Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine.(photo:Facebook)
The President went on to say that “everything that the invaders are doing to Mariupol is beyond atrocities already”….reports Asian Lite News
In his latest video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to do more against Moscow’s continued military assault on Kiev and referred to the Russian bombing of a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol as an act of “war crime”.
The air strike on Wednesday has caused “colossal damage”, including burned out buildings, destroyed cars and a huge crater outside the hospital, the BBC quoted the Mariupol city council as saying.
Ukrainian media, citing local officials, said that 17 people were injured, including staff and patients.
Mariupol. Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity. pic.twitter.com/FoaNdbKH5k
In his address early Thursday morning, Zelensky said: “Europeans! You won’t be able to say that you didn’t see what happened to Ukrainians, what happened to Mariupol residents. You saw. You know.
“We have not done and never would have done anything similar to this war crime to any of the cities of the Donetsk, Luhansk or any other region.
“To any of the cities on earth.”
The President went on to say that “everything that the invaders are doing to Mariupol is beyond atrocities already”.
Europeans! Ukrainians! Mariupol residents! Today, we must be united in condemning this war crime of Russia, which reflects all the evil that the invaders brought to our land.”
He further called on the West to increase sanctions on Russia, and to “put pressure” on Moscow to force it to negotiate and end the war.
Director-General also raised deep concerns about the rotation of staff at the nuclear facility which was also the site of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters in 1986….reports Asian Lite News
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is no longer transmitting data from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the facility, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi informed in a statement on Tuesday.
The Director-General indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost, the IAEA press release said, adding that, the Agency is looking into the status of safeguards monitoring systems in other locations in Ukraine and will provide further information soon.
The Director-General also raised deep concerns about the rotation of staff at the nuclear facility which was also the site of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters in 1986.
Director-General Grossi stressed that staff operating nuclear facilities must be able to rest and work in regular shifts, stating that it is crucial for overall nuclear safety.
“I’m deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there,” Grossi said.
Earlier, IAEA had informed that the Russian forces at the Zaporizhzhya NPP had switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site could not be obtained through the normal channels of communication.
IAEA had also informed that the plant management, including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units, is under orders from the commander of the Russian forces that took control of the site last week.
Earlier on March 4, Russian forces took control of Zaporizhzhia NPP. Ukraine informed the IAEA that a projectile had hit a training building in the vicinity of one of the plant’s reactor units, causing a localized fire that was later extinguished.
Regarding the status of Ukraine’s operational nuclear power plants, the Ukrainian regulator said eight of the country’s 15 reactors were operating, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP controlled since last week by Russian forces, and that the plants’ personnel were working in shifts. Radiation levels at the sites were normal, it added. (ANI)
5 million people could flee Ukraine to EU nations, warns EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, reports Asian Lite News
The number of refugees pouring from Ukraine into Europe is expected to be three times larger than those who fled Syria for the continent in 2015-16, the EU’s foreign affairs chief has warned.
“When it was the Syria crisis in 2015 to 2016, we were talking about one-and-a-half million people. Now it’s going to be much more,” said Josep Borrell, adding that 1.5 million people had already crossed into the EU in the last week alone.
“We must mobilize all the resources of the EU to help those countries receiving people, all the countries bordering Ukraine. We will need more schools, more reception centers, more of everything.”
Borrell said up to 5 million people could flee Ukraine to EU nations, with some 200,000 exiting for Poland and other nearby member states in the first 24 hours of the conflict.
“We very much fear there will be 5 million refugees in Europe. This is a reasonable estimate and unprecedented since the Second World War,” he added.
Brussels has warned that “18 million people will be hit by the conflict in Ukraine,” almost half the country’s population of 41 million, which would create an enormous emergency situation with extensive humanitarian demands.
The UN Refugee Agency said it had recorded 1,735,068 refugees on Monday, with 200,000 more added since Sunday.
Poland is hosting the majority of the refugees, caring for 1 million of them. There are more than 180,000 in Hungary and 128,000 in Slovakia.
In the first several days since the start of the military offensive in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people have sought safety in Poland.(photo:Twitter/@Refugees)
Biggest crisis since WW II
Since the war began 12 days ago, the number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the country to neighbouring Poland has exceeded one million, the Polish Border Guard said.
