 "India’s US envoy Kwatra discusses bilateral trade ties with US lawmakers")
 "Netanyahu accuses Hamas leaders of derailing ceasefire, says eliminating them in Qatar could end Gaza war")
Ukraine Russia war LIVE Updates: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine can be suspended only if Kyiv ceases military actions and fulfils Moscow’s demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron over the phone on Sunday that he was not against a trilateral meeting among Russia, Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a third country or via teleconference, but not in Chernobyl in Ukraine, the Kremlin said. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday (local time) said that close to 6,200 students have been evacuated from Ukraine till today including the 889 students who will be landing in India on Sunday. The United States is in talks with Poland on a deal to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, a White House spokesperson confirmed. Eight rockets launched by Russia destroyed Vinnytsia airport located in Central Ukraine, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, reported The Kyiv Independent. Russian authorities on Sunday continued to block independent news outlets and to arrest protesters in an effort to tighten control over what information the domestic audience sees about the invasion of Ukraine. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office says he has called for an urgent cease-fire in Ukraine in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing his call for foreign countries to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine More than 15,900 Indians have been brought back since the special flights under Operation Ganga began on February 22 to rescue the stranded Indian citizens in Ukraine. South Korea will impose sanctions against Belarus for supporting Russia in its current military operation in Ukraine, said a media report citing the country’s Foreign Ministry. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that the Russian forces are preparing to bombard port city Odessa. The Mariupol City Council announced the evacuation of civilians via humanitarian corridors on Sunday, a day later than the initially agreed upon date with Russia. Russian forces observe temporary cease-fire in two Ukrainian cities. A promised cease-fire in Mariupol failed amid scenes of terror Saturday. Ukrainian officials said the evacuation was aborted because the city remained under attack. Russia, without evidence, says Ukraine making nuclear ‘dirty bomb’. Russian media cited an unnamed source on Sunday as saying that Ukraine was close to building a plutonium-based “dirty bomb” nuclear weapon, although the source cited no evidence Britain compares Moscow’s tactics to Chechnya. The strength of Ukrainian resistance continues to surprise Russian forces and they have responded by targeting populated areas, including the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence briefing Russian missile strike destroys 30 houses in Ovruch. Ukraine dominates social media information war with Russia. Israel PM returns from surprise trip to Russia. Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow on Saturday, where he met the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, for three hours. The trip was made ‘in coordination and with the blessing’ of the Biden administration, according to Bennett’s office. Germany, Israel call on leaders to end war. In a statement posted to Twitter, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said the leaders of Germany and Israel agreed to stay in close contact and that ‘a common goal remains to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.’ Russia may have entered a brief operational pause, says US think tank. Putin must fail, says Britain’s Boris Johnson, set to launch an international ‘plan of action’. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to launch an international “plan of action” to ensure Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fails, including a flurry of diplomatic meetings next week, his office said on Saturday. Putin threatens Ukraine ‘statehood’ as Moscow sanctions tighten. Men line up to join Ukrainian army. Since Russia’s invasion 10 days ago, the economic and humanitarian toll of the war has spiralled, sending more than one million people fleeing Ukraine. Officials have reported hundreds of civilians killed China-Russia relationship tested by war. Visa, Mastercard suspend operations in Russia. Card payment giants Visa and Mastercard are the latest major US firms to suspend operations in Russia over its invasion of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a “desperate plea” for more planes as Russian forces continued to batter strategic locations with missiles and artillery and a temporary cease-fire failed. Sanctions from the West continued, something Putin likened to “declaring war.” Putin continued to pin the blame for Russia’s war against Ukraine on the Ukrainian leadership, saying if they “continue to do what they are doing, they are calling into question the future of Ukrainian statehood.” But Zelenskyy urged resistance. He said Ukrainians managed to keep control of key cities in central and southeastern Ukraine. In a video address to the nation, he urged Ukrainians in cities taken over by the Russian forces to fight back. “It is a special kind of heroism – to protest when your city is occupied,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukrainians in all of our cities that the enemy has entered – go on the offensive! You should take to the streets! You should fight!” Thousands of Ukrainians in cities held by Russian forces took to the streets. Some climbed Russia’s military vehicles and waved Ukraine’s yellow and blue flag. In a private call with US lawmakers, Zelenskyy asked the United States to help get more warplanes to his military. