LAST UPDATE | 24 Mar 2022
HERE WERE THE major developments on the 29th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Good morning all, Lauren Boland here. It’s Thursday, the 29th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and one full month since it began on 24 February.
Here’s what’s happening today so far:
G7, Nato and EU leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss the war and determine the next stage of their response to Russia, including US President Joe Biden, who flew over to attend the summit and visit Poland.
Speaking at the gathering this morning, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of making a “big mistake” by invading Ukraine.
“President Putin has made a big mistake and that is to launch a war against an independent sovereign nation,” Stoltenberg said.
“He has underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian people, the bravery of the Ukrainian people and their armed forces.”
Stoltenberg said that Nato leaders would “address the need for a reset of our deterrence and defence in the longer term”, starting with agreeing new deployments to eastern members Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg today accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of making a “big mistake” by invading Ukraine, as leaders gathered to discuss overhauling the alliance’s eastern defences, AFP reports.
“President Putin has made a big mistake and that is to launch a war against an independent sovereign nation. He has underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian people, the bravery of the Ukrainian people and their armed forces,” Stoltenberg said ahead of a Nato summit in Brussels.
Stoltenberg said the leaders of the US-led military alliance would “address the need for a reset of our deterrence and defence in the longer term”, starting with agreeing new deployments to eastern members Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
Nato has already rushed tens of thousands of troops to its eastern flank in the wake of Russia’s invasion to counter the threat of any spillover from the conflict into alliance countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country is not in Nato, is set to appeal for more weapons and greater intervention in a video address to leaders as he seeks to cajole the West into a tougher response.
“We are waiting for meaningful steps. From NATO, the EU and the G7,” Zelensky said ahead of the day of summits of all three organisations in Brussels.
“At these three summits we will see: Who is a friend, who is a partner, and who betrayed us for money. Life can be defended only when united.”
Nato leaders are vowing to bolster weapons deliveries to non-member Ukraine and supply protection against chemical and nuclear threats from Russia.
But the alliance has rebuffed pleas from Kyiv to impose a no-fly zone to help halt Russia’s onslaught for fear of getting dragged into a “full-fledged” conflict with Moscow.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that this conflict does not escalate beyond Ukraine that will cause even more suffering, even more death, even more destruction,” Stoltenberg said.
US President Joe Biden warned before heading to Europe of a “real threat” that the Kremlin could use chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Stoltenberg told journalists that “any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict”.
“It will be a blatant violation of international law, and it will have widespread and severe consequences.”
More than 3.6 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia’s invasion, the United Nations says. More than 10 million people have been displaced from their homes.
The Russian stock market has resumed limited trading under heavy restrictions almost a month after prices plunged and the market was shut down following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, PA reports.
Trading of a limited number of stocks, including energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft, took place under curbs meant to prevent a repeat of the massive sell-off that took place on 24 February in anticipation of western economic sanctions.
Foreigners cannot sell and traders are barred from short selling or betting prices will fall. The country’s benchmark Moex index gained 8% in the first minutes of trading.
The reopening of stock trading on the Moscow Exchange has little impact on investors outside Russia. Its market capitalisation is a fraction of that of major western or Asian markets.
Foreign investment managers lost one reason to buy Russian stocks after MSCI declared the market to be “uninvestable” following the invasion and removed it from global indexes.
Hundreds of US, European and Japanese companies have pulled out of Russia.
Boris Johnson will urge western allies to help “keep the flame of freedom alive” in Ukraine as he pledged the UK will supply 6,000 more missiles to the military in Kyiv.
The UK Prime Minister is joining fellow Nato leaders in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss the latest situation a month on from the start of the Russian invasion.
He will use the visit to set out details of a new support package for Ukrainian forces, including 6,000 more missiles comprising anti-tank and high-explosive weaponry.
⚡️4 killed by Russian overnight shelling in Luhansk Oblast.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
According to the local governor Serhiy Haidai, Russian forces attacked towns in Luhansk Oblast with missiles and phosphorus bombs that are banned to use against civilians by the Geneva Conventions.
Four people were killed by overnight shelling in Luhansk Oblast, the Kyiv Independent reports.
According to the local governor Serhiy Haidai, Russian forces attacked towns in Luhansk Oblast with missiles and phosphorus bombs that are banned to use against civilians by the Geneva Conventions.
Ukraine’s president has made an impassioned plea for global street protests against Russia’s bloody month-old invasion and for democratic leaders amassed in Brussels for emergency summits today to send more advanced weaponry.
In a late-night television address from the emptied streets of the besieged capital Kyiv, a defiant but visibly tired Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed in English for the world to help ensure his nation’s survival.
“The world must stop the war,” he said. “Come from your offices, your homes, your schools and universities, come in the name of peace, come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, to support freedom, to support life.”
Addressing leaders of the G7, Nato and the European Union meeting in the Belgian capital, he called for a step-shift in weapons deliveries, including more advanced fighter jets, missile defence systems, tanks, armoured vehicles and anti-ship missiles.
