War in Ukraine: Zelensky slams Nato over rejection of no-fly zone - BBC

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Ukraine's president has attacked Nato leaders in a fiery speech over their refusal to implement a no-fly zone around the country.

Speaking from Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky said the West's reluctance to intervene has given Russia "a green light" to continue bombarding towns and villages.

Nato has argued that a no-fly zone will result in confrontation with Moscow.

But Mr Zelensky said he disagrees that direct action could "provoke Russia's direct aggression against Nato".

In angry comments, he said the argument reflects the "self-hypnosis of those who are weak, under-confident inside" and that Western reservations indicated that "not everyone considers the struggle for freedom to be Europe's number one goal".

"All the people who will die starting from this day will also die because of you. Because of your weakness, because of your disunity," a furious Mr Zelensky added.

On Friday, Nato's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, warned that the introduction of a no-fly zone could lead to a "full-fledged war in Europe involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering".

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also ruled out the introduction of a no-fly zone, but told the BBC he is convinced Ukraine can win its war with Russia.

"I can't tell you how long this will go on," America's top diplomat said. "I can't tell you how long it will take. But the idea that Russia can subjugate to its will 45 million people who are ardently fighting for their future and their freedom, that does not involve Russia having its thumb on Ukraine, that tells you a lot."

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters tenth day Moscow's forces continue to heavily shell many cities.

In the south-eastern port city of Mariupol, the city's mayor has said that residents are under a "blockade" after days of "ruthless" attacks from Russian forces which has seen power and water shut off to the city's 450,00 strong population.

Vadim Boychenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the city is "simply being destroyed" and said officials are prioritising "the establishment of a ceasefire so that we can restore vital infrastructure and set up a humanitarian corridor to bring food and medicine into the city".

In Kyiv, a massive convoy stretching out over 40 miles (64km) remains stalled outside the city, but the Ukrainian capital has come under renewed assault, with explosions caused by intense shelling audible in the city centre.

There have also been unconfirmed reports of fresh fighting on Saturday in the north-eastern city of Sumy and of rocket attacks on the train station in Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, above a metro station where city residents are sheltering from shelling, and in the northern city of Chernihiv.

And the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has warned that Russian troops have advanced within 20 miles (32km) of Ukraine's second biggest nuclear facility.

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Her comments follow Friday's attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which she said reflected a "dangerous new escalation" in Russia's invasion. Moscow's ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, dismissed reports that Russian troops attacked the plant as "lies" and "disinformation".

Meanwhile in Russia, a new law signed by President Vladimir Putin that would impose prison terms of up to 15 years on people charged with spreading "fake news" about the war in Ukraine has seen several western media outlets, including the BBC, suspend operations in the country.

Tim Davie, the BBC's director-general, said the legislation "appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism" in Russia, while the Washington Post said it will remove by-lines from pieces written by its reporters in Russia.

It comes as Sky News released dramatic footage of their correspondent Stuart Ramsey coming under fire outside Kyiv.

Russia attacks Ukraine: More coverage

• LIVE: Latest updates from on the ground
• THE BASICS: Why is Putin invading Ukraine?
• SCENARIOS: Five ways the war in Ukraine might end
• INNER CIRCLE: Who's in Putin's entourage, running the war?
• IN DEPTH: Full coverage of the conflict

Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky addressed massive rallies in support of Ukraine in several cities across Europe, including the Czech capital Prague and the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

He warned demonstrators: "If Ukraine does not survive, the whole of Europe will not survive."

But in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, some 4,000 people have taken part in a pro-Russian rally that marched from a monument of Russian Tsar Nicholas II to the Russian embassy.

Demonstrators sang the Serbian and Russian national anthems and carried Russian flags and pictures of President Vladimir Putin.

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Elsewhere, in a sign that Western sanctions are starting to have a tangible impact, Italian police have seized the yachts of two of Russia's wealthiest oligarchs.

Officers seized a 213ft (65 metre) yacht worth $27m (£20m) owned by Alexey Mordashov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and Russia's richest man, in the northern port of Imperia, officials told local media.

