just two notches above a warning that the country was going into default. It suggested that Putin’s effort to “sanctions-proof” his economy had largely failed. And at least for now, there is no discernible off-ramp for the Russian leader short of declaring a cease-fire or pulling back his forces — steps he has so far shown no interest in taking. At a news briefing at the White House on Thursday afternoon, press secretary Jen Psaki said that she knew of no efforts to show Putin a way out. “I think right in this moment, they are marching toward Kyiv with a convoy and continuing to take reportedly barbaric steps against the people of Ukraine. So now is not the moment where we are offering options for reducing sanctions.” Yet a senior State Department official, asked about the debates inside the administration on the risks ahead, said there were nuances in the administration’s approach that point to possible outs for the Russian leader. Biden’s policy, the official said, was not one of seeking regime change in Russia. The idea, he said, was to influence Putin’s actions, not his grip on power. And the sanctions, the official noted, were designed not as a punishment, but as leverage to end the war. They will escalate if Putin escalates, the official said. But the administration would calibrate its sanctions, and perhaps reduce them, if Putin begins to de-escalate. And the official said that because Putin has now exerted such control over Russian media, closing down the last vestiges of independent news organizations, he could spin some kind of de-escalation into a victory. Yet that hope collides with the assessments of Putin’s instincts, many of which are based on open, unclassified observations. CIA Director William Burns was an early advocate of the view that the Russian leader planned to invade and was not massing troops around Ukraine simply to gain leverage in some kind of bargaining game. “I would never underestimate President Putin’s risk appetite on Ukraine,” Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, who has dealt with Putin for more than two decades, said in December. Putin’s views on Ukraine are fiercely held. He seems unlikely to accept any result that does not achieve his goal of bringing Ukraine closer to the Russian fold. And, especially after the Russian military’s poor performance in the first week of the war, he may be concerned that any whiff of failure could weaken his hold on power. Putin’s strategy in coming weeks, some other U.S. officials have warned in closed meetings since the crisis accelerated, could be to redirect the conflict toward Washington, hoping to distract from the Russian forces’ attacks on civilians in Ukraine and rouse a nationalistic response to the actions of a longtime adversary. If Putin wants to strike at the U.S. financial system, as Biden has struck at his, he has only one significant pathway in: his well-trained army of hackers and an adjacent group of criminal ransomware operators, some of whom have publicly pledged to help him in his battle. Tatyana Bolton, the policy director for cybersecurity and emerging threats at the R Street Institute, expressed confidence Thursday that the financial industry was ready. “The JPMorgans of the world spend more on cybersecurity than many government agencies,’’ said Bolton, a former senior official in the Department of Homeland Security whose family emigrated from Russia. But she was concerned about the possibility that Putin would finally activate “pre-positioned malware in the energy sector as a means of getting back at the United States.” Members of Congress have also raised concerns that Putin could unleash Moscow’s network of criminal hackers, who have conducted ransomware attacks that have shut down hospitals, meat processing plants and the Colonial Pipeline network that carried nearly half of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel on the East Coast. “If the situation escalates further, I think we are going to see Russian cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., a member of the House Intelligence Committee who was co-chair of an influential cyberspace commission. Another possibility is that Putin will threaten to push farther into Moldova or Georgia, which, like Ukraine, are not members of NATO — and thus territory that the U.S. and NATO forces would not enter. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making Moldova one of his stops on a reassurance tour that began Thursday. There are larger worries, involving potential nuclear threats. On Sunday, as the fighting accelerated, Belarus passed a referendum that amended its constitution to allow for nuclear weapons to be based, once again, on its territory. U.S. officials are expecting that President Alexander Lukashenko may well ask Putin to place tactical weapons in his country, where they would be closer to European capitals. And Putin has shown, twice this week, that he is ready to remind the world of the powers of his arsenal. But the next move for Putin is likely to further intensify his operations in Ukraine, which would almost certainly result in more civilian casualties and destruction. “It wasn’t a cakewalk for Putin, and now he has no choice but to double down,” said Beth Sanner, a former top intelligence official. “This is what autocrats do. You cannot walk away or you look weak.”

Washington’s newest worry: The dangers of cornering Putin

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, around 875,000+ Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring nations. Hungary & Poland will deal with the refugee crisis.

Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion arrive in Poland

What is next for Putin? It has been 9 days since Putin ordered Russian invasion. Watch Israel's political analyst's take on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What next for Putin? Watch Israel's political analyst's take on the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Significance of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuke power plant in Europe targetted by Russia

Russian Invasion of Ukraine enters day 9 and reports of a fire at Europe's largest nuclear plant sent the world in shock. In the latest, Zaporizhzhya Nuclear plant fell into Russia's hands.

Ukraine: Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant is now in Russia's control

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have become the target of rage of several people around the world. &nbsp;

This seems to have happened as the president has attacked Ukraine with full might recently. &nbsp;

In the recent development, a US senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, has called on citizens of Russia to rise up and assassinate Putin to bring an end to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-humanitarian-relief-biden-administration-offers-temporary-protected-status-to-ukrainians-in-us-458809">Biden admin offers 'Temporary Protected Status' to Ukrainians in US</a>

“Is there a Brutus in Russia? &nbsp;Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? &nbsp;The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service,” said Graham, a Republican, in a tweet. &nbsp;

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Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? 
 