“The million people after crossing the border, heard from Border Guard functinaries ‘You are safe’,” the Border Guard said in a tweet.
On Sunday, UN High High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said over 1.5 million people had fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since Russia’s military invasion began on February 24.
The EU has approved a mechanism Temporary Protection Directive to protect Ukrainian refugees without the normally required lengthy asylum procedures.
But Ukraine’s refugee crisis cannot be seen in isolation. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the world’s cumulative number of displaced people was already 82.4 million before the Russia-Ukraine war. That’s roughly Germany’s population. The world never had so many refugees after World War II.
Drying funds means millions are already losing humanitarian assistance. In war-torn Yemen alone, about 8 million people may be deprived of all aid now, the UN has warned.
Africans prevented from leaving Ukraine
5 million may leave
The number of Ukrainian refugees will rise exponentially, UN officials have warned. Those who have managed to flee their country account for only two per cent of the 44 million people in Ukraine, where nobody knows for how long the war will go on. A massive number of people are stranded in homes, bomb shelters, subway stations and business establishments.
The European Union (EU) estimates that up to 4 million Ukrainians may eventually leave their country. The United States ambassador at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has said that the number could be 5 million.
And it’s not just about people fleeing the country. The UN estimates at least 1,60,000 people in Ukraine have been displaced in their own country due to the war. UN officials have said such people may eventually want to leave their country. The EU believes this figure could reach seven million, and that 18 million Ukrainians will finally be affected by the war in one way or the other.
The EU, a political and economic union of 27 member states in Europe, has relaxed rules to welcome Ukrainian refugees with “open arms”. The UK and the US are making similar efforts. Japan’s prime minister has also said his country will accept refugees from Ukraine.
However, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management has said it’s an emergency of historic proportions. The UNHCR has said the war is making it unsafe for aid workers to travel around Ukraine and help internally displaced people.
The UNHCR has said one per cent of all humanity is now displaced. The number has doubled in just a decade. Some 42 per cent of them are under 18, and nearly 1 million babies were born as refugees between 2018 and 2020 and many of them may remain refugees for years, the UNHCR has said. Another 48 million people were internally displaced in their own countries.
The fact is that financial and social media platforms can be used as weapons by the West, which has created them and made, all except for a few nations, completely dependent on them, a report by Deepika Bhan
As the US-EU combine came out with a slew of sanctions against Russia and big tech companies followed suit enthusiastically, the stark reality hit home. The West can use financial and social media platforms as weapons against any country that falls foul of it.
The steps taken by most big-tech platforms, such as Meta, Twitter, Google and Microsoft, and the financial institutions against Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine exposes the vulnerability of non-western countries.
The question that looms over us is: What if the West feels that something is not going as per its calculations, and then, can it simply switch off the platforms and create mayhem? This can be as devastating as a physical war.
The fact is that financial and social media platforms can be used as weapons by the West, which has created them and made, all except for a few nations, completely dependent on them.
Third World countries such as India have seen an explosive growth in the reach and business of these big-tech blocs. The dependency on these of a majority of individuals living in these countries, whether for information, entertainment, financial transactions, or for other reasons, has reached a level where even a minor glitch in the services can lead to chaos.
The owners and managers of these companies, which are entirely private entities, know this fully. But when it comes to taking sides, they do not hesitate to follow the lead of the western nations, as has been evident in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Several global tech companies have decided to stop the sales of their products and services in Russia. These include Intel, Apple, Microsoft, Google (though users in Russia can still use its search engine, the company has suspended its advertising business in that country). Snapchat and Samsung too have stopped services for Russia.
Visa and Mastercard have also announced to suspend all operations and so has other payment company PayPal.
Big entertainment companies such as Disney, Sony, Warner Bros, Paramount and Universal have decided to suspend releases in Russia. Netflix too has paused its services in Vladimir Putin’s country. Providers of gaming software such as Nintendo and Electronic Arts have also stopped their services for Russia.
Several automakers — BMW, Ford, GM and Honda — have scaled back their operations in Russia. Even Airbnb has suspended its activities in Russia and Belarus.
The Russian media has not been spared either. The EU last week declared a ban on several Russian-funded media outlets, including Russia Today and Sputnik. “They will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and sow divisions in our Union,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after announcing the ban.