“Freedom must be armed,” he said bluntly, as a heavily armed guard kept watch close by — a stark reminder that Zelenskyy’s own life, and the life of his nation, are in acute peril.
His appeal came exactly one month after Russian tanks rolled over the border, bringing a conflict that has already killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians, and thousands more soldiers on both sides.
More than 10 million Ukrainians have fled their homes, as cities have faced sustained Russian bombardment from land, sea and air.
ICYMI, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted an invitation to address both houses of the Oireachtas.
Ukraine’s leader will address the Dáil and the Seanad at 10am on 6 April after accepting an invitation from the Ceann Comhairle yesterday.
Zelenskyy has been carrying out something of a virtual world tour, addressing parliaments in countries around the world, including the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Israel and the UK.
The 44-year-old has tailored his speeches specifically for each parliament, referencing key moments in that nation’s history and relating it to the situation currently faced by Ukraine.
#UPDATE At least four people were killed, including two children, from overnight strikes in eastern Ukraine, the governor of the Lugansk region said
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 24, 2022
📸 Firefighters put out a fire at a warehouse in Severodonetsk, Luhansk region, that was destroyed by Russian shelling on March 21 pic.twitter.com/Ye71DCjPHl
At least four people were killed, including two children, and six wounded from overnight strikes in eastern Ukraine, the governor of the Lugansk region said today.
Sergiy Gayday said “unfortunately, the number of victims could be considerably higher,” accusing Russian forces of using phosphorus bombs in the village of Rubizhne.
Other officials in the region have made similar claims in recent days, which AFP has been unable to immediately verify.
“The Russians are struggling. They can’t advance. That’s why they have started to use heavy weapons,” Gayday said.
He said Russian strikes also hit Lysychansk and Novodruzhesk to the northwest of Lugansk, without providing additional details.
Every evening Ukraine's President #Zelenskyy addresses his nation. Tonight for the first time, he did it in English. Calling on people everywhere to show their solidarity "Come out of your offices and homes, show your support to the Ukrainian people" #UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/iJaRQlvWnF
— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) March 23, 2022
In a video message last night, Zelenskyy called on people everywhere to “come out of your offices and homes, show your support to the Ukrainian people”.
Irish energy customers are “acutely exposed” to cost increases and supply issues because of the country’s over-dependence on imported sources, a new report warns.
The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) says that Ireland urgently needs to diversify its sources of energy to ensure security of supplies in future.
“The current crisis in Ukraine has accelerated energy price inflation, with natural gas and oil prices rising to near record levels,” NCPC chair Dr Frances Ruane said.
“But we must not lose sight of the need for investment to bolster Ireland’s energy security in the medium to long term, by focusing on projects to help diversify energy supply sources and by investing in upgrading our electricity infrastructure in ways that align with meeting the targets set in our Climate Action Plan.”
More than half of all children in Ukraine have been displaced from their homes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February, the United Nations said today.
“One month of war in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 4.3 million children – more than half of the country’s estimated 7.5 million child population,” the UN children’s agency Unicef said in a statement, adding that 1.8 million children had fled the country as refugees and 2.5 million were now displaced inside Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for the world to prevent Russia using its gold reserves, ahead of a Nato summit on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We need to do more and so we need to do more economically,” Johnson told LBC radio this morning.
“Can we do more to stop him using his gold reserves, for instance, in addition to his cash reserves? What can we do more to sanction SWIFT?” he said, referring to the international bank transfer system.
Johnson said that as well as increasing military support to Ukraine, “we’ve got to go further” economically.
“My message today in NATO will be that there are ways in which the world can continue to intensify the pressure on Putin,” he said.
“The more we do that now, the more pressure we apply now, particularly on things like gold … I believe the more we can shorten the war, shorten the slaughter in Ukraine,” he said.
At least 7,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the first month of the invasion of Ukraine, Nato officials say, but the total number could be as high as 15,000.
BREAKING: At least 7,000 Russian soldiers have likely been killed in the first month of the invasion of Ukraine, NATO officials say, and the total number could be as high as 15,000 https://t.co/GnLDtRyDy1 pic.twitter.com/hH5TOaYQuz
— Bloomberg (@business) March 24, 2022
These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s losses as of March 24, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/DhzL30Nhon
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
Thanks for staying with us for the latest updates this morning, I’ll hand you back to my colleague Lauren Boland now.
This just in: the UK is sanctioning a range of additional Russian companies and individuals, including the CEO of Russia’s largest bank Sberbank.
The UK’s Foreign Office says:
Today’s sanctions target key industries supporting Russia’s illegal invasion, including Russian Railways and defence company Kronshtadt, the main producer of Russian drones.
The Wagner Group – the organisation Russian mercenaries reportedly tasked with assassinating President Zelenskyy – has also been sanctioned.
Six more banks are targeted, including Alfa Bank whose cofounders include previously sanctioned oligarchs Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and German Khan. The world’s largest diamond producer Alrosa is also sanctioned.
Individuals sanctioned include the billionaire oil tycoon Eugene Shvidler, founder of Tinkoff bank Oleg Tinkov, Herman Gref, the CEO of Russia’s largest bank Sberbank, and Polina Kovaleva, Foreign Minister Lavrov’s step daughter.