The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. 
 
You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1499574209567199235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
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"Easy to say, hard to do. Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness, you need to step up to the plate," Graham added. &nbsp;

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The only people who can fix this are the Russian people. 
 
Easy to say, hard to do. 
 
Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1499575352426958848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Some of Graham's Republican colleagues, including Reps Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have rebuked the senator's call for Putin's killing. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukrainian-sniper-killed-russias-top-general-say-reports-458776" hreflang="en">Ukrainian sniper killed Russia's top general, say reports</a>

Not just this, a Russian businessman, who is based in California, has offered $1 million for the arrest of Putin for war crimes committed during Ukraine conflict. &nbsp;

On social media, Alex Konanykhin on Tuesday, said, “I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have become the target of rage of several people around the world. This seems to have happened as the president has attacked Ukraine with full might recently.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have become the target of rage of several people around the world. This seems to have happened as the president has attacked Ukraine with full might recently. In the recent development, a US senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, has called on citizens of Russia to rise up and assassinate Putin to bring an end to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Also Read: Biden admin offers 'Temporary Protected Status' to Ukrainians in US “Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service,” said Graham, a Republican, in a tweet. Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 4, 2022 × "Easy to say, hard to do. Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness, you need to step up to the plate," Graham added. The only people who can fix this are the Russian people. Easy to say, hard to do. Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 4, 2022 × Some of Graham's Republican colleagues, including Reps Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have rebuked the senator's call for Putin's killing. Also Read: Ukrainian sniper killed Russia's top general, say reports Not just this, a Russian businessman, who is based in California, has offered $1 million for the arrest of Putin for war crimes committed during Ukraine conflict. On social media, Alex Konanykhin on Tuesday, said, “I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws.” (With inputs from agencies)

To end Ukraine’s invasion, US senator calls for Russian President Vladimir Putin's assassination

Russia seizes second nuclear plant

Russian Invasion of Ukraine enters day 9 and reports of a fire at Europe's largest nuclear plant has sent the world in shock. In the latest, Zaporizhzhya Nuclear plant fell into Russia's hands.

Europe's largest Nuclear plant falls into Russia's hands after fire extinguished

It is day 9 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine.

Here's a timeline of events since Putin ordered Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian musicians stuck in Italy are playing for peace. As more Russian troops are entering Ukrainian cities, some musicians are touring Italian cities to raise funds. A prestigious Ukrainian chamber ensemble is holding concerts. The musicians say that their thoughts are with their families & loved ones.

Watch what these Ukrainian musicians did amid Russian invasion

Day 9 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: WION reports from the conflict zone

The great exodus continues: Ukrainians arrive in Poland amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has entered day 9 and people are leaving the country, However, the situation is tense at the Ukraine-Poland border with reports of discrimination against people of colour.

Harrowing stories from the Ukraine-Poland border: Reports of discrimination against people of colour

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke with Quad leaders and discussed situation in Ukraine. The discussion included humanitarian implications of the conflict. PM Modi emphassed that there was need to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

Quad is a grouping of India, US, Japan and Australia.

US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also took part, in the first such interaction since the leaders of four Quad countries held a summit in September last year in Washington.&nbsp;

The virtual meeting was held amid Russia`s military action in Ukraine. A PMO statement said that the leaders discussed other topical issues, including the situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands.&nbsp;

<img alt="Quad statement" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="632d1f0b-88e3-4d0e-8c6f-50c528d71426" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Quad.png" />

PM Modi reiterated the importance "of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The Prime Minister underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. He called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building.

"Developments in Ukraine were discussed in the meeting, including its humanitarian implications. The Prime Minister emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy," the statement said.&nbsp;

The meeting reviewed the progress on Quad initiatives since the September 2021 Quad Summit. The leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year.The leaders agreed to stay in touch and to work towards an ambitious agenda for the forthcoming Leaders` Summit in Japan. The Western countries have imposed sanctions against Russia following its military action.

(With inputs from agencies)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke with Quad leaders and discussed situation in Ukraine. The discussion included humanitarian implications of the conflict.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke with Quad leaders and discussed situation in Ukraine. The discussion included humanitarian implications of the conflict. PM Modi emphassed that there was need to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. Quad is a grouping of India, US, Japan and Australia. US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also took part, in the first such interaction since the leaders of four Quad countries held a summit in September last year in Washington. The virtual meeting was held amid Russia`s military action in Ukraine. A PMO statement said that the leaders discussed other topical issues, including the situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands. PM Modi reiterated the importance "of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity." "The Prime Minister underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. He called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building. "Developments in Ukraine were discussed in the meeting, including its humanitarian implications. The Prime Minister emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy," the statement said. The meeting reviewed the progress on Quad initiatives since the September 2021 Quad Summit. The leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year.The leaders agreed to stay in touch and to work towards an ambitious agenda for the forthcoming Leaders` Summit in Japan. The Western countries have imposed sanctions against Russia following its military action. (With inputs from agencies)

PM Modi discusses Ukraine situation with Quad leaders

People around the world are voicing their condemnation of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Police in Russia have arrested more than 8,000 anti-war protesters across the country.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Protests across the world against Russian invasion