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement that Zelenskyy made a “desperate plea” and wants the US to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern European allies. Schumer said he will do all he can. The US is considering sending American-made F-16s to former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe that are now members of NATO. In turn, they would send their own Soviet-era MiGs to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba at the Poland-Ukraine border outside the town of Korczowa.Blinken, indicated fighter jets are under consideration. “We are talking about and working on everything,” Blinken said. A temporary cease-fire in two key Ukrainian cities failed — and both sides blamed each other. Ukrainian officials said Russian artillery fire and airstrikes prevented residents from evacuating the eastern city of Volnovakha, and Mariupol, a southeast port city of about 430,000. Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the effort. Russian forces intensified shelling in Mariupol, including dropping bombs from airplanes in residential areas, the mayor said. “The city is in a very, very difficult state of siege,” Vadym Boychenko told Ukrainian TV. “Relentless shelling of residential blocks is ongoing, airplanes have been dropping bombs on residential areas.” Boychenko said thousands of children, women and the elderly came under fire as they prepared for a possible evacuation through a safe passage corridor. Directly witnessed or confirmed by The Associated Press Russia’s days-long assault has caused growing misery in Mariupol, where AP journalists witnessed doctors make unsuccessful attempts to save the lives of wounded children, pharmacies ran bare and hundreds of thousands of people faced food and water shortages in freezing weather. In Irpin, near Kyiv, a sea of people on foot and even in wheelbarrows trudged over the remains of a destroyed bridge to cross a river and leave the city. Assisted by Ukrainian soldiers, they lugged pets, infants, purses and flimsy bags stuffed with minimal possessions. Some of the weak and elderly were carried along the path in blankets and carts. Kyiv’s central train station remained crowded with people desperate to join the more than 1.4 million who have fled Ukraine. Frequent shelling could be heard from the center Kyiv, the nation’s capital. In stories and videos posted online, Russian state outlets are falsely claiming that Zelenskyy fled Kyiv. Photos and videos show the Ukrainian president leading his country’s defense.
Ukraine Russia war LIVE Updates: Russia interfering at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant, UN nuclear watchdog warns
Ukraine Russia war LIVE Updates: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine can be suspended only if Kyiv ceases military actions and fulfils Moscow’s demands
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Ukraine Russia war LIVE Updates
Pope Francis calls for safe passage, ceasefire in Ukraine
Ukraine Russia war LIVE Updates
Russia warns countries against hosting Ukrainian aircraft
Russia on Sunday warned Ukraine’s neighbours including NATO member Romania against hosting Kyiv’s military aircraft, saying they could end up being involved in an armed conflict.
“We know for sure that Ukrainian combat aircraft have flown to Romania and other neighbouring countries,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a video briefing.
“The use of the airfield network of these countries for basing Ukrainian military aviation with the subsequent use of force against Russia’s army can be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict,” he added.
Konashenkov also claimed that “practically all” Ukraine’s combat-ready aircraft had been destroyed.
-AFP
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Indian Embassy team coordinating safe passage for students stuck in Ukraine’s Sumy
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Military operation can be suspended if Kyiv fulfils Moscow’s demands, Putin tells Erdogan
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine can be suspended only if Kyiv ceases military actions and fulfils Moscow’s demands.
Putin also informed Erdogan on the progress of the special military operation to ‘defend Donbas’ and outlined the main goals and objectives of the operation. A Kremlin statement said, “Vladimir Putin informed about the progress of the special military operation on protecting Donbas, conveyed principal approaches and assessments in this context, explained in detail basic set goals and tasks. It was emphasized that the special operation is proceeding according to a plan and is on schedule,” reported TASS News Agency.
-ANI
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Putin in call with Macron agrees to meet Ukraine, IAEA in third country
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron over the phone on Sunday that he was not against a trilateral meeting among Russia, Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a third country or via teleconference, but not in Chernobyl in Ukraine, the Kremlin said
-ANI
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Around 6,200 Indian nationals evacuated from Ukraine
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday (local time) said that close to 6,200 students have been evacuated from Ukraine till today including the 889 students who will be landing in India on Sunday. He further said that efforts are underway to evacuate Indian students from Sumy’s Ukraine and arrangements are being made.
