Putin's forces have intensifed bombardments of Ukraine's towns and cities including Kharkiv. The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to demand Russia's withdrawal.
The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly demanded an immediate halt to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The vote on the resolution, entitled “Aggression against Ukraine,” was 141-5 with 35 abstentions. Russia got support for its appeal to vote against the resolution only from Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea while China and India abstained, as expected.
The vote came after a day of intense bombardment across Ukraine as Vladimir Putin's forces try to break the country's resistance.
The second city Kharkiv has come under sustained attack, and there has been a concerted effort by the Russians to take towns and cities in the south.
Ukraine's emergency service has said more than 2,000 civilians have been killed since the invasion began, a claim that cannot be verified.
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Wednesday's key points:
- The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelming to demand a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.
- Kharkiv has come under more intense bombardment, including reported attacks on the regional police and intelligence headquarters and a university. Earlier, Russian paratroopers landed in the city.
- The Russian army says it has captured Kherson in the south, a claim disputed by Ukrainian forces. Russian forces have pressed their assault on other towns and cities across the country. "The shelling does not stop," said one mayor.
- Ukraine's emergency service says 2,000 civilians have been killed since last week's invasion. The claim cannot be verified.
- Russia finally admitted to some losses, saying 498 of its soldiers had died. Ukraine had earlier said more than 6,000 Russian troops have been killed.
- Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has said Putin's forces have orders to "erase our history", fearing Ukraine's religious and cultural sites may be targeted.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will start a five-day European tour on Thursday, visiting Belgium, Poland, Moldova and the Baltics.
- Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has called on Russians to protest daily against the war in Ukraine "unleased by our obviously insane czar".
- Latest UN figures say 874,000 refugees have crossed into neighbouring countries since last Thursday.
- Russian and Belarusian officials say they are standing by for new talks, but expectations remain low.
- US President Joe Biden says the US will ban Russian planes from its airspace, following the EU and Canada.
- Athletes from Russia and Belarus are to be allowed to compete at the Paralympic Games, but as neutrals.
Russia and Ukraine dispute who controls Kherson
A Russian official says troops have taken the Ukrainian port city of Kherson — a claim that the Ukrainian military denies.
The city is under Russian soldiers' “complete control,” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday.
He said that the city’s civilian infrastructure, essential facilities and transport are operating as usual and that there are no shortages of food or essential goods.
Konashenkov said talks between the Russian commanders, city administrations and regional authorities on how to maintain order in the city were underway Wednesday. The claims could not be immediately verified.
A senior US defence official said Wednesday that they have seen claims that the Russians have taken Kherson, but that the Ukrainian military is rejecting that claim.
“Our view is that Kherson is very much a contested city at this point,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to make military assessments.
Malta suspends 'golden passport' scheme for Russian and Belarusian citizens
Malta's government says it has decided to suspend the granting of so-called "golden passports" to Russian and Belarusian nationals.
Residency documents or nationality permits will not be granted to foreign investors from Russia or Belarus until further notice, the government said
Authorities said the decision late on Wednesday was taken due to "recent developments" amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The government has initially resisted growing pressure to block applicants amid the war in Ukraine.
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Blinken to travel to Belgium, Poland, Moldova, and the Baltics
Europe must 'invest more' to become 'power for peace': Macron
Furthermore, he said, "our European defence must take a new step" so that it no longer depended on others to defend itself.
France, for its part, "will increase investment in its defence, decided in 2017" and will pursue its strategy of economic independence", he said.
Macron praises Ukrainians, Zelenskyy and vows France will 'do its part' for refugees
"Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are fleeing the country. They are and will be welcomed in our Union. France will do its part. To our cities, to our villages, to our associations that are mobilising: thank you," he added.
Ukrainian Defence Ministry urges citizens to "destroy" Russian rear columns
"If the enemy is left without fuel, ammunition, food, engineering and repair support, they'll become helpless.
Russia says 498 troops dead
Russia claims Ukraine 'forcibly detains' Indian students
Verified videos show Ukrainians confronting Russian soldiers
Unarmed Ukrainian citizens have been filmed confronting Russian soldiers across the country amid the invasion.
Verified social media videos show a number of citizens protesting in the faces of armed troops, and blocking roads through cities.
One clip shows demonstrators gathering in the captured southern city of Melitopol to continue angrily defying Russian forces.
Unarmed civilians faced off against Russian military vehicles, some throwing themselves on the ground to block the road while others used their bare hands to try and halt the vehicles.
Sweden intercepts 4 Russian jets in its airspace
"In view of the current situation, we take this incident very seriously. It is an unprofessional and irresponsible act on the part of the Russians," he also said.
