The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis Saturday:
BERLIN — In a significant shift, the German government confirmed Saturday that it has approved the shipment of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine and supports some restrictions of the SWIFT global banking system for Russia.
The German economy and climate ministry said in a Saturday evening statement that Germany is allowing the Netherlands to ship 400 German-made anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point. It threatens our entire post-war order,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. “In this situation, it is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend itself against Vladimir Putin’s invading army.”
Germany had long stuck to a policy of not exporting deadly weapons to conflict zones, including Ukraine. As recently as Friday, government officials said they would abide by that policy.
The country has faced criticism from Ukrainian officials and other allies that it has not acted decisively enough to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion. Previously, Germany contributed 5,000 helmets to Ukraine’s defense.
In addition, Germany said it will send 14 armoured vehicles and up to 10,000 tons of fuel to Ukraine.
“After Russia’s shameless attack, Ukraine must be able to defend itself,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said. “The federal government is therefore supporting Ukraine in providing urgently needed material.”
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HELSINKI — The Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have decided to close their airspace to Russian airlines, transport officials in the three countries say.
The legal formulation for the measure is underway and it wasn’t immediately clear when precisely the ban would take effect.
Lithuanian Transport Marius Skuodis told media outlets that the goal of the Baltic countries is to issue the ban at the same time.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted on Saturday that Western nations should isolate Russia both economically and politically after its invasion on Ukraine, saying “there is no place for planes of the aggressor state in democratic skies.”
Latvian Transport Minister Talis Linkaits told local news agency LETA that the country’s decision to close its airspace to Russian airlines will be made in co-ordination with Estonia, Lithuania and the EU.
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KYIV, Ukraine — The authorities in the Ukrainian capital say a curfew in the city will last through early Monday as Russian troops are pressing the offensive into Kyiv.
The city authorities previously announced the curfew to last from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., but then clarified the order and specified that it will last from Friday afternoon until Monday morning to keep people indoors through the day Sunday.
The measure comes as the Ukrainian authorities reported fighting with small groups of Russian troops that infiltrated the city. More Russian troops are closing in on Kyiv.
Some grocery stores were open until the curfew went into effect. The array of goods was thin. The concern for now is how long stockpiles will last. Some pharmacies were similarly open, but there were reports that new shipments from distributors had halted.
In addition, the Interfax news agency reported that Ukraine’s three major cellphone service providers have blocked access for Russian SIM cards.
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VIENNA — Germany has sent an additional ship to NATO’s eastern flank, the German army announced Saturday.
In addition to deployments of additional soldiers, armoured fighting vehicles, anti-missile systems and two ships, which Germany’s Defence Ministry confirmed Friday, Germany has dispatched the Alster reconnaissance ship.
The ship left Eckernförde on Germany’s Baltic Coast on Saturday and will contribute to electronic intelligence-gathering in the Baltic Sea and along the coast.
“The German Navy, the Bundeswehr and the entire alliance now need a reliable picture of the situation,” Vice Admiral Jan C. Kaack, Commander of the Fleet, said in a statement. “In addition to other activities, the Navy also contributes to this with the Alster.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A US$350-million package of additional U.S. military assistance to Ukraine announced Saturday includes “anti-armor, small arms and various munitions, body armour and related equipment,” according to John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary.
Separately, a senior defence official said the assistance includes Javelin anti-tank weapons and that it will be delivered to Ukraine in phases and as soon as possible.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning, said the U.S. has delivered military assistance to Ukraine by unspecified means as recently as “the last couple of days,” and that ground routes for delivery of the additional material “would certainly be on the list of options we would consider.”
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MEDYKA, POLAND — Lines of vehicles miles long are clogging border crossings out of Ukraine, as tens of thousands rush to neighbouring countries to escape danger from invading Russian troops.
Nearly 120,000 people have so far fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighbouring countries in the wake of Russian invasion, the UN refugee agency said Saturday. The largest numbers were arriving in Poland, where 2 million Ukrainians have already settled to work in recent years. Poland’s government said Saturday that more than 100,000 Ukrainians had crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border in the past 48 hours alone.
One family from Chernivtsi in western Ukraine waited 20 hours before being able to cross the border into Siret in northern Romania.
At the border town of Medyka, the line of vehicles waiting to enter Poland stretched many miles into Ukraine. A woman from Lviv, who was bringing her four children to safety in Poland, described toys and bags along the way that were so heavy that people abandoned them.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A senior U.S. defence official says the United States estimates that more than 50 per cent of Russian combat power arrayed along Ukraine’s borders has entered Ukraine. That is up from a U.S. estimate Friday that one-third of the Russian force had been committed to the fight.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. assessments, would not say how many Russian troops that amounts to inside Ukraine, but the U.S. had estimated the total Russian force arrayed near Ukraine at more than 150,000.
