Russia will pay an ‘immediate price for its atrocities in Bucha,’ US president Joe Biden warns
Related video: Russian tank opens fire on civilian cyclist in Bucha
The US has imposed new sanctions on the families of Russian president Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, including Putin’s daughters.
“I made clear that Russia would pay a severe and immediate price for its atrocities in Bucha,” US president Joe Biden wrote on Twitter. “Today, along with our allies and partners, we’re announcing a new round of devastating sanctions.”
US officials said Maria and Katerina Putin, his two adult daughters, will face measures as well as Lavrov’s wife and children and members of Russia’s security council.
It comes as it was revealed that more than 5,000 civilians have been killed in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol since Russia launched its war. Some 210 children are among those who have been murdered, mayor Vadym Boichenko said on Wednesday, adding Russian forces had bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people had been “burned to death”.
He also said more than 90 per cent of the city’s infrastructure has now been destroyed by the Russian shelling.
Mariupol counts its dead, officials say more than 5,000 killed
The number of civilians dead in Ukraine’s Mariupol could be higher than 5,000, the mayor of the city suffering under a brutal Russian siege said on Wednesday.
Mayor Vadym Boichenko said that out of more than 5,000 civilians killed during weeks of Russian attacks including street fighting, at least 210 were children.
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Policemen work to identify civilians who were killed during the Russian occupation in Bucha, Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, before sending the bodies to the morgue, Wednesday, April 6, 2022.
(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Russian forces bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people burned to death, Mr Boichenko said.
Arpan Rai7 April 2022 04:19
Russia should be kicked out of G20 – US official
Russia should be expelled from the Group of 20 forum of major economies and if Russian officials show up to the platform, the United States will boycott “a number of G20 meetings”, US treasury secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday.
“President Biden’s made it clear, and I certainly agree with him, that it cannot be business as usual for Russia in any of the financial institutions,” Ms Yellen said.
“He’s asked that Russia be removed from the G20, and I’ve made clear to my colleagues in Indonesia that we will not be participating in a number of meetings if the Russians are there,” the top US official said.
The G20 coalition has been a key international platform since 2008 to discuss global issues such as international trade, cross-border debt and, more recently, Covid-19. The club includes countries such as China, India and Saudi Arabia that have refused to directly or indirectly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The US treasury secretary acknowledged that it was unlikely that Russia could be expelled from the International Monetary Fund given its rules.
Arpan Rai7 April 2022 04:03
Blinken says Ukraine will win: “Won’t subjugate themselves to Putin’s will’
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that Ukraine will ultimately win against Russia’s military invasion but will suffer “tremendous death and destruction”.
On being asked if Ukraine will win, Mr Blinken said: “So ultimately, yes, because what is success, what is victory? It’s holding on to the sovereignty and independence of their country. And there is no scenario by which over time that will not happen.”
However, he added that “it may take time”.
“…and in the meantime, [there will be] tremendous death and destruction. But what is so powerful here is that the Ukrainians have made it very clear that they will not subjugate themselves to Vladimir Putin’s will,” the top US official said.
Ukraine still has a lot of force still left, Mr Blinken said, adding that the country’s citizens “have something else that’s ultimately stronger, and that is a fierce determination and will to defend their country with the support of many countries around the world.”
Arpan Rai7 April 2022 03:50
FBI hijacks Russia’s cyber network
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has hijacked thousands of routers and firewalls from Russian military hackers, US officials said.
This was an unusual operation and a pre-emptive move to stop Russian hackers from “mobilising the compromised devices into a ‘botnet’ – a network of hacked computers that can bombard other servers with rogue traffic.”
“Fortunately, we were able to disrupt this botnet before it could be used,” US attorney general Merrick Garland said.
Arpan Rai7 April 2022 03:49
New sanctions against Russia hardly commensurate with evil in Bucha – Zelensky
Pushing for more pressure on Russia economically, Volodymyr Zelensky said that the fresh slew of sanctions against Russia carry a “spectacular look” but are still not enough.
“Today, western countries announced a new package of sanctions against the Russian federation. New investments in Russia are blocked. Restrictions are applied against several systemic banks in Russia. Personal sanctions are added, as well as other restrictions,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address posted on social media.
This package of sanctions looks impressive, he said. “Still it can hardly be commensurate with the evil that the world saw in Bucha. With the evil that continues in Mariupol, in the shelling of Kharkiv, in Russia’s attempt to launch a new global bloody offensive in Donbas,” the wartime president said.