Galina Danilchenko, who was installed by Russia as the ‘mayor’ of Melitopol is also sanctioned – the first time an individual has been sanctioned for collaboration with Russian forces currently in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian navy says it struck a Russian naval transport vessel yesterday, destroying the ship.
It was docked in the Azov Sea near the besieged port city of Mariupol, where thousands of people have been forced to flee as Russia attacks.
“The Orsk large landing ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the occupiers has been destroyed in the port of Berdyansk captured by Russia,” the Ukrainian navy wrote on social media.
The Russian defence ministry has not yet responded.
Earlier this week, Russia’s state-run TASS described the landing craft’s arrival as “an epic event” that “opens up opportunities for the Black Sea in terms of logistics”.
TASS reported that the vessel was capable of carrying up to 1,500 tonnes of cargo.
The front page of today’s Wall Street Journal leads with coverage of Russian casualties and the impact of oil sanctions on Moscow, as well as the supply of weapons to Ukraine through Poland.
It’s been a month since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
Much has happened since then - here’s a timeline of the key events in a month of fighting that has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced more than 10 million people.
That’s it from me for the moment – my colleague Niall O’Connor is here to take you through the next few hours.
The Taoiseach is joining European leaders and the US president in Brussels to discuss the latest response to the war in Ukraine.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who tested negative for Covid-19 after several days of isolating in Washington last week, will join other leaders for a European Council summit.
The meeting will also be attended by US President Joe Biden.
The EU meeting comes alongside Nato and G7 gatherings, as Western leaders try to remain united in the face of Russian aggression.
It remains to be seen if the EU will agree on Thursday to impose fresh sanctions on Russia.
Irish European Affairs Minister Thomas Byrne said ahead of the meeting that he expects a “broadening” of sanctions.
“Ireland certainly will be working towards that, in supporting that,” he said.
“The difficulty of course is that you want to make sure that Russia feels the pinch very, very seriously. But that we don’t end up feeling a greater pinch than Russia.
“The punishment has to be to Russia, not to anybody else.”
However, he said it is important EU leaders remain unanimous over any possible measures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged NATO today to provide Kyiv with unrestricted military aid, one month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“To save people and our cities, Ukraine needs military assistance without restrictions. In the same way that Russia is using its full arsenal without restrictions against us,” the Ukrainian leader told NATO representatives via video-link.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged NATO to provide Kyiv with unrestricted military aid, one month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“To save people and our cities, Ukraine needs military assistance without restrictions. In the same way that Russia is using its full arsenal without restrictions against us,” he told NATO representatives via video-link.
While thanking members of the Western military alliance for the defensive equipment provided so far, he appealed for offensive weapons.
“You can give us one percent of all your planes. One percent of your tanks. One percent!”
Zelensky also accused Russia of deploying phosphorus weapons, which spread a powder that ignites when in contact with oxygen and causes severe burns.
“This morning, by the way, phosphorus bombs were used. Russian phosphorus bombs. Adults were killed again and children were killed again,” Zelensky said.
“The Alliance can once more prevent the death of Ukrainians from Russian strikes, from Russian occupation, by giving us all the weapons we need.”
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross said today he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had discussed the need to protect civilians during Moscow’s operations in Ukraine.
“We certainly also discussed the international humanitarian law and provisions of the Geneva Convention in regard to conduct of hostilities… that civilians must be protected,” Peter Maurer said at a joint press conference with Lavrov.
The United States and its NATO allies are discussing sending anti-ship missiles to Ukraine, a senior US official told AFP, after Russian vessels attacked Kyiv’s Black Sea ports.
“We have started consulting with allies on providing anti-ship missiles to Ukraine,” the official told reporters as a NATO summit got under way in Brussels.
“There may be some technical challenges with making that happen, but that is something that we are consulting with allies and starting to work on.”
NATO leaders meeting in Brussels want China to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and work for a peaceful end to the conflict, a senior US official said.
AFP reports that a US official briefed reporters at NATO headquarters during the talks.
The official said several leaders had said “China needs to live up to its responsibilities within the international community as a UN Security Council member”.
“We need to continue to call on China not to support Russia in its aggression against Ukraine,” the official said.
A graphic showing the current state of advance on the ground in Ukraine. Little has changed in the last number of days.
My colleague Michelle Hennessy reports that during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil today, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy raised the issue of neutrality.
Murphy accused the government of attempting to undermine it with its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He made reference to comments this week from Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney that Irish troops could take part in a new rapid reaction force as part of the European Union’s long-term security and defence needs.
Murphy claimed that any such move should be done with public debate and citizens should be able to vote on the issue.
His party will next week propose a motion to hold a referendum on whether neutrality should be enshrined in the Constitution.
Responding to Murphy’s comments, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said the government is well aware of the practical value of Ireland’s neutrality and how it reflects the country’s values.
He said the government now is “looking at a world that is changing and becoming more dangerous, and looking at millions of people fleeing chaos, trauma, fleeing the disintegration of their lives due to a war that is being waged by Vladimir Putin”.