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Federation Internationale Feline (FIFe), which is an international cat fancier society, has imposed restrictions on cats bred in Russia.&nbsp;

These restrictions imposed by FIFe are valid until May 31 and will be reviewed as and when necessary. In a statement, the NGO noted that it is "shocked and horrified" that the Russian army invaded Ukraine and "started a war". &nbsp;

It added, "Many innocent people died, many more are wounded and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are forced to flee their homes to save their lives. We can all witness the destruction and chaos caused by this unprecedented act of aggression."&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/iafs-evacuation-flights-with-798-indians-land-at-hindon-airbase-pm-modi-monitoring-developments-458411">IAF's evacuation flights with 798 Indians land at Hindon airbase, PM Modi monitoring developments</a>

As per the organisation, no cat bred in Russia may be imported and registered in any FIFe pedigree book outside Russia, regardless of, which organization issued its pedigree.&nbsp;

The statement added, "No cat belonging to exhibitors living in Russia may be entered at any FIFe show outside Russia, regardless of, which organization these exhibitors hold their membership in."&nbsp;

FIFe also stated that it will dedicate a part of its budget to support cat breeders and fanciers in Ukraine who are suffering because of the current situation, the statement added.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-ukraine-conflict-ukraine-attempts-to-embarrass-moscow-invites-russian-mums-to-collect-captured-sons-458383">Ukraine attempts to embarrass Moscow, invites Russian mums to collect captured sons</a>

Meanwhile, the war-like situation continues to escalate as the latest development suggested that Russian troops were in the centre of the Ukrainian port of Kherson on Thursday (March 3). &nbsp;

When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the "military operations" on February 24, several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, along with the European Union have imposed sanctions on Moscow.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;US interest rate hike likely in March: Powell testified before US Congress

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In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Federation Internationale Feline (FIFe), which is an international cat fancier society, has imposed restrictions on cats bred in Russia.

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Federation Internationale Feline (FIFe), which is an international cat fancier society, has imposed restrictions on cats bred in Russia. These restrictions imposed by FIFe are valid until May 31 and will be reviewed as and when necessary. In a statement, the NGO noted that it is "shocked and horrified" that the Russian army invaded Ukraine and "started a war". It added, "Many innocent people died, many more are wounded and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are forced to flee their homes to save their lives. We can all witness the destruction and chaos caused by this unprecedented act of aggression." ALSO READ | IAF's evacuation flights with 798 Indians land at Hindon airbase, PM Modi monitoring developments As per the organisation, no cat bred in Russia may be imported and registered in any FIFe pedigree book outside Russia, regardless of, which organization issued its pedigree. The statement added, "No cat belonging to exhibitors living in Russia may be entered at any FIFe show outside Russia, regardless of, which organization these exhibitors hold their membership in." FIFe also stated that it will dedicate a part of its budget to support cat breeders and fanciers in Ukraine who are suffering because of the current situation, the statement added. ALSO READ | Ukraine attempts to embarrass Moscow, invites Russian mums to collect captured sons Meanwhile, the war-like situation continues to escalate as the latest development suggested that Russian troops were in the centre of the Ukrainian port of Kherson on Thursday (March 3). When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the "military operations" on February 24, several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, along with the European Union have imposed sanctions on Moscow. WATCH | US interest rate hike likely in March: Powell testified before US Congress ×

Ukraine crisis: Here's how Russian cats are caught in the crossfire

It is day 8 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine. Meanwhile, Maternity Hospital shifted patients to underground basement.

Maternity Hospital shifts patients to underground basement amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, over thousands of Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring nations. Thousands of people march on foot to flee Ukraine.

Thousands of people march on foot to flee Ukraine amid Russian invasion

On a space rocket, a video showing Russia covering the flags of the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom while leaving the Indian flag intact has gone viral.

Russia has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan for its invasion of Ukraine.

"The launchers at Baikonur decided that without the flags of some countries, our rocket would look more beautiful," Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS' chief Dmitry Rogozin tweeted.

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Стартовики на Байконуре решили, что без флагов некоторых стран наша ракета будет краше выглядеть. <a href="https://t.co/jG1ohimNuX">pic.twitter.com/jG1ohimNuX</a>
— РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rogozin/status/1499043075586469900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Also new sanctions have been imposed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine by countries all around the world.

On Saturday, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada prohibited some Russian banks from using SWIFT, a high-security network that connects 11,000 financial institutions in 200 countries.

Following Moscow's moves, Germany suspended certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline earlier this week.&nbsp; 
 
Over the weekend, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, and Taiwan all issued new injunctions against Moscow, condemning the military incursion that occurred in the previous 24 hours. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

On a space rocket, a video showing Russia covering the flags of the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom while leaving the Indian flag intact has gone viral.

