Russia Ukraine War Updates: President Biden says US will downgrade Russian trade status, ban imports of Russian alcohol, seafood, diamonds

Wrap Up: All you need to know

International court warns attacks on civilians a crime

The International Criminal Court on Friday warned warring parties in Ukraine that attacks on civilians are a crime as invading Russian forces ramp up bombardments of city infrastructure. “If attacks are intentionally directed against the civilian population: that is a crime. If attacks are intentionally directed against civilian objects: that is a crime,” ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said. “I strongly urge parties to the conflict to avoid the use of heavy explosive weapons in populated areas,” added Briton Khan.

It is important to ensure full and effective implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) in letter and spirit: TS Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to UN at UNSC briefing on Ukraine; Reports of Biological Programmes

EU will ban export of luxury goods from bloc to Russia: von der Leyen

YouTube blocks Russian state-funded media channels globally

YouTube is immediately blocking access around the world to channels associated with Russian state-funded media, the company said on Friday, citing a policy barring content that denies or trivializes well-documented violent events. The world’s most used streaming video service, which is owned by Alphabet Inc’s Google, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine now fell under its violent events policy.

US accuses Russia of using UN council for disinformation

The Biden administration accused Russia of using the U.N. Security Council to promote disinformation from Moscow ahead of a Friday meeting on allegations of U.S. “biological activities” in Ukraine — a charge made without any evidence and denied by both Washington and Kyiv. “This is exactly the kind of false flag effort we have warned Russia might initiate to justify a biological or chemical weapons attack,” said Olivia Dalton, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Surging Yuan could pose challenges for Russia and China

The fall of the Russian Ruble by 30 per cent following the latest Western sanctions has caused turbulence in the currency market. This compelled Moscow to raise its interest rate to 20 per cent from 9.5 per cent apart from issuing a directive to bar citizens from transferring money outside Russia including for debt payments. The exchange rate variation has also caused concern in the Chinese financial market.

Russian Olympic body challenges ban from winter sports event

The Russian Olympic Committee made an urgent appeal Friday to overturn a ban on its athletes competing at a European winter sports festival in Finland. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it was setting a timetable for the case ahead of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival being held from March 20-25.

Austria’s OMV says no plans to refine Russian crude in ‘near future’

Austrian oil and gas firm OMV said on Friday it had no plans to refine Russian crude oil in the “near future” as Russian barrels struggled to find buyers due to Western sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We did process minor quantities Russian oil in the past, but we do not do it right now and there is no intention to do it in the near future,” the company told Reuters in an email.

US bans exports of American luxury goods to Russia, Belarus

Biden warns direct NATO-Russia clash would trigger ‘World War III’

President Joe Biden again ruled out any direct intervention by the United States to halt Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday, warning that such conflict pitting the NATO alliance against the Kremlin “is World War III.” “We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine,” Biden said in a speech at the White House, refuting increasingly desperate calls from Kyiv for NATO to intervene against the Russian assault.

US President Biden says Russia would pay a ‘severe price’ if it uses chemical weapons in Ukraine

President Biden says US will downgrade Russian trade status, ban imports of Russian alcohol, seafood, diamonds

Russia is trying everything possible to drag Belarus into war, says Ukraine deputy interior minister

Russia is trying everything possible to drag Belarus into its 16-day war against Ukraine, said Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister Yevheniy Yenin in a televised interview on Friday. “We also understand that the Belarusian government has been doing everything possible to avoid joining this war,” Yenin added.

Russia says Ukraine has agreed to only two of 10 humanitarian corridors proposed by Moscow – Tass

Ukraine has agreed to only two of 10 humanitarian corridors proposed by Russia, and none of the proposed corridors into Russia, Tass news agency reported on Friday citing the Russian defence ministry. The ministry also said that the southern port city of Mariupol, where attempts to establish a local ceasefire have failed so far, was now completely surrounded, with all bridges and roads into the city destroyed or mined by Ukrainian forces, Tass reported.

Biden to announce US banning imports of russian alcohol and seafood: Reuters source

Kerala earmarks Rs 10 cr in budget to help students returned from Ukraine to continue studies

Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal on Friday said that Rs 10 crore has been earmarked in the state budget to help students who returned from conflict-torn Ukraine continue their studies. The minister said 3,123 people of the state have returned safely from Ukraine through various flights, including 15 chartered flights amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

By end of May, we will propose to phase out our dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal by 2027: Ursula von der Leyen, president, European Commission

Ukraine’s membership application is an expression of their will and their right to choose their own destiny. Today we have opened the pathway towards us for Ukraine. They are part of the European family: Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission

Russia plans more support for suppliers and IT sector amid sanctions

Russia’s government on Friday proposed a raft of measures, including some for suppliers of state-owned companies and its IT sector, as it seeks to weather the impact of Western sanctions on its economy. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the government was actively working on a third package of measures to counteract the sanctions, which would seek to support small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as systemically important firms.