The minister said the government is seeking to find ways to cooperate effectively with like-minded countries in the EU in a response to Russia’s actions.
“Yes we are neutral, but we are not neutral to the carnage and terror inflicted on the people of Ukraine at the moment,” he said.
Donohoe said any policy in relation to this will be consistent with the Constitution.
Plenty of videos circulating of the Ukrainian attack in Berdyansk on the Russian supply vessel which has caused Russian naval ships to flee. Separately the videos have been independently verified.
New video of Russian Navy Alligator Class landing ship exploded in Ukraine. Two Ropucha Class ships also received serious damages pic.twitter.com/ffQUbJkkfj
— Defence Blog (@Defence_blog) March 24, 2022
That’s it from me, Niall O’Connor, I am going to hand over to my colleague Jane Moore who will bring you all the latest. Nato press conference up next.
Hello, Jane Moore here taking over from my colleague Niall.
Before the Nato press conference begins, an update from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who says that the UK will provide a further 6,000 missiles to Ukraine to help the country defend itself.
The UK will provide an additional 6,000 missiles to Ukraine, in addition to the 4,000 NLAW's and Javelin missiles already supplied.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 24, 2022
Lethal defensive military aid, including Starstreak high-velocity anti-air missiles, will help Ukrainians continue to defend themselves. 2/6
The Kyiv Independent reports that over 100 European MEPs have called for a full embargo on trade with Russia.
It comes after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki last week proposed that the EU implement a total ban on trade with the country following its invasion of Ukraine.
⚡️ Over 100 European MPs call for full embargo on trade with Russia.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
According to a petition signed by European lawmakers, the embargo should include a ban on Russian energy imports and all Russian financial institutions should be cut off from the SWIFT payment system.
Nato agrees on new defence supports for Ukraine
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that it will provide further supports to Ukraine following its invasion by Russia.
During a press conference in Brussels, he said that there was a “new sense of urgency” about Europe’s defence, adding that it will have a more substantial military presence on the eastern side of the alliance.
“We will continue to impose unprecedented costs on Russia and we will reinforce allied deterrence and defence leaders approved our four new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. These are in addition to the four already in the Baltic countries and Poland,” he said.
Stoltenberg says Nato will provide more ground troops, anti-tank systems, drones, naval power and jets to the areas around Ukraine.
He added that Nato will also provide cyber security assistance and equipment to protect the country against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
“This could include protection, detection and medical supplies as well as training for community, contamination and crisis management. We are determined to do all we can to support Ukraine, and I welcome the concrete offers of assistance made by allies,” he said.
US sanctions Russia lawmakers, defence contractors
The United States has announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Russian lawmakers, oligarchs and defence companies in response to the invasion of Ukraine, the White House said.
The measures, which involve freezing US-held assets, single out 328 members of Russia’s lower house State Duma, and 48 defence companies “that fuel (President Vladimir) Putin’s war machine”, said a statement released as US President Joe Biden attended summits in Brussels focused on the war.
The White House also announced that the US will accept up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine and provide an extra $1 billion in humanitarian aid to those impacted by the war.
“The United States is announcing plans to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia’s aggression through the full range of legal pathways, including the US Refugee Admissions Program,” it said in a statement.
It added that the $1 billion (€910 million) in extra aid “will provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance”.
Russian strikes kill six in Kharkiv
Russian strikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least six civilians and wounded more than a dozen, the regional governor has said.
“The Russians fired long-range weapons at a Nova Poshta office, near where Kharkiv residents were receiving aid,” regional governor Oleg Synyegubov wrote on social media referring to a local postal delivery service.
“Preliminary information suggests six civilians were killed and 15 others were injured and hospitalized,” he added.
⚡️According to Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhayev, city authorities have hanged a new Ukrainian flag on the wall of Kherson’s city council.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
The city is occupied by Russia since March 2.
📸: Facebook / Ihor Kolykhayev pic.twitter.com/INQDKhOB4R
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the country will “continue to raise the costs on Putin for his war against Ukraine” following the announcement of fresh sanctions on 328 members of Russia’s State Duma and 48 defence companies.
Today, the United States designated 328 members of the Russian State Duma, scores of Russian defense companies and the head of Sberbank, a close ally of Putin. The United States will continue to raise the costs on Putin for his war against Ukraine.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 24, 2022
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said that nearly 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion a month ago, warning that half of the country’s children are now displaced.
UNHCR said 3,674,952 Ukrainians had fled the country – an increase of 48,406 from yesterday’s figure.
In total, more than 10 million people – over a quarter of the population in regions under government control before the 24 February invasion – are now thought to have fled their homes, including nearly 6.5 million who are internally displaced.
The UN children’s agency Unicef said today that a full 4.3 million children – more than half of Ukraine’s estimated 7.5 million child population – had been forced to leave their homes.
More than 1.8 million of those children have become refugees, while another 2.5 million are displaced inside their war-ravaged country, it said.
Russia has reportedly deployed additional military equipment to Belarus and Crimea, with troops planning to encircle Kyiv.
