By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
1,684 wounded and 352 killed, Ukrainian Health Ministry
The number of known people killed in Ukraine following the Russian invasion is 352 civilians, Ukraine’s Ministry of Health said Sunday.
At least 14 of those killed are children, according to the ministry.
Another 1,684 people, including 116 children, have been injured.
Meanwhile Oleksandr Svidlo, the acting mayor of the town of Berdyansk on Ukraine’s southern coast, has said that Russian forces have entered and taken control of the town.
Berdyansk, which has a small naval base, has a population of about 100,000.
Svidlo posted a message to the town’s residents on his Facebook page Sunday which said, “A few hours ago, you and I witnessed how heavy military equipment and armed soldiers entered the city and began advancing throughout our hometown. As soon as I learned about that, I tried to inform all the residents of the city so that you have the opportunity to hide in shelters.”
Svidlo continued: “Some time ago, armed soldiers entered the executive committee building and introduced themselves as soldiers of the Russian army, they informed us that all administrative buildings were under their control and that they were taking control of the executive committee building.”
Svidlo said that officials were asked to continue working, “but under the control of armed men. I consider this proposal unacceptable, so we, as all members of the operational headquarters, left the building of the executive committee.”
Russia, Ukraine agree to talks; Putin puts nuclear forces on alert
In a dramatic escalation of East-West tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin ordered that Russian nuclear forces be put on high alert Sunday in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by leading NATO powers.
Ukraine later announced a delegation would meet with Russian officials for talks. But the Kremlin’s ultimate intentions toward Ukraine — and what steps might be enough to satisfy Moscow — remained unclear.
Zelensky’s office said on the Telegram messaging app that the two sides would be meeting at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border.
Russia had announced its delegation had flown to Belarus to await talks, which were initially rejected by Ukrainian officials, who said any discussions should take place at a site other than Belarus, since it has allowed its territory to be used by Russian troops as a staging ground for the invasion.
The fast-moving developments came as Russian troops drew closer to Kyiv, a city of almost three million, street fighting broke out in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, and strategic ports in the country’s south came under pressure from the invading forces. Ukrainian defenders put up stiff resistance that appeared to slow the invasion.
Putin, in giving the nuclear alert directive, cited not only statements by NATO members, but the hard-hitting financial sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, including Putin himself.
Speaking at a meeting with his top officials, Putin told his defence minister and the chief of the military’s general staff to put nuclear forces in a “special regime of combat duty.”
Putin’s nuclear forces alert represents a “totally unacceptable” escalation of the invasion of Ukraine, the United States said on Sunday as it accused the Russian leader of fabricating threats to justify “further aggression”.
“This is a pattern that we’ve seen from President Putin through the course of this conflict, which is manufacturing threats that don’t exist in order to justify further aggression,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on ABC when asked about the announcement from Moscow.
At the Pentagon, a senior official called the move “escalatory” but would not say if US nuclear forces had changed their stance in response.
Speaking to journalists, the defence official said the US had no reason to doubt that Putin’s announcement was genuine, but had no information yet as to how it would be implemented.
“We believe that this is not only an unnecessary step for him to take, but an escalatory one,” the official said, on grounds of anonymity.
Unnecessary because Russia has never been under threat by the West, by Nato and certainly wasn’t under any threat by Ukraine,” the official said.
“And escalatory because it is clearly potentially putting in play forces that, if there’s a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous.”
The American ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said she condemned Putin’s step in the strongest terms.
“It means that Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable,” Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview on CBS.
Moscow has the world’s second-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and a huge cache of ballistic missiles which form the backbone of the country’s deterrence forces.
Putin said he was putting Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert because, he said, Western countries are taking “unfriendly” steps against his country in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.
The US defence official declined to say whether US nuclear forces, the world’s largest, had been placed on higher alert.
“We do not talk about the specifics of our strategic deterrence posture, “the official said.
I would just tell you that we remain confident in our ability to defend ourselves and our allies and our partners. And that includes in the strategic deterrence realm.
Ukraine lodges case against Russia in The Hague
Ukraine has lodged a complaint against Russia at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to get it to halt its invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.
“Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression,” Zelenskyy declared in a tweet.
“We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week.
The ICJ, which is based in the Netherlands capital The Hague, does not have a mandate to bring criminal charges against individual Russian leaders behind the four-day-old invasion.
But it is the world’s top court for resolving legal complaints between states over alleged breaches of international law. It is the supreme judicial institution of the United Nations.
The Kremlin has tried to justify its operation to “demilitarise” Ukraine as an attempt to prevent the alleged persecution of the country’s Russian-speaking minority.
