Putin speech: Russia announces immediate 'partial mobilization' of ...

CNN —

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens on Wednesday, a move that threatens to escalate his faltering invasion of Ukraine following a string of defeats that caused recriminations in Moscow.

Putin said in a speech that he would use “all the means at our disposal,” and even raised the specter of nuclear weapons, if he deemed the “territorial integrity” of Russia to be jeopardized.

The mobilization means citizens who are in the reserve could be called up, and those with military experience would be subject to conscription, Putin said, adding that the necessary decree had already been signed and took effect on Wednesday.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Russian television Wednesday morning that the country will call up 300,000 reservists. “These are not some people who have never heard of the army,” Shoigu said. “These are those who have served, have a military registration specialty, have had military experience.”

It comes after a sudden and successful Ukrainian offensive through most of occupied Kharkiv swung momentum in the conflict back towards Kyiv this month. The counter-attacks galvanized Ukraine’s Western backers and caused anger in Russia, which has time and again been stymied in its full-scale assault of its neighboring state that it launched seven months ago.

Russian police officers detain a person during an unsanctioned rally, after opposition activists called for street protests against the mobilisation of reservists ordered by President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, Russia September 21, 2022. Reuters

“Our country also has various means of destruction and in some components more modern than those of the NATO countries, and if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people,” Putin said in his speech Wednesday indicating a possible new chapter in the months-long conflict.

Addressing the potential for escalation and use of nuclear weapons, Putin said: “Those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the prevailing winds can turn in their direction.”

The announcement comes as Russia is believed to face shortages of manpower and follows amendments to Russia’s law on military service made Tuesday, which raise the penalties for resistance related to military service or coercion to violate an official military order during a period of mobilization or martial law.

Putin framed the ongoing fighting as part of a larger struggle for Russian survival against a West whose goal is it is to “weaken, divide and ultimately destroy our country.” Several Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine announced that they will hold referendums on formally joining Russia this week, votes that have widely been dismissed as shams intended to boost Putin’s justifications for further attacks on Ukrainian territory.

“They are already saying directly that they were able to split the Soviet Union in 1991 and now the time has come for Russia to break up into a multitude of regions and areas which are fatally hostile to each other,” Putin said.

But NATO leaders dismissed the announcement as a sign of panic in the Kremlin, and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine’s military.

Police officers detain a person in Moscow on September 21, 2022, following calls to protest against partial mobilisation announced by President Vladimir Putin. - President Vladimir Putin called up Russian military reservists on September 21, saying his promise to use all military means in Ukraine was "no bluff," and hinting that Moscow was prepared to use nuclear weapons. His mobilisation call comes as Moscow-held regions of Ukraine prepare to hold annexation referendums this week, dramatically upping the stakes in the seven-month conflict by allowing Moscow to accuse Ukraine of attacking Russian territory. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

US President Joe Biden condemned the mobilization and the Kremlin’s planned votes, during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

“Just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats towards Europe … now Russia is calling up more soldiers to join the fight, and the Kremlin is organizing sham referenda to try to annex parts of Ukraine,” Biden said. “The world should see these outrageous acts for what they are.

“Putin claims he had to act because Russia was threatened, but no one threatened Russia – and no one other than Russia sought conflict,” Biden added.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meanwhile called the mobilization an “act of despair.”

“Russia cannot win this war. But this is a kind of panic reaction,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte added Wednesday.

A destroyed Russian tank in Izium, a town recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces. Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Referendums announced

The referendums, which Putin backed during his speech Wednesday, could pave the way for Russian annexation of the areas, allowing Moscow to frame the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive there as an attack on Russia itself, thereby providing Moscow with a pretext to escalate its military response.

In what appeared to be a coordinated announcement, Russian-appointed leaders in the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic all said they planned to hold “votes” beginning on September 23.

Together the four regions that have announced their referendum plans make up around 18% of Ukraine’s territory. Russia does not control any of the four in their entirety.

The expected referendums, which run counter to international law upholding Ukraine’s sovereignty, have been announced as world leaders have descended on New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, where the war and it impacts were already poised to loom large.

Ukraine has dismissed the announcement of referendums in the occupied regions as a “sham” stemming from the “fear of defeat,” while the the country’s Western supporters signaled they would not alter their support for Ukraine.

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink wrote on Twitter Wednesday that “sham referenda and mobilization are signs of weakness, of Russian failure. The United States will never recognize Russia’s claim to purportedly annexed Ukrainian territory, and we will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Putin on Wednesday said Russia has been asked for support from the two “people’s republics” and the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia for the referendums and had pledged to do “everything to ensure the safe conditions for people to express their will.”

Potential for escalation

The announcements had already received swift support from Russian politicians. Former Russian President and vice-chairman of Russia’s National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has publicly endorsed referendums in the self-declared Donbas republics, saying this would have “huge significance” for “systemic protection” of the residents.

“Encroachment on Russian territory is a crime which allows you to use all the forces of self-defense,” Medvedev said on his Telegram channel, in an apparent allusion to the potential for the military escalation.

But social media video geolocated by CNN showed protests in several Russian cities on Wednesday, each involving what appear to have been a few dozen people. The independent monitoring group OVD-Info said that more than 100 people had been detained at anti-mobilization demonstrations in total.

It’s unclear what form an escalation could take, but concerns have been raised throughout the conflict over whether Russia would resort to using its nuclear stockpile in the Ukraine.

A billboard promoting contract army service, with the slogan "Serving Russia is a real job," in St. Petersburg. Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images

US President Joe Biden addressed these concerns in a 60 Minutes interview earlier this week, when a reporter asked what he would say to the Russian leader regarding the use of chemical or tactical nuclear weapons.

“Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II,” Biden said, adding that the US response to such actions would be “consequential.”

Putin endorsed a new “deterrent” strategy in June 2020 that allowed for the use of nuclear weapons in response to a non-nuclear attack on Russia that threatened its existence.

On Tuesday, Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, amended the law on military service, toughening the punishment for violation of military service duties – such as desertion and evasion from service – according to state news agency TASS.

The bill sets a jail term of up to 15 years for resistance related to military service or coercion to violate an official military order, involving violence or the threat of its use, during the period of mobilization or martial law.

Simone Mccarthy Rob Picheta
Simone Mccarthy
Rob Picheta

Ukraine updates: US says Russia hasn't moved nukes to Belarus

The U.S. has detected no movement of Russian nuclear weapons toward Belarus despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's pledge to place them in neighboring Belarus by July 1, a top U.S. security official said Sunday.

Putin's controversial nuclear pledge comes as his military struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and his defense ministry cranks up its effort to lure Russians into joining the fight.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby rejected Putin's justification for moving the nukes – Britain providing Ukraine with rounds containing depleted uranium – saying the armor piercing ammunition is not a nuclear threat, is common on the battlefield and that Russia also uses it.

"If that is in fact the justification, it's a steak through a straw," Kirby said on "Face the Nation." "There is no radioactivity concern with that."

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted that Putin's decision was an "irresponsible escalation & threat to European security. Belarus can still stop it, it is their choice. The EU stands ready to respond with further sanctions." NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu called Russia’s nuclear rhetoric “dangerous and irresponsible.”

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, tweeted Sunday that Putin's announcement was “a step toward internal destabilization” and that Putin “took Belarus as a nuclear hostage.”

But Putin said it was making the move in response to the West's increasing military support for Ukraine, that he was doing in Belarus what the U.S. has done for decades in Europe. And he pressed his recurring theme that the West was responsible for Russia's audacious invasion of its neighbor.

"They pretend they had nothing to do with it. They are the initiators of this conflict," he said. "And today they are handing over millions more munitions, hardware and so on."

RUSSING LOSING GROUND?:Ukraine set to 'take advantage' of Russia's flagging momentum in Bakhmut: Updates

Developments:

►Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told graduates of the Institute of the Navy their nation needs "a victory over the enemy at sea as well as on land and in the sky."

►Hungary supports a cease-fire in Ukraine but does not expect Russia to keep the territories it occupies, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said: "Stopping the war and sitting around the table does not mean that you accept the status quo.”

Actor Orlando Bloom visits kids in Kyiv

Actor Orlando Bloom paid a weekend visit to Kyiv, stopping at one of almost 200 UNICEF-supported children's centers in the country. The "Spilno" center is underground in the metro to ensure safety from missile strikes, and for a few hours every day parents can drop off their young children to "give them a sense of normalcy, to play games and just be kids," Bloom said in an Instagram post. Spilno means "together" in Ukrainian.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported that since Russia invaded 13 months ago at least 465 children have been killed and 942 wounded. Thousands more children from Russia-occupied areas in Ukraine are believed to have been forcibly deported to Russia, the office says.

Bloom's film credits include recurring roles in "The Lord of the Rings," "The Hobbit" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series.

Russian advertising campaign seeks military volunteers

The Kremlin is intensifying effort to seek volunteers to replenish its troops by advertising cash bonuses and other benefits. Recruiters are making cold calls to eligible men. Enlistment offices are working with universities and social service agencies to lure students and the unemployed.

Both sides anticipate counteroffensives that could mean heavy losses. A mobilization in September of 300,000 reservists sent men scrambling to the borders because most men under 65 are formally part of the reserve. The Kremlin hopes it can “avoid declaring a formal second mobilization wave” after the first one proved so unpopular, according to a recent report by the U.S.-based think tank Institute of the Study of War.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Russian forces have staged illegal 'referendums' in Ukraine. What ...

CNN —

Pro-Russian authorities have held so-called referendums in four regions of Ukraine over recent days and, while the votes are illegal and have been universally dismissed as “a sham” by Ukraine and Western nations, there are fears that they could create a pretext for a new, dangerous stage in the war.

They come with the seven-month conflict at a tipping point. Rapid counterrattacks by Ukraine have dramatically swung momentum on the battlefield away from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is expected to escalate his country’s invasion in response.

That means the “votes” – and the bogus results that Russia and its local allies have claimed – are an important step in Russia’s faltering effort to seize control in Ukraine.