Another yacht, owned by Gennady Timchenko, another oligarch with close ties to Putin, has been impounded in Imperia, officials said.

Mordashov is worth an estimated $29bn and built his wealth around the Russian steel producer Severstal, while Timchenko is said to hold around $17bn of assets and made his fortune in oil trading.

Are you in the affected region including Mariupol and Volnovakha? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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2022-03-05 05:28:55Z
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Ukraine war latest: Nato rejects idea of no-fly zone over conflict area - Financial Times

Russia officially blocked access to Facebook marking the latest crackdown against social media platforms and independent media outlets in the country since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. 

In a statement explaining its decision on Friday, Roskomnadzor, the Russian media watchdog said, Facebook, owned by Meta, was discriminating against Russian state-run and state-funded media by placing restrictions on the accounts of outlets such as Russia Today and the Russian military TV channel Zvezda.

“Since October 2020, there have been 26 cases of discrimination against Russian media and information resources by Facebook,” the state censorship body said. 

Following the decision, Nick Clegg, Facebook’s president of global affairs, said “soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out.”

He added that the company would do “everything we can to restore our services” to allow users to express themselves and “organise for a

In the past year, Russia has regularly wielded the threat of penalties such as fines and slowing or shutting access to social media platforms, to get them to restore or restrict content. It has issued Facebook numerous fines in recent months. 

But restrictions have intensified sharply since the Ukraine war began last month. Big Tech has increasingly been dragged into the information battle that has raged following Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

Roskomnadzor has also shut down major local liberal outlets such as Echo of Moscow and TV Rain, while others like the BBC have had their websites blocked.

Meta-owned Facebook, as well as Google’s YouTube, Twitter, Apple and TikTok all announced this week that they would remove RT and Sputnik from their platforms in the EU.

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have also been applying labels to Kremlin-backed media for users outside of the EU, and paused the ability for the outlets to make money from advertising that runs alongside their content.

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2022-03-04 18:32:59Z
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Pakistan: At least 56 killed in suicide attack at mosque in Peshawar - Sky News

A bomb blast during Friday prayers in a mosque in northern Pakistan has killed at least 56 people according to hospital officials and injured about 195 others.

The attack took place at the Kocha-e-Rasladar Mosque in Peshawar, near to the border with Afghanistan.

Muhammad Ali Saif, advisor to the chief minister, said: "Two men fired on the police personnel manning the entrance to the mosque, one gunman was killed while the other ran inside the mosque and blew himself up."

Image: At least 56 people were killed in the explosion

An eyewitness said that the man who ran inside was dressed in black and at first fired five to six bullets before detonating a bomb.

He said: "There were many bodies lying around and he helped take some of the injured out."

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The other attacker and a policeman were killed in the gunfight, and another police official was wounded.

Friday prayers were taking place inside the mosque where about 150 people had gathered on the ground and first floor.

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The injured have been taken to the Lady Reading hospital and a spokesperson has said "ten are in critical condition".

Image: Several others were taken to hospital with injuries, with 10 in critical condition

Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack and has sought a report from the authorities.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the attack was a pre-planned act to destabilise the country, but gave no evidence to support his claim.

He said: "There was no security alert about an attack and external forces want to disturb the peace."

Image: Over the last few years, thousands of Shia's have been killed in terror attacks across the country

The minority Shia community in Pakistan have been often targeted by the more fundamental Sunni forces.

Over the last few years, thousands have been killed in terror attacks across the country.

On 11 January 2021, Shia coal miners were kidnapped in the Baluchistan region and shot.

The state and intelligence services have been accused of turning a blind eye to the Sunni jihadi groups and others who attack minority communities in Pakistan.

Image: Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack and has sought a report from the authorities

The attack in Peshawar comes as the Australian cricket team is on tour of Pakistan and is playing its first test match in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.

Pakistan hasn't hosted any international cricket teams for 11 years, after the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009.

In October last year, England and New Zealand cancelled their tours just hours before their first one-day match in Rawalpindi over security fears.

