Ukraine

Reuters reports: People fleeing war in Ukraine poured into central Europe on Sunday, with queues at border crossings stretching back for kilometers on the fourth day of a Russian invasion that has pushed nearly 400,000 people to seek safety abroad. With men of conscription age prevented from leaving Ukraine, it is mostly women and children arriving at the border in …

CNN reports: Two large explosions lit up the night sky to the southwest of Kyiv early Sunday morning with one detonation that appeared to be approximately 20 kilometers, or about 12 miles, from the city center. The second explosion rocked western Kyiv just before 1 a.m. local time (6 p.m. ET Saturday). The second blast also came from the south-western …

NBC News reports: The United States and its allies announced Saturday an agreement to take aim at Russia through SWIFT, a service that facilitates global transactions among thousands of financial institutions. “We commit to ensuring that selected Russian banks are removed from the SWIFT messaging system. This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and …

The Liverpool Echo reports: Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko fought back the tears after embracing Vitalii Mykolenko ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park. Both sets of players also took to the pitch showing their support for Ukraine. City first entered the field of play wearing t-shirts with the Ukrainian flag on and had the …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Germany has allowed the Netherlands to deliver German-made weapons to Ukraine, breaking with its strict refusal to authorize the delivery of lethal weapons to Ukraine, German government officials said. The official said 400 handheld antitank missiles and 14 armored vehicles would be delivered directly from Germany via Poland. Germany will also donate 10 metric tons …

The Daily Beast reports: Russia are due to take part in a head-to-head match with Poland next month to decide which team will take one of the final European qualifying spots for this year’s soccer World Cup. On Saturday, the Polish soccer federation announced that it would not play the game. Under normal rules, that would mean they are thrown …

Axios reports: More than 150,000 refugees have fled Ukraine into neighboring countries since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. At least 100,000 refugees are displaced internally in Ukraine and “the numbers are most likely much higher,” head of global communications for the UN refugee agency Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams said. Half of all Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Poland, and many …

Just in from the State Department: Ukraine is a sovereign, democratic, and peace-loving nation. The United States and Ukraine have been partners since Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago. After Russia invaded and partially occupied Ukraine in 2014, the United States intensified efforts to help Ukraine deter further Russian aggression, and, if needed, …

The Associated Press reports: Two until now major pro-Russian voices in the European Union, Czech President Milos Zeman and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, didn’t mince their words in criticizing Moscow’s most aggressive action since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. “Russia attacked Ukraine this morning with military force,” Orban said in a video on Facebook. “Together with our …

The Guardian reports: NATO will deploy significant extra troops to countries in eastern Europe which are part of the alliance, but UK ministers warned there would be no forces going to Ukraine itself to avoid an “existential” war between Russia and the west. Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, chaired a virtual summit of 30 leaders on Friday, where the …

Newsweek reports: Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said that Moscow would have to respond if Sweden and Finland intended to join NATO. Maria Zakharova held a press conference on Friday and reflected on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the intentions of Russia going forward. A clip of her speech has begun to go viral on social media as she …

The Associated Press reports: Russian troops bore down on Ukraine’s capital Friday, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter, in an invasion of a democratic country that has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. Day 2 of Russia’s invasion, the largest ground war in Europe since World …

Via press release from Delta Air Lines: Delta has withdrawn our codeshare services operated in conjunction with Russian national airline, Aeroflot, effective immediately. We have removed our code from Aeroflot-operated services beyond Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and removed Aeroflot’s code from Delta-operated services from Los Angeles and New York-JFK. Accommodations will be made for customers affected by these changes. Delta does …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Hochul Friday said Ukrainian refugees from the Russian invasion would be welcomed with open arms in New York state. “Just as the Statue of Liberty stands tall in our harbor, New York stands ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees,” Hochul said in a statement. “We will be prepared to accept and support those who …

The Insider reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely described Ukraine’s government as a “band of junkies and neo-Nazis” in a television appearance on Friday. In the speech, Putin also said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government “took control of Kyiv and holds the whole people of Ukraine hostage.” Putin urged members of Ukraine’s armed forces to prevent “neo-Nazis” from using “your …

USA Today reports: Cruise lines are scrapping Russian and Ukrainian ports from their itineraries after Russian troops launched an attack on Ukraine. Three cruise lines owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises – announced Thursday that they would adjust their itineraries and remove calls to Russian ports in 2022. “The …

ABC News reports: Pope Francis visited the Russian Embassy on Friday to personally “express his concern about the war” in Ukraine, in an extraordinary, hands-on papal gesture that has no recent precedent. Usually, popes receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican, and diplomatic protocol would have called for the Vatican foreign minister to summon the Russian ambassador. For …

The Independent reports: A Ukrainian woman has been praised for her bravery after she confronted a heavily-armed Russian soldier with sunflower seeds. In footage captured and spread on social media, the woman is seen giving the soldier sunflower seeds (Ukraine’s national flower) so that they might grow when he dies. The video was shared online by Internews Ukraine, an independent …

Reuters reports: Fuel, cash and medical supplies are running low in parts of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, which could drive up to 5 million people to flee abroad, U.N. aid agencies said on Friday. At least 100,000 people are uprooted in Ukraine after fleeing their homes since Russia launched its assault on Thursday, while several thousand have already crossed into …

Axios reports: Russian forces have seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Thursday according to Reuters. “It is impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a totally pointless attack by the Russians,” Mykhailo Podoliak, the adviser, said. “This is one of the most serious threats in …