Russian media regulator restricts access to Instagram

Chernobyl plant still without external power supply – Ukraine nuclear body

Ukraine’s state nuclear power regulator said on Friday the electricity supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power station had not yet been restored, despite Russia’s energy ministry saying it was restored by Belarusian specialists on Thursday. Ukraine has warned of an increased risk of a radiation leak if the high-voltage power line, damaged in fighting, is not repaired to the plant, which is occupied by Russian forces.

Ukraine urges Israel to step up support and sanction Russia

Ukraine’s ambassador urged Israel on Friday to step up its support for Ukraine by sanctioning Moscow, accepting more Ukrainian refugees and sending defence equipment. Israel has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sent humanitarian aid, but has maintained contacts with Moscow, with which it coordinates strikes in Syria and which has influence in international nuclear talks with Iran.

China amplifies unsupported Russian claim of Ukraine biolabs

As Russia intensifies its assault on Ukraine, it is getting a helping hand from China in spreading inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that the U.S. is financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine. The U.S. has been quick to refute Russia’s conspiracy theory, and the United Nations has said it has received no information that would back up the claim, but that hasn’t stopped it from proliferating.

Finland’s president called for humanitarian corridors in phone call with Putin

Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the need for humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians in Ukraine in a phone call on Friday, the Finnish president’s office said in a statement.

Canada sanctions Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich

Canada imposed sanctions on five Russian individuals including billionaire Roman Abramovich and is barring 32 Russian companies and government entities from receiving defense equipment or supplies from Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Warsaw on Friday.

Zelensky says EU ‘should do more’ for Ukraine

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday the European Union “should do more” for his embattled country, a day after EU leaders doused its hopes of quick accession to the bloc. “The European Union should do more. It must do more for us, for Ukraine,” he said in a video statement on Telegram. “The decisions of politicians must coincide with the mood of their people.”

NATO must not allow Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to spill over into a war between the alliance and Moscow, its chief Jens Stoltenberg tells

Russia has requested a meeting of the UNSC today to discuss its claims of biological weapons in Ukraine

Moscow opens case against Meta for calling for ‘murder’ of Russians

Russia said Friday it was opening a criminal case against Meta for “calling for the murder” of Russians, saying the parent company of Facebook and Instagram had relaxed its rules on violent messages aimed at the Russia’s army and leaders. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it was launching an investigation “due to illegal calls for the murder of Russian nationals by employees of the American company Meta.”

Russia could surround Ukrainian city of Odessa on three sides – mayor

The mayor of Odesssa said on Friday Russian forces could soon surround his southern Ukrainian port city on three fronts. Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov suggested Russian forces would seek to advance from territories they have occupied in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region towards Moldova’s separatist-controlled Transdniestria region, where Russian troops are based. Such a move could cut Odessa off from the rest of Ukraine.

UN rights office says it has credible reports of Russian cluster bomb use in Ukraine

The U.N. agency has dozens of monitors in the country and more are expected to arrive once a commission established by the Geneva-based Council to probe possible war crimes is operational. It has confirmed at least 549 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, although says the real figure is likely higher.

Putin sees some ‘positive shifts’ in Russia-Ukraine talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that there were some “positive shifts” in talks between Russian and Ukraine, two weeks into Moscow’s military campaign in the country. “There are certain positive shifts, negotiators from our side reported to me,” Putin told his Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko during a televised meeting in Moscow.

Embassy of India in Russia issues guidelines for Indian students studying in Russia

Russian prosecutors ask court to name Meta as “extremist organisation” – Interfax

Prosecutors have asked a Russian court to designate Facebook’s parent organisation Meta Platforms as an “extremist organisation,” Interfax reported on Friday. The state prosecutor also asked Russia’s communications watchdog to restrict access to Meta’s Instagram social networking service.

Russian officials, including minister Shoigu, announced hasty recruitment of 16,000 ex-ISIS fighters to be used against Ukrainian civilians…: Head of the Ukraine president’s office, Mikhail Podolyak

Hiring ISIS & Russian propaganda claims about chemical weapons testify to an attempt to implement the “Syrian scenario” in Ukraine: Head of the Ukraine president’s office, Mikhail Podolyak

Japan to freeze assets of 3 Belarusian banks, ban more exports to Russia

Japan will freeze the assets of three Belarusian banks from April 10 following new sanctions against the country over its involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday. Payment and capital transactions with the three Minsk-based banks – Belagroprombank, Bank Dabrabyt and Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus – will require government permits, the ministry announced.