Speaking to ANI, the Union Minister said, “I think after the 5 flights today the figure will be close to 6,200 but you can never be absolutely precise because some people who came to Hungary registered others we have to issue an advisory that last flight is going out. Approximately 5,200 Indian nationals were returned home country yesterday. Today around 889 are returning to their home country. We are operating the last leg of Operation Ganga flights today."
-ANI
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Lviv covers all statues in city from possible attacks
Amid escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the Ukrainian city of Lviv has covered all its statues to protect its historical heritage against possible attacks.
Speaking with ANI a Ukrainian citizen Vlad said, “All the sculptures, statues have historical value and that’s why people want to protect them. Some sculptors are more than 100 years old. They have historical importance hence people are protecting them from the damage."
-ANI
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44 Indians left for Polish border, over 150 on way to Romanian border: Indian Embassy in Kyiv
A group of 44 Indians who began their journey from Pisochyn in Ukraine are on their way to the Polish border from Lviv while over 150 proceeded to the Romanian border amid an escalating fight between Russia and Ukraine.
Indian Embassy in Ukraine in a tweet shared the information and asked everyone to be strong in these difficult times. “Bringing our Indians back home group of 44 Indians who began their journey from Pisochyn are on their way to the Polish border from Lviv.
-ANI
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US in talks with Poland on deal to send fighter jets to Ukraine: White House Spokesperson
The United States is in talks with Poland on a deal to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, a White House spokesperson confirmed.
The spokesperson also said that they are figuring out the logistics as to how the aircraft would be transferred from Poland to Ukraine. US is determining what “capabilities we could provide to backfill Poland if it decided to transfer planes to Ukraine,” added the spokesperson, reported CNN News. The spokesperson did not clear what ‘backfill’ options were under consideration and noted that sending fighter jets into Ukraine is a “sovereign decision for any country to make”.
– ANI
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Eight rockets launched by Russia destroy Vinnytsia airport in Central Ukraine, says Zelenskyy
Eight rockets launched by Russia destroyed Vinnytsia airport located in Central Ukraine, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, reported The Kyiv Independent.
Zelenskyy called on the western nations and said, “The world has the power to close our skies for Russian rockets and aircraft.” He adds that Ukraine requires aircraft, to make Ukrainian skies safe.
Vinnytsia airport is located 7.5 kilometres east of the railway station of Vinnytsia and 1 kilometre southwest of the village of Gavryshivka. It is located in the centre of Ukraine and had convenient transportation for passengers and cargo both in Ukraine and abroad.
– ANI
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Russia blocks more media outlets, threatens journalists with 15 years in prison under ‘fake news’ law
Russian authorities on Sunday continued to block independent news outlets and to arrest protesters in an effort to tighten control over what information the domestic audience sees about the invasion of Ukraine.
Several prominent independent online outlets were blocked on Sunday, on top of dozens of others that were blocked last week. Others decided to halt operation in Russia because of new repressive laws or refused to cover the invasion at all because of the pressure. Hundreds of protesters have been detained all across Russia.
-AP
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In a telephonic call with Putin, Turkish President calls for urgent cease-fire in Ukraine
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office says he has called for an urgent cease-fire in Ukraine in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement following Sunday’s one-hour call, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan had urged a halt to fighting to “address humanitarian concerns” and “seek a political solution” to the conflict. The war is now in its 11th day.
-AFP
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India has excellent diplomatic service, knows what to do, says German envoy Lindner on Ukraine crisis
Referring to India’s stand at the international forums on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, German Ambassador to India, Walter J Lindner on Sunday said that India has excellent diplomatic service and seeing the global world order their diplomats know what to do regarding India’s stand on the issue.
-ANI
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Russia detains over 1,100 at Ukraine conflict protests
Over 1,100 people in cities across Russia have been detained at protests on Sunday against Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, a monitor said, more than a week after the assault began.
OVD-Info, which monitors detentions at opposition protests, said that by around 2:20 pm Moscow time (1120 GMT) on Sunday, 1,103 people had been detained across 35 cities.
The highest numbers held were in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and in Yekaterinburg in the Urals.
Riot police also detained protesters who gathered on squares in the country’s largest cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
-AFP
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Voldymyr Zelenskyy pushes for no-fly zone over Ukraine
Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy is pushing his call for foreign countries to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Establishing a no-fly zone would risk escalating the conflict by involving foreign militaries directly. Although the United States and many Western countries have backed Ukraine with weapons shipments, they have sent no troops.
