Washington closes its airspace to Moscow.. and Ukraine: Russian landing in Kharkov
The Russian forces announce their control over the city of Kherson
The Russian forces announced, on Wednesday, that they have fully taken control of the city of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, according to what was reported by the “Sputnik” agency.
Ukrainian Defense Minister: We are receiving more Turkish drones
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said, on Wednesday, that his country is receiving more Turkish drones.
Ukraine uses the "Bayraktar" marches that it bought from Türkiye. The “Bayraktar TB2” drones are invisible and do not make noise, and are designed to fly at an altitude of 10,000 to 20,000 feet, and are managed from a ground control center 150 kilometers away, and carry cameras and a laser target designator to accurately guide anti-tank missiles to their targets.
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Kharkov Governor: At least 21 people were killed in the bombing of the city
The governor of Kharkov province, Oleg Sinigubov, said on Wednesday that at least 21 people were killed and 112 others injured in the bombing of the city of Kharkov in eastern Ukraine.
The authorities said that the Russian missile attacks hit the center of Ukraine's second largest city, including residential areas and the regional administration building.
The main Russian bank, Sberbank, is leaving European markets
The main Russian bank, “Sberbank”, announced its exit from the European market due to the current situation.
The bank’s announcement stated: “The bank’s branches in Europe have been subjected to attacks and threats to the safety of employees and branches,” adding: “The bank’s branches have ample capital reserves, customer deposits are insured, and the assets are sufficient to pay them to depositors.”
Twitter: We will comply with EU sanctions over Russian government media
Twitter said it will comply with EU sanctions on Russia's state media, RT and Sputnik, when the EU's order goes into effect.
A Twitter spokesperson said in a statement via email to Reuters: "The EU sanctions will likely legally oblige us to block certain content in EU member states. We intend to comply with the order when it becomes effective."
Outside the European Union, Twitter said it will continue to focus on reducing the visibility of content from these two outlets, as well as placing warning labels on Tweets from them.
Ukrainian army: Russian forces are carrying out a landing in Kharkov
The Ukrainian army announced that Russian airborne forces carried out a landing in Kharkov (east), confirming that its forces are engaged in fierce fighting in the country's second largest city.
The Ukrainian army said in a statement on the Telegram application that "Russian airborne forces landed in Kharkov (...) and attacked a local hospital." "There is a fight going on right now between the invaders and the Ukrainians," he added.
Kharkov is a city located in eastern Ukraine near the border with Russia, with a population of 1.4 million, most of whom speak Russian.
Monitoring Russian military vehicles around the city of Kherson, after heavy shelling
The American network “CNN” reported, on Wednesday, that the Russian army may have “taken control” of the center of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its seventh day.The American Network stated that it obtained video clips showing Russian military vehicles in the city, and was able to determine the geographical location and verify its authenticity.
She indicated that this footage shows Russian military vehicles north of Kherson, and Russian military vehicles parked in Svobody Square in the city center, where the regional administration building is located.
According to “CNN”, these clips provide new evidence that the Russians are moving around Kherson, apparently without hindrance, and it also appears that the Russian forces from Crimea advanced and established a crossing across the Dnieper River.
Tuesday, Russian military vehicles were seen on the eastern side of the city, after days of shelling and violent clashes.
Biden officially announces the closure of US airspace to Russian planes
US President Joe Biden officially announced the closure of US airspace to Russian planes, in response to Russia's invasion of its neighbor Ukraine.
In his annual State of the Union address he delivered before the US Congress on Wednesday, Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "more isolated than ever."
He stressed that the US forces "will not enter into conflict with the Russian forces in Ukraine."
Biden announced the release of 60 million barrels (including 30 million from the United States) of oil reserves, in cooperation with 30 countries, to maintain market stability.
Follow coverage of Biden's speech to Congress:
The US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration said that orders banning the entry and use of Russian aircraft and airlines from all US airspace are scheduled for full effect by the end of Wednesday.
The orders suspend the activities of all aircraft owned, licensed, operated, registered, chartered, chartered or controlled by any Russian citizen or benefit thereof.
This includes passenger, cargo, scheduled, as well as charter flights, which “will effectively close US airspace to all Russian carriers and other Russian civil aircraft,” the ministry said.