On a space rocket, a video showing Russia covering the flags of the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom while leaving the Indian flag intact has gone viral. Russia has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan for its invasion of Ukraine. "The launchers at Baikonur decided that without the flags of some countries, our rocket would look more beautiful," Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS' chief Dmitry Rogozin tweeted. Стартовики на Байконуре решили, что без флагов некоторых стран наша ракета будет краше выглядеть. pic.twitter.com/jG1ohimNuX — РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) March 2, 2022 × Also new sanctions have been imposed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine by countries all around the world. On Saturday, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada prohibited some Russian banks from using SWIFT, a high-security network that connects 11,000 financial institutions in 200 countries. Following Moscow's moves, Germany suspended certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline earlier this week. Over the weekend, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, and Taiwan all issued new injunctions against Moscow, condemning the military incursion that occurred in the previous 24 hours. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch | Russia removes US, UK, Japan flags from rocket, but keeps India's Tricolour

I grew up in a land of lies and bones, with the dead being erased or subsumed by the Kremlin, which refused to see Ukraine as a nation, imposing a Soviet identity over us all.

Today, we’re witnessing the same nihilistic violence unfold in real time, in a campaign of bullets and bombs dropped over Ukraine. “I’m OK,” terrified friends in Kharkiv and Kyiv keep telling me. What else is there to tell? We know this war isn’t new; in some ways we have always expected it to resume.

I remember the pockmarks. My father and I were coming home after a walk in a small park filled with lilacs near our apartment in Kharkiv (then called Kharkov) when Ukraine was still a Soviet republic. “Why are there holes there?” I asked my father, pointing to a cluster of ugly craters, chipped into a corner of our apartment block.

“It’s from the war,” he told me. It was the mid-1980s, nearly half a century after World War II had ended. The artillery scars are still in my mind. It’s one of my earliest childhood memories.

It was impossible to grow up in Ukraine without witnessing the violence the land had seen. We clambered around old tanks proudly displayed in parks and squares, lumbering monuments to World War II. We learned of this history at dinner tables and in elementary schools, in stories passed down of famine and invasions, from the Mongol destruction of Kyivan Rus in the 13th century to the Nazi attack in 1941 to the Soviet purges.

By the 1980s the country was in many ways a giant mass grave, a grave the size of Texas. And yet we were not encouraged to see it as a Ukrainian story, but as a Soviet one, a collective amnesia pushed out from the Kremlin across the Soviet states.

The story of modern Ukraine begins a little over 100 years ago, at the end of World War I, when new states were crawling out of the ruins of defeated empires across Europe. Ukraine, however, was fractured. The region ended up in two pieces: the eastern and central parcels were annexed by the Soviet Union; the western region, known as Eastern Galicia, which had once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was tacked on to Poland. Both were about to enter decades of suffering.

Warsaw, which had just regained its sovereignty for the first time in 123 years, wasn’t keen on permitting a distinct Ukrainian identity to develop in Eastern Galicia; the 1920s saw an increasing crackdown on Ukrainian culture, churches and schools. When Ukrainian nationalists began waging a campaign of terrorism and assassination against what they viewed as a Polish occupation of Ukrainian soil, Warsaw responded with the 1930 “pacification of Eastern Galicia,” a euphemism for brutal suppression of Ukrainians.

But the situation in Poland paled in comparison to the genocide Stalin perpetuated on the Soviet part of Ukraine. From 1932 through 1933, Soviet commissars began seizing grain and food from Ukrainian peasants in the name of Communist collectivization, part of a vicious backlash against the independent farmers whom Moscow deemed to be too successful and therefore too greedy.

The seizure of food turned Ukraine into an apocalyptic wasteland plagued by famine. People dropped dead on the streets. Ukrainians ate dirt, grass, food waste. Reports of cannibalism were widespread, and parents were said to have eaten their children. About 3.9 million Ukrainians perished in what became known as Holodomor — “death by hunger” in Ukrainian. But killing them wasn’t enough. As a final insult, Stalin, who was infamous for erasing enemies from photographs, forbade talk of the famine and ensured statistics were altered to hide the deaths, as if his victims had never existed.

Less than a decade later, the Nazis seized Ukraine. Some 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews were killed, most by mobile Nazi death squads known as Einsatzgruppen, aided by local collaborators in what later became known as the Holocaust of bullets. Babyn Yar, just outside of Kyiv, became the final resting place for 33,000 Jews mowed down in just days. Destruction was not limited to the Jews. Cities, including Kharkiv, were reduced to swaths of rubble. Over two million Ukrainians were pressed into slave labor in Germany. Hunger descended again. In all, because of war and famine and destruction, five million to seven million Ukrainians lost their lives. Nearly 200,000 Crimean Tatars, Muslims who lived in Ukraine for centuries, were deported to Central Asia; tens of thousands died as a result.

The end of German occupation didn’t end the suffering, it only brought renewed Soviet repression. The U.S.S.R. couldn’t abide any identity that challenged Soviet dominance, whether in individuals or nations. For 40 years after the war, Russia methodically swept aside the Ukrainian language and culture, leaving behind a landscape of soulless Soviet kitsch, red stars and slogans and tomes of speeches by Lenin. Ukrainian identity was vestigial and subservient; I still remember my school showing us drawings of peasants in vyshyvanki — traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts — insipidly smiling while waving Soviet flags.

The Kremlin also suppressed Holocaust remembrance, which it saw as potentially dangerous because it facilitated Jewish communal identity. For decades, the bodies of hundreds of thousands of Jews remained strewn in Nazi killing pits throughout Ukraine without so much as a grave marker. When the regime did permit memorials, the dead were invariably referred to as “peaceful Soviet citizens,” their Jewish identity purposefully omitted.