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2022-03-04 12:51:45Z
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Russia threatens jail for 'fake' news about Ukraine conflict - Reuters.com

Russian lawmakers attend a session of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in Moscow, Russia March 4, 2022. Russian State Duma/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT.

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• Russia to impose jail terms, fines for fake news
• Those who lied will be punished - Duma chairman
• Russia limits access to BBC Russian service
• BBC: access to accurate information is human right
• Russia says it is fighing an information war

MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) - Russia's parliament on Friday passed a law imposing a jail term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally "fake" information about the armed forces as Moscow fights back in what it casts as an information war over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that false information has been intentionally spread by Russia's enemies such as the United States and its Western European allies in an attempt to sow discord among the Russian people.

Russian lawmakers passed amendments to the criminal code making the spread of "fake" information a criminal offence punishable with fines or jail terms. Lawmakers also imposed fines for public calls for sanctions against Russia.

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"If the fakes lead to serious consequences then imprisonment of up to 15 years threatens," the lower house of parliament, known as the Duma in Russian, said in a statement.

The Duma outlined a sliding scale of punishments for anyone deemed to have discredited the armed forces, with stiffer penalties for those who intentionally spread fake information or called for unsanctioned public action.

The amendments, which could not be viewed by Reuters on the Duma's website, appear to give the Russian state much stronger powers to crack down.

"Literally by tomorrow, this law will force punishment - and very tough punishment - on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces," said Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Duma.

President Vladimir Putin said the "special military operation" was essential to ensure Russian security after the United States enlarged the NATO military alliance to Russia's borders and supported pro-Western leaders in Kyiv.

Russian officials do not use the word "invasion" and say Western media have failed to report on what they cast as the "genocide" of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.

The amendments have to be approved by the upper house of parliament before going to Putin to be signed into law.

'TOUGH PUNISHMENT'

Russian opposition leaders have warned that the Kremlin could crack down on dissent after Putin ordered a special military operation in Ukraine.

Even without the law on fakes, Russia's communications watchdog has restricted access to the Russian-language websites of the BBC and Radio Liberty for spreading what it cast as false information about the conflict.

Russia has repeatedly complained that Western media organisations offer a partial - and often anti-Russian - view of the world while failing to hold their own leaders to account for devastating foreign wars such as Iraq and corruption.

Western leaders have for years raised concerns about the dominance of state media in Russia and say the freedoms won when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 have been rolled back by Putin.

Russia's RIA news agency said access to the websites of BBC Russian service as well as Radio Liberty and the Meduza media outlet were being limited, citing the media watchdog's official register.

According to an official notice received on March 3, the Russian communications watchdog said Radio Liberty's Russian service had spread "obviously fake socially significant information about the alleged Russian attack on Ukrainian territory".

"Such information is wrong," Radio Liberty cited the official notice as saying.

Britain's BBC said access to accurate information was a fundamental human right and it would continue its efforts to make its news available in Russia.

"Access to accurate, independent information is a fundamental human right which should not be denied to the people of Russia, millions of whom rely on BBC News every week," the BBC said. "We will continue our efforts to make BBC News available in Russia, and across the rest of the world."

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Reporting by Moscow bureau Writing by Guy Faulconbridge Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-03-04 11:52:00Z
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Russia fights back in information war with jail warning - Reuters.com

• Russia to impose jail terms, fines for fake news
• Those who lied will be punished - Duma chairman
• Russia limits access to BBC Russian service
• BBC: access to accurate information is human right
• Russia says it is fighing an information war

MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) - Russia's parliament on Friday passed a law imposing a jail term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally "fake" information about the armed forces as Moscow fights back in what it casts as an information war over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that false information has been intentionally spread by Russia's enemies such as the United States and its Western European allies in an attempt to sow discord among the Russian people.

Russian lawmakers passed amendments to the criminal code making the spread of "fake" information a criminal offence punishable with fines or jail terms. Lawmakers also imposed fines for public calls for sanctions against Russia.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

"If the fakes lead to serious consequences then imprisonment of up to 15 years threatens," the lower house of parliament, known as the Duma in Russian, said in a statement.

