Russia Ukraine War Updates: Russia admits ‘significant’ troop losses in Ukraine conflict
Moscow said that Washington's actions have become a routine practice, and the recent decision to impose a fresh package of sanctions against Russian officials and the country's financial sector show that the United States had clearly ran out of restrictive measures.
Russia on Thursday has admitted to suffering significant losses on the battlefield as a result of the conflict with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov briefly admitted that Russia had suffered a “significant” loss of its troops in Ukraine, calling the casualties “a huge tragedy” for the country in an interview with Sky News. “We have significant losses of troops. It’s a huge tragedy for us,” said Peskov while replying to Russian losses. When asked about the Russian President ending up in a war crimes case, he said, “No, he is not. We don’t see any possibility for it.” In the latest move by the international community, Russia has been suspended from the Human Rights Council (HRC) in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in the General Assembly of the United Nations. The UN General Assembly suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council in a 93-24 vote, with 58 countries abstaining. Meanwhile, the European Union will commit a further 500 million euros (USD 543 million) in military support to Ukraine, European Commission President Charles Michel announced Thursday. The pledge takes the EU’s military aid to Ukraine to a total of 1.5 billion euros (USD 1.63 billion) since Russia launched its invasion on February 24, he said in a tweet.The European Peace Facility, created in 2021, is an emergency fund of 5.69 billion euros that allows the EU to quickly finance military operations and “preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security,” according to the EU. Moreover, The Kyiv Independent reported on Friday that the Sumy region is completely free of Russian forces.
Russia-Ukraine war complicates ECB’s rate hike considerations
The Russia-Ukraine war has added to the uncertainties amid which the European Central Bank (ECB) chose to adopt a prudent stance in formulating its agenda for rate hikes, according to minutes released by the central bank. Commodity prices have surged and energy prices in the euro area have hit record highs since the eruption of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russia has suffered significant losses in Ukraine: Kremlin spokesman
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that Russia has “suffered significant losses” in its ongoing war in Ukraine, but denied that Moscow has carried out “war crimes” in Kiev. “We have suffered significant losses of troops. This is a great tragedy for us,” Peskov told Sky News on Thursday without giving an exact number of the Russian casualties.
Russia collecting bodies in Mariupol for propaganda purposes: Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russian forces were collecting bodies in the besieged city of Mariupol, which has been virtually wiped out by weeks of heavy shelling, “to use them for propaganda purposes”. In his nightly video address, the President said: “More and more information is coming that Russian propagandists are preparing, so to speak, a ‘mirror response’ to the shock of all adequate people from what they saw in Bucha.
Biden ‘applauds’ Russia’s suspension from Human Rights Council
US President Joe Biden announced that he “applauds the overwhelming vote” by the UN General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council in the wake of Moscow’s ongoing war on Ukraine. In a statement issued by the White House on Thursday night, Biden said: “This is a meaningful step by the international community further demonstrating how (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war has made Russia an international pariah.
EXPLAINER: Can war massacres sway China’s support of Russia?
China has described reports and images of civilian killings in Ukraine as disturbing, and urged that they be further investigated, even while declining to blame Russia. That’s drawn questions about the resiliency of Beijing’s support for Moscow, but speculation that it is weakening appears to be misplaced.
Sumy region completely free of Russian forces: Ukraine’s The Kyiv Independent
Sumy region completely free of Russian forces. Sumy Oblast Governor announced on Facebook that the region is clear of Russia’s forces, but explosions may still be heard as rescue service workers dispose of ammunition left by the Russian military: Ukraine’s The Kyiv Independent
UNGA suspends Russia from Human Rights Council; India abstains on vote
The UN General Assembly has delivered Russia a crushing diplomatic blow suspending it from the Human Rights Council, but India abstained on the action keeping up its neutral stance. Thursday’s was India’s eighth abstention on actions at the UN relating to Ukraine.
Congress votes to suspend Russia trade status, enact oil ban
Congress voted overwhelmingly Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and ban the importation of its oil, ratcheting up the US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid reports of atrocities. House action came after the Senate approved the two bills with 100-0 votes. The measures now go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
US speeds entry for Ukrainians as more reach Mexico border
The United States has sharply increased the number of Ukrainians admitted to the country at the Mexican border as even more refugees fleeing the Russian invasion follow the same circuitous route. A government recreation centre in the Mexican border city of Tijuana grew to about 1,000 refugees Thursday, according to city officials. A canopy under which children played soccer only two days earlier was packed with people in rows of chairs and lined with bunk beds. US officials began funnelling Ukrainians Wednesday to a pedestrian crossing in San Diego that is temporarily closed to the public, hoping to process 578 people a day there with 24 officers, said Enrique Lucero, the city of Tijuana’s director of migrant affairs. Tijuana has suddenly become a final stop for Ukrainians seeking refuge in the United States, where they are drawn by friends and families ready to host them and are convinced that the US will be a more suitable haven than Europe.
UN aid chief: ‘I’m not optimistic’ about Ukraine ceasefire
The United Nations’ humanitarian chief said Thursday he’s not optimistic about securing a ceasefire to halt the fighting in Ukraine, following high-level talks in Moscow and Kyiv that underscored how far apart the two sides are. Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths gave the bleak assessment in an interview with The Associated Press in the Ukrainian capital after wrapping up talks with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and other top officials. That followed discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and officials in Moscow earlier in the week. “I think it’s not going to be easy because the two sides, as I know now…have very little trust in each other,” he said. “I’m not optimistic,” he added later. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres dispatched Griffiths to the Russian and Ukrainian capitals to explore the possibility of establishing a cease-fire that would allow desperately needed aid into Ukraine and potentially lay the groundwork for talks aimed at ending the war.
Russian retreat reveals destruction as Ukraine asks for help
Russian troops left behind crushed buildings, streets littered with destroyed cars and residents in dire need of food and other aid in a northern Ukrainian city, giving fuel to Kyiv’s calls Thursday for more Western support to help halt Moscow’s offensive before it refocuses on the country’s east. Dozens of people lined up to receive loaves of bread, diapers and medicine from vans parked outside a shattered school now serving as an aid-distribution point in Chernihiv, which Russian forces besieged for weeks as part of their attempt to sweep south towards the capital before retreating. The city’s streets are lined with shelled homes and apartment buildings, missing roofs or walls, and a chalk message on the blackboard in one classroom still reads: “Wednesday the 23rd of February – class work.” Russia invaded the next day, launching a war that has seen more than 4 million Ukrainians flee the country, displaced millions more within it, and sent shockwaves through Europe and beyond.
Russia’s suspension from UNHRC a meaningful step by int’l community: Biden
US President Joe Biden Thursday lauded the UN General Assembly decision to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, describing it as “a meaningful step by the international community”. “This is a meaningful step by the international community further demonstrating how Putin’s war has made Russia an international pariah,” Biden said hours after the UN General Assembly suspended Russia from the UNHRC with 93-24 votes and 58 abstentions. India abstained from voting. Biden said the United States worked closely with its allies and partners around the world to drive this vote because Russia is committing gross and systemic violations of human rights.