Zelenskyy said in a video address on Sunday that “the world is strong enough to close our skies."
-PTI
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Ukraine crisis: More than 15,900 Indian citizens brought back under Operation Ganga
More than 15,900 Indians have been brought back since the special flights under Operation Ganga began on February 22 to rescue the stranded Indian citizens in Ukraine.
To rescue Indian citizens, 2135 Indians have been brought back on Sunday by 11 special civilian flights from Ukraine’s neighboring countries. The number of Indians airlifted by 66 special civilian flights goes up to 13852, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation. To date, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has flown 10 sorties to bring back 2056 passengers, while taking 26 tonnes of relief load to these countries, as part of Operation Ganga," it added.
-ANI
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Russian forces preparing to bombard port city Odessa, says Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that the Russian forces are preparing to bombard port city Odessa
-AFP
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Ukrainian authorities of Mariupol announce evacuation via humanitarian corridor
The Mariupol City Council announced the evacuation of civilians via humanitarian corridors on Sunday, a day later than the initially agreed upon date with Russia.
“A ceasefire will be established today, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time [08:00 to 19:00 GMT]. The evacuation of the civilian population begins at 12:00,” the council announced on Telegram. It added that civilians will be able to evacuate from Mariupol from three places by bus or leave the city on private transport. The evacuation was delayed by a day, which was blamed by both Russia and Ukraine on the other side.
-ANI
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Russian shops to limit food sales to counter black market
Retailers in Russia will limit sales of essential foodstuffs to limit black market speculation and ensure affordability, the government said Sunday, as sanctions imposed over Moscow’s military incursion into Ukraine began to bite.
The trade and industry ministry over the weekend said there had been cases where essential foodstuffs had been purchased “in a volume clearly larger than necessary for private consumption (up to several tons) for subsequent resale”.
Trade organisations representing retailers had proposed retailers be allowed to limit the volume of specific goods sold to individuals at any one time, the ministry’s statement said.
AFP
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South Korea to hit Belarus with export controls
South Korea said Sunday it will implement export controls against close Moscow ally Belarus for “effectively supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.
Without detailing what specific measures would be taken, Seoul’s foreign ministry said the restrictions would be similar to those previously imposed on Russia.
South Korea last month said it would tighten export controls against Moscow by banning shipments of strategic items and join Western countries in suspending financial transactions with several major Russian banks.
AFP
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More than 1.5 million refugees flee Ukraine in past 10 days: UN
The number of people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has topped 1.5 million, making it Europe’s “fastest growing refugee crisis” since World War II, the United Nations said.
“More than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed into neighbouring countries in 10 days —- the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II,” it said in a statement on Twitter.
AFP
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Limited Russian cease-fire revived in Ukraine; talks planned
Russian forces will observe a temporary cease-fire Sunday in two Ukrainian cities, an official in one of the country’s two pro-Russia separatist regions said after an agreement to allow civilians to evacuate collapsed a day earlier amid continued shelling.
Eduard Basurin, the head of the military in separatist-held Donetsk territory, said safe passage corridors for residents of the besieged port city of Mariupol and the city of Volnovakha would reopen Sunday. He did not say for how long nor whether a cease-fire would accompany the evacuation.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that evacuations from Mariupol would take place starting from 12 p.m. local time. Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said a ceasefire would be in effect between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.
AP
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Foreigners who fled Ukraine team up to help others escape
Jarred by discriminatory treatment and left to evacuate themselves from Ukraine, people from African, Asian and Latin American countries who succeed in getting out are forming impromptu networks to help thousands of others hoping to flee.
Stepping into the gap was an easy decision for Alexander Somto Orah, 25, a Nigerian student in Ukraine who, like some others, described xenophobia and threats of violence as he approached the border with Poland shortly after Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian border guards “separated Africans, together with Indians, from the rest and directed us to the Romanian border” scores of miles away, Orah said. “They told us that if we try to push our way through, they are going to shoot us.” Video shared with The Associated Press shows the confrontation.
AP
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Last leg of Operation Ganga today, says Indian Embassy in Hungary
Ukraine Russia war LIVE Updates
Russian war in world’s ‘breadbasket’ threatens food supply
The Russian tanks and missiles besieging Ukraine also are threatening the food supply and livelihoods of people in Europe, Africa and Asia who rely on the vast, fertile farmlands of the Black Sea region — known as the “breadbasket of the world.”