The official said advancing Russian forces were roughly 30 kilometres outside Kyiv as of Saturday, and that an unspecified number of Russian military “reconnaissance elements” had entered the capital.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Defence Ministry said Saturday that “the speed of the Russian advance has temporarily slowed likely as a result of acute logistical difficulties and strong Ukrainian resistance.”
“Russian forces are bypassing major Ukrainian population centres while leaving forces to encircle and isolate them,” the ministry said.
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BEREGSURANY, Hungary — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has told a news conference in the border town of Beregsurany that Hungary is accepting all citizens and legal residents of Ukraine, regardless of whether they are subject to military conscription into the Ukrainian armed forces.
“We’re letting everyone in,” Orban said. “I’ve seen people who have no travel documents, but we’re providing them too with travel documents. And we’re also allowing in those who have arrived from third countries after the proper screening.”
Several thousand refugees fleeing Ukraine have crossed into Hungary in recent days, entering through five border crossings along Hungary’s 137-kilometre border with Ukraine.
Hungary under Orban has in recent years firmly opposed all forms of immigration.
Regarded as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the European Union, Orban has pursued close economic and diplomatic ties with the Kremlin. But he said that Russia’s invasion of Hungary’s neighbour would likely cause changes in his relationship with Putin, and that Hungary was supporting all proposed sanctions against Moscow at the European level.
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VIENNA — Ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in Berlin Saturday afternoon, Poland’s prime minister has urged Germany to put aside “selfishness” and “egoism” and offer substantive support to the people of Ukraine.
“Nothing is going to stop Putin if we are not decisive enough,” Mateusz Morawiecki said in Berlin. “This is a very historic moment… we have no time to lose.”
Morawiecki said Germany’s aid thus far — of military helmets, not weapons — is a far cry from what’s necessary to help Ukraine defend itself.
“What kind of help was delivered to Ukraine? Five thousand helmets? This must be a joke,” Morawiecki said.
He added that the sanctions on Russia need to be “crushing,” calling for the exclusion of Russia from the SWIFT global financial system and for measures targeting Putin himself, oligarchs who back him, and Russian business more broadly.
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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s defence minister says up to 1,200 foreign troops from other NATO members could be deployed in his country in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The plan is part of the NATO initiative to reassure member countries on the alliance’s eastern flank by sending forces to help protect them. Slovakia borders Ukraine.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said forces from the Netherlands and Germany are among those expected to come. Germany will also provide the Patriot system to boost Slovakia’s air defense.
The country’s government and Parliament have not yet approved the plan.
Nad also sadi his country’s government has approved sending arms and fuel worth 11 million euros (US$12.4 million) requested by Ukraine. The aid will include 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 12,000 pieces of ammunition.
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TOKYO — From Tokyo to London to Taipei, Ukrainians living abroad and hundreds of protesters have turned out on the streets to join anti-war rallies spreading around the world as Russia’s troops pressed toward Ukraine’s capital.
Several hundred Ukrainians living in Japan gathered outside of Tokyo’s main train stations Saturday, chanting “Stop war!” and “Peace for Ukraine.” They held up signs including “No war,” “Stop Putin, Stop Russia,” while others waved Ukrainian flags. At a separate rally reportedly organized by Russian residents in Japan, several dozen people chanted “Hands off Ukraine!”
In Taiwan, more than 100 demonstrators chanting “Stand with Ukraine” and “Glory to Ukraine” protested outside the Russian representative office in Taiwan on Saturday.
“My family, my friends are now sheltered in their basements because of the air attacks,” said Yulia Kolorova, a 49-year-old Ukrainian living in Taiwan. “I just want them to be strong. I just can’t imagine how scary it is to see the missiles over your head. It’s surreal.”
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KYIV, UKRAINE — The mayor of the Ukrainian capital is imposing an intensified curfew as Russian troops press on the city.
Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on Telegram that the curfew will extend from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. and “all civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”
The previous curfew imposed two days ago was from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m.
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ROME — Italian Premier Mario Draghi has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make clear the Italian government supports any moves to cut Russia off from the SWIFT international payment system.
A day earlier, Draghi’s finance minister raised doubts Italy would go along with such a move because that would complicate payments to the Russians for natural gas. Italy gets some 45% of its gas from Russia.
Draghi’s office said the premier told Zelensky that Italy “will supply Ukraine with assistance to defend itself.” There were no immediate details on such assistance
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PARIS — French officials say marines patrolling the English Channel area have intercepted a cargo ship sailing under the Russian flag and escorted it to the port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer for an investigation.