Boeing announces the suspension of logistical support for Russian airlines
The American aircraft industry giant Boeing announced on Tuesday that it will suspend operational services it provides to Russian airlines (spare parts, maintenance and technical support), and will also stop “major operations” in Moscow, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We have suspended major operations in Moscow and temporarily closed our office in Kiev," a Boeing spokesperson said in a message received by AFP, adding: "We are also suspending spare parts, maintenance and technical support services for Russian airlines. As the conflict continues, our teams are focused on ensuring the safety of our colleagues in the area.”Boeing's withdrawal from the Russian market comes at a time when US media reported that President Joe Biden will announce in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday evening that Russian planes will be banned from using US airspace.
This basic sanction that Biden will impose on the Russian aviation sector was preceded by the European Union and Canada, in response to Russia's invasion of its neighbor Ukraine.
The Russian airline Aeroflot, which operates Boeing 737 and 777 models, announced last week that it would suspend flights to Europe due to the ban imposed by the European Union.
Davutoğlu: Türkiye is not inclined to accept the sanctions imposed on Russia
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said on Tuesday night - Wednesday that his country is not inclined to compromise on the sanctions currently imposed on Russia.
And Davutoğlu added, in a statement to the local Haber Turk channel: "We did not participate in such sanctions in general, in principle, and we do not tend to be negative about the current sanctions either."
And he continued: “We discussed sanctions against Moscow at the government meeting. We are examining the sanctions decisions one by one. And what will be the impact of this on our economy and our sectors, especially energy?
He made it clear that there is no demand or pressure on Turkey from the West in this regard, indicating that Turkey does not take sides in this conflict, as he put it.
Davutoglu pointed out that his country is holding talks with Russia and Ukraine, and is obtaining information in general about the latest developments, indicating that Ankara hopes that the negotiations will yield positive results, leading to a ceasefire armistice.
The Turkish Foreign Minister revealed that 4 Russian ships would have arrived on February 27 and 28, 3 of them not registered within the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, indicating that his country had asked Moscow to withdraw its request regarding allowing unregistered ships to cross the straits, and the Russian government accepted. that.
ExxonMobil announces its gradual withdrawal from a major oil field in Russia
The giant American oil group, ExxonMobil, announced on Tuesday that it would gradually withdraw from a major oil field it manages in Russia on behalf of a consortium of Russian, Indian and Japanese companies known as the “Sakhalin-1 project.”
ExxonMobil has managed since 1995 the “Sakhalin-1 project” located in the far east of Russia, of which it owns 30%.
The company said in a statement that “in response to recent events, we are starting the process of stopping activities and taking steps to gradually exit” from this project, stressing that it will no longer invest in new projects in Russia.
The American group follows the example of some of its international competitors, such as the British groups “Shell” and “B and B”, which also intend to give up their stakes in many joint ventures with Russian companies.
The French company Total Energies chose not to leave Russia, but decided not to invest more money in this country.
ExxonMobil made it clear that its withdrawal would not be immediate, saying: “As the operator of Sakhalin-1, we have an obligation to ensure the safety of people, the protection of the environment, and the safety of operations.”
She added that the process of stopping activities should be “carefully managed and in close coordination with the owners of joint ventures to ensure that they are implemented safely.”
Sakhalin-1 is the only major project that ExxonMobil was working on in Russia, as it withdrew from projects with two other companies after sanctions were imposed on Russia in 2014.
Sources: Washington intends to ban Russian flights over American airspace on Wednesday
US media reported on Tuesday that the United States will close its airspace to Russian aircraft, in a basic punishment previously imposed on Moscow by the European Union and Canada in response to Russia's invasion of its neighbor Ukraine.
The media, including “CBS”, “CNN” and “The Wall Street Journal”, said that President Joe Biden will officially announce this measure in his annual State of the Union address, which he will deliver before Congress, starting at nine o’clock in the evening.
Russian Ambassador in Cairo: We are not isolated
The Russian ambassador in Cairo, Georgy Borenscu, considered that his country is not isolated from the world, pointing out that “it is the West that isolates itself from the rest of the world.”
Bornescu told Al-Sharq, on Tuesday, that the West does not constitute most of the international community, adding: "Many countries in the world either support the Russian war on Ukraine or have remained silent."
A large number of representatives of the member states of the National Council for Human Rights withdrew from the business session of the 49th session, coinciding with the start of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivering his country's speech.
The minister said that the decision to annex Crimea and the separatist regions recognized by Moscow came based on the population's desire to return to Russia and get rid of what he called the rule of the "Nazis" who seized power in Ukraine in 2014.