Online discussion forum Reddit has also banned its users globally from posting links to Russian state-sponsored media outlets, including RT and Sputnik, as well as Russian advertisements on its platform. Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Twitter, YouTube and several other tech platforms have also banned RT and Sputnik.
In retaliation, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (March 4) blocked access to Facebook and restricted that to Twitter. Russia passed a law that criminalises the dissemination of what Moscow deems to be “fake” news.
As the big tech and financial private companies take political sides in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, some lessons need to be learnt. And central to the learning is the mantra of self-sufficiency and self-reliance or Atmanirbhar Bharat / Make in India.
India has been entirely dependent on foreign nations for its arms supplies. The chief supplier has been Russia, followed by the US, France and Israel. Though in line with the philosophy of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Narendra Modi government has placed emphasis on improving the country’s self-reliance and defence preparedness.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has made it clear that India cannot be dependent on any country for defence supplies. India has to augment its own arsenal, whether tanks, missiles, fighter jets and now drones, with its own resources and talent.
Along with military needs, India has to have very active and vibrant indigenous social media platforms with in-country headquarters.
In comparison to West-owned social media platforms, the Indian ones are few and not as popular as their other counterparts. Homegrown micro-blogging platform Koo is in direct competition with Twitter. Founded in 2019, Koo’s user base is growing steadily. Other local platforms include shareChat, Chingari and Josh.
After the Galwan Valley incident India banned several Chinese apps and thus created room for indigenous apps. There is a need, though, to make these local apps and platforms more popular, especially among young people, most of whom are not aware of homegrown apps and still prefer WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and so on.
In 2021, the Government shared the statistics about the usage of social media in the country. The number of WhatsApp users in India is around 53 crore and it is followed by YouTube (44.8 crore) and Facebook (41 crore). Instagram has 21 crore users and Twitter, around 1.5 crore. In comparison to these numbers, the local platforms are lagging and need to be given a leg up.
The 21st century wars are being fought as much with missiles and drones, as with mechanisms of information dissemination. We may perceive China as an enemy country but a lot needs to be learnt from them. China has been able to create its own pillars, whether in defence or general business or social media. Its indigenisation of these pillars has made it a world power today.
It is time for us to learn lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and redesign strategies, at the core of which should be the mantra of ‘self-help’. Being ‘aatmanirbhar’ is the only way forward for India and our best weapon to fight off any potential Western adventure.
American multinational fast food corporation McDonald’s too announced the suspension of work of all its restaurants in Russia, along with Starbucks, a coffee-house chain….reports Asian Lite News
US beverage giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, along with fast food major McDonald’s and coffeehouse chain Starbucks all announced on Tuesday that they were temporarily suspending their business in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Given the horrific events occurring in Ukraine, we are announcing the suspension of the sale of Pepsi-Cola, and our global beverage brands in Russia, including 7Up and Mirinda. We will also be suspending capital investments and all advertising and promotional activities in Russia,” CEO Ramon Laguarta wrote in a letter to PepsiCo associates.
However, PepsiCo added that it will continue to offer its daily essentials such as milk and other dairy offerings, baby formula and baby food in the Russian markets.
The Coca-Cola Company announced in a press release that it was “suspending its business in Russia,”. “Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine,” it said.
Both the US brands produce popular carbonated drinks. PepsiCo produces Pepsi-Cola, 7Up and Mirinda, while the Coca-Cola company produces Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta.
American multinational fast food corporation McDonald’s too announced the suspension of work of all its restaurants in Russia, along with Starbucks, a coffee-house chain.
“McDonald’s has decided to temporarily close all our restaurants in Russia and pause all operations in the market,” the company’s CEO Chris Kempczinski informed through a letter sent to McDonald’s employees and franchisees.
“We condemn the horrific attacks on Ukraine by Russia and our hearts go out to all those affected,” Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said announcing, “We have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products.”
In less than two weeks, multinational companies, media houses and several large scales businesses have announced their plans to leave Russia.
The slew of sanctions and suspensions of businesses come following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics.
Russia continues to maintain that it started the “military operations” in Ukraine to save the residents of eastern Ukraine and “demilitarise” and “denazify” the political leadership of the country. (ANI)
The promotion campaign is being run in French and Dutch languages for effective and wider outreach….reports Asian Lite News
The Embassy Of India in Brussels, Belgium is promoting tourism to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here and the campaign is being carried out on multiple buses and tram lines, running on major routes of the city for a fortnight.