Here’s what you need to know about the referendums, and what comes next.

What’s happening in parts of occupied Ukraine?

Four Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine staged votes on joining Russia, according to their separatist leaders from Friday to Tuesday. The polls, which are contrary to international law, could pave the way for Russian annexation of the areas.

On Wednesday, with all “votes” counted, authorities in those regions predictably claimed that residents had overwhelmingly agreed to become part of Russia.

The figures touted supposedly from 99.23% approval in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) to 87.05% in Russian-controlled Kherson. Officials in the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Russian-held Zaporizhzhia also claimed nearly a universal verdict.

But those numbers bear little resemblance to reality. An exclusive CNN poll of Ukrainians conducted in February, just before Russia’s invasion, found that no region of the country had more than one in five people backing Ukrainian unification with Russia.

And even in the east – the most pro-Russian area of Ukraine – less than a quarter of Ukrainians said regions that felt more Russian should be allowed to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia.

The poll found 18% of Ukrainians in the east – including the Luhansk and Donetsk regions – agreed with the proposition “Russia and Ukraine should be one country,” while 16% of Ukrainians in the south, which included the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, supported it.

The “result” of the votes was probably decided long before any ballots were cast. “Russia’s referenda are a sham – a false pretext to try to annex parts of Ukraine by force in flagrant violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter,” US President Joe Biden said last week.

Questions on the ballot varied slightly in each of the four regions holding votes. Together, the four regions make up around 18% of Ukraine’s territory.

Residents of the four regions who had moved to Russia were also eligible to vote.

The moves follow a similar playbook to Russia’s takeover of Crimea in 2014. A referendum organized there, which officially saw 97% of voters back annexation, was ratified by Russian lawmakers within a week.

This time around, some regions plan to announce their results sooner than others. Voting was scheduled to end on Tuesday. Authorities in Luhansk said they would announce results the day after voting finishes, whereas in Kherson, authorities will wait for five days after polls close.

That means the claimed outcomes will have been announced by the beginning of next week. They could come sooner, however. The UK Ministry of Defense has said that “there is a realistic possibility” that Putin will use his address to Russia’s parliament on Friday to “formally announce the accession of the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”

What do we know about the ‘voting’?

Reports from the places affected suggest that voting is being done essentially – and in some cases, literally – at gunpoint.

Serhii Hayday, the Ukrainian head of the Luhansk region military administration, said that authorities were going door to door, trailed by armed guards, to collect votes.

“If someone checked ‘against’ joining Russia, the data is recorded in some notebooks,” Hayday said on Telegram. “Rumors are being spread that people who vote against are being taken away somewhere. This is deliberately done to intimidate the local population.”

A service member of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic walks past a banner on the doors of a polling station. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

Russian-backed authorities claimed a massive turnout in the elections, reporting numbers that Kyiv and Western observers have scoffed at.

Meanwhile, for Ukrainians in occupied territories where voting took place, the means of escape are perilous. The occupied area of Kherson has been “completely closed for entry and exit” following its “vote,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Tuesday.

Travel in and out of the occupied portion of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region is also very difficult for civilians and near-impossible for men aged 18 to 35, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center – a unit of the defense ministry – claimed.

What does Russia want from these so-called referendums?

In terms of international law, the referendums will achieve nothing because the global community is steadfastly refusing to accept them.

But back home, Putin will be able to claim that the will of occupied Ukrainians is to belong to Russia – thereby giving some false pretext to his efforts to claim that territory as Moscow’s.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in recent days that Russia has already decided in advance what will happen after these referendums are finished, stating that by “the end of the month, Russia’s intention will be to formalize the annexation of the four regions into the Russian Federation.”

That has raised concerns that Putin will seek to escalate the war once the “results” are announced. A successful counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces has pushed Russia back significantly in northeast Ukraine. Western officials have suggested that Putin will likely seek to reframe that counteroffensive and any others as an attack on Russia sovereignty.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already nodded to that stance in recent days, saying over the weekend that Moscow reserves the right to “fully protect” areas that have formally become its territory.

When he announced a partial mobilization of Russian citizens in an address last week, Putin even raised the specter of nuclear weapons, saying he would use “all the means at our disposal” if he deemed the “territorial integrity” of Russia to be jeopardized.

But the context of the war is crucial to understanding why these hastily arranged votes are going ahead, and the threats from the Kremlin that surround them.

Ukrainian forces have completely flipped the momentum in the conflict in recent weeks, staging rapid counterattacks that have pushed Russia onto the back foot militarily. It’s an embarrassing situation for Putin to find himself in, seven months after launching an invasion that many thought would be completed within days. And it has seemingly raised concern among some of Russia’s international allies, such as China.

Meanwhile, back home, Putin’s “partial mobilization” of citizens has prompted chaos, with protests, apparent drafting mistakes and an exodus of citizens fleeing Russia.

Putin’s situation is looking increasingly desperate, as he reaches for a shift in the balance that will allow Russian forces to regain the front foot. The staging of sham referendums appears to be a key piece in his effort to force a change.

Police officers detain a man in Moscow amid protests against Putin's mobilization of citizens. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

What comes next for these regions?

The Kremlin will likely immediately treat the territories as though they are parts of Russia now that vote tallies have been claimed. “The entire state territory of Russia that has already been or can additionally be formalized in the constitution of our country will certainly benefit from full protection,” Lavrov said at a New York press conference on Saturday. “How can it be otherwise? All the laws, doctrines, concepts, and strategies of the Russian Federation are applicable throughout its territory.”

There are concerns that Ukrainians in parts of the country controlled by Russia will be conscripted by their occupiers.

Ukrainian officials say Russia is using the votes as a pretext to draft Ukrainians into the Russian military. “The main purpose of the fake referendum is to mobilize our residents and use them as cannon fodder,” Ivan Fedorov, the Ukrainian mayor-in-exile of Russian-occupied Melitopol, said on Telegram.

Ukraine’s National Resistance Center said last week in a statement: “It is clear that after the referendum the enemy will announce mobilization on the occupied lands as well because it needs human resources.”

The Ukrainian government says the Russian occupying administrations, together with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), are drawing up lists of thousands of people to be mobilized in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

In Luhansk region, which is almost entirely occupied by Russia and Russian-backed forces, Ukrainian officials say the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic is already implementing widespread conscription.

How is the international community responding?

The West and NATO immediately dismissed the votes as a stunt, and made clear there will be no change in their support for Ukraine.

“NATO’s answer is to step up support,” the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in an interview with CNN’s Julia Chatterley on Friday. “The best way to end this war is to strengthen Ukrainians on the battlefield further, so they can at some stage sit down and reach a solution which is acceptable for Ukraine and preserves Ukraine as a sovereign independent nation in Europe.”

US officials anticipate Russia could move quickly to annex the four areas, potentially within days of voting concluding.

If and when they do, it would prompt a swift response from the United States, which has pledged not to recognize the results, one official said.

In the near term, another round of sanctions on Russia looks likely once the results of the votes are declared. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC in a television interview Sunday that the G7 nations “reiterated that there would be consequences and specified that that would include additional enhanced sanctions, including sanctions on entities and companies outside of Russia that are supporting the Russian war machine or supporting these fake referenda or Russia’s efforts.

“So, you will see that in the days ahead the United States will have further announcements in coming days if Russia follows through on this,” Sullivan said.

But it is clear that the prospects of an escalation in the war have heightened concerns about what comes next – particularly with regard to nuclear weapons. “Russia understands very well what the US would do in response to the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine because we have spelled it out for them,” Sullivan said, as officials find themselves working to reassure their populations and global allies.

While officials have not seen indications that Russia is planning to use nuclear weapons in the near term, they are more concerned about the possibility now than they were six or seven months ago, one official confirmed to CNN, though they still maintain that the likelihood of Russia doing so is low.

Putin's new land grab is dangerous for Ukraine -- and the world ...

CNN —

Russia’s new land grab in Ukraine is an act of geopolitical piracy that will make the war more dangerous, add new risk to the West’s strategic calculations and deal a long-term challenge to the international rule of law.

President Vladimir Putin presided over a Kremlin ceremony Friday to formalize an annexation process of four occupied regions that will slice away thousands of miles of Ukraine’s heavy industrial and agricultural wealth.

In effect, the move amounts to stealing territory from a sovereign power and declaring it part of Russia after an unprovoked invasion – a clear violation of international law and one reason why much of the world will not accept it.

The Russian leader made the announcement with a new rhetorical blast against the United States and its allies, underscoring how he sees the war in Ukraine as part of a wider project to reverse what he sees as the humiliations caused by the fall of the Soviet Union.

“The West has been looking for and continues to look for a new chance to weaken and destroy Russia, which they have always dreamed of splitting our state, pitting peoples against each other,” Putin said.

“They are simply haunted by the fact that there is such a great country as Russia.”

The absorption of the Ukrainian regions, which recalls the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, will not change the reality of a war that has backfired on Putin, inflicted a bloody toll on his forces and is stoking unusual dissent inside Russia.

But it is a ruse – produced through what the West says are sham referendums – that creates an alternative reality about the conflict that will have several important consequences for Americans, future US global power and the cause of democracy, even if the war, seven months on, may feel to many Americans like a faraway dispute brewed from ancient enmities on the edge of Europe.

First, in the political fantasy world concocted by Putin, the annexations turn the war from an offensive operation into one of self-defense. That’s because Moscow will now define these new possessions as part of larger Russian territory, which has raised fears of an escalation of the war because Putin has warned he could use all weapons systems (code for nuclear arms) to defend the Russian state.

This new dimension to the conflict may mean that the West’s staunch support for Ukraine, which has made major advances in the east and the south in recent weeks, comes with a higher risk premium given that there’s no sign Kyiv’s forces will stop fighting to restore control over the annexed districts using billions of dollars in US weaponry and materiel.

