Meanwhile, the Russian government took action against an alleged black market for staple foods. The Ministry of Trade and Industry in Moscow said at the weekend that there had been cases in which food had been bought “in a much larger quantity than required for private consumption (up to several tons)”. These were intended “for subsequent resale”. According to the report, the government supported “initiatives” by trade organizations that want to restrict the sale of basic foodstuffs to consumers. Essential goods, the prices of which are subject to state control, include bread, rice, flour, eggs and selected meat and dairy products.
+++ 07:04 British want to exclude Russia from Interpol +++
Britain and several of its allies are calling for Russia’s expulsion from the international police organization Interpol. Along with the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, British Home Secretary Priti Patel called on Twitter for “the immediate suspension of Russia’s access to all systems” from Interpol. “Russia’s actions pose a direct threat to the security of individuals and international law enforcement cooperation.”
+++ 06:42 from 8 a.m. ceasefire for humanitarian corridors in several cities +++
The Russian military has scheduled a ceasefire for 8 a.m. to open humanitarian corridors to several Ukrainian cities, according to the Interfax news agency. At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron and in view of the situation on the ground, corridors for the capital Kyiv and the cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy should be opened, reports Interfax, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
More about this here.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
(Photo: AP)
+++ 06:22 New Zealand is tightening sanctions +++
New Zealand’s government wants to rush through a new law this week in order to be able to impose further sanctions that are as targeted as possible against those responsible for the Russian attack on Ukraine. “A bill of this kind has never been presented to our Parliament,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “But with Russia vetoing UN sanctions, we must act ourselves to support Ukraine and our partners in resisting this invasion.”
+++ 06:02 Air raids on Kharkiv again +++
The Russian army continued its airstrikes on Kharkiv during the night. A journalist from the AFP news agency reported that, among other things, a university sports complex and a block of flats in the second largest Ukrainian city were hit. In front of the residential building there were several bodies next to a car. Meanwhile, according to the Ukrainian general staff, Russian troops concentrated their attacks on Kharkiv in the east of the country, Sumy in the north-east and Mykolaev in the south.
+++ 05:23 Ukraine stops export of meat, oats and rye +++
The Ukrainian government has announced that it has suspended the export of some food products. Exports of “meat, rye, oats, buckwheat, sugar, millet and salt” will be halted, according to a Ukrainian government statement. The export of wheat, corn, poultry, eggs and oil is only allowed with the approval of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, it is said. Products are becoming scarce in the country’s supermarkets as delivery routes become more difficult.
+++ 04:45 Russian diplomats leave the USA on a special flight +++
A Russian government plane with Russian diplomats on board, who were expelled from the country by the United States, has left New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and is on its way to Moscow, according to TV broadcaster CNN. This is also shown by the data from Flight Radar24. “This plane will [die] Russian diplomats who have been declared persona non grata by the US government,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her Telegram channel.
+++ 04:16 possible oil embargo causes stock exchanges in Japan and Hong Kong to crash +++
After the slump on the leading stock exchange in Tokyo due to concerns about a possible freeze on oil imports from Russia, the stock market in Hong Kong also plummeted. Half an hour after the start of trading, the Hang Seng Index was down 4.46 percent at 20,927 points. The stock exchanges in China, which usually develop somewhat independently of world events, opened only slightly lower.
+++ 03:42 95 percent of Russian troops in Ukraine +++
According to a senior US defense official, Russia has fired 600 missiles and deployed 95 percent of the troops planned for the invasion in Ukraine, reports CNN.
+++ 03:16 French Foreign Minister believes in Ukraine’s victory” +++
Despite heavy losses, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian believes Ukraine will be able to defeat the attacking Russian forces. “I think Ukraine will win,” Le Drian told France 5. “What has been most striking over the past ten days is Ukraine’s strong resilience, to a degree that experts could not have imagined.”
+++ 02:47 Federal Development Minister Schulze warns of a “humanitarian catastrophe” +++
Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze has promised Ukraine further humanitarian aid. The first emergency aid has already arrived in Ukraine, more will follow, the SPD politician tells the newspapers of the Funke media group. The ministry is concentrating on the accommodation and care of internally displaced persons. According to the Funke newspapers, Schulze wants to pledge emergency humanitarian aid of 38.5 million euros at the meeting of EU development ministers this Monday in Montpellier.
“There is a threat of a humanitarian catastrophe,” says the minister. Russia’s war against Ukraine brings immeasurable suffering to women, men and children. Fast help for the population is now the order of the day.