Kyiv calls for 'humanitarian corridor' to evacuate residents, foreign students from Kharkiv and Sumy
US announces further sanctions against Russia and Belarus
- Sweeping restrictions on Belarus to choke off its imports of technological goods;
- Blocking sanctions on 22 Russian-defence entities that will "impose significant costs on Russian weapon development and production companies";
- Export controls targeting oil refining;
- Russian and Belarusian entities involved or contributing to the two countries' security services, military and defence sectors including research and development to be barred from obtaining US technology goods that can be used to support technical maintenance and innovation;
- A ban on Russian aircraft entering and using domestic US airspace.
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Georgia to 'immediately' apply for EU membership
Georgian Dream party chairman Irakli Kobakhidze told a news conference of the "decision to apply immediately for EU membership", adding that Georgia was asking Brussels to "urgently" consider the application and give Georgia candidate status for EU membership.
Abramovich named in UK parliament again as Johnson pressed over Russia sanctions
During Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked why Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, had avoided sanctions, having been one of Johnson's targets last week.
The opposition leader also named Vladimir Putin's former deputy prime minister, Igor Shuvalov, as having over £11 million (€13.25 million) worth of property "not five minutes walk from this House."
"He is on the EU sanctions list, but he's not on the UK sanctions list," Starmer said, adding: "When will the prime minister sort this out?"
Johnson did not give any detailed responses on the individuals but defended the UK's impact on Russia's stock market after having "led the way on freezing the assets of banks."
The leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons, Ian Blackford, asked the prime minister if the UK would waive visa requirements for those seeking refuge from Ukraine.
Johnson said a "family reunion scheme" will be in place, however he refused to "abandon all checks" over security concerns of people "coming from that theatre of war." (AP)
EU removes 7 Russian banks from SWIFT payments system
The European Union has made official the list of Russian banks that will be expelled from SWIFT, the high-security system that allows financial transactions and underpins the global economy.
The final list targets seven banks considered to have close links with the regime of President Vladimir Putin and are seen as complicit, either directly or indirectly, in financing the war.
Notably, the ban excludes two of the country's biggest institutions, Sberbank and Gazprombank.
Read more:
These are the 7 Russian banks banned from SWIFT – and the two exempted
Member states could not reach consensus to sanction Sberbank and Gazprombank, which handle energy payments. #EuropeDecodedUN votes overwhelming to demand Russia withdraw from Ukraine
The UN General Assembly has voted to demand that Russia stop its offensive in Ukraine and withdraw all troops, with nations from world powers to tiny island states condemning Moscow.
The vote Wednesday was 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions. It came after the 193-member assembly convened its first emergency session since 1997.
Assembly resolutions aren’t legally binding, but they do have clout in reflecting international opinion.
The resolution deplored Russia’s “aggression” against Ukraine “in the strongest terms” and demanded an immediate and complete withdrawal of all Moscow's forces.
Countries that spoke up for Russia included Belarus, Cuba, North Korea and Syria.
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Ukrainian officials claim they have uncovered and foiled an assassination attempt against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The alleged plot involved a unit of elite Chechen special forces, according to the National Council for Security and Defence of Ukraine.
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Ukrainian MoD: Mothers of captured Russian soldiers invited to 'come pick them up'
The Ukrainian army on Wednesday invited the mothers of Russian soldiers captured on its territory to come and collect them, with Kyiv claiming to have taken dozens of prisoners since Moscow began invading the country.
"The decision has been taken to return captured Russian soldiers to their mothers if they come to Kyiv to pick them up," the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
UK PM Johnson accuses Putin of 'war crime'
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Russia of being guilty of a "war crime" in Ukraine over weapons used against civilians and called on the UN to "demand" a Russian withdrawal.
The Russian president had "gravely miscalculated in his abhorrent assault on a sovereign nation," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at the House of Commons on Wednesday.
"What we have seen already from Vladimir Putin's regime - in the use of munitions they have already been dropping on innocent civilians - in my view already fully qualifies as a war crime," Johnson said.
"I know the ICC prosecutor is already investigating and I'm sure the whole House will support that."
Amnesty International already particularly denounced the use of cluster bombs, banned in 2010 by an international convention, stating the Kremlin should be investigated for "war crimes".
Outraged Navalny calls for daily protests against Putin
Russia bombards Ukrainian cities: latest news
Kharkiv: A Russian strike hit the regional police and intelligence headquarters, killing four people and wounding several, the state emergency service said. A blast blew the roof off of the five-story police building and set the top floor alight, according to videos and photos. The rubble from the building was strewn across adjacent streets. It added that residential buildings were also hit. Reports also speak of an attack on a university.