When I was still a child, in 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant spewed a radioactive cloud through Ukraine and Belarus. Heroic local volunteers and firefighters put out the radioactive inferno, preventing a second explosion that could have decimated half of Europe; many died horrific deaths in the process and in the aftermath. A large area of land was rendered uninhabitable and remains so today. Moscow stifled discussion of Chernobyl as it happened, cloaking the accident in secrecy and propaganda.

Three years later my parents, my grandmother, my sister and I — along with thousands of other Soviet Jews — fled for Vienna. It was from America that we watched, in 1991, as the Soviet Union crumbled and the Iron Curtain was drawn back. Ukraine gained its independence, but promises of democracy were soon mired in endemic corruption.

In 2004, the Orange Revolution saw hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians reverse the outcome of a fraudulent presidential election. In the winter of 2013-14, millions joined the Euromaidan uprising, demanding that Ukraine enter into a partnership agreement with the European Union. Shortly after, Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula while Russian-backed separatists launched an anti-Euromaidan uprising in the east of the country.

I wonder if our old pockmarked apartment building in Kharkiv has new scars, if it’ll even be standing tomorrow. My American friends were emailing and texting, expressing sympathy, asking what they could do. I didn’t respond to some of them; I couldn’t. America wants solutions and happy endings, and I couldn’t tell my friends the reality — there’s nothing they or I can do.

But that isn’t entirely true. President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who denies that Ukraine is a sovereign nation, is waging far more than a physical war: He, like his predecessors in the Kremlin, is working to erase the very concept of Ukraine from existence. With each new report of a Russian bombing, I find myself becoming more Ukrainian, seizing the identity that first the Soviet Union — and now Russia — has long fought to suppress.

I hope others can help keep Ukraine alive. Learn the history. Light a candle on Holodomor Remembrance Day in November. Mourn the dead. Remember Ukraine.

I grew up in a land of lies and bones, with the dead being erased or subsumed by the Kremlin, which refused to see Ukraine as a nation, imposing a Soviet identity over us all.

