- RUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for no-fly zone to stop Russian bombardment, but White House says US is not considering such a move.
- At least 70 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in a Russian artillery attack in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, says a local official.
- ICC prosecutor says he plans to launch investigation into alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
- High-level talks between Kyiv and Moscow end with no agreement except to keep talking.
- Civilian death toll now stands at 352 people, including 14 children, Ukraine’s health ministry says.
- More than 520,000 people have fled Ukraine since Russian invasion began, UN says.
- FIFA and UEFA suspend Russia from international football.
Here are the latest updates:
Russians ‘upping their tempo of attacks on large urban centres’
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from the city of Lviv, in central Ukraine, says Russian forces are “upping their tempo of attacks on large urban centres”.
“That is clear, there are reports of explosions being heard in Kyiv this morning, the capital of course, the most important urban centre in the country and the enormous convoy to the northwest, 40-miles long, which contains Russian armour, troops, logistical and support supplies, that’s ready to attempt to move on the capital,” Hull said.
“There’s another convoy coming up from the southeast, the idea is to try and encircle the capital and apply maximum pressure on the civilian population inside and the government of president Zelenskyy,” he added.
“The other big urban centre under continued attack is Kharkiv in the east … And attacks are going on as well at military targets, one very large incident is being reported this morning in Okhtyrka … which apparently sustained attack [yesterday] by very heavy munitions, potentially a missile strike … [in which] 70 Ukrainians soldiers were killed.”
Kharkiv official says Russian missiles have struck residential areas
The head of the regional administration in Kharkiv, Oleg Synegubov, says Russian missile attacks have hit the centre of Ukraine’s second-largest city, including residential areas and the city administration building.
Synegubov said Russia had launched GRAD and cruise missiles on the eastern city and accused Moscow of being guilty of war crimes. He added the city’s defences were holding despite the bombardment.
Air raid alerts in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities: Reports
The Kyiv Independent, a Ukrainian news outlet, is reporting air raid sirens in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities, including Vinnytsia, Uman and Cherkasy.
It also cited a hospital administrator saying that Russian shelling has hit a maternity hospital in the village of Buzova near Kyiv. “All people were evacuated from the building,” it said.
⚡️Russian shelling hits maternity hospital near Kyiv, the hospital’s CEO Vitaliy Girin said on Facebook.
The maternity hospital is located in the village of Buzova on the Zhytomyr highway where heavy fighting has been ongoing.
All people were evacuated from the building.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 1, 2022
Russian forces ‘surround city of Kherson’: Reports
Russian troops have surrounded the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, according to a journalist and a local official.
“The city is actually surrounded, there are a lot of Russian soldiers and military equipment on all sides, they set up checkpoints at the exits,” Journalist Alyona Panina told the Ukraine 24 TV channel.
The city’s Mayor Igor Kolykhaiev also said on Facebook that the “Russia army is setting up checkpoints at the entrances of Kherson”.
Kherson has a population of around 280,000 and lies north of the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014. Russia claimed to have besieged the city on Sunday.
Japan freezes assets of Russia’s central bank
Japan is joining the US and other allies in slapping additional sanctions on Russia, including freezing assets of the country’s leaders and three financial institutions.
Aside from those held by six individuals including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Japan will freeze assets of Russia state-owned Promsvyazbank and Vnesheconombank, as well as the country’s central bank.
Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russian attack
A Ukrainian official says a Russian artillery attack on a military unit in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, killed at least 70 Ukrainian soldiers on Monday.
Dmytro Zhyvytskyy, head of the Sumy Regional State Administration, posted photographs of the charred shell of a four-storey building and rescuers searching rubble.
Warner Bros halting release of The Batman in Russia
Warner Bros and Sony Pictures are following Walt Disney Co’s suit and halting the release of their films in Russia.
Warner Bros said it is pausing the release of The Batman in Russia ‘in light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine”. The movie was due to open in Russian cinemas on March 3.
Sony said it will also suspend its upcoming theatrical releases in Russia, including the film, Moribus.
Read more here.
Russians ‘have fallen behind timeline’, says US legislator
Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy says he was told during a classified briefing that Russia has fallen behind schedule in its invasion of Ukraine due to fierce resistance as well as equipment and logistics failures.
Just leaving classified briefing on Ukraine crisis. A few takeaways that I can share:
1/ Confirmation that the Russians have fallen behind their timeline. Ukrainian resistance has been fierce and there have been multiple Russian equipment and logistics failures.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 1, 2022
Russia will try to encircle and cut off Kyiv in the “next several weeks,” Murphy said, adding that the battle for the capital will be long and bloody.