He pointed out that the Russian forces do not target civilians as their American counterparts did in Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, or as the Ukrainian forces do in Donbass and Donetsk, as he put it.
Ukraine: 4 victims in a Russian strike on the city of Zhitomir, west of Kiev
The Ukrainian News Agency reported on Tuesday that Russian forces launched shelling on the city of Zhitomir, west of the capital, Kiev.
Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Interior, said on his Telegram channel that 4 people were killed
They were killed when a Russian cruise missile hit houses in the Ukrainian city of Zhitomir on Tuesday, which was apparently targeting a nearby air base.
He said that residential buildings near the base in Zhitomir, 120 km west of the capital, Kiev, caught fire.
"Four people have been killed so far, including a child," he said. Reuters could not verify the incident.
Austrian Authority: The European Central Bank ordered the closure of Sberbank's arm in Europe
Austria's Financial Market Authority said that the European arm of Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, was shut down by order of the European Central Bank.
"By order of the European Central Bank, the Austrian Financial Market Authority today issued a decision to ban Sberbank Europe... from continuing its activities in full and with effect," the authority said in a statement late Tuesday.
immediate".
The headquarters of Sberbank Europe are located in Vienna.
The Italian “Eni” intends to withdraw from a gas pipeline linking Russia with Turkey
The Italian oil giant “Eni” intends to sell its 50% stake in the “Blue Stream” gas pipeline, which it controls equally with the Russian giant “Gazprom”, in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, according to what a company spokesman announced this evening. Tuesday to AFP.
The spokesman said that “Eni intends to sell its stake” in the Blue Stream gas pipeline, which connects Russia with Turkey across the Black Sea.
In this way, Eni follows the example of major oil companies, including Shell and BP, which have announced their withdrawal from projects in Russia.
Lukashenko orders the deployment of additional forces on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Tuesday that he had ordered the deployment of additional forces in the south of the country, on the border with Ukraine, on the sixth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Lukashenko said during a meeting of the Belarusian Security Council that helicopters and military aircraft deployed in Gomel, Baranovichi and Luninets are currently ensuring the security of these borders between the two former Soviet republics.
He added that he had ordered the deployment of “five tactical battalions to protect” these southern borders. These groups usually consist of hundreds of soldiers, and are equipped with armored vehicles and artillery weapons.
Lukashenko, 67, an ally of Moscow who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, confirmed that his country would not take part in the attack on Ukraine, saying, "This is not our mission."
The Belarusian president also ordered the deployment of additional forces on the border with Poland in the west to protect Belarus from any possible NATO attack.
He said: “It is not permissible under any circumstances to allow the NATO forces to invade Belarusian lands, or to conduct the slightest operation on our lands.”
He said that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for an additional order of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems to be installed on the western borders of Belarus.
United Airlines suspends flights over Russian airspace
United Airlines confirmed on Tuesday that it had temporarily suspended flights over Russian airspace, joining other major US airlines.
United has been flying over Russian airspace for some flights to and from India in recent days.
Delta Airlines, American Airlines and United Parcel Service confirmed this week that they have suspended flights over Russia, as the White House considers tracing Canada and the European Union into action.
Banning the flights of Russian airlines into US airspace.
Biden: Putin was wrong...and we were ready
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had misjudged the West's strong and unified response to its forces' invasion of Ukraine.
Excerpts from Biden's speech on the "State of the Union", which he will deliver around nine o'clock at night (02:00 GMT), stated that "Putin's war was deliberate and unjustified. He rejected diplomatic efforts. He thought that NATO would not respond. I think he can sow discord between us here in our own home. Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
Biden added, in excerpts from his first speech on the State of the Union before Congress: “When tyrants do not pay the price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” continuing: “Putin's war was fabricated, and he was not provoked into it, but NATO and the West were ready.” .
The European Union bans the broadcasting of “Sputnik” and “RT” on its territory
The 27 member states of the European Union gave, on Tuesday, the green light to ban the broadcasting of the Russian media outlets “Sputnik” and “RT” on the territory of the bloc. According to what was announced by France, which holds the rotating presidency of the Union.
The member states decided to ban the media content of “Sputnik” and the broadcasting of “RT” in English, German, French and Spanish on television and on the Internet, on the territory of the European Union.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced Sunday that the European Union would ban "the Kremlin's media machine."
The state media RT and Sputnik, as well as their affiliates, will no longer be able to broadcast their lies to justify Putin's war and sow division in our nation," she added. "We are therefore developing tools to prevent their toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe."
