Ukraine

The New York Times reports: With a line of refugees streaming into Poland behind them, the top American and Ukrainian diplomats met at Ukraine’s border on Saturday in a brief but extraordinary encounter to assess what additional support and protection the United States might deliver to address Russia’s invasion, which appeared certain to continue. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, …

The BBC reports: Visa and Mastercard have announced they will suspend all operations in Russia in protest at its invasion of Ukraine. Cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by their networks, the payments giants said late on Saturday. Both firms have also said that cards issued abroad will no longer work at businesses or ATMs in …

Gothamist reports: As Russian forces lay siege to Ukraine, President Joe Biden warned oligarchs and enablers of the Putin regime this week that the U.S. will “find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.” Lawmakers in Albany are using the moment to go after one of the more popular means of masking assets in New York: limited …

ABC News reports: Thousands of people have booked Airbnbs in Ukraine without plans to travel there as a way to get money directly to Ukrainians. The initiative, which gained popularity via social media, boasted $1.9 million in its first 48 hours, according to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky [photo]. In support of the initiative, Airbnb is waiving booking fees in Ukraine. …

The Associated Press reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a “desperate plea” to U.S. senators on Saturday to send more planes to help the country fight the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy made the request on a call joined by more than 300 people, including senators, some House lawmakers and aides. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said …

The BBC reports: Russian forces continued to shell the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Saturday, despite agreeing to a ceasefire just hours earlier – throwing an attempted mass evacuation of civilians into chaos. “I’m right now in Mariupol, I’m on the street, I can hear shelling every three to five minutes,” said Alexander, a 44-year-old engineer and resident of the …

The Associated Press reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as “participation in the armed conflict.” Speaking at a meeting with female pilots on Saturday, Putin said Russia would view “any move in this direction” as an intervention that “will pose a threat to our service members.” …

The Guardian reports: Italian police have seized villas and yachts worth at least €140m (£126m) from four high-profile Russians who were placed on an EU sanctions list after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sources said on Saturday. A police source said a villa owned by the billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov on Sardinia, and a villa on Lake Como owned by the …

i24 News reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denied that Russian troops were bombing Ukrainian cities, dismissing such information as fake, the Kremlin said Friday. Putin said reports about “the alleged ongoing air strikes of Kyiv and other large cities are gross propaganda fakes,” the Kremlin said in a statement. He added …

The Hill reports: Bloomberg, CNN and the BBC on Friday announced that they would be halting operations in Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation that makes independent reporting in the country a crime. “CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward,” the network said in a statement. …

The Associated Press reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill introducing a prison sentence of up to 15 years for those spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s narrative on the war in Ukraine. The bill criminalizing the intentional spreading of what Russia deems to be “fake” reports about the war was quickly rubber-stamped by both …

Mac Rumors reports: Apple is making it easier for customers to donate to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine through UNICEF by adding a banner on top of its website that directs users to an iTunes page that allows them to donate up to $200 using their Apple ID payment method. Apple says that all donations made through the iTunes portal …

CBS News reports: “It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant,” the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said on Friday, hours after Russian forces seized control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Russia claims Ukrainian “saboteurs” started a fire at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, but Ukraine and the U.S. say it was hit overnight by …

Reuters reports: A huge blaze at the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear power station was extinguished on Friday, and officials said the plant in southeastern Ukraine was operating normally after it was seized by Russian forces in fighting that caused global alarm. Officials said the fire at the Zaporizhzhia compound was in a training centre, not at the plant itself. …

The Insider reports: A Russian investor has put a $1 million bounty on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s head, asking for Russian military officers to arrest Putin as a war criminal. “I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws,” said crypto investor and California-based …

Reuters reports: As Russian troops slowly advanced on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Thursday, some people back in Moscow were attempting to flee to destinations abroad that have not banned flights from Russia, stomaching soaring prices in the rush to escape. The Kremlin dismissed speculation that Russian authorities plan to introduce martial law following the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls …

The Associated Press reports: A member of Ukraine’s delegation in talks with Russia says the parties have reached a tentative agreement to organize safe corridors for civilians to evacuate and for humanitarian supplies to be delivered. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who took part in Thursday’s talks in Belarus near the Polish border, said that Russia …

Reuters reports: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday he believed some foreign leaders were preparing for war against Russia and that Moscow would press on with its military operation in Ukraine until “the end”. Offering no evidence to back up his remarks in an interview with state television, a week after Russian invaded Ukraine, he also accused Ukrainian …

Reuters reports: The Moscow branch of a Chinese state bank has seen a surge in enquiries from Russian firms wanting to open new accounts, a person familiar with the matter said, as the country’s businesses struggle with international sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine. “Over the past few days, 200-300 companies have approached us, wanting to open new accounts,” the …

CNBC reports: French authorities have seized a yacht they say is linked to Russian oligarch Igor Sechin. “Thanks to the French customs officers who are enforcing the European Union’s sanctions against those close to the Russian government,” France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in a tweet Thursday, according to a Reuters translation. Sechin was included in a list, published …