By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Caption: Demonstrators march behind a banner reading “Ukrainians will resist” on Saturday in Kyiv. Photo Credit: Getty Images.
Members of Congress call on Biden administration to facilitate the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine
Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Sunday called for the transfer of fighter jets to Poland after a plea from Ukrainian President Zelensky for Western countries to send fighter aircraft into his country.
“I strongly urged the Secretary of State yesterday to complete this transaction. You know, the Ukrainians can fly Russian MiGs. But then Poland wants a back order, and that may be possibly F-16s,” McCaul, who is in Poland, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
“We’re not going to put our troops in there, but you know what we can help the Ukrainian people win this war … I think the will of the Ukrainian people will basically beat the will of the Russian troops. The Russian troops are not into this. But the Ukrainians are. And if we can arm them to defend themselves, that’s how we beat the Russians.”
A White House spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Saturday that the US is working with Poland on the possibility of Poland providing fighter jets to Ukraine along with consulting with other allies.
More on this: Following a Zoom call with Ukrainian leader President Volodymyr Zelensky, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer called on the Biden administration to facilitate the transfer of “desperately-needed” aircraft to Ukraine.
At a Sunday press briefing, Schumer stressed that Zelensky is in short supply of aircraft and that several Eastern European countries have Soviet-made jets which the Ukrainian Air Force pilots know how to operate.
“Today I’m announcing the push for the U.S. administration to explore all feasible options to transfer these desperately needed aircraft to Ukraine,”Schumer said. “We are asking our administration to do everything they can to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern Europe to Ukraine.”
Russian forces have switched off some mobile networks and internet at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, IAEA says
Russian forces have switched off some mobile networks and the internet at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a statement, the IAEA said that this meant that “reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through the normal channels of communication.”
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator confirmed that it had started having major problems communicating with staff operating the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, according to the statement.
The IAEA added that there were also problems with food availability and supply at the plant.
“I’m extremely concerned about these developments that were reported to me today. Just a few days after I presented the seven main elements of nuclear safety and security to the IAEA Board, several of them are already being compromised. In order to be able to operate the plant safely and securely, management and staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions without undue external interference or pressure,” Grossi said.
“The deteriorating situation regarding vital communications between the regulator and the Zaporizhzhia NPP is also a source of deep concern, especially during an armed conflict that may jeopardize the country’s nuclear facilities at any time. Reliable communications between the regulator and the operator are a critical part of overall nuclear safety and security,” Grossi added.
Some more context: The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is now under orders from the commander of Russian forces that took control of the site last week, according to the IAEA.
The statement said that regular staff continued to operate the nuclear power plant, but that “any action of plant management – including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units – requires prior approval by the Russian commander.”
Bennett says Israel will try to mediate on Ukraine
Israel will continue trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine even if success seems unlikely, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said after returning from surprise talks in Moscow on Saturday.
In televised remarks to his cabinet, the prime minister said he had “the blessing and encouragement of all parties.”
Ukraine requested that Israel serve as intermediary, citing the government’s good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow.
Bennett also spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whom he visited in Berlin on Saturday as well, and French President Emmanuel Macron, his office said.
Putin: Russia will only halt military operation if Ukraine ‘stops fighting’
President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call that Russia would only halt its military operation if Ukraine stopped fighting and Moscow’s demands were met, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin said the operation was going according to plan and to schedule.
The Russian leader said he hoped Ukrainian negotiators would take a more constructive approach at talks and take into account the reality on the ground, the statement added.
Russia: Over 1,100 detained at Ukraine war protests
More than 1,100 people in cities across Russia have been detained at protests Sunday against Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, a protest monitor said.
The OVD-Info group said that by around 2:20pm Moscow time (11:20 GMT) on Sunday, 1,103 people had been detained across 35 cities, bringing the total number of demonstrators detained to 9,472 since February 24, when President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine to carry out a “special operation”.
Pope Francis: Ukraine conflict ‘not a military operation but a war
Pope Francis rejected Russia’s assertion that it is carrying out a “a special military operation” in Ukraine, saying the country was being battered by a war.
“In Ukraine rivers of blood and tears are flowing. This is not only a military operation but a war which is leading to death, destruction and misery, “the pope said in his weekly address to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Russia is targeting populated areas, says UK defense ministry
From Sharon Braithwaite and Eleanor Pickston in London
The UK Ministry of Defense has said that Russia is targeting populated areas in Ukraine, “likely” as an effort to break Ukrainian morale.
“The scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance continues to surprise Russia. It has responded by targeting populated areas in multiple locations, including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update on Ukraine Sunday.
“This is likely to represent an effort to break Ukrainian morale,” it added.
Russia has previously used similar tactics in Chechnya in 1999 and Syria in 2016, employing both air and ground-based munitions, the ministry added.
“Russian supply lines reportedly continue to be targeted, slowing the rate of advance of their ground forces. There is a realistic possibility that Russia is now attempting to conceal fuel trucks as regular support trucks to minimize losses,” the ministry concluded.
Chelsea manager condemns Roman Abramovich chant during tribute to Ukraine
Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Premier League football club Chelsea, said it was “not the moment to give other messages” after fans chanted the name of the club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich during a tribute to Ukraine.
A minute of applause was held ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League game against Burnley Saturday, during which chants of Abramovich’s name could be heard on a Sky Sports broadcast.
The chants were soon drowned out by boos from the stands.
“If we show solidarity, we show solidarity and we should do it together. We take the knee together, if an important person from other clubs or from our club unfortunately dies, we show a minute of respect,” Tuchel told reporters after the game, which Chelsea won 4-0.
“It’s not the moment to give other messages, it’s a moment to show respect. We do this because this is what we are also as a club, we show respect as a club. We need our fans to commit to this minute of applause in the moment.
“We do it for Ukraine, there is no second opinion about the situation there. They have our thoughts and our support, and we should stand together as a club.”
Heavy shelling is heard west and northwest of Kyiv, as two children are reported dead
There has been heavy shelling to the west and north-west of Kyiv on Sunday morning. The impact of explosions were heard in Kyiv and in rural areas to the south-west.
Two mortar or artillery shells hit a checkpoint for civilians to cross into Kyiv from the suburb of Irpin. Three people were reported killed, say Ukrainian authorities, including two children.
Social media video showed extensive destruction in Irpin, which is just northwest of Kyiv, on Sunday.
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser in the Ukrainian President’s Office said: “They [Russian troops] captured Hostomel and Bucha yesterday (Saturday).The Russians entered there.
“They have injured many children and do not allow to evacuate them, despite numerous appeals at the highest state level to provide a “green corridor” from Bucha and Irpin. There are many children in the basements.”
“There are basements where 70 children are sitting now and they are not being released. This is a catastrophe both from the humanitarian and, above all, from the moral point of view,” Arestovych said, adding that the issue was being discussed “at the highest level with international humanitarian institutions.”
Several children have died, according to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.