Putin said on Tuesday that the campaign was proceeding according to plan. He said he was not moving faster because Russia wanted to minimize losses. He said during a visit to the Vostochny space launch site in Russia’s Far East that “the military operation will continue until its full completion and fulfillment of the assigned tasks.” Putin claimed that Ukraine had backed down from proposals made during talks with Russian negotiators in Istanbul, leaving the talks deadlocked and leaving Moscow with no choice but to continue its attack.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: – Ukrainian investigators claim poisonous substance fell in Mariupol – “It’s not the end”: The children who survived the horror of Bouha – Russian war exacerbates fertilizer crisis, endangering food supplies – The Czechs provide free shooting training for local Ukrainians – Go to for more coverage
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Russian economy has successfully resisted new Western sanctions on Ukraine. Speaking on Tuesday during a visit to the launch site in Vostochny in Russia’s Far East, Putin said Russia’s economy and financial system had withstood the effects of what he called Western blitz sanctions and the ruble had recovered. Putin has argued that sanctions will work against the West. For example, he said Western restrictions on fertilizer exports from Russia and ally Belarus would raise world fertilizer prices, eventually leading to food shortages and increased migration flows. Putin said that “common sense must prevail” and added that the West should “return to reason and make balanced decisions without losing face.” He claimed that “they will not be able to close all the doors and windows”. He argued that the new Western restrictions on high-tech exports would encourage Russia to move faster in developing new technologies, opening a “new window of opportunity”.
BOSTON – Ukrainian officials say a planned cyber attack by Russian military hackers on the country’s electricity grid has been averted. The country’s computer emergency response is said to have thwarted an attack planned by hackers of Russia’s military intelligence service GRU, which planned to shut down power substations last Friday. The State Department of Special Communications said on its website that it had discovered malware designed to destroy data on computers. There was no immediate explanation as to how the attack was defeated, although the Ukrainian Computer Emergency Response Team thanked Microsoft and cybersecurity company ESET in a separate bulletin. Nor was the scope immediately explained. GRU hackers successfully attacked Ukraine’s electricity grid twice, in the winters of 2015 and 2016. Russia’s use of cyber-attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure has been limited compared to experts’ pre-war expectations. In the first hours of the war, however, an attack blamed by Ukraine on Russia knocked off a major satellite communications network that also affected tens of thousands of Europeans from France to Poland.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – The Slovak government has approved an increase in the number of troops on a multinational NATO battle group in the country from 2,100 to 3,000. The first 800 members of the service have already arrived in Slovakia. The Czech Republic has taken over responsibility for the battle group, with the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia also contributing. Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad says the increase in the planned number of troops is related to the Patriot air defense systems that the United States, Germany and the Netherlands are developing in Slovakia. The move is expected to boost Slovakia’s defense capabilities after the country donated the Soviet-era S-300 air defense system to Ukraine last week. The alliance deployed troops to the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – and Poland following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO decided to increase its presence throughout the East by deploying forces in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
GENEVA – The World Trade Organization predicts that trade in goods will grow much less than previously expected this year, saying the outlook for the world economy has darkened since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Geneva-based WTO on Tuesday pointed to multiple uncertainties in its forecasts for the next two years, as Russian and Ukrainian exports of items such as food, oil and fertilizers are threatened by war. He also cited the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – particularly from lockdowns in China. General Manager Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala described a “dual conflict” from the conflict and the coronavirus. He said the war had caused “enormous human suffering” in the region and its effects had been felt around the world, especially in the poorest countries. The WTO said its forecasts for world trade take into account factors such as the impact of the war, sanctions on Russia and lower global demand for lower business and consumer confidence. He said the volume of world trade in goods was expected to grow by 3% this year, from a forecast of 4.7% before the start of the war.
MOSCOW – The Russian military says it has hit Ukrainian arsenals with long-range cruise missiles. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday that the army used air and sea missiles to destroy an ammunition depot and a reinforced warplane hangar at Starokostiantyniv in the Khmelnytsky region. Konashenkov said another strike destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot in Havrylivka, near Kyiv.
NICOSIA, Cyprus – The head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church “unreservedly” condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying there is “no excuse” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “destroy a country, to level it”. ». Archbishop Chrysostom II told state television network CyBC on Tuesday that the invasion was “an unacceptable situation” and that Putin’s actions “made no sense.” The archbishop said he was upset that people were being killed and questioned whether the Russian leader was “in good spirits”. The archbishop added that he would be “the first to go and bless a defensive war”, but the “selfishness, if not stupidity” of the Russian leadership “knows no bounds”. Chrysostom also questioned Putin’s embrace of Orthodox Christianity, including the sincerity of his travels to the place where Christians believe Jesus Christ was baptized.
KIEV, Ukraine – Ukrainian police say they have launched a war crimes investigation after a 64-year-old man was killed by a landmine left behind in an area from which Russian forces recently withdrew. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Monday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly issued warnings about landmines and explosive traps left in areas where Russian troops are operating.
BERLIN – German authorities say more than 330,000 refugees from Ukraine are known to have entered Germany so far. The interior ministry said on Tuesday that German federal police had registered 335,578 people who had entered since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24. The vast majority of those who arrived are women and children. However, the actual number of refugees in Germany could be higher, as there are no strict controls on the country’s eastern borders and Ukrainian citizens can stay in the European Union for up to 90 days without a visa. Officials say an unknown number has also moved to other European countries. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday put the total number of people who have fled Ukraine at more than 4.6 million, more than 2.6 million of whom have at least originally fled to Poland.
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin says Russian military action in Ukraine is aimed at ensuring Russia’s security and is committed to achieving its goals. Speaking on Tuesday during a visit to the Vostochny space launch site in Russia’s Far East, Putin accused Ukraine of becoming an “anti-Russian bridgehead” where “sprouts of nationalism and neo-Nazism were being cultivated.” Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed such allegations as cover for aggression. Putin has confirmed that Russia’s “special military operation” was aimed at protecting people in areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed rebels. He also said that the campaign was also aimed at “ensuring the security of Russia itself”. Mr Putin emphasized that the decision was not a signal of a formal antitrust inquiry.
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country can not be isolated. Speaking on a visit to the Vostochny space launch site in Russia’s Far East, Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had no intention of isolating itself, adding that foreign forces would not be able to isolate it. He said that “it is definitely impossible to isolate anyone in today’s world, especially such a huge country as Russia.” Putin added that “we will work with those of our partners who want to work together.” Putin’s visit to Vostochny marked his first known trip outside Moscow since Russia launched military action in Ukraine on February 24. Putin toured the space plant with Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.
VILNIUS, Lithuania – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the European Union to step up economic sanctions against Russia, saying Russia’s political and military leadership believes it can continue …