The Duma outlined a sliding scale of punishments for anyone deemed to have discredited the armed forces, with stiffer penalties for those who intentionally spread fake information or called for unsanctioned public action.

The amendments, which could not be viewed by Reuters on the Duma's website, appear to give the Russian state much stronger powers to crack down.

"Literally by tomorrow, this law will force punishment - and very tough punishment - on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces," said Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Duma.

President Vladimir Putin said the "special military operation" was essential to ensure Russian security after the United States enlarged the NATO military alliance to Russia's borders and supported pro-Western leaders in Kyiv.

Russian officials do not use the word "invasion" and say Western media have failed to report on what they cast as the "genocide" of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.

The amendments have to be approved by the upper house of parliament before going to Putin to be signed into law.

'TOUGH PUNISHMENT'

Russian opposition leaders have warned that the Kremlin could crack down on dissent after Putin ordered a special military operation in Ukraine.

Even without the law on fakes, Russia's communications watchdog has restricted access to the Russian-language websites of the BBC and Radio Liberty for spreading what it cast as false information about the conflict.

Russia has repeatedly complained that Western media organisations offer a partial - and often anti-Russian - view of the world while failing to hold their own leaders to account for devastating foreign wars such as Iraq and corruption.

Western leaders have for years raised concerns about the dominance of state media in Russia and say the freedoms won when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 have been rolled back by Putin.

Russia's RIA news agency said access to the websites of BBC Russian service as well as Radio Liberty and the Meduza media outlet were being limited, citing the media watchdog's official register.

According to an official notice received on March 3, the Russian communications watchdog said Radio Liberty's Russian service had spread "obviously fake socially significant information about the alleged Russian attack on Ukrainian territory".

"Such information is wrong," Radio Liberty cited the official notice as saying.

Britain's BBC said access to accurate information was a fundamental human right and it would continue its efforts to make its news available in Russia.

"Access to accurate, independent information is a fundamental human right which should not be denied to the people of Russia, millions of whom rely on BBC News every week," the BBC said. "We will continue our efforts to make BBC News available in Russia, and across the rest of the world."

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Reporting by Moscow bureau Writing by Guy Faulconbridge Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-03-04 10:09:00Z
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President Zelensky survives three assassination plots after ‘tip offs from anti-war Russian spies’ - iNews

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has survived three attempts to assassinate him thanks to anti-war officials within the Russian Security Services (FSB) giving his team tip-offs.

Both mercenaries of the Kremlin-backed Wagner group and Chechen special forces had been tasked with killing the president in the past few days, but their attempts have so far failed, The Times reports.

The Wagner forces are said to have suffered a lot of losses in their bid to eliminate Mr Zelensky, while a source close to the group told the news outlet they found it “eerie” how his security team appeared to be well briefed.

An attempt to kill Zelensky was foiled on Tuesday thanks to FSB informants who “did not want to take part in this bloody war”.

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An elite group of Chechen special forces, known as Kadyrovites, had sought to “eliminate” the Ukrainian leader but were “destroyed” on Tuesday night, according to Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council chief Oleksiy Danilov.

“We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president,” Mr Danilov said, according to a Telegram post written by the Center for Strategic Communications.

“I can say that we have received information from the FSB, who do not want to take part in this bloody war,” Mr Danilov said. “And thanks to this, the Kadyrov elite group was destroyed, which came here to eliminate our president.”

According to The Times, the Wagner group – an elite private army carrying out Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dirty work abroad – has 24 high-profile Ukrainians on its hit list, while there are still 400 of them in the capital, suggesting it could take them just a few days to accomplish their task.

“It only takes one of them to get lucky and everyone goes home with a bonus,” The Times was told.

According to Dr Sean McFate, a former private military contractor, Wagner forces have been deployed by Mr Putin “as shock troops, as assassins… as a fifth column in front of the Russian invasion”.

Their goals will be “to cause mayhem, to cause fear… not to worry about collateral damage or human rights, to be as brutish as necessary, and to be as clever and cunning as needed”, says McFate, speaking to i from Washington.