I grew up in a land of lies and bones, with the dead being erased or subsumed by the Kremlin, which refused to see Ukraine as a nation, imposing a Soviet identity over us all. Today, we’re witnessing the same nihilistic violence unfold in real time, in a campaign of bullets and bombs dropped over Ukraine. “I’m OK,” terrified friends in Kharkiv and Kyiv keep telling me. What else is there to tell? We know this war isn’t new; in some ways we have always expected it to resume. I remember the pockmarks. My father and I were coming home after a walk in a small park filled with lilacs near our apartment in Kharkiv (then called Kharkov) when Ukraine was still a Soviet republic. “Why are there holes there?” I asked my father, pointing to a cluster of ugly craters, chipped into a corner of our apartment block. “It’s from the war,” he told me. It was the mid-1980s, nearly half a century after World War II had ended. The artillery scars are still in my mind. It’s one of my earliest childhood memories. It was impossible to grow up in Ukraine without witnessing the violence the land had seen. We clambered around old tanks proudly displayed in parks and squares, lumbering monuments to World War II. We learned of this history at dinner tables and in elementary schools, in stories passed down of famine and invasions, from the Mongol destruction of Kyivan Rus in the 13th century to the Nazi attack in 1941 to the Soviet purges. By the 1980s the country was in many ways a giant mass grave, a grave the size of Texas. And yet we were not encouraged to see it as a Ukrainian story, but as a Soviet one, a collective amnesia pushed out from the Kremlin across the Soviet states. The story of modern Ukraine begins a little over 100 years ago, at the end of World War I, when new states were crawling out of the ruins of defeated empires across Europe. Ukraine, however, was fractured. The region ended up in two pieces: the eastern and central parcels were annexed by the Soviet Union; the western region, known as Eastern Galicia, which had once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was tacked on to Poland. Both were about to enter decades of suffering. Warsaw, which had just regained its sovereignty for the first time in 123 years, wasn’t keen on permitting a distinct Ukrainian identity to develop in Eastern Galicia; the 1920s saw an increasing crackdown on Ukrainian culture, churches and schools. When Ukrainian nationalists began waging a campaign of terrorism and assassination against what they viewed as a Polish occupation of Ukrainian soil, Warsaw responded with the 1930 “pacification of Eastern Galicia,” a euphemism for brutal suppression of Ukrainians. But the situation in Poland paled in comparison to the genocide Stalin perpetuated on the Soviet part of Ukraine. From 1932 through 1933, Soviet commissars began seizing grain and food from Ukrainian peasants in the name of Communist collectivization, part of a vicious backlash against the independent farmers whom Moscow deemed to be too successful and therefore too greedy. The seizure of food turned Ukraine into an apocalyptic wasteland plagued by famine. People dropped dead on the streets. Ukrainians ate dirt, grass, food waste. Reports of cannibalism were widespread, and parents were said to have eaten their children. About 3.9 million Ukrainians perished in what became known as Holodomor — “death by hunger” in Ukrainian. But killing them wasn’t enough. As a final insult, Stalin, who was infamous for erasing enemies from photographs, forbade talk of the famine and ensured statistics were altered to hide the deaths, as if his victims had never existed. Less than a decade later, the Nazis seized Ukraine. Some 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews were killed, most by mobile Nazi death squads known as Einsatzgruppen, aided by local collaborators in what later became known as the Holocaust of bullets. Babyn Yar, just outside of Kyiv, became the final resting place for 33,000 Jews mowed down in just days. Destruction was not limited to the Jews. Cities, including Kharkiv, were reduced to swaths of rubble. Over two million Ukrainians were pressed into slave labor in Germany. Hunger descended again. In all, because of war and famine and destruction, five million to seven million Ukrainians lost their lives. Nearly 200,000 Crimean Tatars, Muslims who lived in Ukraine for centuries, were deported to Central Asia; tens of thousands died as a result. The end of German occupation didn’t end the suffering, it only brought renewed Soviet repression. The U.S.S.R. couldn’t abide any identity that challenged Soviet dominance, whether in individuals or nations. For 40 years after the war, Russia methodically swept aside the Ukrainian language and culture, leaving behind a landscape of soulless Soviet kitsch, red stars and slogans and tomes of speeches by Lenin. Ukrainian identity was vestigial and subservient; I still remember my school showing us drawings of peasants in vyshyvanki — traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts — insipidly smiling while waving Soviet flags. The Kremlin also suppressed Holocaust remembrance, which it saw as potentially dangerous because it facilitated Jewish communal identity. For decades, the bodies of hundreds of thousands of Jews remained strewn in Nazi killing pits throughout Ukraine without so much as a grave marker. When the regime did permit memorials, the dead were invariably referred to as “peaceful Soviet citizens,” their Jewish identity purposefully omitted. When I was still a child, in 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant spewed a radioactive cloud through Ukraine and Belarus. Heroic local volunteers and firefighters put out the radioactive inferno, preventing a second explosion that could have decimated half of Europe; many died horrific deaths in the process and in the aftermath. A large area of land was rendered uninhabitable and remains so today. Moscow stifled discussion of Chernobyl as it happened, cloaking the accident in secrecy and propaganda. Three years later my parents, my grandmother, my sister and I — along with thousands of other Soviet Jews — fled for Vienna. It was from America that we watched, in 1991, as the Soviet Union crumbled and the Iron Curtain was drawn back. Ukraine gained its independence, but promises of democracy were soon mired in endemic corruption. In 2004, the Orange Revolution saw hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians reverse the outcome of a fraudulent presidential election. In the winter of 2013-14, millions joined the Euromaidan uprising, demanding that Ukraine enter into a partnership agreement with the European Union. Shortly after, Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula while Russian-backed separatists launched an anti-Euromaidan uprising in the east of the country. I wonder if our old pockmarked apartment building in Kharkiv has new scars, if it’ll even be standing tomorrow. My American friends were emailing and texting, expressing sympathy, asking what they could do. I didn’t respond to some of them; I couldn’t. America wants solutions and happy endings, and I couldn’t tell my friends the reality — there’s nothing they or I can do. But that isn’t entirely true. President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who denies that Ukraine is a sovereign nation, is waging far more than a physical war: He, like his predecessors in the Kremlin, is working to erase the very concept of Ukraine from existence. With each new report of a Russian bombing, I find myself becoming more Ukrainian, seizing the identity that first the Soviet Union — and now Russia — has long fought to suppress. I hope others can help keep Ukraine alive. Learn the history. Light a candle on Holodomor Remembrance Day in November. Mourn the dead. Remember Ukraine.

The Ukraine of my childhood is being erased

The Nepali government has reached out to the Indian government for the evacuation of its stranded nationals. New Delhi has given a positive response to Nepal's request.

Operation Ganga: India is undertaking a mega evacuation mission to evacuate its nationals from Ukraine, via its neighbouring countries like Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.&nbsp;

On February 28th, at a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Ukraine crisis, Indian envoy to UN TS Tirumurti said, "We stand ready to help those from our neighbours and developing countries who are also stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance. We also support all UN humanitarian efforts. "

In the past, India has also evacuated nationals from neighbouring countries during times of crisis. Amid the COVID crisis, India evacuated nationals of the Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh from China. Last year, when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, India facilitated the evacuation of Nepali nationals from the country. In response to a question if India will help evacuate foreign nationals, Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "In principle, we are always ready to help other countries. If we get any specific requests, then our attitude towards them will be guided by this."

Since India issued its advisories, about 17,000 Indian nationals have left the Ukraine. During the last 24 hours, under Operation Ganga, six flights have landed in India, taking the total number of flights that have landed in India to 15 and the total number of Indians who have returned on these flights to 3,352.

The MEA control room has now attended 9,874 calls, nearly 10,000 calls, and responded to 7,657 emails. 
 
The Indian Air Force has also pitched in for evacuation efforts. The fourth flight of the Indian Air Force C-17 from Bucharest landed at the Hindan Air Base at Ghaziabad earlier today with 180 Indian nationals who left Ukraine. Today, the IAF is operating three more flights to various locations in the neighbourhood of the war-torn country.

The Nepali government has reached out to the Indian government for the evacuation of its stranded nationals. New Delhi has given a positive response to Nepal's request.

