Cincunri Sakia

Kamis, 31 Maret 2022

Ukraine war: Russian attacks intensify despite pledge from Moscow to pull back troops - Sky News

Russian attacks on Ukraine have intensified, despite a pledge from Moscow to pull back troops around Kyiv and Chernihiv.

Ukrainian forces are preparing for new attacks in the east as Vladimir Putin builds up troops there after suffering setbacks in the capital of Kyiv.

Speaking about the supposed withdrawal of Russian forces from Kyiv and Chernihiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "We know that this is not a withdrawal but the consequences of being driven out.

Ukraine live news: Russia 'shoots own planes'

"But we also are seeing that Russia is now concentrating its forces for new strikes on Donbas and we are preparing for this."

He has reacted with scepticism to the offer made by Russia during negotiations in Istanbul aimed at de-escalating the conflict, which is now entering its 36th day. Talks will resume tomorrow, 1 April, online.

In other developments:

• Putin's advisor too afraid to tell truth about Ukraine
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• Sky team discuss miraculous escape from Kyiv ambush

The Ukrainian president also spoke with the US President Joe Biden today and told him America's support was "vital".

"I thanked the United States for a new $1bn humanitarian aid package and additional $500m in direct budget support. And I stressed that right now is a turning point," said Mr Zelenskyy.

Analysts have said Russia's promise to reduce fighting mostly covers areas where it was already losing ground.

Intelligence from one UK spy chief revealed demoralised Russian soldiers have accidentally shot down their own aircraft, while Mr Putin's own advisors are too afraid to tell him the truth of the situation in Ukraine.

Read more: The Ukraine invasion explained

Shelling around Kyiv

Shelling has continued in areas around Kyiv, but the city itself has not been bombarded, Ukrainian officials have said.

Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said Russia was withdrawing some troops around Kyiv but transferring forces from the north of Ukraine to the east in an attempt to encircle the country's forces.

The mayor of Chernihiv said attacks on the city had intensified in the past 24 hours, with more than 100,000 people trapped and supplies only set to last about a week.

The Chernihiv region's governor, Viacheslav Chaus, said he saw no let-up overnight.

Referring to the Kremlin's pledge from Tuesday's peace talks, he said: "Do we believe in it? Of course not.

"The 'decreased activity' in the Chernihiv region was demonstrated by the enemy carrying out strikes on Nizhyn, including airstrikes, and all night long they hit Chernihiv."

Ukrainian forces still have control of Mariupol city centre - UK's MoD

The continued attacks around Chernihiv were confirmed by British intelligence.

"Despite Russian statements indicating an intended reduction of military activity around Chernihiv, significant Russian shelling and missile strikes have continued," said the UK's Ministry of Defence in its latest update.

"Russian forces continue to hold positions to the east and west of Kyiv despite the withdrawal of a limited number of units. Heavy fighting will likely take place in the suburbs of the city in coming days."

It added that the bombardment of the southeastern city of Mariupol also continues, a key objective of Russian forces. However, Ukrainian forces remain in control of the centre of the city.

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Russian forces have taken half of the strategic port, according to one official. But Russia's defence ministry has said it was prepared to observe a cease-fire in Mariupol on Thursday.

Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in the city, the mayor's office estimates, with a further 170,000 trapped amid the ruins without food, water or power.

A convoy of Ukrainian buses is on its way there, according to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, who said the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed Russia has agreed to open a humanitarian corridor to the besieged city.

Fears Russia could cut off gas supplies

Meanwhile, Germany and Austria have moved a step closer to gas rationing after activating an emergency plan designed to help them cope with any disruption in supplies from Russia.

It comes as Russia demanded oil and gas payments to be made in roubles by Friday, raising fears of energy shortages and increasing the risk of a recession in Europe.

While Western sanctions have largely isolated the Russian economy from world trade, Moscow is still the biggest supplier of gas and oil to Europe and is attempting to leverage this power.

Floating a potential compromise, Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that payments could be made in euros and sent to Gazprombank, which would convert the money to roubles, a German government spokesperson said.

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2022-03-31 07:18:45Z
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Rabu, 30 Maret 2022

US casts doubt on new Kremlin claims of curtailed Kyiv offensive - Financial Times

The US has continued to express doubt that Russia was curtailing its military ambitions in Ukraine despite new Kremlin claims that it was wrapping up operations around Kyiv and had made progress in peace talks with Ukrainian negotiators.

Russia’s defence ministry on Wednesday insisted it was withdrawing from population centres in Ukraine’s north and west, including Kyiv. Igor Konashenkov, the ministry’s spokesperson, said Russia was conducting a “planned rotation” out of Kyiv and Chernihiv, a city further north, after “achieving all the main tasks” in that part of the country.