4/ The U.S. and allies are coordinating to not only freeze the assets of Putin and his oligarch allies, but to seize those assets as well. This is likely a further step than Putin’s inner circle anticipated.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 1, 2022
Ukraine military says Russia is planning to use Belarus troops
Ukraine’s Armed Forces say Russia is planning to involve the “most trained military units” of the Belarusian army in its invasion.
Belarus previously denied the claim on Monday.
“Belarusian servicemen are carrying out tasks in accordance with the Armed Forces’ training plan for the 2021-2022 training year within Belarusian borders only and are not taking part in the special military operation in Ukraine,” the Belarusian defence ministry said.
Mastercard blocks several financial institutions over Russia sanctions
Mastercard has blocked multiple financial institutions from its payment network as a result of sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The US credit card company did not say which institutions were blocked.
It promised to contribute $2m for humanitarian relief.
Australia commits $50m in support for Ukraine
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his government will provide Ukraine with $50m to help fend off the Russian invasion.
“The overwhelming majority of that … will be in the lethal category,” he said.
“We’re talking missiles, we’re talking ammunition, we’re talking supporting them in their defence of their own homeland in Ukraine and we’ll be doing that in partnership with NATO.”
Diplomats accuse UAE of ‘dirty deal with Russia’
Diplomats say the United Arab Emirates (UAE) abstained from two votes on UN Security Council resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in order to win Moscow’s support for an arms embargo on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
A Security Council diplomat told Reuters news agency that UAE made a “deal with the devil” to secure Russia’s support.
“UAE’s two abstentions on Ukraine bought the Russian yes vote,” the diplomat said.
Another diplomat told AFP: “We are very angry with the Emirates and convinced they made a dirty deal with Russia” that links the Houthis and Ukraine.
Both the UAE and Russia denied a deal was made on voting.
Read more here.
But Russia abstained in vote, after UAE abstained on vote on resolution condemning Russian invasion, in what was perceived at council as a quid pro quo. More of this to follow on other files…
— Peter Salisbury (@peterjsalisbury) February 28, 2022
Disney halts film releases in Russia
Disney says it is suspending the release of its films in cinemas in Russia after Moscow’s assault on Ukraine
“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming ‘Turning Red’ from Pixar,” the US entertainment giant said in a statement.
Putin stripped of taekwondo black belt
World Taekwondo has stripped Russian President Vladimir Putin of his honourary taekwondo black belt over his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
It added that it would join the International Olympic Committee in banning the Russian flag and anthem at its events.
World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance.#PeaceIsMorePreciousThanTriumphhttps://t.co/nVTdxDdl2I
— World Taekwondo (@worldtaekwondo) February 28, 2022
World Rugby suspends Russia, Belarus
Rugby’s world governing body is suspending Russia and Belarus from all international rugby “until further notice”.
It also suspended Russia’s membership indefinitely.
“World Rugby reiterates its condemnation of Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and the facilitation of this action by Belarus,” the body said.
Blinken ‘assures Ukraine of more sanctions and weapons’
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has offered Kyiv more support in the form of sanctions and weapons.
“In our call, Secretary Blinken affirmed that the U.S. support for Ukraine remains unfaltering,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
“I underscored that Ukraine craves for peace, but as long as we are under Russia’s assault we need more sanctions and weapons. Secretary assured me of both. We coordinated further steps.”
In our call, @SecBlinken affirmed that the U.S. support for Ukraine remains unfaltering. I underscored that Ukraine craves for peace, but as long as we are under Russia’s assault we need more sanctions and weapons. Secretary assured me of both. We coordinated further steps.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 28, 2022
Satellite images show 40-mile-long Russian convoy descending on Kyiv
The Russian military convoy descending on Ukraine’s capital stretches for about 40 miles (64km), according to Maxar Technologies.
The US satellite-imaging company said pictures taken on Monday shows the convoy “contains hundreds of armoured vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and logistics support vehicles”.
The Maxar pictures also showed deployments of ground forces and ground attack helicopter units in southern Belarus.
A satellite image shows the southern end of a military convoy, east of Antonov airport, Ukraine, February 28, 2022 [Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters]
Ukraine says Russia used a vacuum bomb
Oksana Markarova, Kyiv’s ambassador to the US, says Russia had used a vacuum bomb in Ukraine on Monday.
Also known as a thermobaric bomb, the weapon uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than that of a conventional explosive.
“They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention,” Markarova said after a meeting with US legislators. “The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large.”
Russia ‘continued shelling Ukraine during talks’
Ukraine’s president says Russian troops intensified shelling of Ukraine in an effort to force his government into making concessions during talks held earlier on Monday.