The promotion campaign is being run in French and Dutch languages for effective and wider outreach.
While Kashmir posters highlighted its very existence as the literal “Paradise on Earth” with picturesque views of Dal Lake and its mystic sceneries, Ladakh was promoted as an opportunity to “Discover Yourself” by exploring the varied and vibrant culture and traditions there.
“Beauty of J-K and Ladakh vibrating in the heart of Europe!!! Embassy Of India Brussels promoting tourism to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Brussels,” the Embassy tweeted along with pictures from the initiative. (ANI)
After Russia announced its military operations against Russia on February 24, hundreds more sanctions followed….reports Asian Lite News
Due to its war on Ukraine, Russia has become the most sanctioned in the world, according to a New York-based sanctions watchlist site.
Castellum.AI said that sanctions were first imposed by the US and its allies on Russia on February 22 a day after President Vladimir Putin declared the two Ukrainian rebel regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as “independent states”.
After Russia announced its military operations against Russia on February 24, hundreds more sanctions followed.
The site said that 2,754 sanctions were already in place against Russia before February 22 and 2,778 additional were imposed in the days following the assault, bringing the total to 5,532.
Countries targeting Russia with sanctions by the numbers ⬇️
Russia’s number now outranks Iran’s 3,616 sanctions, displacing Tehran from the top position, reports the BBC citing Castellum.AI as saying.
According to the site, the countries and regions targeting Russia with sanctions are Switzerland (568), the European Union (518), Canada (454), Australia (413), the US (243), the UK (35) and Japan (35).
Countries across the world are putting sanctions on Russia in an effort to stop the invasion of Ukraine.
India signed a $5 billion deal with Russia in October 2018 to buy five units of the S-400 surface to air missile system. Russia has stated that it will deliver on time. However, the war will delay the same….writes SUMIT KUMAR SINGH
The war between Russia and Ukraine is likely to cost India’s military capabilities dearly with delivery of many platforms like nuclear powered submarine, Grigorovich class frigates, Fighter jets, Triumf S-400, AK 203 assault rifle and others are expected to be delayed.
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia by Western and European Nations to delay the delivery of critical projects Indian armed forces were looking upon to enhance its capabilities.
As soon as the war began on February 24, both India and Russia maintained there would be no delays with respect to deliveries of critical platforms but with sanction imposed and the possibility of the war continuing for long, it will have a major impact.
India decided to upgrade its military infrastructure when the country was locked in a major faceoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in July 2020. The threat of two-front war — from China and Pakistan — has made India to go for large scale arms deals.
According to Swedish think-tank — Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report in 2021, Russia is still one of India’s largest arms suppliers.
India’s defence ministry has recently reviewed the status of the current deals with Russia and how the war is going to impact the Indian military capabilities.
In December 2021, India and Russia signed more than two dozen deals across a variety of sectors and had also inked a 10-year defence cooperation pact.
Back then, in a joint statement, India and Russia stated they intend to “upgrade the defence cooperation, including facilitating joint development and production of military equipment, components and spare parts, enhancing the after-sales service system, progress towards mutual recognition of quality control and regular joint exercises of the Armed Forces of the two countries”.
One of the deals with Russia is the Triumf S-400 air defence system. India signed a $5 billion deal with Russia in October 2018 to buy five units of the S-400 surface to air missile system. Russia has stated that it will deliver on time. However, the war will delay the same.
S-400 air defence system is a mobile long range surface to air missile system which is considered one of the most lethal in the world. It can take down multiple targets up to a range of 400 km.
Indian Army had also inked a deal with Russia to jointly develop the AK 203 assault rifle worth Rs 5,000 crore. The production of 6.71 lakh AK 203 rifles in Korwa, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh as part of a joint venture with Russia under the Make in India project will face further delays despite the deal having faced hurdles and delays earlier.
In 2019, India signed a $3 billion deal with Russia for leasing a nuclear-powered submarine. The Chakra III, Akula class submarine is expected to be delivered by 2025 for a period of 10 years. This will be the third nuclear submarine India will take on lease from Russia, the other two being in 1988 for a period of three years and then in 2012 for 10 years. The lease for this will end this year.
The deal to get four Grigorovich class frigates was signed between Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport and Goa Shipyard Ltd in 2018.