Russia’s latest claims came as US officials said there was mounting evidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin felt “misled” by his military commanders about how the war in Ukraine was playing out.

Declassified intelligence showed Putin had been unaware the Russian military was using conscripts in Ukraine, a sign there was a “clear breakdown” in the flow of accurate information to the Kremlin, one US official said.

“We would concur with the conclusion that Mr Putin has not been fully informed by his ministry of defence at every turn over the last month,” said John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, on Wednesday.

Putin initially denied conscripts were fighting in Ukraine — only for his own defence ministry to admit a day later that they were. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, then told reporters the president ordered Russia’s military prosecutors to find and punish officials responsible for conscripts being deployed, supposedly in contravention of his orders.

“We believe that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions, because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth,” the US official said.

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, said: “One of the Achilles heels of autocracies is that you don’t have people in those systems who speak truth to power or who have the ability to speak truth to power. And I think that is something that we’re seeing in Russia.”

Konashenkov also said the Russian military was moving into the “final phase” of its operations in eastern Ukraine, a move intended to “complete the operation to fully liberate the Donbas”, the mostly Russian-speaking border region in eastern Ukraine.

Russia’s military TV channel Zvezda also reported a Russian ceasefire in the heavily bombarded southern city of Mariupol starting at 10am local time on Thursday. Humanitarian corridors would be opened allowing residents to evacuate into Ukrainian territory, the report claimed.

Kirby, the Pentagon spokesperson, said the US believed Russia was repositioning just a “small percentage”, about 20 per cent, of the forces it had amassed around Kyiv.

He added that while those troops were moving away from Kyiv, and some have entered neighbouring Belarus, none were heading back to their home bases — a signal that Russia may not be committed to a sustained withdrawal.

“If the Russians are serious about de-escalating . . . then they should send them home,” Kirby said.

In addition, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces were continuing to bombard neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Kyiv and Chernihiv, despite claims military operations there were wrapping up.

“Kyiv is still very much under threat,” Kirby said.

The Russian defence ministry’s claims were the latest in a series of declarations by Moscow signalling that Putin had scaled back his ambitions in Ukraine after a more than month-long invasion that has been stymied by fierce Ukrainian opposition.

Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, said negotiators had made “substantial progress” in recent peace talks with Ukraine, but Kyiv cast doubt on the assertion, saying the Kremlin was still insisting on unacceptable Ukrainian territorial claims.

Lavrov told Russian state media that he saw “positive movement forward” during peace talks that began in Istanbul on Tuesday, though they were “not yet the final result”.

He said Ukraine’s negotiators “confirmed the necessity to ensure Ukraine’s non-nuclear, [neutral] status and its security outside of Nato” and “understand that the issues of Crimea and Donbas have been settled for good”.

But Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, said Kyiv was only willing to discuss the final status of Crimea and Donbas — southern and eastern Ukrainian regions where Russia has annexed territory — once Kyiv “restores its sovereignty over them”.

US officials said Putin’s lack of access to accurate information could affect the negotiations.

Kirby said: “If he’s not fully informed of how poorly he’s doing, then how are his negotiators going to come up with an agreement that is enduring and certainly one that respects Ukrainian sovereignty?”

Ukrainian officials acknowledged that Russian negotiators had changed their tone during the Istanbul peace talks. Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the initial “ultimatums” issued by the Kremlin had been “quietly set aside” and the talks were now focused on “a clearly-defined specific” list of issues.

Podolyak said Kyiv was still seeking concrete security guarantees that could be enforced by “defined guarantor countries” with “powerful armies”, which would include the US and a handful of western allies.

“Pragmatically, we need to have allies who will stand by us when we need help here and now,” he said.

Video: China, Russia and the war in Ukraine

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2022-03-30 23:34:48Z
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Shane Warne state funeral: Stars of sport and showbiz to pay tribute at the MCG in Melbourne - Sky Sports

Nasser Hussain on his involvement in Wednesday's state funeral: "It's an honour they've asked me to go on stage to talk about him. For me, he's absolutely the best cricketer I've ever seen and a great friend over the past decade."

Last Updated: 30/03/22 6:36am

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Nasser Hussain says he's hugely honoured to be a part of Shane Warne's memorial service at the MCG on Wednesday.

Stars of sport and showbiz, along with over 50,000 spectators, will attend the MCG on Wednesday to pay tribute to legendary cricketer Shane Warne at his state memorial.

Warne died at the age of 52 on March 4 after a suspected heart attack while in Koh Samui, Thailand, with the results of an autopsy revealing the death was due to natural causes.