⚡️ General Staff: Russia deploys additional military equipment to Belarus, Crimea, plans to encircle Kyiv.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
According to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russian troops are planning to attempt to encircle Kyiv and to occupy Donetsk & Luhansk regions.
Poland refuses to pay for Russian gas in rubles
Poland’s state energy company has said it will not pay for Russian gas in rubles, becoming the latest to reject Kremlin demands amid unprecedented sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
“We don’t see how we could,” PAP news agency quoted Pawel Majewski, head of state oil and gas company PGNiG, as saying.
“The contract… sets the means of payment. It does not allow one party to modify this according to its will.”
President Vladimir Putin yesterday said Russia would only accept payments in rubles for gas deliveries to “unfriendly countries” after Moscow was hit by an avalanche of sanctions over its war.
The economy minister of Germany, a country that imported 55% of its natural gas from Russia before the war, said the move was a breach of contract and that Berlin would discuss with European partners how to react.
The boss of Austria’s OMV energy company said that the contract signed did not allow for payments in rubles.
Poland’s current contract for Russian gas expires at the end of the year.
Warsaw is hoping to thereafter wean itself off Russian gas, replacing it with liquified gas shipments at ports and gas from Norway via a Baltic Sea pipeline.
The Kremlin has scrambled to limit the effects on Russia’s economy of the unprecedented sanctions, which have affected everything from the central bank’s foreign reserves to McDonalds.
Immediately after Putin’s announcement, the ruble – which has plummeted since the start of the Ukraine war – strengthened against the dollar and euro, while gas prices rose.
Education Minister Norma Foley has said that there are approximately 700 Ukrainian children who have registered with a school in Ireland since fleeing the war in Ukraine, but that this figure is likely to rise in the coming days.
According to Foley, there are around 700 Ukrainian students who have been formally registered with either a primary or secondary school in Ireland.
Speaking to reporters this morning, Foley said that it was “more than likely” that there was a lot more than that in Irish schools.
It’s very difficult to get the definitive number because schools are currently just registering them as they arrive, and sometimes it might take a number of days for that registration to take place.
So we have in around 700 formally registered but they’re more than likely with a lot more than that in our schools.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has said that residents in Mariupol are being “forcibly deported” to Russia.
In a statement, the Ukrainian MFA said that the Russian army has forcibly deported around 6,000 Mariupol residents to “Russian filtration camps” in order to use them as hostages and put more political pressure on Ukraine.
The RF has launched a new phase of terror against Mariupol. Residents who survived Russian bombing and artillery shelling are now being forcibly deported to Russia.
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) March 24, 2022
🇷🇺 army has forcibly deported about 6000 Mariupol residents to Russian filtration camps.https://t.co/AdIACq4Da1 pic.twitter.com/hYY5LndbS7
“15,000 residents of the Left Bank district of Mariupol are in grave danger. The Russian occupiers are forcing them to move to Russia. The invaders confiscate people’s passports and other identity documents,” it said.
At the same time, the Russian armed forces are firing on evacuation columns trying to leave Mariupol for the territory of Ukraine free from Russian occupation. Russian troops continue to hold in detention a humanitarian convoy of buses that arrived a few days ago from Zaporizhia to take people from Mariupol.
Such actions by Russia are a gross violation of the laws and customs of war, the norms of international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.
We call on the world leaders gathered in Brussels today for the NATO, Group of Seven and EU summits to take urgent action to save the lives of the residents of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities who have found themselves in an inhumane siege by the Russian army.
The statement said the international community must impose new tough sanctions on Russia “to stop its deadly military machine, as well as cut off all business ties with Russian companies” to stop funding Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Russia’s gold stockpile targeted in new G7 sanctions
The White House earlier announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Russian lawmakers that will involve freezing US-held assets, single out 328 members of Russia’s lower house State Duma, and 48 defence companies.
G7 leaders have announced they are also restricting the Russian Central Bank’s use of gold in transactions.
Previously, sanctions against Russian elites, the country’s Central Bank and President Vladimir Putin did not affect Russia’s gold stockpile, which Putin has been accumulating for several years.
Russia holds roughly $130 billion (€118 billion) in gold reserves, and the Bank of Russia announced on 28 February that it would resume the purchase of gold on the domestic precious metals market.
White House officials said the move will further blunt Russia’s ability to use its international reserves to prop up Russia’s economy and fund its war against Ukraine.
The G7 and the European Union also announced a new effort to share information and coordinate responses to prevent Russia from evading the impact of sanctions that Western nations have levied since the 24 February invasion.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk has claimed that the “first full exchange” of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia has taken place.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Vereshchuk said 11 Russian civilian sailors were handed back to their country after being rescued from a sunken ship near the port city of Odessa.
In return, 19 Ukrainian civilian sailors are returning home after their rescue ship, the Sapphire, was captured by Russian forces, she said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said certain countries need to “get off the fence” when it comes to imposing sanctions on Russia a month after its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking in Brussels, Martin said the “widest and strongest set of sanctions we possibly can provide” are needed to keep pressure of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
“This is an appalling displacement of so many people and migration from a war zone, and therefore we have to do everything we possibly can to facilitate and respond to refugees fleeing Ukraine,” he said.