“They’ll be in small groups of three to eight. They will blend in, they will not wear uniforms, they will speak Ukrainian.”

Mr Zelensky spoke out last week to say he was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “number one target” with the Kremlin seeking to overthrow his government and install a pro-Russian leader. But despite the danger to himself and his family, he vowed to stay and fight for his country.

Mr Zelensky has refused a US offer to evacuated him to safety by replying: “The fight is here. I need ammunition, I don’t need a ride”.

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2022-03-04 07:46:00Z
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UK sanctions Russians Usmanov and Shuvalov, ponders law change - Reuters UK

• UK sanctions oligarch Usmanov and ex-minister Shuvalov
• Will face freeze of more than $80 mln in UK property
• Lawmakers criticise government for being too slow
• Government sees legal barriers, considers law change

LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - Britain sanctioned two more Russians on Thursday - industrialist Alisher Usmanov and former deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov - after criticism that it was taking too long to target people with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Usmanov - an Uzbekistan-born metals and telecoms tycoon who Britain said was worth $18.4 billion - is best known in Britain for his investment in and former sponsorship of Premier League soccer clubs Arsenal and Everton.

Shuvalov is a former aide to Putin who now chairs Russian bank VEB, itself under Western sanctions. As deputy prime minister he led Russia's successful bid to host the 2018 soccer World Cup.

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"For as long as Putin continues his barbaric attack on innocent Ukrainians we will continue to exert every power we have to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and his war machine," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a 'special operation' that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists - a pretext dismissed by Ukraine and the West as baseless propaganda.

Since Russia launched the invasion on Feb. 24, Britain has imposed sanctions on 11 wealthy Russians plus Putin and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as four Belarusian military officials. read more

Usmanov and Shuvalov have had their British assets frozen, face travel bans, and British citizens and businesses are barred from dealing with them.

The foreign ministry said Usmanov owned a mansion worth 48 million pounds ($64 million) and an estate southwest of London, while Shuvalov owned two luxury apartments in central London worth 11 million pounds.

ABRAMOVICH PRESSURE

Johnson is facing mounting criticism from opposition politicians and some of his own lawmakers for what they say is a slow response on sanctions.

Britain has so far sanctioned fewer people than the European Union, which on Monday imposed sanctions on 26 prominent figures, including oligarchs and people active in the oil, banking and finance sectors. read more

There have been growing calls for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea soccer club, and others to be included in sanctions. But the government has said it must have a solid legal case that their finances are linked to Putin's administration before sanctioning any individuals.

Abramovich's spokeswoman declined immediate comment on a Times report on Thursday that he was not facing imminent sanctions. He announced on Wednesday he would sell Chelsea Football Club and donate money from the sale to help victims of the war in Ukraine. read more

British lawmakers have said any delay in imposing sanctions means their targets can move wealth and assets out of Britain before they are designated.

"The government's failure to keep pace with the EU and the U.S. on sanctions is allowing Putin-linked oligarchs to salvage hundreds of millions in assets," said David Lammy, the foreign affairs spokesman for the main British opposition Labour party.

A government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that because of the high bar still required to impose sanctions it was now seeking to change the law.

Only last month, Britain passed legislation to broaden the scope of those who could be sanctioned in the event of a Russian invasion, to allow tough penalties on those close to Putin.

"Legal threats will have no impact on our ability to sanction oligarchs," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told Reuters while on a visit to Lithuania. "We are absolutely determined to sanction Russian oligarchs. We have a further list we are working through."

Anita Clifford, a London-based lawyer who specialises in financial crime, said while there was a low threshold for the designation of sanctions, it still required a proper dossier of evidence or it could be challenged in court, and the government could be sued for large sums.

Ordinarily, the process would take at least a couple of months, she said.

($1 = 0.7498 pounds)

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Reporting by Michael Holden, Andrew MacAskill, William James and David Milliken in London and Andrius Sytas in Vilnius Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Alistair Bell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-03-03 21:30:00Z
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