The most recent developments on the Russia-Ukraine battle:
LONDON — Britain’s Ministry of Protection says {that a} Russian army column heading for Kyiv has made “little discernible progress” over the previous three days and stays over 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the middle of the town.
The column has been delayed by Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdowns and congestion, the ministry stated in its each day intelligence briefing Thursday.
Regardless of heavy Russian shelling, the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol stay in Ukrainian fingers, the division stated. Some Russian forces have entered the town of Kherson, however the army state of affairs stays unclear, it added.
The ministry additionally famous that Russia has been pressured to confess that 498 of its troopers have been killed in Ukraine and one other 1,597 have been wounded. The precise variety of these killed and wounded will nearly actually be significantly larger and can proceed to rise, it stated.
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STOCKHOLM — Low-cost vogue model Hennes & Mauritz AB has turn into the most recent firm to droop its actions in Russia, saying it had determined to briefly pause all gross sales in its Russian shops and briefly shut its retailers in Ukraine “as a result of security of consumers and colleagues.”
The Stockholm-based group stated Wednesday that it was “deeply involved concerning the tragic developments in Ukraine and stand with all of the people who find themselves struggling.” It added that it was “in dialogue with all related stakeholders.”
H&M stated garments “and different requirements” had been donated and the H&M Basis, which is privately funded by the founders and most important house owners of the group, had made donations to Save the Youngsters and to UNHCR, the U.N. refugee company.
BRUSSELS — With near one million refugees already fleeing Ukraine for the japanese nations of the European Union, the bloc is bracing for the arrival of many extra because the Russian invasion continues.
EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson stated Thursday forward of a particular assembly of justice and residential affairs ministers that “now we have to be ready for hundreds of thousands of refugees to return to the European Union.”
The bloc is already shifting towards granting short-term safety to these fleeing battle, in search of to provide short-term residence permits to refugees and permit them rights to schooling and work within the 27-nation bloc.
The EU Fee has already promised at the least 500 million euros ($560 million) in humanitarian assist for the refugees. Johansson stated the bloc will want funding and gear.
LONDON — Fitch Scores has downgraded Russia’s credit standing, citing a “extreme shock” to elementary situations because of its invasion of Ukraine.
Fitch stated the battle has raised dangers to monetary stability and will undermine Russia’s skill to service its authorities debt. It stated that, in flip, will weaken the nation’s funds and sluggish its economic system, additional elevating geopolitical dangers and uncertainty.
Amongst different elements, the scores company famous sanctions imposed by Western international locations which are limiting entry to overseas forex wanted to repay debt and buy imports and elevated uncertainty over Russia’s willingness to pay such money owed.
BEIJING — Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from the Winter Paralympic Video games for his or her international locations’ roles within the battle in Ukraine, the Worldwide Paralympic Committee stated Thursday in Beijing.
The about-face comes lower than 24 hours after the IPC on Wednesday stated it could enable Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete when the Video games open on Friday, however solely as impartial athletes with colours, flags and different nationwide symbols eliminated.
The IPC obtained speedy criticism for its preliminary resolution. It was termed a betrayal that despatched the flawed message to Russia’s management. The IPC additionally stated it was evident that many athletes would refuse to compete towards Russians or Belarusians, creating chaos for the Paralympics.
The IPC now joins sports activities like soccer, observe, basketball, hockey and others which have imposed blanket bans on Russians and Belarusians.
SEOUL, South Korea – A South Korean pharmaceutical firm manufacturing Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine says it is bracing for enterprise issues because the U.S.-led West escalates sanctions towards Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
Just lately expanded U.S. sanctions embrace focused measures towards the Russian Direct Funding Fund, a sovereign wealth fund run by an in depth ally of President Vladimir Putin that globally markets the Sputnik vaccines.
Kim Gi-young, an official from Seoul-based GL Rapha, stated the sanctions received’t instantly impede its manufacturing of the pictures because the measures aren’t geared toward important medical provides.
Nevertheless, the corporate is worried about potential issues rising from the monetary aspect as South Korea joins america and lots of European international locations in a transfer to chop off key Russian banks from international fee techniques.
“Proper now, we’re watching how the state of affairs develops,” Kim stated.
GL Rapha has up to now produced 5 million pictures of the single-dose Sputnik Mild vaccine, however none of them have been used as far as Russia continues to delay rollout plans, Kim stated.
GL Rapha additionally has an settlement with RDIF to supply 150 million pictures of the two-dose Sputnik V and is collaborating in a consortium of South Korean firms that has been contracted to supply one other 500 million doses of Sputnik V, however these pictures haven’t been produced but.
RDIF has reportedly criticized the U.S. sanctions and stated the measures would sluggish its promotion of Sputnik V.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates says Ukrainian passport holders proceed to be eligible for visas on arrival to the Gulf state.