In the longer term, the annexations will crystalize the reason why the United States and its allies have been so adamant about helping Ukraine’s war effort. The war threatens to enshrine a precedent of a bigger, powerful nation simply marching into a smaller one and seizing its territory on a spurious rationale. That scenario is not just a threat at the fringes of Europe; it is one that could arise around the world and be replicated by other autocratic regimes. It represents a fundamental challenge to the international rule of law if allowed to stand. And it tests the principle of the Western-led post-World War II world that free peoples have the right to choose their own national and political destinies.

President Joe Biden made exactly this point during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly this month when he argued that nations should not be allowed to pursue imperial ambitions without consequence.

“This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people,” Biden said. “Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, that should not – that should make your blood run cold.”

Putin’s plan

The annexations cover four regions – Donetsk and Luhansk, which are self-styled breakaway republics, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which have been controlled by Russian troops since soon after the invasion in late February.

The Ukrainian government, the United States and its European allies have all rejected the notion that this land will henceforth be part of Russia.

“The United States will never, never, never recognize Russia’s claims on Ukraine sovereign territory,” Biden warned at a Pacific Islands summit in Washington on Thursday. “This so-called referenda was a sham – an absolute sham – and the results were manufactured in Moscow,” the President said, promising a new range of swift and severe punishments for Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already made clear the US will establish no limits on where Ukraine’s forces can use US-made weapons, effectively calling Moscow’s bluff about the implications of attacking what they now consider to be part of wider Russia.

“Ukraine has the absolute right to defend itself throughout its territory, including to take back the territory that has been illegally seized in one way or another by Russia,” Blinken said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“Because there is no change at all in the territory that is being annexed by the Russians as a matter for us or for the Ukrainians, the Ukrainians will continue to do what they need to do to get back the land that has been taken from them. We will continue to support them in that effort,” Blinken said.

Putin warned when he announced a partial mobilization last week, which caused thousands of would-be conscripts to flee the country, that every means at his disposal would be used to defend the territorial integrity of the homeland. That was widely seen as a threat to use tactical nuclear weapons if newly annexed regions come under attack. Such a scenario could test Putin’s newly established red line. But the threat of losing any newly annexed areas could also increase his own embarrassment over a war he needs to win in order to continue his strongman rule.

The United States says that it has so far not detected any movements of Russian nuclear weapons. This includes tactical battlefield devices that could have a smaller footprint than higher-yield long-range strategic warheads that make up the nuclear deterrents of the United States, Russia and other declared nuclear powers. Still, US intelligence officials have told CNN that while Russia’s potential use of nuclear weapons is still seen as unlikely it cannot be definitively ruled out.

‘Hurricane Putin’

From overseas, the hastily organized referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine look laughably amateurish and hurried. In a sense, they are an example of Putin trolling the West in yet another show of contempt for international law and the idea of democracy. Putin left no doubt on Thursday that he considers the war in Ukraine part of a wider effort to check Western power and influence, telling intelligence chiefs from former Soviet republics that “we are witnessing a difficult process of forming a more just world order,” and bemoaning the fall of the former Soviet Union.

But the obviously illegitimate nature of the referendums also point to their true purpose – creating an impression of progress to Russians back home and also a justification for the mobilization of thousands of reservists who can now be told they are being sent to Ukraine to fight to defend Russian territory.

In other circumstances, Putin’s annexations may have been seen as a potential face-saving way out of the conflict and a way for him to declare a measure of victory. But Ukraine has said such moves mean that there are no grounds for negotiation with Moscow. And recent battlefield success and the flow of Western weapons – the US announced another $1 billion package on Wednesday – mean that there is no strategic reason to stop fighting now.

The new Russian land grabs will also likely firm up support for Ukraine in the US Congress at a time when there are some indications that a potential Republican majority in the House after this fall’s midterm elections may be less keen on sending billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv – a factor that may influence Putin’s long-term strategy.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Thursday unveiled a draft resolution that would require Biden to immediately cut off economic and military aid to any nation that recognized Russian annexations.

Graham noted that the annexations were occurring while much of the United States is fixated on the devastation in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Congress will likely be called upon to fund a massive clean-up and rebuilding effort in the days to come. But Graham, while pointing out that the storm was now bearing down on his state, warned that lawmakers needed to “do two things at once.”

“We have to help our friends and neighbors here at home but we also have to stand up for what’s right abroad. So we are dealing with Hurricane Putin, for the lack of a better word,” Graham said.

“He’s trying to rewrite the map of Europe, he’s trying to do by force of arms what he can’t do to the political process.”

Why is Putin moving nuclear weapons to Belarus? | The Week UK

Nato has condemned the announcement by Vladimir Putin that Russia is to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus as “dangerous and irresponsible” rhetoric.

Al Jazeera reported that Putin had struck a deal with his long-standing ally to complete construction of a storage facility to hold tactical nuclear weapons by 1 July this year, and has already stationed ten aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying such weapons.

The Russian president insisted this would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements, instead comparing it to the US stationing its weapons in Europe as part of nuclear-sharing arrangements with five of its allies: Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Turkey.

“The move, while not unexpected, is one of Russia’s most pronounced nuclear signals yet and a warning to Nato over its military support for Ukraine,” said Reuters. The news site added that the development is “significant since it [Russia] had been proud, until now, of not having deployed nuclear weapons outside its borders, unlike the United States. This may be the first time since the mid-1990s that it plans to do so.”

What did the papers say?

“When the Russian president uses the word ‘nuclear’ the world pays attention and that appears to be a major reason why he said it,” reported CNN, but “as usual with Putin, the world should read the fine print and check the context”.

Facing stalemate on the battlefield, growing unrest at home and an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, “his suggestion that Russia would start storing its bombs in Belarus may add up to less than it appears”, agreed The Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger.

He said nuclear experts are “sceptical” of the ambitious timeline set out by Putin, pointing out that Russia “has been working on a nuclear weapon storage facility in Kaliningrad for at least seven years and it is still not clear whether the bombs have actually arrived there. So far, no satellite imagery has surfaced that might suggest something similar is being built in Belarus,” said Borger.

Also calling it a “bluff”, the Independent said that while “obviously more substantive than past vague threats about the use of weapons of mass destruction, there is not necessarily any reason to believe that this prospective deployment carries any more danger than existed before.

Occupied parts of Ukraine vote on joining Russia in 'sham ...

CNN —

Four Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine began voting in referendums on joining Russia, according to their separatist leaders, in a move that raises the stakes of Moscow’s invasion seven months after fighting began.

The referendums, which are illegal under international law and dismissed as “a sham” by Western governments and Kyiv, could pave the way for Russian annexation of the areas, allowing Moscow to frame the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive as an attack on Russia itself.

Such a move could provide Moscow with a pretext to escalate its faltering war, which has seen Kyiv regain thousands of square miles of territory this month.

In an address Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the specter of nuclear weapons in his address, saying he would use “all the means at our disposal,” if he deemed the “territorial integrity” of Russia to be jeopardized.

The votes, which are expected to take place over five days, were called by pro-Russian officials in the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, and in Russian-held parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south, with questions on the ballot varying slightly depending on the region. Together the four regions make up around 18% of Ukraine’s territory.

The plans, which are being held under military occupation and effectively carried out at gunpoint, have been strongly condemned by both the government of Ukraine and its allies in the West. The European Union has said it won’t recognize the results and has indicated it is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia.

The outcome of “sham” secession referendums is “almost certainly already decided,” the UK ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, said on Twitter Friday. “There will be results publicised of something that didn’t happen. I wonder whether anyone will even be called to vote,” she wrote.

Putin backed the referendums in an address to the nation on Wednesday. “The parliaments of the people’s republics of Donbas and the civil-military administration of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions decided to hold a referendum on the future of these territories. They have asked Russia to support this step, and we stressed that we will do everything to ensure the safe conditions for people to express their will,” he said.

The separatist leaders in the four occupied regions said the referendums were underway on Friday as Ukrainian officials from occupied areas of the country accused pro-Russian forces of using coercive tactics.

“The long-awaited referendum has started, which is designed to restore the fair course of things in our land, to return peace to our homes, to consolidate the status of Donbas as part of our historical Motherland – Russia,” Vladimir Bidyovka, head of the People’s Council of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic said in a propaganda statement published on Telegram.

A service member of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic passes a banner at a polling station ahead of the planned referendum on September 22. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

‘Pseudo-referendum’

Ukrainian officials from the occupied areas on Friday accused pro-Russian forces of subverting what should be a democratic process in the referendums on secession.

In both the Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions, local authorities have urged people to vote from home, saying that ballot boxes can be brought to them.

The Luhansk region is almost entirely controlled by Russian and pro-Russian forces. But it remains contested – Ukrainian forces liberated the village of Bilohorivka earlier this week.

The Ukrainian governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region on Friday said “Russians will calculate and draw any result that is favorable to them” in what he described as a “pseudo-referendum.”

“The opinion of the population has no importance,” Serhii Hayday said on Telegram, adding that an “armed man is involved in each polling station, the appearance of which should force people to meekly cast their vote.”

In Mariupol, which is in the Donetsk region, “the main means of coercion for voting is door-to-door canvassing,” said Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol’s Ukrainian mayor, on Telegram.

“The commission consists of two people with a ballot box and ballots, and two armed men,” he said. “They knock on the doors of apartments/houses, force neighbors to make people come to the commission. Coercion, coercion and more coercion. In fact, they offer to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ directly into the barrel of a gun.”

Andriushchenko is not in the city, but has been a reliable conduit for information from Mariupol. CNN is not able to independently verify his and other characterizations.

A woman casts her ballot in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 23, 2022. Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters

“Polling stations are located in shops and cafes,” Andriushchenko said. “However, they are empty. There are no usual amenities such as polling booths there. The mark is made under the close supervision of armed people. This is what Russian democracy looks like.”

Yurii Sobolevskyi, deputy head of the Kherson Regional Council, told CNN that the effort being carried out in his region has shown very little turnout.

“Most people are determined not to go,” he said. “That’s why this door-to-door idea came about, because when armed people come to your house, it will be difficult and dangerous even to refuse to vote.”

