Tag Archives: Russia

Politico Europe reports: World football’s governing body, FIFA, announced Monday that it would suspend Russia indefinitely from international tournaments — expelling it from the World Cup 2022 playoffs one month before the final qualification matches. FIFA had come under fire Sunday night for its initial proposed sanctions on Russia, which proposed only a temporary ban on its name, flag and …

The New York Daily News reports: Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has called for expanded sanctions against Russia to allow the seizure of oligarchs’ pricey real estate holdings in New York. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second week, Levine demanded more brutal action to target cronies of strongman Vladimir Putin. But so far, the U.S. Treasury Department, …

The New York Times reports: Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. After a meeting with …

Reuters reports: The websites of several Russian media outlets were hacked on Monday, Reuters checks showed, with their regular sites replaced by an anti-war message and calls to stop President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “Dear citizens. We urge you to stop this madness, do not send your sons and husbands to certain death,” the message read. “Putin is forcing …

The Daily Beast reports: The Putin-backed president of Belarus has warned that World War III could be about to begin as he reportedly prepares his troops to assist with Russia’s mass-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Alexander Lukashenko warned that the crisis in Ukraine could spark a global conflict, writing in a statement: “Russia is being pushed towards a third world …

Newsweek reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the European Union on Monday to allow Ukraine to join the bloc “immediately.” He insisted in a televised speech that Ukraine had earned the right to join the EU and this could be achieved through a “new special procedure.” “I say this as honestly as possible, the people of Ukraine have already …

ESPN reports: FIFA backed away from immediately expelling Russia from World Cup qualifying on Sunday but said it remained an option, deciding instead the squad can play using the “RFU” acronym of its football federation, the Russian Football Union. The unanimous ruling by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, which includes the six regional football confederation presidents, was also that …

The Associated Press reports: Ordinary Russians faced the prospect of higher prices and crimped foreign travel as Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine sent the ruble plummeting, leading uneasy people to line up at banks and ATMs on Monday in a country that has seen more than one currency disaster in the post-Soviet era. The Russian currency plunged about …

Reuters reports: Talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began on the Belarusian border on Monday, Moscow said, as Russia’s diplomatic and economic isolation deepens four days after invading Ukraine, the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two. Russian forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine and the area around a nuclear power plant, the Interfax news …

Media Matters has the transcript: DOUGLAS MACGREGOR (GUEST): Vladimir Putin is carrying through on something that he has been warning us about at least for the last 15 years, which is that he will not tolerate U.S. forces or their missiles on his borders, much as we would not tolerate Russian troops and missiles in Cuba. And we ignored him, …

The New York Times reports: The Metropolitan Opera said on Sunday that it would no longer engage with performers or other institutions that have voiced support for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, becoming the latest cultural organization to seek to distance itself from some Russian artists amid Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The company’s decision will also likely mean …

From the State Department: An increasing number of airlines are cancelling flights into and out of Russia, and numerous countries have closed their airspace to Russian airlines. U.S. citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available. The U.S. Embassy reminds U.S. citizens that the Department of State’s Travel Advisory level for Russia is at “Level 4: Do …

Reuters reports: BP said on Sunday it plans to abandon its 19.75% stake in oil giant Rosneft in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, marking an abrupt and costly end to 30 at times fraught years operating in the oil-rich country. The British oil and gas giant did not say how it planned to exit its stake, which it …

The Associated Press reports: The European Union’s chief executive says the 27-nation bloc will close its airspace to Russian airlines, fund supplies of weapons to Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets in response to Russia’s invasion. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday that “for the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and …

USA Today reports: “Saturday Night Live” did not go for laughs kicking off its first show after hiatus with host John Mulaney on Feb. 26. After the Russian invasion of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, intensified Saturday, “SNL” paid solemn tribute to the people of Ukraine with a powerful choral version of “Prayer for Ukraine” during the normally raucous cold open …

Mediaite reports: Trump gave an interview to Fox News shortly before speaking at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, in which he warned the Ukrainian conflict “could lead to much bigger [things] than this one area. This could lead to a lot of other countries and could lead to world war. Asked if he had a message …

The Washington Post reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday put nuclear deterrent forces onto high alert, in response to sanctions and what he called “aggressive statements” from the West against Russia. It’s a major escalation of tensions with NATO after Western nations announced plans to restrict the Russian central bank from its foreign currency reserves and cut off certain …

The Associated Press reports: The office of Ukraine’s president has confirmed that a delegation will meet with Russian officials as Moscow’s troops draw closer to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy office said on the Telegram messaging app that the two sides would meet at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border and did not give a precise time for the …

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 …