EU wants less dependence on imported chips, food, raw materials, as Ukraine war rages

European Union leaders will say on Friday they want to cut their dependence on global suppliers of food, microprocessors, drugs, raw materials and digital technologies, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine added a new argument for the EU to be more self-reliant. The 27-nation bloc has been considering how to become more independent in several strategic areas ever since the COVID-19 pandemic showed that a breakdown of global supply chains could leave the EU without access to pharmaceuticals or microchips.

Swiss advise citizens to leave Russia temporality

Switzerland has advised its citizens to leave Russia, the foreign ministry said in a travel advisory on its website on Friday. “The (foreign ministry) recommends that Swiss nationals whose presence in Russia is not urgently required leave the country temporarily and by their own means. The decision to leave the country is an individual decision,” it said.

Italy’s Leonardo sees Ukraine crisis accelerating EU defence project

Italian aerospace and defence group Leonardo believes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will accelerate plans to create European common defence capabilities and expects to see higher military spending. “I am sure this tragic event will create higher coordination and spending in defence (in Europe),” Leonardo Chief Executive Alessandro Profumo told an analysts call, adding that Leonardo was already part of several EU programmes including the recently signed EuroMale air drone and Tempest fighter jet project.

Biden, with G7 and EU, will call for Russia trade status to be revoked: source

US President Joe Biden will announce on Friday that he wants to strip Russia of its “most favored nation” trade status, according to a source familiar with the matter, a move that would pave the way for tariff hikes. Final approval on the new measure in response to the invasion of Ukraine — to be taken in coordination with the G7 countries and the European Union — will be decided by Congress, the source added.

Russian PM says sanctioned companies can withhold names of firms they work with

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Friday said companies under Western sanctions would have the right to withhold publishing the names of parties they work with, as Moscow looks to minimise the impact on its economy.Mishustin said the government was actively working on a third package of measures to counteract sanctions, which would seek to support small and medium sized enterprises, as well as systemically important firms.

Kremlin says Syrians can volunteer to fight for Russia in Ukraine

The Kremlin said Friday that fighters from Syria and the Middle East would be allowed to fight for Russia in Ukraine, after President Vladimir Putin backed a plan to send volunteers to battle there. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia’s defence minister had said that “most of those who want and who asked (to fight) are citizens of Middle East countries and Syrians”.

EU foreign policy chief says ‘pause’ needed in Iran talks

The European Union’s foreign policy chief said that “a pause” was needed in ongoing talks over Iran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers, blaming “external factors” for the delay.

Fitch says high commodity prices a challenge for most Asian sovereigns

Kremlin says Meta would have to cease work in Russia if Reuters report is true

Russia puts Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s press secretary on wanted list

Russian authorities have put Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh on an international wanted list and are seeking that she be sent to jail, a Russian police database showed

Russia repeatedly told the west about its concerns about Ukraine but got no answers, Kremlin says

On talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin has said that Russia’s position is clear & that Ukraine knows what its position is

Sterling dips as haven demand supports dollar

Sterling slipped to a 16-month low on Friday against the safe-haven U.S. dollar and was heading for its third consecutive weekly decline as stronger-than-expected UK economic growth did little to support the pound.

Russian oligarch says nationalisations will ‘take us back to 1917’

Vladimir Potanin, one of Russia’s richest oligarchs and a Kremlin confidant, has criticised plans to confiscate assets of foreign enterprises leaving the country, likening them to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

Kazakh, Turkish carriers suspend Russia flights

Kazakhstan’s national airline Air Astana and Turkish budget airline Pegasus Airlines said Friday they were temporary suspending flights to Russia, following sanctions imposed on Moscow over its military incursion in Ukraine.

EU proposes extra 500 mn euros for Ukraine military aid

Russia looking at sourcing aircraft spare part supplies from Asia

2.5 million people have now fled Ukraine: UN

“Two and a half million people have now fled Ukraine, including 116,000 third-country nationals,” Paul Dillon, spokesman for the UN’s International Organization for Migration, announced on Twitter.

Reinforcement in order

Russian President Vladimir Putin approves bringing ‘volunteer’ fighters from the Middle East and elsewhere to join Russia’s Ukraine offensive, reports AP

Russian prosecutors up oversight of foreign firms leaving country

Putin says we must welcome volunteers who want to fight against Ukrainian forces, help them get to combat areas, reports Reuters

Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine discuss Putin-Zelensky summit to end war

Visuals: IAF aircraft, carrying 213 Indian students who were stranded in Ukraine, arrives at Hindan airbase in Ghaziabad, UP

UK’s Sunak says Ukraine invasion creating ‘significant uncertainty’

No recession in Europe despite Ukraine crisis, reports Reuters