He said that the United Russia political party – the ruling party in Russia – has been campaigning for secession while also handing out food packages to residents.

The Ukrainian mayor-in-exile of Melitopol – which is in Zaporizhzhia region, and occupied by Russia – also urged residents to boycott the vote.

A ‘historical crime’

Observers say it seems unlikely that such a rushed process, in areas where many voters live close to the front lines of the conflict, can be successful or fair. Additionally, because of widespread internal displacement since the beginning of the conflict, voting databases are likely out of date. In Kherson for example, Ukrainian officials have said that about half the pre-war population have left.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitors elections, condemned what it said were “illegal referenda.”

A referendum organized in Crimea in 2014, which officially saw 97% of voters back annexation, was ratified by Russian lawmakers within a week.

This time around, some regions plan to announce the results sooner than others. Authorities in Luhansk said they would announce results the day after voting finishes, whereas in Kherson, authorities will wait for five days after polls close.

A man from Luhansk region, who lives in Russia, votes at temporary accommodation facility in Volgograd, Russia on Friday. HP 68/AP

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Friday that if the regions announce majorities in favor of joining Russia the ratification process would be a fast one, saying that they can become part of the Russian Federation “quite soon.”

When asked if that would mean any attempt of Ukraine to regain the territories would be regarded as an attack on Russian territory, Peskov said: “Of course.”

Jailed Kremlin critic and Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny called the referendums and Putin’s “partial mobilization” of citizens for his war in Ukraine a “historical crime” in a court speech on Friday.

Navalny has filed an administrative lawsuit against the administration of penal colony number 6 in the Vladimir Region.

“This is involving hundreds of thousands of people in the crimes that Putin commits,” the opposition leader said.

“He’s like the mafia, you know? It is binding by blood hundreds of thousands of people with this mobilization and these fake referendums,” Navalny added.

Tim Lister Julia Kesaieva Olga Voitovych Simone Mccarthy Mick Krever

Why is North Korea firing so many missiles -- and should the West ...

Seoul, South Korea CNN —

Tensions are running high in the Korean Peninsula, as the United States and its allies respond to North Korea’s flurry of recent missile tests – including one that flew over neighboring Japan without warning.

North Korea has tested ballistic missiles seven times since September 25 – a prolific number, even in a year that has seen the highest number of launches since leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011.

The aggressive acceleration in weapons testing has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises this week. The US has also redeployed an aircraft carrier into waters near the peninsula, a move South Korean authorities called “very unusual.”

A US aircraft carrier and submarine, and South Korean and Japan warships, seen during a joint exercise on September 30. Handout/Getty Images

International leaders are now watching for signs of a further escalation such as a potential nuclear test, which would be the hermit nation’s first in nearly five years – a move that would present US President Joe Biden with a new potential foreign policy crisis.

Here’s what you need to know about North Korea’s rush toward nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles, why they’re ramping up now – and what, if anything, the US can do to counter Kim Jong Un.

First, some context

The testing itself isn’t new – North Korea’s weapons development program has been ongoing for years.

Tensions reached near-crisis levels in 2017 when North Korea launched 23 missiles throughout the year, including two over Japan, as well as conducting a nuclear test. The tests showcased weapons with enough power to put most of the world in range, including the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Relations thawed in 2018, when then-US President Donald Trump held a landmark summit with Kim. The two leaders “fell in love,” Trump said; in return, Kim praised their “special” relationship. North Korea pledged to freeze missile launches and appeared to destroy several facilities at the nuclear test site, while the US suspended large-scale military exercises with South Korea and other regional allies.

But the talks ultimately fell apart, and hopes for a deal that would see the North curtail its nuclear ambitions dwindled by the end of Trump’s term.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, pushing North Korea further into isolation. The already-impoverished country sealed its borders entirely, with foreign diplomats and aid workers fleeing en masse. During this time, the number of missile launches also remained low – just four in 2020 and eight in 2021.

How should the Biden administration handle the rising tensions with North Korea? 04:33 - Source: CNN

So why are they ramping up now?

Experts say there are a few reasons North Korea is accelerating its testing so rapidly now.

First, it could simply be the right time after the events of the last few years, with Kim declaring victory against Covid in August, and a new US administration in place that has focused on shows of unity with South Korea.

“They’ve been unable to test for quite a few years due to political considerations, so I’d expect North Korean engineers and generals to be very eager to make sure their toys are going to work well,” said Andrei Lankov, a professor at South Korea’s Kookmin University.

Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said it’s also normal for North Korea to pause testing during the stormy summer and resume once weather improved in the fall.

A television screen at Seoul Station in South Korea shows news of North Korea firing ballistic missiles on October 6. Kyodo News/Sipa USA

But, several experts said, Kim could also be sending a message by deliberately showcasing North Korea’s arsenal during a period of heightened global conflict.

“They want to remind the world that they should not be ignored, that they exist and their engineers are working around the clock to develop both nuclear weapons and delivery systems,” said Lankov.

Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center in Hawaii, echoed this sentiment. Kim “launches missiles to generate attention towards himself, but also to create pressure for Japan and the United States to engage him,” he said.

He added that North Korea might also feel emboldened to act now while the West is distracted with the war in Ukraine.

A worker observes the launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet aboard a US aircraft carrier in the Sea of Japan on October 5. Communication Specialist Seaman Natasha Chevalier Losada/US Navy

“(The missile tests) started in January, which is about the time we were beginning to report on what Russian President Vladimir Putin was doing opposite Ukraine,” said Schuster. “Kim Jong Un is doing what he thinks he can get away with – he’s not expecting any kind of strong US reaction.”

Lankov said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have also boosted Kim’s confidence because “it demonstrated that if you have nuclear weapons, you can have almost impunity. And if you don’t have nuclear weapons, you’re in trouble.”

What can the US and its allies do to stop North Korea?

Despite the US and its allies’ quick military response this past week, experts say there’s little they can do to stop or prepare for North Korea’s weapons tests.

“The Americans sent the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier. South Koreans are launching these missiles, which are not necessarily working well,” said Lankov, referring to a South Korean missile on Wednesday that crashed right after launch. “What is the impact of all these American aircraft carriers cruising around Korea? Pretty much nothing.”

South Korean and US fighter jets fly over the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea's missile launch on October 4 at an undisclosed location. , 2022 at an undisclosed location. South Korean Defense Ministry/Getty Images

Though these shows of force might serve to deter North Korea from “starting a war” – which likely isn’t Kim’s plan, anyway – it does little to prevent further weapons development or missile testing,” he said.

“It’ll probably make some people in the US and (South Korea) a bit happier, but it’ll have zero impact on North Korea’s behavior and decision making.”

A lack of hard intelligence also means the US is largely left in the dark when it comes to Kim’s plans.

The North lacks the widespread use of technology that not only facilitates economic and societal advances, but also provides critical windows and opportunities to glean information for the intelligence services of the US and its allies.

“Since so much of what North Korea does is driven by the leader himself, you really have to get inside his head, and that’s a hard intelligence problem,” said Chris Johnstone, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

And on the international stage, the US’ efforts to punish North Korea have faltered due to pushback from Moscow and Beijing.

In May, Russia and China vetoed a US-drafted UN resolution to strengthen sanctions on North Korea for its weapons testing – the first time either country had blocked a sanction vote against the North since 2006.

What is North Korea trying to achieve?

Kim has spearheaded an aggressive weapons development program that far outstripped efforts by his father and grandfather, both former North Korean leaders – and experts say the country’s nuclear program is at the heart of Kim’s ambitions.

In September, North Korea passed a law declaring itself a nuclear weapons state, with Kim vowing to “never give up” nuclear weapons.

The law also demonstrated North Korea’s hopes of strengthening its ties with China and Russia, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

An Army Tactical Missile System is fired during a joint training session between the United States and South Korea, on October 5 at an undisclosed location. South Korean Defense Ministry/Getty Images

After China and Russia’s open opposition to new sanctions against North Korea, Kim “knows he has their backing,” said Schuster.

He added that Kim’s weapons testing serves a dual purpose: apart from making a statement to the international community, it also boosts his own image domestically and cements the regime’s power.

“It’s a very paranoid regime – (Kim) is as worried about the people under him as he is worried about regime change from the outside,” said Schuster. With the tests, Kim, is telling his own senior people, “We can deal with whatever the threat the West, the US and South Korea can come up with,” he said.

However, in terms of wider public perception, KCNA, North Korea’s state-run media, has made no mention of missile launches for months – since its last report of a launch in March.

Lewis, the expert at the Middlebury Institute, added that North Korea will likely continue developing weapons such as ICBMs and submarine-launched ballistic missile until “they get to a point where they’re satisfied with that – then I think they’ll probably express an interest in talking again.”

Is a nuclear test coming?

The concern in the short-term is whether North Korea will launch a nuclear test, which Lewis said could come “anytime.”

However, Schuster and Lankov both said that given the friendly relationship between North Korea and China, Kim might wait until after China holds its high-profile Communist Party Congress later this month – if it happens at all.

The meeting of the party elite is the most significant event on the Chinese political calendar – especially so this year, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping expected to be appointed to a third term in power, further cementing his status as the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.

Kim “depends too much on Chinese aid to keep his country afloat,” meaning he can’t afford to “do anything to detract from the Party Congress,” said Schuster. “So although China can’t dictate to him what he must do … he will not cause them problems.”

After October, however, the runway is clear for any more significant weapons tests, said Lankov.

South Korean and US officials have been warning since May that North Korea may be preparing for a nuclear test, with satellite imagery showing activity at its underground nuclear test site.

This story has been updated to accurately reflect the number of missile launches since September 25.

Jessie Yeung Paula Hancocks Yoonjung Seo

Ukraine agrees to meet with Russia; ruble plunges: recaps

Editor's note: This page recaps the news from Ukraine on Sunday, Feb. 27. Click here to follow the latest updates and news from Monday, Feb. 28, as Russia's invasion continues.

