The war in Ukraine continues after the invasion of Russian troops.
Moscow forces advance and have captured Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia oblast. Furthermore, only a few kilometers separate the Moscow army from the capital Kiev. And as the fighting continues, over a million people are fleeing the besieged cities. The victims of the conflict, on the other hand, are now two thousand, including dozens of children.
"This is the worst military aggression in decades, with cities, schools, hospitals, residential buildings bombed, attacks on nuclear power plants. The days ahead are likely to be worse, with more deaths and more destruction," said NATO Secretary General Jens. Stoltenberg in conference after the extraordinary summit of NATO foreign ministers.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke of the crisis, according to whom "Europe's stability hangs in the balance and peace has been endangered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine." instead, Moscow's threat is to the whole of "global peace".
In Russia, moreover, the main social networks have been blocked in these hours, starting with Facebook. "We will continue to do everything possible to make our services available to people again and to enable them to express themselves safely and mobilize", explained the leaders of the social media of Mark Zuckerberg.
For a de-escalation there are (few) hopes in the third round of talks between Kiev and Moscow, scheduled for the weekend.
Here are the latest updates. ( HERE instead all the articles on the war in Ukraine).
Zelensky - "Support Ukraine"
"Do not be silent, take to the streets and support Ukraine", because "if Ukraine does not survive, the whole of Europe will not survive". President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a video message broadcast this evening on the screens in the squares of European cities where demonstrations against the Russian invasion were held. “Support our freedom. Because this is a victory not only over the Russian army, this is a victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, "Zelensky added.
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Biden: "From Russia an attack on global peace"
The Russian one "is not just an attack on Ukraine but on the security of Europe, on global peace and stability": said Joe Biden when he received Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in the Oval office. "Finland is a crucial partner for the United States, a strong partner for defense and for NATO, especially in strengthening and guaranteeing security in the Baltic Sea", he added, reiterating his commitment to help Kiev defend itself and to obtain humanitarian aid.
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Di Maio: "We need a ceasefire, Putin at the table"
"The third round must serve for a ceasefire and then a peace agreement must be reached. War cannot be resolved by war, we must stop Putin's attacks and bring him to the table." Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told Tg2 Post.
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Russi a few km from Kiev
The Russian forces are approximately 25 kilometers from central Kiev in the north, and remain 10 kilometers outside the city centers of Chernihiv and Kharkiv in the north in Ukraine. This was announced by a senior US defense official, according to CNN.
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Ukraine, the Blinken conference
"The stability of Europe hangs in the balance and peace has been endangered by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this at a press conference in Brussels after the extraordinary Foreign Council. A no-fly zone by NATO "could lead to a real war", then reiterated Blinken, recalling that "we have a responsibility to ensure that the war does not extend beyond Ukraine".
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Russian oil in the sights of the US
The White House is also considering a ban on the import of Russian oil. Spokeswoman Jen Pskaki said this during the briefing, recalling that all options are on the table but reiterating that the president does not want to upset the global oil market or harm the US people with an increase in energy and gas prices.
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Raid near Kiev, 5 dead
Five people were killed, including three children, in an afternoon bombing on the village of Markhalivka, in the Kiev region. The Ukrainian State Emergency Service reports this, adding that a woman may still be under the rubble. According to the Service, quoted by Interfax Ukraine, eight private houses caught fire as a result of the bombing. Two children were pulled alive from under the rubble.
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EU: "Other Russian banks outside Swift"
“The European Union is considering" increasing the number of Russian banks to be excluded from the Swift system ". This was stated by the High Representative of the EU, Josep Borrell, at the end of the extraordinary Foreign Council in Brussels. "Sanctions must not cause regime change in Russia. The aim is to weaken the Russian economy," Borrell stressed.
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Russia blocks Facebook and Twitter
The Russian Communications Authority has announced the blocking of Facebook in Russia. This was reported by the Russian agency Interfax. "Soon millions of Russian citizens will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their daily way of connecting with family and friends and silenced. We will continue to do what we can to make our services available to people again and to enable them to express themselves. secure and mobilize ", commented Nick Clegg, president of Meta global affairs - under whose hat are Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger - in response to Russia's announcement to block Facebook.
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The G7 is studying new sanctions
The G7 countries "will continue to impose further severe sanctions in response to Russian aggression" which was "facilitated by the Lukashenko regime in Belarus". This was stated in a note from the G7, which also promises to "counteract the disinformation campaign" in Moscow.
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The nuclear power plant threatened by fire
The fire unleashed by fighting near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caused damage to the training facility approximately 1,500 feet (450 meters) from the nearest of the plant's six reactors. The New York Times writes it based on the analysis of the images of the fire.
