According to the US government, the Russian attack on Ukraine is leading to a closing of ranks within NATO and other western allies. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki has called Putin “one of the greatest unifiers of NATO in modern history.” She added at a press conference: “What you see here is a united Europe, a united West, a united NATO standing up against the aggression and invasion led by President Putin.” Of course, one would prefer if Moscow took de-escalating steps.
+++ 02:35 Mayor: dead and injured in Kharkiv +++
Several people are said to have died and been injured in the shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. In a video message on Facebook, Kharkov’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, spoke of nine dead and 37 injured. In addition, 87 residential buildings were damaged by the Russian shelling. The information could not be independently verified. “Today has shown that this is not simply war. This is the murder of us, the Ukrainian people.”
+++ 01:54 UN expects up to four million refugees +++
In view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations are planning to take care of up to four million refugees. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi says people will continue to flee unless there is an immediate halt to hostilities. So far, around 520,000 people have fled from Ukraine to surrounding countries – including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Russia. Grandi thanks the governments and the people of the receiving countries. He has rarely seen such a rapid increase in the number of refugees, Grandi continues.
+++ 01:07 Report of large casualties in the Sumy region +++
An attack in the Sumy region in north-eastern Ukraine is said to have resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The Ukrainian anti-corruption portal Antikor writes of possibly 70 dead on the Ukrainian side and a large number of victims on the Russian side. Russian artillery hit a military unit. Bodies were recovered from under the rubble. The information could not be independently verified. According to the Unian agency, the Ukrainian army claims to have destroyed around 100 Russian military vehicles in the Sumy region.
+++ 00:25 USA reject establishment of no-fly zone over Ukraine +++
The US government opposes establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. President Joe Biden has made it very clear that he has no intention of sending US troops into a war with Russia, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. A no-fly zone would be a step in this direction, because it would have to be implemented accordingly. “It would require the deployment of US military forces to enforce it, which would mean direct conflict, potentially direct conflict and potential war with Russia, which we do not want to be involved in,” Psaki says.
+++ 23:56 General Staff: Belarusian troops heading towards Ukraine +++
The Ukrainian military assumes that Belarusian troops are heading towards Ukraine. “Some units of the most combat-ready formations of the Belarusian Armed Forces have begun to move to the state border of Ukraine in the direction of Volhynia,” writes the Ukrainian General Staff on Facebook. Volhynia is a region in northwestern Ukraine. As early as Monday night, there had been speculation that Belarus could soon officially get involved with soldiers in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
+++ 23:11 Putin’s spokesman also affected by EU sanctions +++
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, is also affected by the EU sanctions against Russia. This emerges from a list of 26 people published in the EU Official Journal. Also listed are Igor Sechin, head of the state oil company Rosneft, and his colleague from Transneft, Nikolai Tokarev.
+++ 22:56 Pentagon: Russia is probably “behind schedule” in Ukraine attack +++
The US government believes that Russia is “behind schedule” in its attack on Ukraine. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Russian soldiers encountered resistance they hadn’t expected. “We think they are a few days behind what they expected.” However, Kirby warns that it is dangerous to read something into it or to predict something.
+++ 22:29 After Putin’s threat: USA does not change its alert level +++
Following Russia’s announcement that it would put its deterrent weapons on increased alert as a warning to the West, the United States sees no reason to change its own defense readiness. “We are evaluating President Putin’s order and currently see no reason to change our own alert level,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in Washington on Monday.
+++ 22:18 Shell wants to end participation in Nord Stream 2 +++
The British-Dutch oil company Shell wants to sell its shares in all joint ventures with the Russian energy giant Gazprom. Shell said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. it will divest its 27.5 percent stake in the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East. It will also end its 50 percent stake in the Salim oil field in western Siberia and the Gydan exploration project on the peninsula of the same name in northwestern Siberia. Shell also intends to end its stake in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea. Shell is one of five energy companies involved in the controversial Russia-Germany pipeline.
+++ 22:11 Bundeswehr begins reconnaissance flights over the Baltic Sea +++
Amid the growing tensions with Russia, the Bundeswehr will begin reconnaissance flights over the Baltic Sea region. According to the German NATO delegation, specialized Tornado machines would be used as well as the Navy’s P3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The Tornados belong to the Tactical Air Force Squadron 51 “Immelmann! in Jagel (Schleswig-Holstein).
+++ 21:56 survey by RTL and ntv: 78 percent for arms deliveries in Ukraine and rearmament +++
Three out of four people in Germany – 78 percent each – support German arms deliveries to Ukraine and also the rearmament of the Bundeswehr. Only a few, namely 16 percent, find both wrong, as a Forsa survey on Monday commissioned by RTL and ntv showed. Half of the Germans would welcome Ukraine’s admission to the European Union. Only 45 percent of those surveyed think Ukraine’s NATO membership is a good thing.
+++ 21:52 prosecutor at the International State Court for Investigations +++
The prosecutor at the International State Court of Justice, Karim Khan, has announced that he will request the court to open an investigation into allegations of war crimes in Ukraine.
+++ 21:44 Kremlin: USA expel twelve diplomats +++
According to the Russian UN mission, the United States has declared twelve diplomats in New York undesirable. These employees at the Russian UN mission would have to leave the country by March 7, says UN Ambassador Wassily Nebensia. The United States would thereby “grossly violate their obligations under the host country agreement.” In fact, at least some diplomats working at the United Nations in New York have special protections because the UN is an international organization to which all member countries must have access. A spokesman for the US State Department initially did not confirm the process.
Update: The US confirms the expulsion. she throw the diplomatic espionage.
+++ 21:34 Russia continues attacks despite peace talks +++
Despite initial peace talks, Russia continues to attack targets in Ukraine. After a first round of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, there were several explosions in the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv.
+++ 21:23 US secret services: Currently no immediate danger for Putin +++
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner says he sees no immediate threat to President Vladimir Putin’s administration. Small-scale protests against the invasion of Ukraine have broken out in several cities in Russia. In addition, the sanctions are noticeable.
+++ 21:16 Eight countries are calling for EU accession negotiations with Ukraine +++
The presidents of eight Eastern and Central European countries are demanding that Ukraine be granted EU candidate status immediately and that accession negotiations begin. “We, the Presidents of the EU member states Republic of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Republic of Estonia, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Poland, Slovak Republic and Republic of Slovenia firmly believe that Ukraine deserves an immediate prospect of EU membership,” it said in an open letter.
+++ 21:07 EU threatens Moscow with further sanctions +++
Europe and its allies are ready for further sanctions against Moscow. This was announced by the Elysée Palace in Paris after a video conference of the heads of state and government of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Romania, the USA, Canada and Japan as well as representatives of the EU and NATO. According to the French presidency, “further sanctions” could be imposed “in the coming days”.
The previous developments read here.