Musicians Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin are sending video contributions for the state funeral, while former England captain Nasser Hussain has travelled to Melbourne to join the likes of West Indies legend Brian Lara and former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram in paying their respects in person.

"It was only a month or so ago we were chatting to him on The Cricket Show and he was his usual larger than life self," Hussain said. "He was so happy, so professional and was chatting with Rob Key and I and we were having a laugh. It's amazing how life gets you really.

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Cricket Legend Shane Warne will be laid to rest on Wednesday, with over 50,000 people expected to attend his funeral at the MCG cricket ground.

"I'm working on the Women's World Cup in New Zealand and I thought I would regret it if I didn't make the three-hour trip over to be here for arguably the greatest cricketer, a friend, and a friend of Sky Sports.

"Some of our team can't be here. Ian Ward was so close to Warney, Rob Key was so close to Warney, as were Bumble, Ath [Michael Atherton], Mikey [Michael Holding]. I just feel honoured that I'm here.

Live Shane Warne State Memorial Service

March 30, 2022, 8:00am

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"It's an honour they've asked me to go on a stage to talk about him. For me, he's absolutely the best cricketer I've ever seen and a great friend over the past decade."

'People used to sit up and watch Warne'

Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history with 708 wickets in 145 Test matches for Australia, with Hussain believing the leg-spinner will always be regarded as a legend of the sport.

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Shane Warne's three children led a private funeral service for the Australian cricket legend in Melbourne on Sunday morning.

"What a character, what a cricketer and arguably - for me - the greatest cricketer who has ever played the game," Hussain added. "He worked with us at Sky Sports in the cricket department and we were constantly reminding him of how good he was.

"Some people have genius, the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Brian Lara. Some people can get the best of themselves and be hugely competitive, then some people can think their way through a spell or innings. Shane Warne could do all three things and was so competitive.

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Australian opener David Warner pays tribute to the spinning legend Shane Warne, saying he was a cricketer who was loved around the world.

"In the 2005 Ashes, when Australia were losing the plot against Michael Vaughan's England, who was the man getting runs and getting wickets? It was Warne. In 2006, when England got 550 in Adelaide under Andrew Flintoff's captaincy, who was the man bowling England out on the last day to win that Test? It was Warne.

"Warne just ticked every box and he was just an outstanding cricketer. The other thing is cricket is entertainment, and he was such an entertaining cricketer. People used to sit up and watch when Shane Warne was bowling."

Sky Sports will be showing live coverage from the State Memorial Service, featuring a host of tributes from stars of sport and showbiz. Watch live on Wednesday from 8am on Sky Sports News and Sky Sports World Cup.

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2022-03-30 14:38:24Z
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Zelensky calls for vigilance after Russia pledges to scale back Kyiv assault - Financial Times

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned the country “should not lose vigilance” following an announcement from Russia that it would dramatically scale back its military activities near Kyiv.

The Russian comments, which followed a round of peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul on Tuesday, sent global shares higher on optimism among investors that the negotiations might be gaining traction.

“You saw the news today that the Russian military command allegedly decided to ‘reduce hostilities in the directions of Kyiv and Chernihiv’,” Zelensky said in a late night address on Tuesday.

“We should not lose vigilance. The situation has not become easier. The scale of the challenges has not diminished. The Russian army still has significant potential to continue attacks against our state.”

The apparent Russian pullback, announced by deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin, was the first faint sign of progress towards ending the month-long war.

But Ukraine and its western allies remained deeply sceptical of President Vladimir Putin’s intentions while Russia was gearing up for a larger assault on the eastern Donbas border region and continued strikes in the south.

“Yes, we can call positive the signals we hear from the negotiating platform. But these signals do not silence the explosion of Russian shells,” said Zelensky, who later referred to a strike in the southern city of Mykolayiv that killed at least eight people on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, authorities in the Donbas said residential areas in Lysychansk, a city in the region, were shelled by “heavy artillery”.

Though Russia framed the withdrawal in Kyiv and Chernihiv as a trust-building exercise, it appeared to provide a justification for retreats Russian forces had already made in the face of Ukrainian counter-attacks.

The UK defence ministry on Wednesday said units had been forced to return to Russia and Belarus to reorganise and resupply after suffering heavy losses.

It added that Russia’s stated shift of focus to the Donbas was “likely a tacit admission that it is struggling to sustain more than one axis of advance” and warned that Russia was “likely to compensate for its reduced ground manoeuvre capability through mass artillery and missile strikes”.

British defence officials added that Ukrainian forces had fought back against Russian forces north-west of Kyiv, including in Irpin, and that “Russians have been pushed back from a number of positions”.

