Morning news brief: Putin likens sanctions to war, foreign students allege racism at Ukraine border, and more
Morning brief
Here are some of the top stories to start your day:Russian President Vladimir Putin has allegedly likened the sanctions announced by the West on Russia over attack on Ukraine equivalent to a “declaration of war”.The number of Ukrainian refugees was expected to reach 1.5 million on Sunday.
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Putin sought to justify the war in Ukraine by repeating his assertion that he was seeking to defend Russian speaking communities there through the “demilitarisation and de-Nazification” of the country.
Several videos have gone viral on social media purportedly showing people of African and Indian origin being blocked from boarding trains or being left stranded at Ukrainian stations. Both BBC and CNN have also confirmed that foreign students are being subjected to racial segregation at border checkpoints.
After reports of a ballistic missile's launch, North Korea has said that it conducted "another important" test for reconnaissance satellite systems, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. This was the second such launch in a week to test satellite equipment. It was also the ninth missile launch this year.
Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over a failed ceasefire plan that would have let civilians flee Mariupol and Volnovakha, two southern cities besieged by Russian forces. Another round of talks was tentatively planned for Monday as Ukrainians who could escape spilled into neighboring Poland, Romania, Slovakia and elsewhere.
Watch |Ukrainians abandon their homes: Unmitigated humanitarian crisis unfolds