Two frigates for the Indian Navy worth $1 billion were to be manufactured in Russia and the other two in Goa. The delivery was supposed to start within four years of signing of the contract.
The arms and ammunition deals with Russia also includes procurement of additional 21 MiG-29 for the Indian Air Force (IAF), up-gradation of existing 59 MiG-29 aircraft at an estimated cost of Rs 7,418 crore and purchase of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft for Rs 10,730 crore to be built at the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Kirby also announced that the new deployments are being positioned to support US forces already in Europe in response to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine….reports Asian Lite News
The United States announced on Monday that over 500 US troops would be deployed in Europe to reinforce NATO’s flank including Poland, Romania, Germany and Greece.
Speaking at a press conference, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby assured that the US army will not be sent to conflict-ridden Ukraine.
Kirby also announced that the new deployments are being positioned to support US forces already in Europe in response to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
The new deployments include KC-135 refuelling aircraft from Fairfield Air Force Base in Washington, to Greece, along with 150 personnel for refuelling support.
Additionally, an air support operations centre made up of 40 troops from Fort Stewart, Georgia, are deploying to Poland and Romania.
And 300 US personnel are being deployed to Germany to make up a modular ammunition ordnance company from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and a support maintenance company out of Fort Stewart, according to American broadcast CNN.
On the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kirby said that Russia doesn’t have full control over the country.
He stated that Russia is fighting outside of Kharkiv and still attempting to encircle the city of Chernihiv in the north. He even said that Russia has only captured the small cities. Citing Ukraine’s bravery, Kirby said, “Russia will face resistance from the north” and also mentioned that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the bravest person and the greatest leader.
Kirby also said that they believe that Russia is recruiting fighters from different countries, especially Syria. “We do have indications that corroborate that story that in fact they are trying to enlist and recruit foreign fighters, which we find noteworthy that with more than 150,000 troops, a stalled military advance inside Ukraine, particularly in the north, that Putin has found it necessary to try to recruit foreign fighters for this war of his,” Kirby said when asked upon the story first reported by the Wall Street Journal was true.
While addressing the media, Kirby also said that the US and other countries are trying every bit to help Ukraine to “stand in the war.” Kirby also assured that Ukraine is using the equipment that was sent to them by the US. (ANI)
About half the people sleeping in underground shelters without food, water, power and heating in Mariupol were supposed to be evacuated on Sunday, but the ceasefire arrangement collapsed….write Ashish Ray
Beleagured Indian citizens in the south-eastern Ukrainian Mariupol area, particularly Sumy, are said to be still stuck and unable to escape safety from an intensifying war, with Russia and Ukraine continuing to disagree on a a humanitarian corridor for civilians out of the conflict zone. There are around 700 Indians living in Sumy.
About half the people sleeping in underground shelters without food, water, power and heating in Mariupol were supposed to be evacuated on Sunday, but the ceasefire arrangement collapsed.
The news agency Reuters said Moscow “would let residents of Ukraine’s two main cities (Kiev and Kharkiv) flee in corridors to Russia and Belarus”. Ukraine called this ‘an immoral stunt’.
Ukrainians interviewed by BBC at Ukrainian railway stations about to board trains to western Ukraine and beyond to European Union countries said they wouldn’t go to either Russia or Belarus.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told media on Monday Russia would cease its military action in Ukraine if the latter stopped fighting, amended its constitution to declare neutrality, recognised Crimea as Russian territory and the pro-Russian Ukrainian rebel regions of Donensk and Lugansk as independent.
Meanwhile, the Russian government on Moday informed its citizens, commercial firms and departments of state from the federal to the municipal that, where they have foreign exchange payment obligations to ‘unfriendly countries’ exceeding 10 million rubles a month, they may pay in rubles and not in a hard currency, so as to protect the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
Russia’s foreign exchange reserves are estimated to be around $285 billion. This, though, is under stress following swinging economic sanctions imposed by western countries and their allies.
The Kremlin issued a decree on Monday, which the Russian news agency TASS described as a “new temporary procedure” aimed at what the Russian government listed as unfriendly countries.
According to Moscow, the list of countries “that commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its companies, and citizens” include the US and Canada, the European Union member nations, the UK, Ukraine, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan.
TASS reported: “The countries and territories mentioned in the list imposed or joined the sanctions against Russia after the start of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.”