***

While Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his country’s nuclear weapons on high alert, more support poured in for Ukraine in its ongoing effort to fend off Russian forces, which on Sunday reached the second-largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

The European Union announced unprecedented new actions against Russia, outlining plans to close its airspace to Russian airlines, fund a weapons purchase to assist Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets, while the Associated Press reported the United States approved the delivery of anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to Ukraine.

Western powers in support of Ukraine could soon be joined by Switzerland, an oftentimes neutral country that on Monday is set to review potential sanctions and asset freezes against Russia, said President Ignazio Cassis via Reuters. Cassis said it was “very probable” the country would follow suit, the outlet reported.

The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said a delegation would meet with Russian officials for talks near the Belarus border. The discussion was expected to happen Monday morning local time, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Interior Minister Evgeny Yenin via CNN.

Also Monday, both the 193-member U.N. General Assembly and the smaller, 15-member Security Council plan to hold emergency meetings on Russia’s invasion.

Meanwhile, Putin’s order to make his nuclear weapons more ready for launch – made Sunday in response to “aggressive statements” by leading NATO powers and economic sanctions by the West – represents an unnecessary and dangerous move, according to the Pentagon.

A senior Defense Department official said Russia is under no threat from the United States and its NATO allies. The Pentagon is confident it can protect the U.S. and its allies, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is heading towards a fifth day of fighting. According to the Associated Press, Russian troops entered Kharkiv on Sunday, where videos posted on Ukrainian media and social networks showed Russian vehicles moving across the city and a vehicle burning on the street. Residents were urged to stay inside.

The troops in Kharkiv arrived after Russia unleashed a wave of attacks on Ukraine, targeting airfields and fuel facilities. Two large explosions rocked an area south of the capital just before 1 a.m. local time. Zelenskyy’s office said one of the blasts was near the Zhuliany airport and the other blast hit an oil depot about 25 miles south of the capital, according to the mayor of Vasylkiv via the AP. Russian forces also blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, according to the Ukrainian president's office.

Ukrainian officials said Sunday the civilian death toll has reached 352.

A few things to catch you up on:

THE NEWS COMES TO YOU: Get the latest updates on the situation in Ukraine. Sign up here.

WHY IS RUSSIA INVADING UKRAINE? Could this be the start of WWIII? We explain.

BACK IN THE STATES: What is the draft? And can it ever be reinstated here?

BANNED FROM SWIFT?: How banning Russia from the world banking system could impact the country

Russian Central Bank tries to stop ruble's free fall

Russia’s Central Bank has sharply raised its key rate from 9.5% to 20% in a desperate attempt to shore up the plummeting ruble and prevent the run of banks amid crippling Western sanctions over the Russian war in Ukraine.

The bank’s action follows the Western decision Sunday to freeze its hard currency reserves in an unprecedented move that could have devastating consequences for the country’s financial stability. It was unclear exactly what share of Russia’s estimated $640 billion hard currency coffers will be paralyzed by the move, but European officials said that at least half of it will be affected.

The move will dramatically raise pressure on the ruble by undermining the financial authorities’ ability to conduct hard currency interventions to prevent the ruble from sinking further and triggering high inflation. The ruble has sharply dived in early Monday trading.

The Central Bank also ordered a slew of measures to help the banks cope with the crisis by infusing more cash into the system and easing restrictions for banking operations. At the same time, it temporarily barred non-residents from selling the government obligations to help ease the pressure on ruble from panicky foreign investors eager to cash out.

-- Associated Press

More:The enigma of Vladimir Putin: What do we really know about Russia's leader?

Dalai Lama pleas for peace in Ukraine

The Dalai Lama on Monday pleaded for peace and "mutual understanding," and said he was "deeply saddened" by the war in Ukraine.

"War is outdated – non-violence is the only way. We need to develop a sense of the oneness of humanity by considering other human beings as brothers and sisters," the spiritual leader said on his website. "This is how we will build a more peaceful world."

The Nobel peace prize winner also said any problems and disagreements are best resolved through dialogue. "Genuine peace comes about through mutual understanding and respect for each other's well-being," he said.

He also said he hopes peace is swiftly restored.

"We must not lose hope," he said. "The 20th century was a century of war and bloodshed. The 21st century must be a century of dialogue."

-- Terry Collins

Two United Nations sessions scheduled for Monday

The U.N.’s two major bodies -- the 193-nation General Assembly and the more powerful 15-member Security Council -- will hold separate meetings Monday on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a reflection of widespread international demands for an immediate cease-fire and escalating concern for the plight of millions of Ukrainians caught up in the war.

The Security Council gave a green light Sunday for the first emergency session of the General Assembly in decades. It will give all U.N. members an opportunity to speak about the war Monday and vote on a resolution later in the week that U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said would “hold Russia to account for its indefensible actions and for its violations of the U.N. Charter.”

French Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere announced that the Security Council will hold a meeting Monday afternoon on the humanitarian impact of Russia’s invasion, a session sought by French President Emmanuel Macron to ensure the delivery of aid to growing numbers of those in need in Ukraine.

Both meetings follow Russia’s veto Friday of a Security Council resolution demanding that Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops. The vote was 11-1, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining.

– Associated Press

More:Ukraine athletes defend country, demand sanctions for Russia

U.S. Embassy in Ukraine: departing the country may take up to 30 hours

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is now urging U.S citizens in Ukraine to try leaving using private transportation options as leaving could in some cases take more than 30 hours.

The embassy said Sunday “conditions may deteriorate” in various parts of the country without any warning due to the escalating Russian invasion.

“Careful consideration should be made to routes and the risks of travel because Ukraine’s roads are in many cases crowded, exposed to combat operations, and infrastructure such as bridges in some locations have been destroyed. Sheltering in place may remain the best option for some,” the embassy said on its website.

Furthermore, embassy officials say that border crossings into neighboring Poland and all main crossing points into Moldova are overwhelmed.

“Some are experiencing extremely long wait times (well over 30 hours in some cases),” the embassy said. “We recommend that, if possible, U.S. citizens consider redirecting to border crossings with Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, which are currently experiencing lower wait times to cross.”

Embassy officials also offered a series of tips including bringing enough food, water and warm clothing. They also urge citizens to carry hard copies of important documents as the U.S. government will not be able to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine.

– Terry Collins

More:Satellite images show damaged airport in Hostomel following strikes

Russian ruble sinks in early trading

The ruble sank nearly 26% against the U.S. dollar early Monday after Western nations moved to block Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system.

The ruble was trading at a record low 105.27 per dollar, down from about 84 per dollar late Friday.

Over the weekend, Japan joined the moves by the U.S. and other western nations to impose more sanctions against Russia.

Restrictions on the Russian central bank target its access to more than $600 billion in reserves the Kremlin has at its disposal. They hinder Russia’s ability to support the ruble as it plunges in value.

Sanctions announced earlier had taken the Russian currency to its lowest level against the dollar in history.

-- Associated Press

More:What sanctions does Russia face? Here's a list by country

US official: Belarus may join Ukraine invasion

A senior U.S. intelligence official says Belarus is expected to send troops into Ukraine as soon as Monday to fight alongside Russian forces that invaded Ukraine last week.

Belarus has been providing support for Russia’s war effort but so far has not taken a direct part in the conflict.

The American official has direct knowledge of current U.S. intelligence assessments and says the decision by Belarus’ leader on whether to bring Belarus further into the war depends on talks between Russia and Ukraine happening in the coming days. The official spoke anonymously to discuss the sensitive information.

Russian forces have encountered strong resistance from Ukraine defenders, and U.S. officials say they believe the invasion has been more difficult, and slower, than the Kremlin envisioned, though that could change as Moscow adapts.

-- Associated Press

More:There may be risk, but the U.S. will likely keep arming Ukraine even if Russia takes Kyiv

Russia rendering Facebook unusable in some places

Russia has apparently rendered Facebook largely unusable across leading Russian telecommunications providers amid rising friction between Moscow and the social media platform.

The London-based internet monitor NetBlocks reports that Facebook’s network of content-distribution servers in Russia was so badly restricted Sunday that “content no longer loads, or loads extremely slowly making the platforms unusable.”

Russian telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday announced plans to “partially restrict” access to Facebook. That same day, Facebook’s head of security policy had said the company was barring Russian state media from running ads or otherwise profiting on its platform anywhere in the world.

Facebook says it has also refused a request by the Kremlin not to run fact checks related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the platform for users inside Russia.

NetBlocks reported earlier that access to Twitter was similarly restricted Saturday. That was a day after Twitter said it was temporarily halting ads in both Ukraine and Russia.

The Twitter and Facebook restrictions can be circumvented inside Russia using VPN software, just as users do in mainland China.

-- Associated Press

Canada will investigate Russian flight violating airspace ban

Canada said it will launch an investigation into a Russian-based Aeroflot flight that entered Canadian airspace on Sunday and violated a ban on all Russian flights due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We are aware that Aeroflot flight 111 violated the prohibition put in place earlier today on Russian flights using Canadian airspace," Transport Canada said in a series of tweets. "We are launching a review of the conduct of Aeroflot and the independent air navigation service provider, NAVCAN, leading up to this violation.

"We will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action and other measures to prevent future violations," the agency added.

Earlier Sunday, Omar Alghabra, Canada's transport minister, that the country's airspace was closed to all Russian aircraft operators.

"We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine,” Alghabra tweeted.

– Terry Collins

Biden to hold a call with U.S. allies to discuss Ukraine, Russia

President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold a call with U.S. allies on Monday morning to discuss the latest situation in Ukraine and their coordinated response, the White House said late Sunday.

The call is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. ET. The call comes after Biden ordered the U.S. State Department to release up to an additional $350 million worth of weapons from its stockpile to Ukraine on Friday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Saturday that this third authorization for weapons shipments to Ukraine in less than a year was "unprecedented."

– Terry Collins

Ukraine radioactive site in Kyiv struck by missiles, UN nuclear watchdog

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says missiles have struck a radioactive waste disposal site in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. So far there are no reports of damage to the buildings or indications of a release of radioactive material.