The World Bank is preparing $3 billion in emergency financial aid for Ukraine
The World Bank announced on Tuesday that it is preparing to provide emergency financial assistance to Ukraine worth three billion dollars, including $350 million that could be released this week.
The bank said in a joint statement with the International Monetary Fund, “We are preparing a $3 billion support package in the coming months, starting with (…) a quick payment of no less than $350 million, which will be submitted to the Board of Directors this week for approval.” This quick payment will be followed by a payment of $200 million that will be allocated to “health and education.”
Macron holds a defense council meeting for the third time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a meeting of the Defense Council on Wednesday morning dedicated to Ukraine, the third since the start of the Russian invasion on Thursday, according to the Elysee.
Macron, whose country took over the rotating presidency of the European Union in January, intensified diplomatic meetings and phone calls in an attempt to reach a cease-fire in Ukraine and a solution to the conflict.
Macron spoke by phone, on Tuesday, with the leaders of India, Japan, Azerbaijan, Finland and Lithuania.
France participates in Western sanctions against Russia and plans to provide Ukraine with defense equipment, the exact type of which has not been disclosed.
An official source: the European branch of the Russian bank Sberbank intends to declare bankruptcy
The European Union's banking regulator announced, on Tuesday, that the European branch of "Sberbank", Russia's largest bank, intends to declare bankruptcy due to the damages it suffered as a result of the financial sanctions imposed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.
The Unified Resolution Council “CRU” said that the European branch of the Russian bank “Sberbank Europe AG”, which is headquartered in Austria, will be subject to “bankruptcy procedures” in this country, noting that the accounts of the bank’s customers will be guaranteed up to 100 thousand euros for each. An account, just as it is the case with all other European banks.
The European Union agreed to separate 7 major Russian banks from the global financial system, SWIFT, but excluded Sberbank BJSC and Gazprom Bank, which is partly owned by the Russian gas giant Gazprom.
According to Bloomberg, officials familiar with the decision, who requested anonymity, attributed the exclusion of Sberbank and Gazprom Bank from the list to European concerns regarding Russian energy supplies.
Bloomberg reported that the list of banks that will be separated from the international system that allows transactions worth trillions of dollars around the world includes (VTB Bank) and (Bank Russia).
The list also includes (Bank Otkritie), (Novikombank), (Promsvyazbank), (Sovcombank) and (VEB.RF).
Russia imposes restrictions on Twitter services and accuses Meta and Google of inciting war
Russia cracked down on social media companies on Tuesday, slowing Twitter data back to computers, as a State Department official accused Mita, Google and other Western tech giants of inciting war.
On the sixth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces launched a barrage of missiles into the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, while Moscow intensified its efforts at home to control narratives about events.
The regulator for the telecommunications sector in Russia again slowed down the loading speed of Twitter on computers, a measure it had lifted in May, accusing the American company of failing to delete what it described as false posts about the “special operation” in Ukraine.
Twitter declined to comment.
Russia has restricted Twitter to mobile services for nearly a year, as part of a broader campaign to control the Internet that opponents say threatens individual and corporate freedoms.
Moscow also partially restricts Facebook's services.
This happened after it rejected a government request to halt an independent fact-checking operation on several Russian state media outlets, many of which faced restrictions in Ukraine and around the world as Western countries sought to stifle the Kremlin's messaging activities, Facebook's owner Meta said.Oleg Gavrilov, deputy head of the Department of Information and Press at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the behavior of the American technology giants, especially Meta and Google, is unacceptable.
Interfax quoted him as saying that a system should be put in place to "hold accountable foreign instigators of war against Russia" in order to strengthen Russia's security.
Google and Meta have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The European Union bans projects with the Russian Direct Investment Fund
The Council of the European Union announced, on Tuesday, its approval of the ban on projects co-financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
The member states in Brussels approved banning Europeans from projects funded by the Russian Sovereign Direct Investment Fund. These measures will enter into force after the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union, where the banks covered by the decision will be identified.
Apple stops all sales of its products in Russia
Apple said today, Tuesday, that it has stopped all sales of its products in Russia in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We are deeply concerned about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and stand with all the people who are suffering as a result of the violence," the company said in a statement.
We support humanitarian endeavors and provide assistance to the worsening refugee crisis, and we do everything we can to support our team in the region.”