Briefly switching to Russian, Zelensky hailed Russia’s cultural figures who denounced the invasion and urged them to redouble efforts to force the Kremlin to halt the attack. He claimed that thousands of Russian troops were killed and hundreds of those who were taken prisoner “can’t understand why they were sent into Ukraine to kill and get killed.” “The sooner you say to your government that this war should be immediately stopped, the more of your people will stay alive,” he said.
The interception of the ship, carrying cars, early Saturday was triggered by financial sanctions levied days ago against Russia for its invasion of the Ukraine. Maritime spokesperson Veronique Magnin said it appeared to be the first such action in the English Channel.
The approximately 130-metre ship was headed from Rouen, in Normandy, to Saint Petersburg, and was stopped near Honfleur, Magnin said.
Customs officials carrying out the investigation were verifying if the vessel is indeed linked to Russian financial interests, the spokesperson said. The process could take up to 48 hours.
The French government has given maritime officials the power to intercept vessels suspected of contravening the sanctions, she said.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country’s armed forces are successfully fighting back against Russian troops.
Zelensky said in a video released Saturday that Russian attempts to forge into Kyiv have been repelled and Moscow’s plan to quickly seize the capital and install a puppet government has been thwarted. In an emotional speech, he accused the Russian forces of hitting civilian areas and infrastructure.
Zelensky pushed for Ukraine’s urgent ascension to the European Union, saying he discussed the issue with the EU leaders. He also urged cutting Russia from the SWIFT international electronic bank payment system, noting that Germany and Hungary should show “courage” and agree to the move.
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MOSCOW — A senior Russian official has warned that Moscow could react to Western sanctions over its attack on Ukraine by opting out of the last remaining nuclear arms pact and freezing Western assets.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, shrugged off a set of crippling sanctions that the U.S., the European Union and other allies slapped on Russia as a reflection of Western “political impotence.”
In comments posted on his page on Russian social media VKontakte, Medvedev said the sanctions could offer Moscow a pretext for a complete review of its ties with the West, suggesting that Russia could opt out of the New START nuclear arms control treaty that limits the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals.
Medvedev also raised the prospect of cutting diplomatic ties with Western countries, saying “there is no particular need in maintaining diplomatic relations” and adding that “we may look at each other in binoculars and gunsights.” He pointed at the possibility of freezing Western assets in the country if the West proceeds with threats to freeze Russian assets.
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PRAGUE — The Czech Republic’s government has approved a plan to send more arms to Ukraine.
The Defence Ministry said it is immediately sending machine guns, submachine guns, assault rifles and pistols together with ammunition worth 188 million Czech crowns (US$8.6 million).
The ministry said the Czechs will transport the weapons and deliver them to a place determined by the Ukrainian side.
The Czech Republic has already agreed to donate some 4,000 pieces of artillery shells worth 36.6 million Czech crowns ($1.7 million) to Ukraine.
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WARSAW, Poland — The Polish Football Association says it will not play its World Cup qualifying match against Russia due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“No more words, time to act!” said association president Cezary Kulesza on Twitter, saying the move was prompted by the “escalation of the aggression.”
The match had been scheduled for March 24.
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KYIV, Ukraine — A rescue worker says at least six civilians were injured by a rocket that hit a high-rise apartment building on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital.
Petro Prokopov, a firefighter who was taking part in rescue efforts, said the building on the southwestern edge of Kyiv near Zhuliany airport was hit between 16 and 21 floors on Saturday. He said at least six people were injured and apartments on two floors were gutted by fire. Emergency responders have evacuated 80 people.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted an image showing a gaping hole on one side of the apartment building.
Separately, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry said a Russian missile was shot down before dawn Saturday as it headed for the dam of the sprawling water reservoir that serves Kyiv. “If the dam is destroyed, the flooding will cause catastrophic casualties and losses – including flooding of residential areas of Kyiv and its suburbs,” the ministry said.
Russian troops were pressing their attack on the Ukrainian capital, trying to advance on the city from several directions. Russia has repeatedly claimed its assault on Ukraine is aimed only at military targets.
“Let me stress once again that only infrastructure sites of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are being targeted, ruling out damage to residential and social infrastructure,” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing Saturday.
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KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian health minister says that 198 people have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been wounded in the Russian offensive.
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said Saturday that there were three children among those killed. His statement made it unclear whether the casualties included both military and civilians.
He said another 1,115 people, including 33 children, were wounded in the Russian invasion that began Thursday with massive air and missile strikes and troops forging into Ukraine from the north, east and south.
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
The Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Germany, is litxjmtzyw up in the colours of the flag of Ukraine following the Russian attack of Ukraine. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)
In this photo provided by the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence, a Belgium Air Force F-16 fighter jet participate in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission operate in Lithuanian airspace, on, Jan. 25, 2022. (Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense via AP, File)
An illuminated window of a residential building with the lighting turned off for safety reasons, in the city of Kyiv, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
People rest in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