In a statement late Sunday, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Ukrainian authorities informed his office about the overnight strike. Grossi said his agency expects to get the results of on-site radioactive monitoring soon.

The report comes a day after an electrical transformer at a similar disposal facility in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was damaged.

Such facilities typically hold low-level radioactive materials such as waste from hospitals and industry, but Grossi says the two incidents highlight a “very real risk.” Grossi said if the sites are damaged there could be “potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment.”

– Associated Press

Japanese billionaire to donate over $8 million to Ukraine

Japanese billionaire Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani said he will donate over $8 million to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy.”

Mikitani, founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten Group Inc., said Sunday in a letter to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the donation of ¥1 billion (roughly $8.7 million) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence,” the Japan Times reported.

Mikitani said he met with Zelenskyy during a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in 2019.

“My thoughts are with you and Ukraine people,” Mikitani wrote in his letter. “I believe that the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.

“I sincerely hope that Russia and Ukraine can resolve this issue peacefully and that Ukraine people can have peace again as soon as possible,” Mikitani added.

– Terry Collins

Russia-Ukraine talks set for Monday

The office of Ukraine’s president confirmed that a delegation is set to meet with Russian officials as Moscow’s troops continue to target Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said on the Telegram messaging app that the two sides would meet at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border.

ABC and CNN, each citing Ukrainian officials, reported the talks would take place Monday, which matches a report from Russian state-owned news agency TASS that said the discussions would take place in the morning.

The announcement on Sunday came hours after Russia announced that its delegation had flown to Belarus to await talks. Ukrainian officials initially rejected the move, saying any talks should take place elsewhere than Belarus, where Russia has placed a large contingent of troops.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, expressed hope for prospective peace talks.

"We'll look forward to what comes out of those discussions," Thomas-Greenfield said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

– Associated Press, Jay Cannon and David Jackson

Borrell: EU countries will soon send fighter jets to Ukraine

European Union countries will soon send fighter jets to Ukraine at the Kyiv government’s request to help it counter the Russian air and land assault, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday, according to the AFP news service.

"We're going to provide even fighting jets. We're not talking about just ammunition. We are providing more important arms to go to a war," Borrell said at a news conference.

The military transfer appeared imminent, according to Alexandre Krauss, a senior advisor to the EU Parliament.

“Flying in #Ukraine skies within the hour,” Krauss tweeted at 3:38 p.m. ET, citing Borrell’s announcement.

According to Borrell, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had asked the EU for the planes.

Citing a person familiar with the talks, the Wall Street Journal reported that “discussions are still ongoing” and that any planes would be supplied directly by EU member states and not funded through an arrangement announced earlier for the EU to finance weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, announced earlier in the day, that EU members were “stepping up our support for Ukraine. For the first time, the EU will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and equipment to a country under attack. We are also strengthening our sanctions against the Kremlin.”

The announcement came as satellite imagery showed a massive convoy of Russian military vehicles – with some estimates of 3.25 miles long – moving toward Kyiv and about 40 miles away.

– Josh Meyer

US Embassy in Kyiv: $54 million in humanitarian assistance on the way

The U.S. is giving nearly $54 million in humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Russian invasion, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv announced Sunday.

The funding, which comes as thousands of Ukrainians flee Russian invaders, was announced with "the welfare of ordinary Ukrainians in mind," the embassy said in a statement. It includes nearly $26 million from the Department of State and $28 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

More than 200,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries and U.N. officials believe up to 4 million people could leave if fighting continues.

– Jay Cannon

US to send anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to Ukraine, AP reports

The U.S. for the first time has approved the direct delivery of Stinger missiles to Ukraine as part of a package approved by the White House on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

The exact timing of delivery is not known, but officials say the U.S. is currently working on the logistics of the shipment. The officials agreed to discuss the development only if not quoted by name.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS:There may be risk, but the US will likely keep arming Ukraine even if Russia takes Kyiv

The decision comes on the heels of Germany’s announcement that it will send 500 Stinger missiles and other weapons and supplies to Ukraine.

The high-speed Stingers are very accurate and are used to shoot down helicopters and other aircraft. Ukrainian officials have been asking for more of the powerful weapons.

Estonia has also been providing Ukraine with Stingers since January, and had to get U.S. permission in order to do that.

– Associated Press

Neutral Switzerland 'probable' to hit Russia with financial sanctions, president says

After days of fence-sitting, Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said on Sunday it was "very probable" that neutral Switzerland would follow the European Union’s lead and sanction Russia and freeze Russian assets in the country.

Reuters reported that Cassis, who was interviewed on French-language Swiss public television, said the nation's seven-member Federal Council would meet Monday and review recommendations by finance and economy officials.

"It is very probable that the government will decide to do so tomorrow, but I cannot anticipate decisions not yet taken," Cassis said, via Reuters.

Switzerland, a global financial hub and commodities trading center – has so far resisted calls for it to levy sanctions and possibly freeze Russian assets, especially after the EU and U.S. announced sanctions.

“The civilized, democratic world has to stand up to the biggest threat to European security and stability since the Second World War,” Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for EU external affairs, said on Friday. “It affects not only Ukraine. It affects Europe. Switzerland is part of Europe. So we expect our partner, our neighbor, our ally to follow suit in standing up for defending the principles on which our communities and countries are based.”

The oft-neutral country's potential move comes as a surprise to some.

"Switzerland to sanction Russia! Holy crap. A country that was neutral against the literal Nazis. Neutral no more!" tweeted Paul Massaro, a counter-corruption advisor to the U.S. Congress.

It was not known immediately how many wealthy Russian elites, especially oligarchs close to Putin, have stashed money in Swiss banks, known for their strong privacy firewalls. But various leaks of banking documents over the years suggest they have a sizable amount invested in Switzerland.

In 2018, Swiss banks reportedly frozen $1 billion in the accounts of one oligarch alone – Russian metals tycoon Viktor Vekselberg – over fears that they could be fined for doing business with him after Washington levied sanctions against the businessman, the Moscow Times reported at the time.

– Josh Meyer

US Embassy urges Americans in Russia to consider leaving 'immediately'

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said Sunday that American citizens “should consider departing Russia immediately” because of the dramatic drop-off in airline service in and out of the country.

“An increasing number of airlines are cancelling flights into and out of Russia, and numerous countries have closed their airspace to Russian airlines,” a security alert posted to the embassy’s website states. “U.S. citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available.”

The guidance comes after the EU's move to close its airspace to Russian airlines. Russian airline Aeroflot says it cancelled all flights to Europe.

The State Department had already advised Americans not to travel to Russia because of its aggression against Ukraine, as well as the potential harassment of U.S. citizens in the country and the COVID-19 pandemic.

– Deirdre Shesgreen

UN emergency session scheduled for Monday

The U.N. Security Council has voted for the 193-member General Assembly to hold an emergency session on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Monday.

The vote on Sunday to authorize an emergency meeting was 11 in favor, Russia opposed, and China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining. That was the exact same vote on a resolution Friday demanding that Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops. But in that case, Russia used its veto and the resolution was defeated.

Ukrainian U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya asked for the General Assembly meeting to be held under the so-called “Uniting for Peace” resolution, initiated by the U.S. and adopted in November 1950 to circumvent vetoes by the Soviet Union during the Korean War.

That resolution gives the General Assembly the power to call emergency meetings when the Security Council is unable to act because of the lack of unanimity among its five veto-wielding permanent members – the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France.

– Associated Press

Ukraine civilian death toll hits 352, officials say

The civilian death toll from Russia's invasion of Ukraine has risen to 352, including 14 children, the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal affairs said Sunday. The ministry said 1,684 people had been injured.

The United Nations had announced the civilian death toll had reached 240 by Saturday, but stressed that the actual figure was potentially "considerably higher.”

– Jay Cannon

US urges Americans in Ukraine to find best exit routes

Officials with the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine issued a new advisory Sunday, telling Americans to choose departure routes very carefully if they are trying to flee.

“Ukraine’s roads are in many cases crowded, exposed to combat operations, and infrastructure such as bridges in some locations has been destroyed,” the embassy said in a notice. “Sheltering in place may remain the best option for some.”

Most border crossings into Poland and all main crossing points into Moldova “are severely backed up,” with extremely long wait times – in some cases, more than 30 hours, the embassy said.

“We recommend that, if possible, U.S. citizens consider redirecting to border crossings with Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, which are currently experiencing lower wait times to cross,” the note says. “Note that conditions at each border can change very quickly and wait times can increase at any time without warning.”

– Deirdre Shesgreen

UPS, FedEx halt services in Russia

Shipping giants FedEx and UPS have suspended services to Russia amid the country’s military assault on Ukraine.

UPS said it had halted all international shipments to addresses in Russia as of Feb. 25. FedEx said it was “closely monitoring the situation” and had suspended inbound service to Russia “until further notice.”

Both companies had already stopped service to Ukraine, after Russian troops invaded the neighboring country. Russian troops have now advanced well into Ukrainian territory, reaching its second largest city and encircling the capital, Kyiv.

– Deirdre Shesgreen

McMaster: Putin got ‘more than he bargained for’

Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday that Ukrainians are doing a “tremendous job” defending the country against Russian military attacks.

“I think Putin got a lot more than he bargained for. He's in a very difficult position. And I think anything we can do, obviously, financially, going after his international criminal enterprise with sanctions and so forth is important. But the support for Ukraine's ability to defend themselves is also important,” McMaster told Margaret Brennan on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

The retired lieutenant general also said the seizure of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv is “not in the cards for the immediate future,” but acknowledged the next 72 hours are going to be “really critical.”

– Chelsey Cox

Kyiv mayor: 'We are encircled'

KYIV, Ukraine – As Russian troops draw closer to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv's mayor is both filled with pride over his citizens' spirit and anxious about how long they can hold out.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, after a grueling night of Russian attacks on the outskirts of the city, Mayor Vitali Klitschko was silent for several seconds when asked if there were plans to evacuate civilians if Russian troops managed to take Kyiv.