In a video address, Zelenskyy said that “the talks were taking place against the backdrop of bombing and shelling of our territory, our cities. Synchronising of the shelling with the negotiating process was obvious. I believe Russia is trying to put pressure (on Ukraine) with this simple method”.
The president said Ukraine is not prepared to make concessions “when one side is hitting each other with rocket artillery.”
Zelenskyy says that Kyiv, the capital, remains “a key goal” for the Russians and that Russian forces have also shelled the city of Kharkiv with rocket artillery.
Zelenskyy seeks ban on Russia in all global airports and ports
Ukraine’s president is seeking a global ban on Russian planes and ships as punishment for attacking his country.
“We must close entry for this state in all ports, all canals and all the world’s airports,” Zelenskyy said on Facebook. He also urged the international community to “consider a total closure of the skies to Russian missiles, planes and helicopters”.
Ukraine says Starlink equipment has arrived
Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation says equipment to use SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service has arrived in his country.
Mykhailo Fedorov thanked SpaceX founder Elon Musk for the equipment in a Twitter post on Monday that was accompanied by a photo of boxes on the back of a truck.
Starlink is a satellite-based internet system that SpaceX has been building for years to bring internet access to underserved areas of the world. It markets itself as “ideally suited” for areas where internet service is unreliable or unavailable.
You are most welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2022
Canada to ban Russian oil imports, supply Ukraine with anti-tank weapons
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his country will ban imports of Russian crude oil and supply Ukraine with anti-tank weapons and upgraded ammunition.
“We are announcing our intention to ban all imports of crude oil from Russia, an industry that has benefitted President Putin and his oligarchs greatly,” he told reporters in Ottawa.
Canada will also step up “lethal aid” to Ukraine and will send 100 Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapon systems and 2,000 rockets “as quickly as possible,” said Defence Minister Anita Anand.
Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes
Kyiv’s Ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, says Russian troops are “attacking hospitals, mobile brigades and ambulances” in Ukraine.
“This is not the action of a state with a legitimate security concern,” Kyslytsya said at a UN Security Council emergency meeting. “This is the action of a state determined to kill civilians. There is no debate. These are war crimes.”
Ukraine opens entry to foreign war volunteers
Ukraine’s president has signed a decree temporarily lifting the requirement for entry visas for any foreigner willing to join Ukraine’s international defence legion and fight on Ukraine’s side against invading Russian troops.
Zelenskyy’s decree takes effect on Tuesday and will remain in effect as long as martial law is in place.
White House rules out no-fly zone
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that implementing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be a step towards sending US troops to fight Russia.
“A no-fly zone would require implementation,” she said, adding it would require “deploying US military to enforce, which would be … potentially a direct conflict, and potentially a war with Russia, which is something we are not planning to be a part of”.
US Congress ‘would never’ authorise no-fly zone, says legislator
Murphy, the Democratic US senator, is ruling out approving a no-fly zone for Ukraine in Congress, saying the move would amount to war between the US and Russia.
“It’s a bad idea and Congress would never authorize it,” Murphy wrote on Twitter.
“Military equipment for Ukraine, humanitarian support for Ukraine, crippling sanction on Russia, movement of US troops to the eastern flank of NATO – these are all the right moves. But direct war between the world’s two nuclear powers should be a non-starter.”
There’s been a lot of loose talk from smart people about “close air support” and “no fly zones” for Ukraine.
Let’s just be clear what that is – the U.S. and Russia at war. It’s a bad idea and Congress would never authorize it.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 28, 2022
Facebook to restrict access to Russian state media outlets in EU
Facebook’s parent company Meta has announced plans to restrict access to Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik across the European Union.
Meta’s head of global affairs, Nick Clegg, tweeted on Monday afternoon that the social media company had received requests “from a number of Governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state-controlled media”.
Zelenskyy urges West to consider no-fly zone for Russian aircraft
Ukraine’s president says it is time for the West to consider imposing a no-fly zone for Russian missiles, planes and helicopters in response to Russian shelling of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
In a video address, Zelenskyy did not specify how and by whom a no-fly zone would be enforced. He said Russia had launched 56 rocket strikes and fired 113 cruise missiles against Ukraine in the past five days.
“I believe that Russia is trying to apply pressure in this unsubtle way. Do not waste time. We do not accept such tactics. Fair negotiations can occur when one side does not hit the other side with rocket artillery at the very moment of negotiations,” he said.
Hours before Ukrainian Zelenskyy called for the no-fly zone, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Washington is not considering such a move.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Read all the updates from Monday, February 28, here.