The Nepali government has reached out to the Indian government for the evacuation of its stranded nationals. New Delhi has given a positive response to Nepal's request. Operation Ganga: India is undertaking a mega evacuation mission to evacuate its nationals from Ukraine, via its neighbouring countries like Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. On February 28th, at a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Ukraine crisis, Indian envoy to UN TS Tirumurti said, "We stand ready to help those from our neighbours and developing countries who are also stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance. We also support all UN humanitarian efforts. " In the past, India has also evacuated nationals from neighbouring countries during times of crisis. Amid the COVID crisis, India evacuated nationals of the Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh from China. Last year, when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, India facilitated the evacuation of Nepali nationals from the country. In response to a question if India will help evacuate foreign nationals, Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "In principle, we are always ready to help other countries. If we get any specific requests, then our attitude towards them will be guided by this." Since India issued its advisories, about 17,000 Indian nationals have left the Ukraine. During the last 24 hours, under Operation Ganga, six flights have landed in India, taking the total number of flights that have landed in India to 15 and the total number of Indians who have returned on these flights to 3,352. The MEA control room has now attended 9,874 calls, nearly 10,000 calls, and responded to 7,657 emails. The Indian Air Force has also pitched in for evacuation efforts. The fourth flight of the Indian Air Force C-17 from Bucharest landed at the Hindan Air Base at Ghaziabad earlier today with 180 Indian nationals who left Ukraine. Today, the IAF is operating three more flights to various locations in the neighbourhood of the war-torn country.

Ukraine crisis: Nepal asks India to evacuate its nationals; gets positive response

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, scores of students have been trying to flee the conflict. Among these are two Indian love birds who hope for the war to end.

Story of two love birds from India: Two Indian students fled Ukraine amid Russian invasion

It is day 8 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and scores of civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. Armies of both countries have been involved in intense fights since Russian troops entered Ukraine.

Hospitals move patients to basements as a 40-mile-long armed Russian convoy encircles Kyiv

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, over 670,000 Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring nations. In the latest, Berlin has welcomed refugees from Kyiv.

Berlin welcomes refugees from Kyiv as over 670,000 Ukrainians flee the country amid Russian invasion

Vladimir Putin's invasion into Ukraine has been met with global condemnation and sanctions but it is the citizens within Russia who are facing the brunt of the war as mass detentions are adding to the burden of economic woes. Russian protesters took to the street in Moscow & Saint Petersburg against the invasion. Meanwhile, global protests have also intensified.

Decoding public sentiment in Russia: Russians continue to protest against the war

India's ministry of external affairs said that the embassy in Ukraine is in "continuous touch" with Indian nationals in Ukraine and also noted that the authorities cooperated while evacuating students from war-torn Ukraine.&nbsp;

On Thursday (March 3), PTI reported quoting sources said the Indian Air Force's four evacuation flights with 798 Indians from the Romanian capital Bucharest, Hungary's Budapest and Polish city Rzeszow landed at the Hindon airbase in India.&nbsp;

Sources also noted that the Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt welcomed the students after the IAF's first flight carrying 200 people from Bucharest landed at 1.30am (local time).&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-ukraine-conflict-ukraine-attempts-to-embarrass-moscow-invites-russian-mums-to-collect-captured-sons-458383">Ukraine attempts to embarrass Moscow, invites Russian mums to collect captured sons</a>

As quoted by India-based news agency ANI, Bhatt said, "We are taking care of every student returning from Ukraine. Our four Union ministers are taking care of every aspect of evacuation operations in different neighbouring countries of Ukraine. Operation Ganga is progressing successfully".&nbsp;

Bhatt interacted with the evacuees and said that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is monitoring all developments.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Fourth IAF aircraft carrying Indians rescued from Ukraine arrives at Hindan airbase near Delhi; MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt interacts with the evacuees 
 
I welcome you all on your safe return to our motherland... PM Modi himself is monitoring all developments, he says. <a href="https://t.co/nxQ2X4z9m0">pic.twitter.com/nxQ2X4z9m0</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1499222736987889664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
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ALSO READ |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-casus-belli-amid-ukraine-crisis-russia-space-agency-head-says-satellite-hacking-would-justify-war-458357">&nbsp;'A casus belli': Amid Ukraine crisis, Russia space agency head says satellite hacking would justify war</a>

Important to note that India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24.&nbsp;

To facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals, four Indian ministers have gone to Ukraine's western neighbours. Hardeep Singh Puri is in Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia is in Romania, Kiren Rijiju is in Slovakia and V K Singh is in Poland.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Indian PM Modi speaks to President Putin, Russians volunteer to evacuate Indians from Ukraine

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&nbsp;

India's ministry of external affairs said that the embassy in Ukraine is in "continuous touch" with Indian nationals in Ukraine and also noted that the authorities cooperated while evacuating students from war-torn Ukraine.