Joe Biden echoed his Ukrainian counterpart, saying he would not “read anything into” Russia’s decision to scale back its military activities near Kyiv.

“We’ll see if they follow through on what they’re suggesting,” Biden said, speaking at the White House. The US president added that he spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Italy on Tuesday, and all agreed that they were open to hearing Russia out. “There seems to be consensus that let’s just see what they have to offer,” Biden said.

As they assessed Russia’s actions, the US and its allies would continue to apply sanctions, provide Ukraine with lethal aid and monitor the diplomatic discussions, he added.

Zelensky said “sanctions must be strengthened. Intensified weekly. And they must be effective” for peace to be achieved.

His chief of staff Andriy Ermak said on Wednesday that Ukraine needed “effective weapons, heavy weapons, artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles” but “at the same time, we do not stop diplomatic efforts to stop the war”.

Talks are set to resume online after Ukraine formally handed over draft proposals to Russia on Tuesday.

Fomin said the discussions were “entering a practical stage” on the issues of Ukraine’s neutrality and non-nuclear status — two critical Russian demands — in exchange for security guarantees for Ukraine.

Oleksandr Chaly, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said Ukraine and Russia would continue negotiations for the next two weeks and after that, the “guarantor countries” — the states expected to underwrite Ukraine’s security as part of a settlement — would be able to join.

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2022-03-30 06:18:47Z
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Ukraine war: Russia says it will curb Kyiv assault as peace talks progress - BBC

A local man reacts standing in front of a destroyed building after shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine, 27 March 2022

Russia has announced it will "drastically reduce" military combat operations in two key areas of Ukraine "to boost mutual trust" in peace talks.

The decision to scale back operations around the capital, Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv is the first sign of tangible progress from talks.

But it is unclear how extensive any reduction in military activity might be, and Ukraine remains sceptical.

The US and UK also said the pledge should be treated with caution.

On Tuesday, Russia's deputy defence minister, Alexander Fomin, said the country would "radically, by several times reduce the military activity" around Kyiv and Chernihiv.

He added that there had been progress on"the neutrality and non-nuclear status" of Ukraine, which are two key concerns for Moscow.

But Russia's pledge to scale back its forces was met with scepticism. "Ukrainians are not naive people," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an overnight video address.

"We can say that the signals... are positive, but those signals do not drown out the explosions or Russian shells," he added.

"We've only seen a small number begin to move away from Kyiv," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, adding that people should be "prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine".

The UK Defence Ministry also warned that Russia will likely "seek to divert combat power from the north to their offensive in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east".

Russia has already refocused its campaign on Ukraine's eastern regions. It has suffered a series of setbacks to the north of the capital, Kyiv, and is also seeking to capture a land corridor which stretches along the south coast to the Russian border.

The key word - scepticism

The discussions lasted around three hours. Very little was leaked, and nearly all media were kept away in a packed area on a pavement outside.

The key points became clear as members of the Ukrainian delegation came out onto the street an hour before the expected finish.

The negotiators said they had proposed to Russia that Ukraine adopt a neutral status in exchange for security guarantees - an international mechanism where guarantor countries would act to protect Ukraine in future.

In return Kyiv would not join Nato, a key Russian demand. This was not a new pledge, but it was spelt out in the clearest detail yet.

Many are sceptical about what Russia's announcement about reducing military operations actually means; whether it's a pledge to pull back or merely an acceptance it has already failed in those areas and will instead turn its full force further east.

Western countries, therefore, are saying they will judge Russia by its actions and not its words.

War in Ukraine: More coverage

LIVE: Latest updates from Ukraine
ODESA: City defies Russia and embraces signs of life
FAMILIES: Bringing up a family among the bombs
AIMS: What does Putin want?
READ MORE: Full coverage of the crisis

Ukraine's negotiators in Istanbul handed the Russians detailed proposals covering neutrality and other core issues in the conflict:

Ukraine would become a "non-bloc and non-nuclear" state, with no foreign military bases or contingents on its territory
This would have strict, legally binding guarantees from countries including the UK, China, the USA, Turkey, France, Canada, Italy, Poland and Israel which would agree to protect a neutral Ukraine in the event of attack
Ukraine would not enter military-political alliances and any international exercises would require consent of guarantor states
The future status of Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014, would be decided by 15 years of consultations
The future of the eastern areas held by Russian-backed separatists would be discussed by the two presidents.

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said this framework would enable to ceasefire to be agreed without Crimea and the eastern regions being settled.

The proposals would also enable Ukraine to join the European Union, while barring it from becoming part of Nato's defensive military alliance.