Kyiv: In the capital there has been relative calm, the day after an airstrike hit the main TV tower, killing five people. AFP witnessed men in military uniform wrapping bodies -- apparently four members of the same family and a state television journalist -- to take them to the morgue. A long military convoy remains outside the city.
Kherson: The Russian army said on Wednesday morning it had seized the southern port city near the Crimean peninsula after fierce fighting. A few minutes earlier the Ukrainian mayor of the city, Igor Kolykhayev, said "we are still resisting".
"I will try to find solutions to gather the dead, to restore electricity, gas, water and heating where it has been cut. But I warn you: to succeed would be performing a miracle,” he added.
Mariupol: In the southern port city, the mayor said on Wednesday morning that the attacks had been relentless. “We cannot even take the wounded from the streets, from houses and apartments today, since the shelling does not stop," Vadym Boychenko was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying. He referred to Russia’s actions as a “genocide” — using the same word Putin has used to justify the invasion.
On Monday the Russian army claimed to have taken control of the seaside resort Berdiansk, 90 kilometres from Mariupol.
Chernihiv: Ukrainian UNIAN news agency quoted the health administration chief of the northern city as saying two cruise missiles hit a hospital there on Wednesday. The hospital's main building suffered damage, Serhiy Pivovar said, and authorities were working to determine the casualty toll.
China bank regulator condemns sanctions against Moscow
China's bank regulator says Beijing won’t join the United States and European governments in imposing financial sanctions on Russia.
China is a major buyer of Russian oil and gas and is the only major government that has refrained from criticising Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.
Beijing disapproves of the sanctions, which it believes lack a legal basis and “will not have a good effect,” said Guo Shuqing, the chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.
“We will not join such sanctions, and we will keep normal economic, trade and financial exchanges with all the relevant parties,” Guo said at a news conference. “We disapprove of the financial sanctions." (AP)
UAE seeks to block refugees from Ukraine
The Ukrainian embassy in the United Arab Emirates says the Gulf country is re-imposing visa requirements on Ukrainians, in an effort to stop anyone fleeing the war against Russia heading there.
The embassy posted on its Facebook page Wednesday that the suspension went into effect March 1. Any Ukrainian passport holders wanting to visit the United Arab Emirates will now need a visa first.
The energy-rich UAE, which relies on Russian and Ukrainian wheat exports, is home to some 15,000 Ukrainian residents among its roughly eight million foreign residents and one million Emirati citizens. Before the coronavirus pandemic, around a quarter of a million Ukrainian tourists visited the UAE.
The UAE, like other Gulf Arab states, does not recognise individuals fleeing war and has not permitted refugees from Syria, Iraq and other wars to seek asylum or seek resettlement.
The UAE, which is home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, abstained in a UN Security Council vote late last week condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP)
Czech Republic working to help Ukrainian refugees
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told the lower house of parliament on Wednesday that some 20,000 refugees arrived from Ukraine in last few days. The Czech Republic doesn’t have a border with Ukraine and most refugees are coming though neighboring Slovakia and Poland.
He said his government is working on legislation that would give the refugees access to the labour market without a work permit.
He said Czechs have been creating assistance centres in every of the country’s 14 regions for the refugees, making it easier for them to get registered, receive medical treatment or receive information about job openings.
Some 200,000 Ukrainians were working in the Czech Republic before the invasion.
Fiala said his government has sent to Ukraine arms worth almost €27 million and will continue to do so.
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Russia 'attacks hospital' in Kharkiv, says Ukrainian army
At least four people were killed and nine others injured in Russian bombings that targeted the headquarters of the security services and a university in the city on Wednesday morning, Ukrainian emergency services said.
Strikes hit the regional headquarters of the security and police forces, as well as the university, according to the emergency services.
"There is no longer an area in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet struck," said Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister.
Kharkiv, a city of 1.4 million inhabitants near the border with Russia, was already bombed on Tuesday, leaving several dead and injured. (AFP)
Zelenskyy appeals to Jews around the world
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is appealing to Jews around the world to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in which significant Jewish sites have been hit.
Zelenskyy made the appeal on Wednesday, a day after a Russian missile strike damaged the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial on the outskirts of Kyiv, where Nazi occupiers killed more than 33,000 Jews over two days in 1941.
Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, said: “I appeal now to all the Jews of the world — don’t you see what is happening? Therefore, it is very important that millions of Jews around the world do not remain silent now.”