+++ 02:13 Lindner wants to provide financial support to companies suffering from Russian sanctions +++
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner wants to help companies that are threatened with bankruptcy due to sanctions against Russia. “Targeted help for companies whose existence is at risk is conceivable,” said the FDP boss to the editorial network Germany. “But we will not be able to compensate for lost profits,” emphasized the finance minister.
+++ 01:38 Anonymous appears to be hacking RT, Russian state TV and Netflix equivalent +++
According to the collective Anonymous hacked several Russian TV channels and showed pictures of the war in Ukraine instead of the actual program. According to the hacker group, RT France, all state TV broadcasters and the Russian streaming platforms Ivi and Wink are among those affected. It is still unclear whether and for how long the regular TV program was actually disrupted.
+++ 01:04 US officials: Russia is recruiting Syrian fighters to take Kiev +++
According to the “Wall Street JournalRussia is recruiting Syrians experienced in urban combat to be sent to Ukraine to help take Kiev, according to US officials. The newspaper reports the number of fighters is unclear so far, but some are already in Russia and prepared to invade Ukraine.
+++ 00:37 USA does not expect an amphibious assault on Odessa +++
According to an insider, the USA does not initially expect an amphibious attack by Russia on the Ukrainian city of Odessa or its surroundings. Russian troops are still trying to isolate Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv, according to a senior US military official who declined to be named. They are confronted with “strong Ukrainian resistance”. Since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has fired around 600 rockets at Ukraine and 95 percent of its combat units are now deployed. The information cannot be independently verified.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says Ukraine has maps and records from captured Russian soldiers showing Russian forces planning to bomb Odessa.
+++ 00:16 “Were directly involved in this war”: Baerbock continues against no-fly zone over Ukraine +++
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock justifies the rejection of the no-fly zone over Ukraine demanded by the government in Kyiv. That would mean that NATO planes would have to shoot down Russian planes. “That would mean we were directly involved in this war,” she says on the ARD program Anne Will. However, she and other European politicians are also responsible for millions of Europeans.
+++ 23:48 “New York Times”: Three members of a family killed when advancing on Kyiv +++
According to journalists, Russian troops shelled a bridge with mortars while advancing on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least three members of a family. The “New York Times” spreads a disturbing image her photo reporter Lynsey Addario, which shows four civilians lying on the ground, and writes: “Ukrainian soldiers are trying to rescue the father of a family of four – the only one who had a pulse at the time – after he died trying to escape on Sunday Irpin was hit by a mortar shell near Kyiv.” The dead were a teenager, a girl estimated to be eight years old and the mother.
+++ 23:22 Russia arrests 4600 opponents of the war +++
Tens of thousands of people around the world took to the streets at the weekend against Russia’s war in Ukraine. During protests in Russia, demonstrations were held in around 65 cities this Sunday alone, and more than 4,600 people were arrested. Demonstrations against Russian President Vladimir Putin are also taking place outside of Europe, for example in Washington and New York as well as in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, which is considered an ally of Putin.
+++ 22:54 Baerbock accuses Putin of “aggression to the power of a thousand” +++
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of being unscrupulous. “What we are experiencing, what he is doing, is aggression to the power of a thousand,” says the Green politician on ARD. “His tanks don’t bring peace, they only bring suffering.” Putin is breaking with all the rules of international law, with all the rules of human interaction.
+++ 22:14 industry magazine: Netflix suspends service in Russia +++
According to an industry magazine, the streaming service Netflix is suspending its offer in Russia. “Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to stop our service in Russia,” quoted “Variety” an unnamed spokesman for the US group. Netflix announced earlier this month that it would suspend all future projects and acquisitions in Russia.
+++ 21:59 SBU: Research facility shot at with nuclear fuel elements +++
According to the Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU, a research center with Grad rocket launchers was also fired upon in attacks in Kharkiv. The authority warns that a hit in the research facility, in which 37 nuclear fuel elements are located, could have triggered an environmental disaster in the worst case.
+++ 21:50 Putin’s friend Rotenberg loses all offices in the world judo association +++
The World Judo Federation relieves Russian President Vladimir Putin and his childhood friend and oligarch Arkady Rotenberg of all offices. The brief statement does not give any reason for the measure, nor any reference to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Rotenberg was a member of the association’s executive committee to this day. The 70-year-old is a close confidante and supporter of Putin. Both were among others in the same judo club in their childhood.
You can read about previous developments here.