But the international community has roundly condemned the invasion as a flagrant breach of international law, and many Ukrainian civilians have volunteered to defend their country.
Ukraine launches website for Russians to find killed soldiers
Ukrainian authorities on Sunday launched a website to help Russian families track down soldiers who have been killed or captured fighting in Moscow’s invasion of the pro-Western country.
The site — 200rf.com — contains pictures of the documents and corpses of Russian soldiers Ukraine said had been killed since President Vladimir Putin launched the attack.
It also has videos of soldiers Ukraine says it has captured.
“I am talking to you in Russian because this site was created for you,” Viktor Andrusiv, an adviser to the interior minister, said in a video posted on the site.
“I know that many Russians are worried about how and where their children, sons, husbands are and what is happening to them — so we decided to put this online so that each of you could search for your loved one who Putin sent to fight in Ukraine.”
Andrusiv said that over the past three days Ukrainian forces had captured almost 200 Russian soldiers and more than 3,000 Russian troops had died.
“We have documents, photos and videos of all of these people, “Andrusiv said.
The name of the site references the well-known term Gruz-200 (Cargo-200) that was used by Soviet military for corpses being flown back from the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Russia’s defence ministry has so far given no details of any military losses in Ukraine since launching a multi-pronged attack Putin called a “special operation” to protect two separatist regions.
The head of the North Caucasus region of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, on Saturday became the first official to report the death of a Russian soldier in Ukraine.
He posted a tribute on his official Instagram page, paying homage to an officer he said had been killed during the “special operation to defend Donbas”.
The Kremlin has launched a major propaganda campaign to control coverage of the war in Ukraine and has ordered media to use only Russia’s official versions of events.
Moscow has long been accused of covering up losses suffered by its forces as they backed pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and fought in Syria.
Lev Shlosberg, a prominent liberal politician, has suggested Russia’s military was using mobile crematoriums to destroy evidence of those killed in Ukraine.
“There is no war. No dead. No tombs. People will just be no more. Forever,” he wrote on his blog.
Portugal to send military equipment to Ukraine
Portugal is to send military equipment to Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Sunday, joining other Western nations in dispatching help to the eastern European country under Russian attack.
Lisbon is to dispatch “vests, helmets, night-vision goggles, grenades and ammunition of various calibres”, the ministry said in a statement in the early hours on Twitter.
“Portugal supports Ukraine, which is defending itself against an unjustified, illegal and unacceptable invasion,” Defence Minister Joao Cravinho said in another tweet.
Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva on Saturday told CNN Portugal that Lisbon was “totally open” to welcoming “thousands of Ukrainians” forced to flee their country.
He also said Lisbon had suspended the review of Russia applications for so-called “golden visas”, residency permits given to wealthy foreign investors.
Kyiv ready for talks, but rejects Moscow’s Belarus proposal
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that he was ready for talks with Russia, but rejected Moscow’s push to stage them in Belarus as it was a launchpad for invading forces.
“Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, Baku. We proposed all of them,” Zelensky said in an address posted online.
“And any other city in a country from whose territory missiles do not fly would suit us,” the 44-year-old president said.
“That’s the only way talks can be honest. And could put an end to war.”
Zelensky’s address came as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that Moscow was prepared for talks and had dispatched a delegation to the Belarusian city of Gomel.
“We will be ready to begin these talks in Gomel,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has already cost some 200 civilian lives and drawn global condemnation.
Moscow says Kyiv’s forces must surrender and the country should agree to become a “neutral” territory, conditions seen widely as unacceptable by Ukraine.
Russian ground forces have pressed into Ukraine from the north, east and south but have encountered fierce resistance from Ukrainian troops, the intensity of which has likely surprised Moscow, according to Western sources.
Putin on Sunday congratulated members of special forces, saying they fought “heroically” in Ukraine.
“Special gratitude to those who these days are heroically fulfilling their military duty in the course of a special operation to provide assistance to the people’s republics of Donbas,” Putin said in a televised address.
Ukraine’s Zelensky calls on “citizens of world” to join in fight against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for people around the world to join the fight against Russia.
In a statement on Sunday, he accused the Russian army of killing civilians and praised Ukrainians for having the courage to defend themselves.
“Ukrainians have manifested the courage to defend their homeland and save Europe and its values from a Russian onslaught. This is not just Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is the beginning of a war against Europe, against European structures, against democracy, against basic human rights, against a global order of law, rules and peaceful coexistence,” Zelensky said.
Addressing “all citizens of the world, friends of Ukraine, peace and democracy,” Zelensky said: “Anyone who wants to join the defense of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals.”