Earlier, shelling hit the town of Uman, a significant pilgrimage site for Hasidic Jews. (AP)
Kremlin 'ready to resume talks'
The Kremlin says Russia is ready to resume talks with Ukrainian officials about the war.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “in the second half of the day, closer to evening, our delegation will be in place to await Ukrainian negotiators”. He said he would not say where such talks would take place.
There was no immediate word from Ukrainian authorities about their plans.
Peskov said Putin's culture adviser Vladimir Medinsky remains the main negotiator for Russia.
The first round of talks on resolving the Russia-Ukraine war were held near the Belarus-Ukraine border last Sunday. They produced no breakthrough, though the two sides agreed to meet again.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin of trying to force him into concessions by continuing to press its invasion.
UK defence minister: Ukraine war 'about to get worse'
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday that the "brutality" of the war in Ukraine "is about to get worse".
Wallace said, based on evidence seen by the UK government so far, Russia would most likely start to "carpet bomb cities indiscriminately".
"That is the brutality that I'm afraid we are witnessing and it's going to get worse," he told Sky News on Wednesday.
Wallace also reiterated British opposition to imposing a no-fly zone, saying that it would force NATO pilots to shoot down Russian aircraft, which could spark a wider European war.
The latest UK intelligence assessment says Russia continued heavy artillery and airstrikes on the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Chernihiv in the last 24 hours.
The defence secretary also said the UK backed Canada in referring Russia to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes over its invasion of Ukraine. Wallace said the UK will collect evidence on the presence of thermobaric weapons, which he said had been deployed, though their use had not yet been verified.
On Monday, the ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced that he plans to open an investigation “as rapidly as possible” into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
Kharkiv: '4 killed and 9 hurt' in new bombardments as Russia targets city
"So far ten people have been rescued from the rubble, the preliminary toll is four dead and nine injured," the source continued in a message on social media as the country's second-largest city came under attack from Russian armed forces.
European natural gas price soars
Brussels announces temporary residence permits for Ukrainian refugees in the EU
The European Union is moving toward granting temporary protection to those fleeing Russia's invasion as it steps up aid for Ukraine.
The European Commission announced Wednesday it will give temporary residence permits to the refugees and allow them the right to education and work in the 27-nation bloc.
The move still has to be approved by the member states, but they already expressed broad support over the weekend.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "all those fleeing Putin's bombs are welcome in Europe. We will provide protection to those seeking shelter and we will help those looking for a safe way home."
On Tuesday, she already committed at least half a billion euros of the bloc's budget to deal with the humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine.
PM Sánchez: Spain to send military aid to Ukraine
Spain has decided to send military equipment to the "Ukrainian resistance", Spain's left-wing government head Pedro Sánchez said Wednesday in an address to the Chamber of Deputies.
"As I see that there are [political] groups that question the government's commitment" to participate in military aid to Ukraine, "I also want to announce that Spain will deliver military equipment to the Ukrainian resistance," Prime Minister Sánchez stated.
Zelenskyy fears for sacred sites, says Russian troops there to 'erase history'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed concern that Russian attacks could threaten holy religious sites and said Russian troops are trying to “erase our history”.
In a speech posted on Facebook, Zelenskyy on Wednesday denounced a Russian strike that hit Holocaust memorial site Babyn Yar in Kyiv.
He said: “This is beyond inhumane. Such missile strike means that for many Russians our Kyiv is absolutely foreign. They know nothing about our capital, about our history. They have orders to erase our history, our country and all of us.”
“What will be next if even Babyn Yar [is hit], what other ‘military’ objects, ‘NATO bases’ are threatening Russia? St. Sophia’s Cathedral, Lavra, Andrew’s Church?” he asked, referring to sites in Kyiv held sacred by Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox believers around the world.
Zelenskyy also claimed almost 6,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion began last Thursday. Russia has not released overall casualty numbers and the figure could not be confirmed.
Watch his statement here: ⬇️
Russian MoD: Attack on Kyiv TV tower 'did not hit residential buildings'
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed on Wednesday that Russian aviation disabled the main TV tower in Ukraine’s capital in an airstrike, but said the attack did not hit any residential buildings.
Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov did not address deaths from Tuesday’s strike or damage to the adjacent Babyn Yar memorial to Kyiv’s Holocaust victims. He said the attack was aimed at disabling Ukraine’s ability to stage “information attacks.”
Ukraine’s State Service for Emergency Situations said the strikes on the TV tower killed five people and left five more wounded. Ukrainian television stations briefly went down after the strike but were later restored.