I’ve been very clear from the outset that we need the widest and strongest set of sanctions we possibly can provide to keep the pressure on Putin’s regime. Obviously there are implications for other member states in terms of energy and the objective of the exercise is fundamentally to keep the pressure on Russia and to punish Russia severely for its actions and not EU member states, so there has to be a balance struck.
Martin said that Ireland is “open to more sanctions”, but said it must ensure that it enforces sanctions that are already in place.
When asked about India and other countries who are circumventing sanctions, he said: “I think that the position that India has taken is unacceptable quite frankly because there can be no moral equivalence on this war.”
“Certain countries need to get off the fence. People cannot stand on the sidelines here on this war on people,” he said.
UN assembly backs resolution blaming Russia for Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis
The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution blaming Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and urging an immediate ceasefire and protection for millions of civilians and the homes, schools and hospitals critical to their survival.
The vote on the resolution was 140-5 with only Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea joining Russia in opposing the measure. There were 38 abstentions, including China.
The resolution deplores the “dire humanitarian consequences” of Russia’s aggression which it says is “on a scale that the international community has not seen in Europe in decades”.
It deplores Russia’s shelling, air strikes and “besiegement” of densely populated cities, including the southern city of Mariupol, and demands unhindered access for humanitarian aid.
The vote was almost exactly the same as on the 2 March resolution the assembly adopted demanding an immediate Russian ceasefire and withdrawal of troops.
It demands protection for all civilians and infrastructure indispensable to their survival. That vote was 141-5 with 35 abstentions.
Russia has denounced the resolution as “anti-Russian” and accuses its supporters of not really being concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground, saying they want to politicise aid.
The vote follows the Security Council’s overwhelming defeat yesterday of a Russian resolution that would have acknowledged Ukraine’s growing humanitarian needs – but without mentioning Russia’s invasion that has left millions of Ukrainians in desperate need of food, water and shelter.
The council acted a few hours after the General Assembly started considering a separate resolution titled “Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine”, which was drafted by Ukraine and two dozen other countries from all parts of the world.
There were over 70 scheduled speakers and only 62 were able to deliver their remarks, so the final speeches and vote were postponed until today.
The G7 leaders have released a statement following their meeting in Brussels condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and warning against the use of nuclear weapons.
In the statement, the leaders condemn “Russia’s unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal aggression and President Putin’s war of choice against independent and sovereign Ukraine”.
At @G7 we decided to further strengthen our cooperation in light of Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression and President Putin’s war against independent and sovereign #Ukraine.
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 24, 2022
We are united in our resolve to restore peace and stability and uphold international law.
“We are united in our resolve to restore peace and stability and uphold international law. Following the United Nations General Assembly resolution on 2 March 2022, we will continue to stand with the overwhelming majority of the international community, in condemning Russia’s military aggression and the suffering and loss of life it continues to cause,” the statement said.
We remain appalled by and condemn the devastating attacks on the Ukrainian population and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. We welcome the investigations of international mechanisms, including by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. We will work together to support the gathering of evidence of war crimes.
The siege of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities, and the denial of humanitarian access by Russian military forces are unacceptable. Russian forces must immediately provide for safe pathways to other parts of Ukraine, as well as humanitarian aid to be delivered to Mariupol and other besieged cities.
It also said that Russia’s attack has “already risked the safety and security of nuclear sites in Ukraine” and warned against any threat of the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
“Russian military activities are creating extreme risks for the population and the environment, with the potential for catastrophic result. Russia must comply with its international obligations and refrain from any activity that imperils nuclear sites, allowing unhindered control by the Ukrainian authorities, as well as full access by and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” it said.
We warn against any threat of the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons or related materials. We recall Russia’s obligations under the international treaties to which it is a signatory, and which protect us all. In this regard, we categorically denounce Russia’s malicious and completely unfounded disinformation campaign against Ukraine, a state in full compliance with international non-proliferation agreements.
We express concern about other countries and actors that have amplified Russia’s disinformation campaign.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaking to reporters ahead of this evening’s European Council meeting in Brussels.
With 🇪🇺🇺🇸🇨🇦🇯🇵 leaders here, Brussels is today the centre of the free world.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 24, 2022
Together, we will step up our support for Ukraine. Sharpen our sanctions.
And break free from Russia´s fossil fuels.
Tomorrow with @POTUS we will open a new chapter in our 🇪🇺🇺🇸 energy partnership. pic.twitter.com/JyAr4DJ79U
That’s all from me, Jane Moore, for today.
My colleague Tadgh McNally will keep you updated for the next while.
Hi all, Tadgh McNally here to keep you posted over the next couple of hours.
Some very stark figures here from the Kyiv Independent, showing what kind of impact the war in Ukraine has had.
128 children have been killed during the war, while 977 civilians in total have been killed while 1,594 are injured.
Exactly a month ago, on Feb. 24, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Here’s what it has cost Ukraine so far. pic.twitter.com/B2dPd7E7NI
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
Our reporter Céimin Burke is out at the Russian Embassy in Dublin, where a protest is taking place to mark one month since Russia launched their invasion of Ukraine.