Ukrainian farmers have been forced to neglect their fields as millions flee, fight or try to stay alive. Ports are shut down that send wheat and other food staples worldwide to be made into bread, noodles and animal feed. And there are worries Russia, another agricultural powerhouse, could have its grain exports upended by Western sanctions.
While there have not yet been global disruptions to wheat supplies, prices have surged 55% since a week before the invasion amid concerns about what could happen next. If the war is prolonged, countries that rely on affordable wheat exports from Ukraine could face shortages starting in July, International Grains Council director Arnaud Petit told The Associated Press.
AP
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Austrian OMV company exiting Russia projects
Austrian energy company OMV says it has decided not to pursue any future investments in Russia and is starting a “strategic review” of its stake in the Yuzhno Rosskoye gas and oil field, which could result in its exit.
OMV said in a statement late Saturday that “Russia will no longer be a core region” in its business. CEO Alfred Stern said that “the war in Ukraine is a tragic and perilous situation that is causing great suffering for many and that we view with the utmost consternation.”
OMV holds a 24.99% stake in the Yuzhno Rosskoye gas field. It said that the review it has now launched “comprises all options including possibilities to divest or exit.” It said that it expects to take costs of 500 million-800 million euros ($547 million-875 million).
AP
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Russia, without evidence, says Ukraine making nuclear “dirty bomb”
Russian media cited an unnamed source on Sunday as saying that Ukraine was close to building a plutonium-based “dirty bomb” nuclear weapon, although the source cited no evidence.
The TASS, RIA and Interfax news agencies quoted “a representative of a competent body” in Russia on Sunday as saying Ukraine was developing nuclear weapons at the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was shut down in 2000.
Ukraine’s government has said it had no plans to rejoin the nuclear club, having given up its nuclear arms in 1994 following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Reuters
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Blinken pledges American support in Moldova
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Moldova pledging America’s support to the small Western-leaning former Soviet republic that is coping with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and warily watching Russia’s intensifying war with its neighbor.
Blinken was meeting on Sunday with senior Moldovan officials who are appealing for international assistance in dealing with more than 120,000 refugees from Ukraine that it is now hosting while also seeking security reassurances against potential Russian aggression. More than 230,000 people have fled into Moldova from Ukraine since the war began 11 days ago.
AP
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Operation Ganga: Unprecedented saga of grit, compassion and PM Modi’s diplomatic heft
Even as the Russia-Ukraine war rages on, a large diaspora of Indian nationals (mainly students) found themselves in a Catch-22 situation amidst the political turmoil in Ukraine. Direct evacuation of these stranded Indians from Ukraine, through flights could not be carried out in view of the Notice to Airmen or Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) issued by Ukraine, hours after the war began. Accordingly, Indian embassies thereafter, in neighbouring countries like Poland, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia and Hungary, made arrangements on a war-footing to get Indian nationals from Ukraine and fly them out of these aforesaid countries under Operation Ganga.
As on 3 March 2022, over 18,000 Indians came back safely since the first advisory on 15 February 2022, with 6,400 Indians evacuated under the massive Operation Ganga in the last 48 hours. Another 7,400 Indians are slated to be evacuated in the next 48 hours. Thanks to the alacrity and dynamism showcased by the Modi government, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally supervising every single detail, to hasten the evacuation process, Operation Ganga is a resounding success.
Read MoreUkraine Russia war LIVE Updates
Relax rules for medical students returning from Ukraine: Varun Gandhi
BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Sunday said that medical students returning from Ukraine should be structurally integrated into Indian institutions by relaxing rules, while suggesting that the NRI quota of medical colleges be utilised for them.
Underlining that the war in Ukraine has mentally broken the students, Gandhi said, “We have to accommodate these students in Indian institutions by relaxing rules.”
In a tweet, Gandhi said on the one hand, the students have bitter memories of war and on other hand, their future hangs in balance.
PTI
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Britain compares Russia’s tactics to Chechnya
British military officials on Sunday compared Russia’s tactics in Ukraine to those used in Chechnya and Syria, where cities were bombarded and heavily damaged after Russian forces faced unexpected resistance from their defenders.
The strength of Ukrainian resistance continues to surprise Russian forces and they have responded by targeting populated areas, including the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence briefing.