The UAE’s International Ministry assertion on Thursday got here in response to media protection quoting Ukraine’s Embassy within the UAE saying that the Gulf nation is reimposing visa necessities on Ukrainians and suspending an settlement for visa-free journey between the 2 international locations.
The energy-rich UAE, which depends on Russian and Ukrainian wheat exports, is house to some 15,000 Ukrainian residents amongst its roughly 8 million overseas residents and 1 million Emirati residents. Earlier than the coronavirus pandemic, round a quarter-million Ukrainian vacationers visited the UAE.
The UAE, like different Gulf Arab states, doesn’t acknowledge people fleeing battle and has not permitted refugees from Syria, Iraq and different wars to hunt asylum or search resettlement.
The UAE, which is house to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, abstained in a U.N. Safety Council vote late final week condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s also chair of the Safety Council.
MAZYR, Belarus — A string of seven bus-size Russian army ambulances — their home windows blocked with grey shades — pulled as much as the again entrance of the primary hospital about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the border with Ukraine on Tuesday night, ferrying casualties from the entrance.
The convoy was a part of what residents and medical doctors stated has in latest days turn into a gentle stream of Russian troopers wounded in fierce combating round Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, the place a Russian advance has stalled within the face of sturdy resistance.
A physician on the hospital — which is in southern Belarus’s Gomel area, a most important staging floor for Russia’s offensive — stated injured Russian troops started arriving on Monday. “I hope they don’t jail me for sharing this,” she stated.
WARSAW, Poland — The Group for Safety and Co-operation in Europe says one in every of its members died throughout shelling within the Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv.
Maryna Fenina was killed whereas getting provides for her household, the group stated in a information launch Wednesday. Fenina labored with the group’s monitoring mission in Ukraine.
“In Kharkiv and different cities and cities in Ukraine, missiles, shells and rockets are hitting residential buildings and city facilities, killing and injuring harmless civilians — ladies, males and kids alike,” it stated.
The group’s chairperson, Polish International Minister Zbigniew Rau, and Secretary Basic Helga Maria Schmid prolonged their condolences.
“Our deepest condolences and sympathies go to Maryna’s household. Maryna was a valued member of the SMM crew, and our colleagues in Ukraine stay in shut contact along with her household to supply our help,” it stated.
The group launched its Ukraine monitoring mission in 2014 in response to a request from Ukraine’s authorities and the consent of the group’s 57 collaborating states. The mission observes and reviews on the state of affairs in Ukraine and goals to facilitate dialogue.
GENEVA — The U.N. refugee company says 1 million folks have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion lower than per week in the past, an exodus with out precedent on this century for its velocity.
The tally from UNHCR quantities to greater than 2 p.c of Ukraine’s inhabitants on the transfer in underneath per week. The World Financial institution counted the inhabitants at 44 million on the finish of 2020.
The U.N. company has predicted that as much as 4 million folks may finally depart Ukraine however cautioned that even that projection might be revised upward.
In an electronic mail, UNHCR spokesperson Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams wrote: “Our information signifies we handed the 1M mark” as of midnight in central Europe, based mostly on counts collected by nationwide authorities.
On Twitter, the U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, wrote: “In simply seven days now we have witnessed the exodus of 1 million refugees from Ukraine to neighboring international locations.”
Syria, whose civil battle erupted in 2011, presently stays the nation with the most important refugee outflows – at greater than 5.6 million folks, based on UNHCR figures. However even on the swiftest fee of flight by refugees out of Syria, in early 2013, it took at the least three months for 1 million refugees to go away that nation.
UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo stated Wednesday that “at this fee” the outflows from Ukraine may make it the supply of “the most important refugee disaster this century.”
KYIV, Ukraine — In a video deal with to the nation early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an upbeat evaluation of the battle and referred to as on Ukrainians to maintain up the resistance.
“We’re a individuals who in per week have destroyed the plans of the enemy,” he stated. “They may don’t have any peace right here. They may don’t have any meals. They may have right here not one quiet second.”
Zelenskyy didn’t touch upon whether or not the Russians have seized a number of cities, together with Kherson.
“In the event that they went someplace, then solely briefly. We’ll drive them out,” he stated.
He stated the combating is taking a toll on the morale of Russian troopers, who “go into grocery shops and attempt to discover one thing to eat.”
“These usually are not warriors of a superpower,” he stated. “These are confused kids who’ve been used.”
He stated the Russian loss of life toll has reached about 9,000.
“Ukraine doesn’t wish to be lined in our bodies of troopers,” he stated. “Go house.”
Comply with AP’s protection of the tensions between Russia and Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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