The statement added that those who wish to join should contact the Defense Attache of the Embassy of Ukraine in their countries.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also echoed the call, tweeting Sunday:
“Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries. Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin, too.”
Russia claims two southern cities “completely blocked” by Russian troops
The Russian military claimed advances around the southern Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Berdyansk, a Russian Ministry of Defense statement on Sunday said.
Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian MOD spokesperson, said Kherson and Berdyansk “were completely blocked” by Russian forces.
He also claimed the southern city of Henichesk and the Chornobayivka (Chernobayevka) airfield near Kherson had also been brought under control.
Kherson has been at the centre of a fierce battle for a strategic bridge, with days of fighting. When a CNN team arrived in Kherson on Thursday night, Russian tanks were in the streets and jets were flying low overhead, terrifying residents.
Counter claims: The claims come amid reports Russia is making significantly slower progress than Kremlin military planners had first anticipated.
According to an assessment issued by Britain’s Ministry of Defense late Saturday, Ukrainian troops remain high-motivated and able to hold key positions.
Russia is also facing unexpected difficulties supplying its forces, and is experiencing heavier losses in personnel, armor and aircraft than expected, two senior United States officials with direct knowledge told CNN.
Claims of surrender: The Russian statement also claimed, without evidence, there was a “mass refusal of Ukrainian military personnel to continue hostilities.”
Konashenkov said a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile regiment surrendered in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, and that 471 Ukrainian servicemen were captured.
Russian state television has frequently shown footage of captured Ukrainian servicemembers, some of whom are shown signing documents pledging to quit hostilities.
Fighting breaks out in Ukraine’s second largest city
Street fighting broke out in the center of Kharkiv as Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second largest city, Oleh Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration said Sunday.
Synehubov urged residents of the eastern city to stay in shelters and not to travel anywhere. Russian vehicles entered the city of Kharkiv on Sunday, he said.
“The Russian enemy’s vehicles advanced into the city of Kharkiv. Including the central part of the city. Warning! Do not leave your shelters!” Governor Synyehubov said in a Facebook post Sunday.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine are eliminating the enemy. Civilians are asked not to go out in the streets.”
Kharkiv, with a population of about 1.4 million people, sits less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the Russian border and was approached by Russian forces shortly after the invasion started on Thursday.
Ukrainian forces have managed to deter Russian troops from entering the city for the past three days, but Synehubov said this has now changed, with fighting taking place at the heart of the city.
Russian delegation arrives in Belarus for potential talks, state media reports
A Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus for notional talks with Ukrainian representatives, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti.
Peskov said the delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and other departments, including the presidential administration, RIA reported.
“We will be ready to start these negotiations in Gomel [Homiel],” Peskov said, according to RIA.
The Kremlin has continued to put out messaging that Russia would send representatives to the Belarusian capital of Minsk to talk with Kyiv, despite its military’s continued and unprovoked assault on Ukraine.
The Kremlin has claimed previously the Ukrainian side had countered with a proposal to meet in Warsaw and then dropped contact.
Top Ukrainian officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have expressed willingness to talk peace with Russia.
What is SWIFT and why are some countries planning to expel Russia from it?
The White House, along with several EU nations, announced on Saturday the expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world.
But what exactly is SWIFT and how will it impact Russia?
SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It was founded in 1973 to replace the telex and is now used by over 11,000 financial institutions to send secure messages and payment orders. With no globally accepted alternative, it is essential plumbing for global finance.
Removing Russia from SWIFT would make it nearly impossible for financial institutions to send money in or out of the country, delivering a sudden shock to Russian companies and their foreign customers — especially buyers of oil and gas exports denominated in US dollars.
SWIFT is based in Belgium and governed by a board consisting of 25 people. SWIFT, which describes itself as a “neutral utility,” is incorporated under Belgian law and must comply with EU regulations.
What happens if Russia is removed?
There is precedent for removing a country from SWIFT.
SWIFT unplugged Iranian banks in 2012 after they were sanctioned by the EU over the country’s nuclear program. Iran lost almost half of its oil export revenue and 30% of foreign trade following the disconnection, according to experts.
The United States and Germany have the most to lose if Russia is disconnected, because their banks are the most frequent SWIFT users in communicating with Russian banks, according to Maria Shagina, a visiting fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Senior Russian lawmakers have responded by saying that shipments of oil, gas and metals to Europe would stop if Russia is expelled.
Has SWIFT commented?
In a statement, SWIFT said it is a “neutral global cooperative” and “any decision to impose sanctions on countries or individual entities rests solely with the competent government bodies and applicable legislators.”
“We are aware of the joint statement by the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States in which they state they will implement new measures in the coming days with respect to Russian banks. We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction,” the statement said.