“We can't do that, because all ways are blocked,” he finally said. “Right now we are encircled."

When Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Thursday, the city of 2.8 million people initially reacted with concern but also a measure of self-possession. However, nerves started fraying when grocery stores began closing and the city's famously deep subway system turned its stations into bomb shelters.

The mayor confirmed to the AP that nine civilians in Kyiv had been killed so far, including one child.

A Klitschko-ordered curfew began about sundown on Saturday and is to extend until at least 8 a.m. Monday. His order pointedly stated that any unauthorized person outside could be considered a saboteur.

“We are hunting these people, and it will be much easier if nobody is on the street," Klitschko explained, saying that six Russian “saboteurs” were killed Saturday night.

In the last few days, long queues of people — both men and women — were spotted waiting to pick up weapons throughout the capital, after authorities decided to distribute weapons freely to anybody ready to defend the city. There are concerns, however, about arming nervous civilians with little military experience amid warnings of Russian saboteurs disguised as Ukrainian police or journalists.

“To be honest, we don't have 100% control,” said Klitschko. “We built this territorial defense in a short amount of time — but these are patriotic people."

“Right now, the most important question is to defend our country,” he added.

– Associated Press

EU closing airspace to Russia

The top official in the European Union said the bloc will take unprecedented new steps after Russian President Vladimir Putin raised tensions with talk of nuclear weapons.

The EU will close its airspace to Russian airlines, including "the private jets of oligarchs," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft. These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU,” she said.

"For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack,” she added.

The EU will also ban pro-Kremlin media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik, she said.

The European Commission's plans followed the announcement earlier in the day that Germany was committing 100 billion euros ($113 billion) to a special armed forces fund and would keep its defense spending above 2% of GDP from now on. The shift underscored how Russia’s war on Ukraine was rewriting Europe’s post-World War II security and defense policy in ways that were unthinkable only a few weeks ago.

The EU’s plan to fund weapons purchases was unprecedented and would use millions of euros to help buy air defense systems, anti-tank weapons, ammunition and other military equipment to Ukraine’s armed forces. It would also supply things like fuel, protective gear, helmets and first aid kits.

– Katie Wadington and AP

On nuclear deterrence:What is DEFCON? What's nuclear deterrence? What to know amid Putin's warning

BP pulls out of Russian oil company

Oil giant BP will walk away from its nearly 20% stake in Russian oil company Rosneft, according to media reports.

BP Chairman Helge Lund issued a statement announcing the exit, as well as the resignation of BP CEO Bernard Looney from the board of the Russian oil firm.

BP has been a shareholder in Rosneft since 2013, according to the BBC.

Sen. Mark Warner: Putin’s invasion a major ‘miscalculation'

Sen. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Putin “totally underestimated” the resolve of the Ukrainians and the support building worldwide for the Ukrainian people, describing the Russian invasion so far as a major “miscalculation.”

“Remarkably what he's also been able to do his unify the vast majority of us in the Senate, Democrats, Republicans alike,” Warner said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And he’s going to pay a high price.”

Warner said Putin over the past few years became “more and more isolated.”

“When you are an authoritarian leader, and you’re only hearing from people that want to say to the boss, hey, you're right. I think that leads to miscalculation. I think that is what has happened in the case of this invasion in Ukraine.”

– Joey Garrison

US ambassador: No US 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine

As she made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows, United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made clear that the U.S. response to the invasion of Ukraine will not include American troops or air personnel.

"The president has made clear that we're not going to put boots on the ground," Thomas-Greenfield said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Thomas-Greenfield said that mandate includes no patrols of any "no-fly zone" in the region.

The U.S. will provide whatever assistance it can to Ukraine, working with NATO partners, she said, but: "We're not going to put American troops in danger. So that means we're not going to put American troops in the air as well. But we will work with the Ukrainians to give them the ability to defend themselves.”

– David Jackson

Russian troops stalled outside Kyiv

The main force of Russian assault aimed at Kyiv remained stalled Sunday about 18 miles from the city’s center, hindered by stiff Ukrainian resistance and Russia’s own problems providing fuel and supplies for its troops, according to a senior Defense Department official.

There are indications of some fighting inside Kyiv and that Russian troops in Ukrainian military uniforms have appeared there, said the official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

The officials described Ukrainian resistance as stiff and creative around Kyiv and Kharkiv. Meantime, fuel shortages and logistics problems for Russian troops are most acute near Kharkiv.

The war is a major operation for Russia’s military, a complex mission that it does not have recent experience mounting, the official said. It’s unclear if the shortages in materials represent a failure in planning or execution. However, the official said Russian officers are expected to learn and adapt to its logistical problems.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, there are troubling indications that Russia is encircling the city of Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv, and could be planning to besiege it, the official said. There are increasing rocket attacks there, imprecise weapons that can kill civilians and damage infrastructure.

Overall, Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed two-thirds of the combat forces he deployed against Ukraine is now inside the country, the official said.

Russia has launched more 320 ballistic missiles into Ukraine during the four-day war. There are some indications that several ballistic missiles have failed to launch.

– Tom Vanden Brook

U.S.: Putin ‘can be assured’ of tougher sanctions

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Sunday the U.S. will continue to apply stiffer economic sanctions against Russia as Putin escalates fighting in Ukraine.

"We are continuing to assess what we can do moving forward," Thomas-Greenfield said on NBC’s "Meet the Press." "And the Russians can be assured that we will continue to put more and more sanctions as they continue to press more on the Ukrainian government.”

U.S. and Western allies have cut some Russian banks out of the SWIFT financial system but stopped short of a complete removal.

“They will feel the pain,” she said, adding there are also actions the U.N. can take.

“We can isolate them. We can isolate them in the United Nations. We can isolate them in U.N. specialized agencies. They are feeling that isolation.”

– Joey Garrison

NATO leader: Russia must make 'serious compromises' in peace talks

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said if peace talks are to succeed, Russia must be willing to make "serious compromises" and "respect the sovereignty of Ukraine."

Stoltenberg told CNN's "State of the Union" that Putin's decision to put his nuclear forces on high alert is not a good sign.

It "just adds to the very aggressive rhetoric" of Russia, the NATO leader said.

– David Jackson

Ukraine ambassador: Russia committing ‘war crimes’

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States accused Russia of committing war crimes in its attack on her country.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova said Sunday that Russian troops are using heavy missiles and heavy artillery to attack Ukraine’s infrastructure, as well as hospitals and kindergartens. Many children have been killed, and one entire family was shot in their car, she said.

“Nothing is off limits to them,” Markarova said on ABC’s "This Week." “What we see is a full-fledged war, with war crimes on the ground.”’

Asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is safe, Markarova offered no information on his whereabouts but added, “He is as safe as our country.”

She spoke shortly after Zelenskyy’s office confirmed that a delegation will meet with Russian officials. Marakova said Ukraine is ready “for any peace talks that would stop the war and get them out from our country.” But the Ukrainians will not surrender, she said.

– Michael Collins

Cotton: West must stop ‘pussyfooting around’ on sanctions

Sen. Tom Cotton on Sunday called on the Biden administration and American businesses to provide “no support whatsoever” to Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.

“We can do more than prayers and hashtags and lining up building storage,” he said on ABC’s "This Week." “It's time for the president and some of our European partners to quit pussyfooting around.”

Cotton appealed to the Biden administration to increase its sanctions on Russian banks, arguing that while the administration says it has sanctioned 80% of Russian banks, Russian President Vladimir Putin “controls 100% of banks.”

The Arkansas Republican also blamed Western nations for underestimating Putin’s ambition.

Despite a strong condemnation of Putin, Cotton stopped short of condemning former President Donald Trump, who has called Putin “smart” and his plan both “savvy” and “genius.” Cotton repeatedly said he does not speak for other politicians.

– Ella Lee

‘This is a different Putin’: Rice says Putin ‘erratic’

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said Russian President Vladimir Putin recent behavior is a departure from her past encounters with the “cold and calculating” leader.

“This is a different Putin,” Rice, who served under former President George W. Bush, said on "Fox News Sunday." “He seems erratic… He has descended into something I have not seen before.”

While Rice said the prospect of peace talks was promising, she urged Ukraine to follow the advice of former President Ronald Reagan.

“Trust but verify,” she said. “It’s always a good thing if there is a chance (at peace),” she said.

– Kevin Johnson

More:A song of defiance: Ukraine's national anthem being heard all over the world

Psaki: Putin 'manufacturing threats' to justify attack on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put nuclear deterrent forces on high alert is another example of the Russian leader “manufacturing threats” to justify aggression against Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday.

“We’ve seen him do this time and time again,” Psaki said on ABC’s "This Week." “At no time has Russia been under threat from NATO.”

“This is all a pattern from President Putin,” Psaki said, “and we’re all going to stand up” to him.

– Michael Collins

Condoleeza Rice: Putin faces unexpected reality in Ukraine

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said Russian President Vladimir Putin may have “bitten off more than he can chew” perhaps forcing early peace talks.

Rice, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," said Putin likely believed that he could "waltz" into Ukraine.

“But the reality has been quite different.”

– Kevin Johnson

Romney casts the war as a battle of 'good and evil'

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, cast Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion as a battle of "good and evil," and called for more sanctions on the "evil regime" of Vladimir Putin.

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Romney also said he hopes Putin will use potential peace talks with Ukraine as an opportunity to back off.

"He made a huge error," Romney said of Putin. "This is not going well for him."

– David Jackson

More:Mapping and tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine

‘A thug and despot’: Putin to feel pain of new financial sanctions

Removing Russia from a global banking network as part of a new round of sanctions “will make a big difference” in isolating the Kremlin, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

The U.S. and its allies Saturday cut Russia from the key financial messaging network known as SWIFT, in an escalation of its sanctioning campaign.

Klobuchar called Putin “a thug and a despot,” who misjudged the world’s reaction to Russia aggression.