There appear to be significant crowds gathered outside the embassy for the protest, which is being organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
This is the scene outside the Russian embassy in Dublin where the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is holding a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/xNrTXwh4DM
— Céimin Burke (@CeiminB) March 24, 2022
Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, tells the crowd that it has been one month since the invasion began.
“They continue to kill Ukrainians. Our children. Our future.”
Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko notes that the gathering marks one month of Russia's assault on her country.
— Céimin Burke (@CeiminB) March 24, 2022
"They continue to kill Ukrainians. Our children. Our future," she tells the crowd.
We’re getting some photos in here of the protest down by the Russian embassy.
The walls of the embassy are covered in red swastikas.
Biden: NATO has never been more united
US President Joe Biden has said that NATO has “never been more united” than it is now following the Russian invasion of Ukraine one month ago.
Biden, who is in Brussels for a series of meetings with G7, the EU and NATO, made the comments this evening.
NATO has never, never been more united than it is today.
Putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he intended to have as a consequence of going into Ukraine.
Russian embassy protest
More details on the protest outside the Russian embassy from our reporter Céimin Burke.
He says that Ambassadors to Ireland from Georgia, Poland and Lithuania are all in attendance and have addressed the crowd.
Georgia’s ambassador to Ireland, George Zurabashvili, says that Russia came for Georgia first, then for Ukraine and that it will move for Poland and the Baltic states next.
The protest is being addressed by the ambassadors of Lithuania, Poland and Georgia.
— Céimin Burke (@CeiminB) March 24, 2022
Georgian ambassador says Russia needs to be stopped now. Said first it was Georgia, now it's Ukraine, next it will be Poland and the Baltics.
More from US President Joe Biden following his meeting with NATO here.
He has said that the military alliance would respond if Russia were to use chemical weapons in Ukraine but that any response would depend on the nature of it’s use.
We will respond if he uses it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use.
He also backed the proposal to kick Russia out of the G20, an intergovernmental forum comprising of the world’s 20 biggest economies, including the EU.
Here’s a second round of photos from this evening, including veteran broadcaster Charlie Bird who is out supporting the protest with the National Union of Journalists.
Vasily Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, has said that there have been 75 Ukrainian civilians killed in Kyiv since the Russian invasion began last month.
The Kyiv Independent are reporting that Klitschko says that 307 civilians in Kyiv have been injured meanwhile.
Four children have also been killed, while 16 were wounded.
⚡️Klitschko: 75 civilians killed in Kyiv since start of invasion.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 75 civilians were killed and 307 wounded, Klitschko said citing the Kyiv military administration. This includes 4 children that were killed and 16 wounded.
That’s it from me, Tadgh McNally, for this evening. My colleague Jane Moore will be back to keep you all posted on the latest from Brussels tonight.
Ukraine is set to reduce the diplomatic staff of its Belarusian embassy in Kyiv to five people and close the consulate of Belarus in Lviv.
It follows yesterday’s announcement from Belarus that it was expelling its Ukrainian diplomats over what it called “unfriendly” actions.
⚡️Ukraine mirrors Belarusian expulsion of diplomats.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022
In retaliation for the expulsion of most of Ukraine's diplomatic mission to Belarus, Ukraine will reduce the diplomatic staff of the embassy in Kyiv to just 5 people, and close the consulate of Belarus in Lviv.
Boris Johnson has said the UK and allies will “ramp up lethal aid to Ukraine” as its forces resist Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, he said: “We will not stand by while Putin vents his fury on Ukraine.”
The British Prime Minister said kit would be provided “in the quantity and with the quality” needed by Ukraine to defend against “its bullying neighbour”.
Johnson has announced an extra 6,000 missiles and £25 million in unrestricted funding for Ukraine’s armed forces.
He also promised a “new deployment of UK troops to Bulgaria, on top of doubling our troops both in Poland and in Estonia”.
He said it was proving difficult to meet a request by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to supply tanks and warplanes.
What President Zelenskyy wants is to try to relieve Mariupol and to help the thousands of Ukrainian fighters in the city. To that end he does need armour as he sees it.
We are looking at what we can do to help. But logistically it looks very difficult both with armour and with jets.
Responding to questions from reporters, Johnson said there was not “a single person around the table” in Nato or the G7 who “is against Russia or the Russian people”.
“Absolutely not, least of all me,” he said. “I think I’m probably the only Prime Minister in UK history to be called Boris, I think I have that distinction, and I’m not remotely anti-Russian.”
But I think what we all agree is that what Vladimir Putin is doing, the way he’s leading Russia at the moment, is utterly catastrophic, that his invasion of Ukraine is inhuman and barbaric.
And the conduct of that invasion is now moving into the type of behaviour that, as I said before, we haven’t seen in the continent of Europe for 80 years, and it’s horrific.
So you can be sympathetic towards ordinary Russians, who are being so badly led, but you can be deeply hostile to the decisions of Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin rebuffs speculation as defence minister unseen for days
The Kremlin has said that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was too busy for public appearances, as his absence from view for nearly two weeks prompted questions from journalists.