Are you or your family affected by the war in Ukraine? Only if it is safe to do so please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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2022-03-30 04:33:04Z
1350650506

Selasa, 29 Maret 2022

Piers Morgan condemns backlash against Will Smith by overly sensitive society - Geo News

FileFootage

Piers Morgan spoke out in Will Smith defence as the King Richard faced massive backlash for slapping Chris Rock at Oscars 2022.

The Good Morning Britain alum wrote in The Sun, "If Rock DID know [about her condition] then it was a nasty, cruel quip that warranted a husband’s wrath."

"And whilst I don’t condone violence, Will Smith didn’t punch him. It was just a slap, that Rock shrugged off with good humour,” he added.

“He was standing up for his wife, the woman from whom he blew off the dust when she was going through a rough time, and said he was going to make shine, and created a safe space for her to get healthy and to grow and define herself,” Morgan continued.

"In previous eras, he’d have been saluted for defending his girl, not savaged by an overly sensitive snowflake society,” the 54-year-old TV presenter slammed the critics.

The 94th Academy Awards turned into a dramatic one when the comedian cracked a joke on Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

The Pursuit of Happyness star took the joke upon himself and smacked Rock on the stage before returning to his seat. He kept saying, “Keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth!"

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2022-03-29 12:10:00Z
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Ukraine war: Russia to 'fundamentally cut back' military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv - but West says they're just playing for time - Sky News

Russia has said it will drastically cut military activity near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and around Chernihiv - a pledge dismissed by Western officials as likely an attempt to "play for time".

Alexander Fomin, the Kremlin's deputy defence minister, said Moscow has decided to "fundamentally cut back" operations to "increase mutual trust" at talks aimed at ending the fighting.

But speaking to Reuters news agency, a Western official said the announcement "seems to be more of a tactical exercise" to buy time for troops to regroup.

That assessment was echoed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said he was "not seeing signs of real seriousness" from Russia when it came to ending the war.

"Whether it's (Russia) simply trying to regroup, given the heavy losses that it suffered, I don't know," he said.

It came as Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul in Turkey for fresh peace discussions.

Putin's forces 'pushed away' from capital - live updates

In other developments:

• Ukrainian troops 'regaining territory' and pushing back Russian forces
• Zelenskyy says Ukraine willing to consider neutrality and offer security guarantees
• US casts doubt on Abramovich 'chemical' poisoning claims
• More Russian mercenaries heading to Ukraine

Russia outlines two steps to de-escalate war

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian negotiating team, explained that cutting back troops from major cities was one of two steps Moscow was taking to de-escalate the 34-day-old conflict.

He said Russia would also agree to a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, if and when a peace treaty was forthcoming from each country's foreign ministers.

However, he stressed the scale-back did not represent a ceasefire, and he said talks on a formal agreement with Kyiv have a long way to go.

But the withdrawals around Kyiv and Chernihiv have been noted by the Ukrainians, said the general staff of the country's military.

Sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich appeared at the peace negotiations on Tuesday morning, following allegations he was poisoned at earlier talks - a claim the Kremlin rejected as part of an "information war".

Zelenskyy's proposals for peace

Earlier talks, held in Belarus or by video, failed to make progress on ending the conflict that has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes - including almost four million forced abroad.

The Ukrainian president indicated previously his country is prepared to declare neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and that compromise may be possible over "the complex issue of Donbas" in the country's east, where separatists backed by Russia have controlled since 2014.

But it is unclear how that might be reconciled with his stance that "Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt".

Mr Blinken appeared to dismiss the idea of Russia being able to "subjugate" parts of Ukraine, saying: "We've seen the will and the determination of the Ukrainian people to determine their own future, not to have Russia or anyone else determine it for them."

Russia has long demanded Ukraine drop any hope of joining NATO, which Moscow sees as a threat.

Mr Zelensky, for his part, has stressed Ukraine needs security guarantees of its own as part of any deal.

Ukraine warned 'significant threat' remains to Kyiv

Meanwhile, as Ukrainian forces entered their 34th day of war, the UK's ministry of defence said the Kremlin forces still pose a "significant threat" to the capital, through their strike capability.

And later, Downing Street stressed the need for the West not to let off in its response to the crisis.

During a call with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the US, Boris Johnson "underscored that we must judge Putin's regime by their actions not their words".

A US official also warned of "continued major offensives" on other areas of Ukraine.

In his latest address to the nation, Ukraine's president said troops were regaining territory around the capital, and he heralded the "liberation" of Irpin, a key town on the northwest fringe of Kyiv.

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2022-03-29 16:07:30Z
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