Apple outlined a number of steps in response to the invasion, including stopping all exports to its sales channels in Russia.
The company said that "Apple Pay" and other services were restricted.
Users in Russia today were still able to access the online Apple Store, but attempts to purchase iPhones turned out to be unavailable for delivery.
Russian official: It is time to remove nuclear weapons from Western and Eastern Europe
The Russian Information Agency quoted, on Tuesday, the Russian envoy to the United Nations as saying in an interview with a Lebanese television that “the time has come to remove nuclear weapons from Western and Eastern Europe.”
Britain imposes sanctions on the Chief of the General Staff of Belarus
The British government announced, on Tuesday, the imposition of sanctions against the Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of Defense of Belarus, Viktor Gulevich.
The Russian news agency Sputnik quoted Gulevich as saying, "The situation throughout the republic tends to escalate."
The armed forces are constantly monitoring and analyzing the situation that is developing across Belarus, and it tends to escalate,” he said.
Julevich inferred the statements of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, that "the alliance's priority engagement forces will be placed on high alert."
The European Union agrees to assess Ukraine's chances of joining the European bloc
The ambassadors of the European Union agreed, on Tuesday, to call for a preliminary assessment of the chances of Ukraine joining the bloc that includes 27 countries, according to “Bloomberg”.
The envoys will request an assessment from the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, according to officials who declined to be identified for the confidentiality of the information.
European Union leaders are expected to discuss opportunities for Ukraine to join the bloc during the summit scheduled to be held in Paris on March 10-11, according to officials.
Once their proposal is received, it will be up to a committee to determine whether Ukraine is eligible to start the accession process, at which point the committee's opinion will be presented to the 27 EU member states. The states will then evaluate the committee's decision.
This step comes in the wake of the request of the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, Monday, to consider his country's request to join the European bloc. It is noteworthy that membership requires a set of arduous steps that can last more than a decade.
"We still have a long way to go," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers in Brussels on Tuesday, who spoke about membership with Zelensky, adding that "no one can doubt that the people who bravely stand To our European values belongs to our European family.”Slovenia announces the destruction of its consulate in an attack on Kharkiv
Slovenia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the country's consulate in Ukraine was destroyed in a military attack.
on the city of Kharkiv.
She added on her Twitter account that she condemned this attack and the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The official news agency, “S. t. A,” quoting the ministry, said the attack did not injure any employees.
Kharkov has been the target of some of the worst air strikes since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24th.
The European Union agrees to remove 7 Russian banks from SWIFT.
The European Union agreed, on Tuesday, to separate 7 major Russian banks from the global “Swift” financial system, but it excluded “Sberbank BJSC” and “Gazprom Bank”, which is partly owned by the Russian gas giant Gazprom.
According to “Bloomberg”, officials familiar with the decision, who requested anonymity, attributed the exclusion of Sberben and Gazprom Bank from the list to European concerns regarding Russian energy supplies.
Bloomberg reported that the list of banks that will be separated from the international system that allows transactions worth trillions of dollars around the world includes (VTB Bank) and (Bank Russia).
The list also includes (Bank Otkritie), (Novikombank), (Promsvyazbank), (Sovcombank) and (VEB.RF).
Some countries, including Poland, have pushed for more banks to be included in the measure, officials said. And “Bloomberg” indicated that it is still possible to change the list before it officially enters into force.
European concern
The agency said that the exclusion of “Sberbank BJSC” and “Gazprom Bank” reflects the continuing level of concern about the consequences for Europe of Russia's financial isolation that extends to the global economy, especially when it comes to energy supplies. The EU is also concerned that Russia could retaliate by cutting off supplies.
Sberbank owns twice as many assets as any other bank in Russia, the world's largest energy exporter. It owns about half of the country's deposits, with more than 100 million retail customers. Gazprombank is a major bank for Russian energy conglomerates.
The plan to detach some Russian banks from the SWIFT system was announced earlier this week in a joint statement issued by the European Commission, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Swift system
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (Swift) is a secure messaging network, ensuring rapid cross-border payments and has become an essential mechanism for financing global trade.
Established in 1973 by world-leading banks, the association is headquartered in Brussels and manages payment requests and correspondence between more than 11,000 financial institutions from 210 countries in the world.
Swift constituted an alternative to the “Telex” system for sending and receiving text messages between countries, as this system does not store or transfer funds, but rather facilitates the process of informing banks of financial exchanges. The association announced that its network transmits 42 million messages per day