Calling for more punishments for Moscow, Mr Zelensky said: “We will continue to insist on a complete blockafe of the Russian banking ststem from international finance. We will also continue to insist on one or another format of the democratic world’s refusal to buy Russian oil.”
The social media post accompanying Mr Zelensky’s nightly address read: “If there is no really painful package of sanctions against Russia and if there is no supply of weapons we really need and have applied for many times, it will be considered by Russia as a permission. A permission to go further. A permission to attack. A permission to start a new bloody wave in Donbas.”
Arpan Rai7 April 2022 03:48
Ukraine has 10 anti-tank systems for one Russian tank, says Blinken
US secretary of state Antony Blinken says the US and its allies are arming Ukraine in such a way that the country has 10 anti-tank missiles for every tank belonging to the invading Russian forces.
But added that the US wants this to “come to an end as quickly as possible”.
“Put this in perspective: Between the United States and other allies and partners, for every Russian tank in Ukraine, we have provided or will soon provide 10 anti-tank systems – 10 for every single Russian tank,” Mr Blinken said.
“So in terms of what they need to act quickly and act effectively, to deal with the planes that are firing at them from the skies, the tanks that are trying to destroy their cities from the ground, they have the tools that they need, they’re going to keep getting them, and we’re going to keep sustaining that,” he said.
Arpan Rai7 April 2022 03:25
Zelensky calls on Russian to demand an end to war
Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russian citizens to seek an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine, stating that now is the key moment for making such demands.
“Nazism has no future, mass killings have no future. Everyone in Russia who will not demand an end to this shameful war and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine has no future,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address released early today.
“…if for peace, if you feel even a little bit of shame for what the Russian troops are doing in Ukraine, then now is a key moment for such citizens of Russia: you have to demand — exactly demand — an end to the war,” the Ukrainian leader said in his video address.
He added: “It is better now, demanding peace, to lose something, to somehow face the Russian repressive machine than to be equated with the Nazis for the rest of your life.”
Arpan Rai7 April 2022 03:14
Drone footage appears to show abandoned Russian trenches near Chernobyl nuclear plant
Drone footage taken from the exclusion zone around Chernobyl nuclear power plant appears to confirm reports that Russian troops dug trenches close to the site.
The video, which has been geolocated and verified, shows mounds of disturbed earth – believed to be radioactive – dug up on the outskirts of the Red Forest.
Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company, Energoatom, last week reported that multiple Russian soldiers had been evacuated from the forest to Belarus for acute radiation syndrome (ARS) treatment.
Vladimir Putin’s forces took control of the Chernobyl area soon after the invasion, but have since retreated.
Drone footage appears to show abandoned Russian trenches near Chernobyl nuclear plant
Drone footage taken from the exclusion zone around Chernobyl nuclear power plant appears to confirm reports that Russian troops dug trenches close to the site.The video, which has been geolocated and verified, shows mounds of disturbed earth – believed to be radioactive – dug up on the outskirts of the Red Forest.Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company, Energoatom, last week reported that multiple Russian soldiers had been evacuated from the forest to Belarus for acute radiation syndrome (ARS) treatment.Vladimir Putin’s forces took control of the Chernobyl area soon after the invasion, but have since retreated.Sign up for our newsletters.
Joe Middleton7 April 2022 03:00
Who are Vladimir Putin’s daughters? Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonov sanctioned by the US
The daughters of Vladimir Putin have been targeted in the latest round of sanctions against Russia for its continued war in Ukraine, US officials have said.
The US and EU sanctions were imposed on the Russian leader’s adult daughters with his former wife Lyudmila, Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova.
“We believe that many of Putin’s assets are hidden with family members, and that’s why we’re targeting them,” a senior US official told reporters on Wednesday.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Joe Middleton7 April 2022 02:30
‘I hadn’t even held a gun’: Climate activists switch fighting for environment to fighting for Ukraine
Pavlo Vyshebaba spends peacetime campaigning for the environment and animal rights.
The 38-year-old, who founded Ukraine’s first vegan cafe, says he would not hurt a fly – and he means that literally, writes Zoe Tidman.
“However, when it’s my turn to be on the frontline, I won’t budge,” he tells The Independent. “My hands won’t shake before neutralising as many Russians as I can.”
Joe Middleton7 April 2022 02:00
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