India's ministry of external affairs said that the embassy in Ukraine is in "continuous touch" with Indian nationals in Ukraine and also noted that the authorities cooperated while evacuating students from war-torn Ukraine. On Thursday (March 3), PTI reported quoting sources said the Indian Air Force's four evacuation flights with 798 Indians from the Romanian capital Bucharest, Hungary's Budapest and Polish city Rzeszow landed at the Hindon airbase in India. Sources also noted that the Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt welcomed the students after the IAF's first flight carrying 200 people from Bucharest landed at 1.30am (local time). ALSO READ | Ukraine attempts to embarrass Moscow, invites Russian mums to collect captured sons As quoted by India-based news agency ANI, Bhatt said, "We are taking care of every student returning from Ukraine. Our four Union ministers are taking care of every aspect of evacuation operations in different neighbouring countries of Ukraine. Operation Ganga is progressing successfully". Bhatt interacted with the evacuees and said that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is monitoring all developments. #WATCH Fourth IAF aircraft carrying Indians rescued from Ukraine arrives at Hindan airbase near Delhi; MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt interacts with the evacuees I welcome you all on your safe return to our motherland... PM Modi himself is monitoring all developments, he says. pic.twitter.com/nxQ2X4z9m0 — ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2022 × ALSO READ | 'A casus belli': Amid Ukraine crisis, Russia space agency head says satellite hacking would justify war Important to note that India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24. To facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals, four Indian ministers have gone to Ukraine's western neighbours. Hardeep Singh Puri is in Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia is in Romania, Kiren Rijiju is in Slovakia and V K Singh is in Poland. WATCH | Indian PM Modi speaks to President Putin, Russians volunteer to evacuate Indians from Ukraine ×

IAF's evacuation flights with 798 Indians land at Hindon airbase, PM Modi monitoring developments

Amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Fitch slashed Russia's sovereign rating to junk status. S&P also lowered Russia's rating to junk status in a big blow.

Amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Fitch slashes Russia's sovereign rating to junk status

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, scores of students have been trying to flee the conflict. IAF's C-17 aircraft airlifts Indians from Romania

India ramps up evacuation efforts: IAF's C-17 aircraft airlifts Indians from Romania

One million people have fled Ukraine in less than a week since Russia's invasion, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday. &nbsp;

It is one of the biggest refugee crises in 100 years, said UN.

The UN High Commissioner’s tally for refugees is more than 2% of Ukraine's population, which was 44 million at the end of 2020 as per World Bank. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In an email, UNHCR spokeswoman Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams wrote, "Our data indicates we passed the 1M mark" as of midnight in central Europe. It is based on counts collected by the national authorities. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/to-unravel-truth-iccs-prosecutor-starts-investigation-into-possible-war-crimes-in-ukraine-458350" hreflang="en">ICC's prosecutor starts investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine</a>

On Twitter, UN High Commissioner Filippo Grandi wrote, "In just seven days, we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries." &nbsp;

Grandi also appealed for the "guns to fall silent" in Ukraine so humanitarian aid could reach millions of people still inside Ukraine. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The UN officials and others have also praised the response of Ukraine's neighbours, who have opened gymnasiums, homes and other facilities to take in the refugees. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-billionaires-600-million-luxury-yacht-seized-by-german-authorities-says-report-458362" hreflang="en">Russian billionaire’s $600 million luxury yacht seized by German authorities, says report</a>

UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo said on Wednesday that "at this rate, the outflows from Ukraine could make it the source of the biggest refugee crisis in this century." &nbsp;&nbsp;

Over 505,000 refugees from Ukraine have gone to Poland and more than 116,000 travelled to Hungary. Moldova has taken in over 79,000 and 71,200 had entered Slovakia, as per the latest figures on UNHCR's online data portal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

One million people have fled Ukraine in less than a week since Russia's invasion, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday. It is one of the biggest refugee crises in 100 years, said UN.

One million people have fled Ukraine in less than a week since Russia's invasion, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday. It is one of the biggest refugee crises in 100 years, said UN. The UN High Commissioner’s tally for refugees is more than 2% of Ukraine's population, which was 44 million at the end of 2020 as per World Bank. In an email, UNHCR spokeswoman Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams wrote, "Our data indicates we passed the 1M mark" as of midnight in central Europe. It is based on counts collected by the national authorities. Also Read: ICC's prosecutor starts investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine On Twitter, UN High Commissioner Filippo Grandi wrote, "In just seven days, we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries." Grandi also appealed for the "guns to fall silent" in Ukraine so humanitarian aid could reach millions of people still inside Ukraine. The UN officials and others have also praised the response of Ukraine's neighbours, who have opened gymnasiums, homes and other facilities to take in the refugees. Also Read: Russian billionaire’s $600 million luxury yacht seized by German authorities, says report UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo said on Wednesday that "at this rate, the outflows from Ukraine could make it the source of the biggest refugee crisis in this century." Over 505,000 refugees from Ukraine have gone to Poland and more than 116,000 travelled to Hungary. Moldova has taken in over 79,000 and 71,200 had entered Slovakia, as per the latest figures on UNHCR's online data portal. (With inputs from agencies)

Russia-Ukraine conflict: In a week, one million flee fighting in biggest refugee crisis in 100 years, says UN

Russia and Ukraine are set to hold another round of negotiations. The venue for the second round of talks has not been revealed yet, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that negotiations will be held today he added that there will be no change in the Ukrainian delegation.

Zelensky confirms no change in the Ukrainian delegation as Russia, Ukraine to hold round 2 of talks

The United States has announced more sanctions. This time the targets happen to be Russia's defence industry and its ally Belarus in response to Belarus' support of the Russian war.

Washington steps up pressure on Moscow: Russian defence industry sanctioned amid invasion of Ukraine

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