Shoigu, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, reportedly last appeared in public on 11 March despite his leading role in Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
Some Russian media reports have speculated that he could have health problems.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to quell such rumours however, telling journalists: “The defence minister has a lot to take care of at the moment. There is a special military operation going on. This is not the moment for media activity.”
The Kremlin said today that Shoigu had informed Putin of the latest developments in Ukraine.
Later, the Russian defence ministry announced a telephone conversation between Shoigu and his Armenian counterpart Suren Papikian.
The two men “discussed the current situation in the region and the areas where Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh are carrying out their tasks”, the ministry said.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region has been feuded over by ex-Soviet states Azerbaijan and Armenia since Armenian separatists seized the territory in a war in the early 1990s.
The defence minister, 66, usually features regularly on state television broadcasts and has been filmed going on expeditions into the Siberian wilderness with Putin.
Russian officials’ absences often prompt rumours of illness, due to the fact that the authorities are reluctant to release such information even if true.
Rumours have swirled on several occasions when Putin has disappeared from public view for a week or more.
“We would be bored if there were no rumours,” he said in 2015 after a 10-day absence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with the speakers of the parliaments of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy’s office shared footage of him shaking hands with the speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, Ināra Mūrniece, the speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, and the speaker of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, Jüri Ratas.
Володимир Зеленський провів зустріч з Головою Саейму Латвійської Республіки Інарою Мурнієце, Спікером Сеймасу Литовської Республіки Вікторією Чмілітє-Нільсен та Головою Рійгікогу Естонської Республіки Юрі Ратасом, які прибули до Києва.
— Офіс Президента (@APUkraine) March 24, 2022
Детальніше: https://t.co/x4b3pPaKdR pic.twitter.com/n9mY7LR5Yg
That’s it from me, Jane Moore, for today. My colleague Eoghan Dalton will be keeping you up to date with the latest from Brussels this evening.
Hi all, it’s Eoghan Dalton here to take you through the rest of the evening.
There are reports that the leader of one of the pro-Russian separatist “republics” in eastern Ukraine has arrived in the besieged city of Mariupol.
Ukraine says nearly 100,000 people are trapped without food, water or power in the southeastern city and enduring fierce shelling by Russian forces.
AFP is reporting that a video shared by the “information ministry” of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk showed separatist leader Denis Pushilin visiting a humanitarian aid centre managed by the Russian army with dozens of civilians receiving food.
According to separatist media, Pushilin was joined by a senior official from the Russian parliament, Andrey Turchak, and a Russian MP, Dmitry Sablin.
“People received bread, water and staple products, medical help, a field kitchen and generators to charge phones,” the site added.
Earlier today, protesters again gathered outside Russia’s embassy in Dublin with fresh calls for the expulsion of Russian diplomats.
National flags, trade union banners and insurance company branded umbrellas were among those held aloft in support, according to this report from The Journal’s Céimin Burke.
This is the scene outside the Russian embassy in Dublin where the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is holding a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/xNrTXwh4DM
— Céimin Burke (@CeiminB) March 24, 2022
Boris Johnson has said Ukraine could win the war with Russia.
The British prime minister also believes that, even if Nato does not grant Ukraine full membership, allies would provide the country with so much support that Russia would not consider invading again.
In an interview with BBC’s Newsnight programme which is airing tonight, he said: “I think Ukraine can certainly win. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, I think that the situation for the Ukrainians is grim, miserable.
“I don’t think that we’ve seen anything like it for 80 years in Europe and what (Vladimir) Putin is doing is unconscionable.
“But there’s a sense in which Putin has already failed or lost because I think that he had literally no idea that the Ukrainians were going to mount the resistance that they are and he totally misunderstood what Ukraine is.
“And far from extinguishing Ukraine as a nation he is solidifying it.”
Ukraine claims to have destroyed a large Russian warship in Berdyansk
Ukrainian forces have claimed to have successfully sank a large landing ship near the port city of Berdyansk that had been used to supply Russian forces with armoured vehicles.
Russian forces recently occupied the port, which is of significant strategic value as it lies between Crimea and the besieged city of Mariupol.
Ukrainian armed forces destroyed Russian landing ship Orsk in the occupied port city of Berdyansk. Three more Russian ships there reportedly caught fire pic.twitter.com/vMXfroii6D
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) March 24, 2022
Ukraine claimed two more ships were damaged and a 3,000-tonne fuel tank was destroyed when the Orsk was sunk, causing a fire that spread to nearby ammunition supplies.
The Ukrainian navy shared video today and said a large vessel called the Orsk had been destroyed by its attacks. The footage showed fire and thick plumes of smoke.
It comes after Russian TV reported earlier this week that the vessel was the first Russian warship to enter Berdyansk.
That’s all for our live coverage for tonight and from myself, Eoghan Dalton. The Brussels summit for EU and G7 leaders is continuing into the early hours and updates on the outcome of those meetings will be here for you in the morning.
We will also have the latest information on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. To wrap things up for today, here are some of the main things to know this evening:
Additional reporting by AFP and Press Association
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