Russian army claims captured Kherson, mayor says otherwise
The Russian army said on Wednesday morning it had captured the Ukrainian port city of Kherson, located in the south of the country near the Crimean peninsula, after fierce fighting in recent hours.
"Russian army units have taken full control of the regional capital of Kherson," Russian armed forces spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
"We are still Ukraine. We are still resisting," he said on his Facebook account.
Russian airstrike on Zhytomyr kills at least two, authorities say
A Russian airstrike hit a residential area near a hospital late Tuesday in Zhytomyr, a city about 140 kilometres west of Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Mayor Sergii Sukhomlin said in a Facebook video.
Ukraine's emergency services said the strike killed at least two people and injured another 16, set three homes on fire and broke the windows in the hospital.
Zhytomyr is the home of the elite 95th Air Assault Brigade, which may have been the intended target.
Russia's largest bank Sberbank to leave European market
Russia's largest bank, Sberbank Group, said it was pulling out of the European market after being hit by massive financial sanctions in retaliation for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"In the current situation, Sberbank has decided to withdraw from the European market. The group's subsidiary banks are facing abnormal outflows of funds and threats to the safety of their employees and offices," the group said in a statement on Wednesday, quoted by Russian state news agencies.
Ukrainian MoD: 'Significant activity' of Belarus troops observed, attack feared
Ukraine's defence ministry said overnight it was concerned of an attack by Belarus "in the near future".
"Belarusian troops have been put on alert and are concentrating in the areas closest to the border with Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.
During the day on Tuesday, Ukrainian intelligence noted "significant activity" of aircraft in the border area, and convoys of vehicles carrying food and ammunition were observed there, the statement said.
In view of these movements, Belarus "could probably support Russian invaders [...] in the near future," the ministry warned.
Missile attacks against military and civilian targets in Ukraine have been "systematically" launched from Belarusian territory since the Russian invasion began on 24 February, it added.
Russian offensive across Ukraine causes casualties, destruction
In Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov, more than 100 people were wounded by Russian fire on Tuesday, according to the city's mayor, Vadym Boichenko, quoted by Ukrainian media.
Russian military equipment was reported to be stationed in front of the Regional State Administration building in Kherson, and explosions were heard in the city on Wednesday, according to local media.
The Russian forces took control of the railway station and the port during the night, according to Mayor Igor Kolykhayev.
In Borodianka, 50 km from Kyiv, Russian airstrikes destroyed two residential buildings on Tuesday, Ukraine's first deputy foreign minister Eminé Djaparova stated, sharing a video of the buildings partially in ruins, with flats in flames.
Intense fighting continues in Kharkiv
Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv overnight, the Ukrainian military said Wednesday, reporting ongoing fighting in Ukraine's second-largest city in the east.
"Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv [...] and attacked a local hospital," the Ukrainian armed forces said in a statement on Telegram.
"A fight is underway between the invaders and Ukrainians," the statement said.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, said a fire broke out on Wednesday in the barracks of a flight school in Kharkiv after an airstrike.
"Practically, there is no area left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet hit," he said, quoted in a statement on Telegram.
Kharkiv, a city of 1.4 million people near the border with Russia, was targeted by several bombings on Tuesday, which killed at least ten people and injured more than 20, according to local authorities.
Biden: Putin to ‘pay a price’
If his Russian counterpart were not made to “pay a price” for the invasion, the aggression would not stop with one country, the US president warned on early Wednesday CET.
In his first State of the Union address, US President Joe Biden highlighted the resolve of a reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and adopt tough sanctions, which he said have left Russian President Vladimir Putin ”isolated in the world more than he has ever been”.
Biden also announced that the US is banning Russian flights from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, following similar moves by the European Union and Canada.
“I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on their economy,” Biden said.
Biden devoted the first 12 minutes of his Tuesday evening address to Ukraine, with lawmakers of both parties repeatedly rising to their feet and applauding as he praised the bravery of Ukraine’s people and condemned Putin’s assault.
UN to vote on resolution demanding from Russia to end war
The 193-member General Assembly scheduled a vote for Wednesday afternoon after hearing 120 speeches on a UN resolution demanding an immediate halt to Moscow's offensive and withdrawal of all Russian troops.
As of late Tuesday, the resolution had 94 co-sponsors, including several surprises to UN diplomats — Afghanistan, where the Taliban ousted the elected government last August, and Myanmar, where the military overthrew the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
Russia did have a few supporters at the UN General Assembly's emergency session, including Cuba and North Korea. Some countries took no position on the draft resolution, such as Surinam and South Africa, which urged compromise and diplomacy to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but they do have clout in reflecting international opinion.