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EU and US: "New sanctions on Russia ready"
"We know that the conflict is far from over and we remain ready to adopt further sanctions if Putin does not stop and turn back from the invasion. We are resolute, determined, united". The says it
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen in a joint statement with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Putin is gradually more isolated in the international community but despite the protests from the world Putin's army is moving forward", underlines von der Leyen, noting that "cooperation between the US and the EU is the heart of the effective response" to Russia.
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"A Nuremberg tribunal for Putin"
"Western countries must approve the creation of a special court to punish Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine. This was stated by the Ukrainian foreign minister, according to Politico. Speaking at an online event held today by the foreign policy think tank. Chatham House Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia has committed a "crime of aggression" against Ukraine and will eventually be "held accountable for its actions".
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Foreign fighters in Ukraine
The 007s from various NATO countries, including the US and the UK, have been using Poland as a "logistical base" for weeks to "transfer" foreign terrorist weapons and fighters to Ukraine, including some from the Middle East. The accusation is made by the Russian international intelligence services (SVR), cited by the Moscow agencies, also stating that "many" of these alleged fighters have been killed.
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Third round of talks over the weekend
The third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine, announced for early next week, could be brought forward to tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. This was stated by Mikhaylo Podoliak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, quoted by Tass.
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Kiev: "Zelensky is here"
“The occupiers spread another fake saying that President Volodymyr Zelensky has left the country. It is not true, the president is Kiev with its people. ”The 'Rada', the official television channel of the Ukrainian parliament, writes on its Telegram channel.
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Stoltenberg: "Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia at risk of attacks" - "There is broad agreement that we need to do more to support" Georgia, Bosnia and Moldova "by potentially adding more activities to support them, because they could be risk, exposed to further intervention, subversion and potentially even attacks by the Russian armed forces ". NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference.
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Moscow: "Zelensky has left Ukraine, now he is in Poland" - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "left Ukraine and went to Poland". The president of the Russian Duma Vyacheslav Volodin claims this on his Telegram channel, according to reports from Tass. There is no confirmation from the Ukrainian side.
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Born: "The next few days will be worse"
"This is the worst military aggression in decades, with cities, schools, hospitals, residential buildings bombed, attacks on nuclear power plants. The days ahead are likely to be worse, with more deaths and more destruction." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a conference after the extraordinary summit of NATO foreign ministers.
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UN: "Over 1.2 million people have already fled from Ukraine"
More than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. This was announced by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The number of refugees has increased by 171,000 people compared to yesterday, for a total of 1,209,976 refugees to date. The UN estimates that four million people may want to flee the country.
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11.40 am - Zelensky: "Tonight in Zaporizhzhia we touched the end of Europe"
A disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant would be six times worse than Chernobyl. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "This night could have been the end of the history of Ukraine and Europe", he said, adding that the Russians "knew what they were hitting, they targeted the site directly". "People of Russia, how is that possible. We fought together the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Have you forgotten? If you remember it, you cannot be silent. Tell your leaders that you want to live."
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Kiev: "The death toll of civilians in Chernihiv rises to 47"
At least 47 civilians were killed in yesterday's Russian attack on Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine. This was reported by the regional authorities, cited by the international media. Yesterday's toll was 33 civilian deaths. Rescue operations were suspended yesterday due to heavy shelling, according to reports from the local emergency service.
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Draghi: "Nasty attack on the plant, the EU responds united"
Prime Minister Mario Draghi condemns Russia's nefarious attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. An attack, according to a note from Palazzo Chigi, against the safety of all. The European Union, continues the premier, must continue to react united and with the utmost firmness, together with its allies, to support Ukraine and protect European citizens.
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Moscow against "fake news" on the army: prison is also planned
Russia has passed a law amending the Criminal Code to contain the spread of alleged fake news on Russian military operations. Tass and Interfax write it, explaining that this is what the law just approved by the Duma, unanimously, introduces a criminal responsibility for the dissemination of false information on the Russian armed forces. According to the seriousness of the crime, fines and even prison are foreseen (there is a risk of up to 15 years in prison).
" Hacker attack on the largest Russian space company"
A "massive attack" on the servers of Russia's largest space company, Energia, was launched from foreign sites. This was announced on Twitter by the Russian space agency Roscosmos. "Last night - reads the tweet - RSC Energia specialists recorded a massive DDoS attack on the company's website from various IP addresses from abroad. Now the site is working stably, the infrastructure and all sections of the site are under the control of specialists ".
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In Russia, limited access to several sites including Bbc
The Russian communications authority has restricted access to numerous independent media: the BBC, the independent news site Meduza, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and the Russian-language website founded by the US Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Svoboda, were "restricted" by Roskomnadzor (the Russian agency that controls communications), following a request from the authorities.
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No casualties in Zaporizhzhia
Flames extinguished and no casualties after the fire at a unit of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. This was reported by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, according to reports from the Interfax agency. "At 6.20 local time, a fire at the power plant test facility in the city of Enerhodar was extinguished. There are no casualties or injuries."
(Unioneonline)