“This is likely to represent an effort to break Ukrainian morale,” the ministry said in a statement. “Russia has used similar tactics in Chechnya in 1999 and Syria in 2016, employing both air and ground-based munitions.”
AP
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Russian missile strike destroys 30 houses in Ovruch, in the Zhytomyr region
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UK intelligence says Russia targeting populated areas in Ukraine
British military intelligence said on Sunday that Russian forces were targeting populated areas in Ukraine but that the strength of resistance was slowing the Russian advance.
“The scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance continue to surprise Russia,” British military intelligence said in an update. Russia “has responded by targeting populated areas in multiple locations, including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol.”
“Russia has previously used similar tactics in Chechnya in 1999 and Syria in 2016, employing both air and ground-based munitions,” British military intelligence said.
Russia has repeatedly denied that it is targeting civilian areas.
Reuters
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Russian forces intensify shelling, say Ukrainian officials
Russia has dropped powerful bombs on residential areas of the city of Chernihiv, a regional official said Saturday.
Vyacheslav Chaus posted a photo of what he said was an undetonated FAB-500, a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) air-dropped bomb.
“Usually this weapon is used against military-industrial facilities and fortified structures,” said Chaus, head of the same-named region of Chernihiv. “But in Chernihiv, against residential areas.”
The city of Chernihiv, located north of Kyiv and with a population of 290,000, has come under heavy fire from Russian forces. Officials said 17 people in the region were killed in the shelling.
A video released Saturday by the Ukrainian government showed people cheering as they watched a Russian military plane fall from the sky and crash.
AP
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Israel PM returns from surprise trip to Russia
Israel’s prime minister has returned from a surprise trip to Russia where he met President Vladimir Putin and discussed the war in Ukraine.
Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow on Saturday, where he met the Russian leader for three hours. The trip was made “in coordination and with the blessing” of the Biden administration, according to Bennett’s office.
Bennett spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his meeting with Putin. He then flew to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Bennett landed in Israel on Sunday morning and is expected to convene his Cabinet for its weekly meeting later in the day.
AP
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Indian students, who were stuck in Ukraine, return home and reunite with their families
Ukraine Russia war LIVE Updates
A media blackout
A host of international broadcasters, including the BBC, CNN, Italy’s RAI and Germany’s ARD and ZDF, say they will stop reporting from Russia after it passed a law punishing the publication of what it calls “fake news” about its invasion with jail terms of up to 15 years.
Award-winning independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta says it will also stop reporting on the war in Ukraine in light of the new law.
AFP
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Ukraine dominates social media info war with Russia
Ukraine has succeeded in dominating social media in the first days since the Russian invasion, in an intensifying information war with Moscow that Kyiv so far appears to be winning, analysts say.
Even as President Volodymyr Zelensky remains bunkered down in Kyiv amid heavy bombardment and the fear of assassination, his government has forced an all-out assault on social media to win supporters for their cause.
Zelensky’s daily video addresses, usually published with English subtitles, have become viral sensations, while the defence and foreign ministries tout the military resistance of Ukraine in snazzy graphics.
Meanwhile, Ukrainians have posted videos showing the success of their forces that have become viral trends, including a Ukrainian missile shooting down a Russian helicopter and a Ukrainian farmer towing away captured Russian military hardware on his tractor.
Self-shot videos of Ukrainians sobbing amid the ruins of their towns after Russia stepped up bombardments have also gripped people around the world.
AFP
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Could the Russian invasion of Ukraine spark a global financial crisis?
The Russian assault on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities has intensified uncertainty in the world economy. To condemn Putin’s war, western leaders announced some restrictive economic measures to target Russian financial institutions and individuals.
The sanctions include: removing some Russian banks from the Swift messaging system for international payments; freezing the assets of Russian companies and oligarchs in western countries; and restricting the Russian central bank from using its US$630 billion (473 billion) of foreign reserves to undermine the sanctions.
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Fleeing sanctions, oligarchs seek safe ports for superyachts
Many are anchored in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. But more than a dozen were underway or had already arrived in remote ports in small nations such as the Maldives and Montenegro, potentially beyond the reach of Western sanctions. Three had gone dark, their transponders last pinging just outside the Bosporus in Turkey — gateway to the Black Sea and the southern Russian ports of Sochi and Novorossiysk.
AP