– Kevin Johnson

'Unacceptable': Thomas-Greenfield says Putin escalating conflict in Ukraine

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Sunday that Vladimir Putin’s decision to put nuclear deterrent forces on high alert indicates the Russian president is “continuing to escalate” the war in Ukraine in a way that is “unacceptable.”

Speaking on CBS’ "Face the Nation," Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. is using “every possible lever” to stop Russia’s invasion of its neighbor and that the U.N. Security Council will meet later Sunday.

“I’m not surprised at this information because Putin has tried every means possible to actually put fear in the world in terms of his actions. It just means that we need to ramp up up our actions at the U.N.”

When asked whether there’s a threat of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, Thomas-Greenfield responded: “Certainly nothing is off the table with this guy.”

– Sean Rossman

Putin orders nuclear deterrent forces on high alert

Russia President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces Sunday to be on high alert, a dramatic escalation of tensions with the West that brought immediate condemnation from the U.S. as Russia continues its full-scale assault on Ukraine.

Putin, announcing the move on Russian state television, called it a response to “aggressive statements” and tough financial sections from NATO countries. The extraordinary step raises the threat of nuclear warfare entering the conflict in Ukraine, a scenario the White House has previously said it has not assessed.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, condemned the action as “unacceptable" in an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Putin directed the Russian defense minister and the chief of the military’s General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat duty” during a meeting with top officials.

“Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country,” Putin said in televised comments.

At the onset of the conflict with Ukraine, Putin warned that any nation that would “hinder us” will face" such consequences that you have never encountered in your history,” although he did not elaborate what he meant.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

-- Joey Garrison, Associated Press

Kyiv eerily quiet after explosions

The capital, Kyiv, was eerily quiet after huge explosions lit up the morning sky and authorities reported blasts at one of the airports. Only an occasional car appeared on a deserted main boulevard as a strict 39-hour curfew kept people off the streets. Terrified residents instead hunkered down in homes, underground garages and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale Russian assault.

“The past night was tough – more shelling, more bombing of residential areas and civilian infrastructure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “There is not a single facility in the country that the occupiers wouldn’t consider as admissible targets.”

Videos posted on Ukrainian media and social networks showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. The images showed Russian troops roaming the city in small groups. In one image, Ukrainian troops were seen firing at the Russians and damaged Russian light utility vehicles abandoned nearby.

The images underscored the determined resistance Russian troops face while attempting to enter Ukraine’s bigger cities. Ukrainians have volunteered en masse to help defend the capital, Kyiv, and other cities, taking guns distributed by authorities and preparing firebombs to fight Russian forces.

– Associated Press

Zelenskyy asks UN top court to halt Russian invasion, says Moscow 'manipulating the notion of genocide'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of manipulating the notion of genocide to justify invading its neighbor and urged the International Court of Justice to hold trials.

Located in The Hague, the Netherlands, the ICJ is the main judicial arm of the United Nations.

"Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week," Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.

The ICJ rules on disputes between states, including responsibility for breaches of international law. It is not linked to the International Criminal Court, also based in The Hague, which holds individuals accountable for atrocities.

– Caren Bohan and Associated Press

Zelenskyy is a lion of a leader | Opinion

“I need ammunition, not a ride.” Those are the words proclaimed by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the midst of terrible death and destruction and the most egregious threat to Europe since World War II, Ukrainians are teaching the rest of the world a lesson about freedom, resolve and love of country.

When offered an escape from Kyiv, allegedly by the United States, the 44-year-old Ukrainian president immediately rejected the notion and demonstrated selfless leadership and a portrait of courage generally reserved for Hollywood.

Many leaders would have abandoned ship, putting their own personal safety above that of their countrymen. Zelenskyy, on the other hand, is taking a stand for freedom, boldly demonstrating that freedom is worth fighting for; that a government of, by and for the people is worth defending.

– August Pfluger (Read more of August Pfluger's column.)

NHL star Alex Ovechkin called over over stance on war

Hockey Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek has called for the NHL to "immediately suspend contracts for all Russian players" amidst Russia's deadly invasion of Ukraine.

The 57-year-old Czech also had some choice words for Washington Capitals' Russian-born star Alex Ovechkin, a supporter of President Vladimir Putin.

Hasek, who played in the NHL for 16-seasons and is widely considered one of the best goaltenders of all time, called Ovechkin an "alibist," a "liar" and a "chicken (expletive)" after Ovechkin failed to publicly denounce Putin and his country's aggression.

– Cydney Henderson

Ukraine rejects location for talks with Russia

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country is ready for peace talks with Russia but not in Belarus.

Speaking in a video message Sunday, Zelenskyy suggested meeting in Warsaw, Poland; Bratislava, Slovakia; Istanbul; Budapest, Hungary; or Baku, Azerbaijan. He said other locations are also possible but made clear that Ukraine doesn’t accept Russia’s selection of Belarus, which Russia has used as a staging ground for its invasion.

The Kremlin said Sunday a Russian delegation had arrived in Homel, Belarus, for talks with Ukrainian officials. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes military officials and diplomats.

– Associated Press

Russia's cutting off port access

Russia was working Sunday to limit strategic strategic ports along the Ukraine’s coastline stretching from the border with Romania in the west to the border with Russia in the east. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said Russian forces had blocked the cities of Kherson on the Black Sea and the port of Berdyansk on the Azov Sea.

Russia’s military also put increasing pressure on strategic ports in the south of Ukraine, blocking the cities of Kherson on the Black Sea and the port of Berdyansk on the Azov Sea.

Cutting Ukraine’s access to its sea ports would deal a major blow to the country’s economy.

-- Associated Press

Russia targets Ukraine airfields in next phase

Russia unleashed a wave of attacks on Ukraine targeting airfields and fuel facilities in what appeared to be the next phase of an invasion that has been slowed by fierce resistance. The U.S. and EU responded with weapons and ammunition for the outnumbered Ukrainians and powerful sanctions intended to further isolate Moscow.

Huge explosions lit up the sky early Sunday south of the capital, Kyiv, where people hunkered down in homes, underground garages and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale assault by Russian forces.

-- Associated Press

Where are Russian military forces? Tracking the Ukraine invasion

'You cannot defeat a whole nation'

On Sunday morning, Ukranian writer Illarion Pavliuk plans to set out on a dangerous journey to help his countrymen as explosions rock Kyiv, and outgunned Ukrainian forces continue to maintain control of their capital.

Pavliuk is not a solider, but he does have a military background. In 2015, he was an intelligence volunteer in the war in Eastern Ukraine. And yet, this is what Ukraine has become – a country where internationally acclaimed artists are forced to kiss their children goodnight before they go off to defend their homeland from the occupying force. "We will never give up and we are going to win this war. You cannot defeat the whole nation. And Ukrainians are absolutely united as a nation now."

His words are haunting and powerful, with his children in the background.

"What can I tell you about this war? It is difficult to say a couple of words," he says. "I would never ever imagine my four children dropping their toys and running to sit in the thickest doorway in the house because of cruise missiles above our city; ballistic missiles.

"And I would never imagine this and I will never forgive Russia."

– Carli Pierson, USA TODAY

Mississippi tornadoes, Pennsylvania explosion, Belarus, Russia ...

Search and recovery efforts resumed Sunday after a tornado displaced hundreds of people in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Also in the news: Officials are investing the cause of a deadly explosion at an eastern Pennsylvania chocolate factory. The U.S. has not detected movement of nuclear weapons to Belarus despite Russia's promise to move arms to the country.

🙋🏼♀ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Trying to keep up your 2023 reading goals? Try these audiobooks this month.

Now, here we go with Monday's news.

A trail of destruction in Mississippi

Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker has been able to offer comfort to the people of his Mississippi city, the hardest hit of the towns from Friday's deadly tornado that claimed at least 25 lives across the state.

The violent storm swept northeastward Friday night across much of Mississippi and Alabama. Storm reports and radar data show the tornado was on the ground for more than an hour, something experts say is extremely rare.

Residents say the skyline they grew up seeing in Rolling Fork is unrecognizable after buildings were completely flattened.

they grew up seeing in Rolling Fork is unrecognizable after buildings were completely flattened. ''Rolling Fork will come back bigger and better'': The mayor, who is also the town's funeral director, is leading residents toward recovery amid the devastation.

The mayor, who is also the town's funeral director, is leading residents toward recovery amid the devastation. Survival story: As tornadoes descended, owners and employees at a Rolling Fork diner survived severe winds by sheltering together in the restaurant's walk-in refrigerator. The rest of the restaurant was completely destroyed, photos show.

Cause of explosion at Pennsylvania chocolate factory unknown

The death toll rose to seven after more bodies were found Sunday after authorities searched the site of a massive explosion in a small town at an eastern Pennsylvania chocolate factory. West Reading Borough Chief of Police Wayne Holben said the explosion took place just before 5 p.m. Friday at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in West Reading. Officials are investigating what caused the explosion at the plant about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Here's what else we know.

More news to know now

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Israel's Netanyahu fires minister opposed to controversial reforms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday fired his defense minister after the high-ranking official called for a pause on a controversial judicial reform proposal that has fueled months of intense protests in the country and abroad. In response, floods of protesters took to the streets, starting bonfires on a Tel Aviv highway and knocking down a police barricade outside Netanyahu's home. Demonstrations have swept across Israel for months over an effort by Netanyahu's right-wing government to overhaul the country’s judicial system. But Netanyahu's sudden ousting of the high-level minister who opposed the changes prompted the Biden administration to issue an unusual statement of concern. Read more

White House response: A call for compromise amid protests.

Putin says Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

The U.S. has detected no movement of Russian nuclear weapons toward Belarus despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's pledge to place them in the country by July 1, a top U.S. security official said Sunday. Putin announced plans on Saturday to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, a warning to the West as it steps up military support for Ukraine. Putin said he was responding to Britain’s decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium. Russia falsely claimed these rounds have nuclear components. Belarus shares borders with three NATO members: Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Read more

US officials pledged to hold Russia accountable for war crimes in Ukraine. Congress wants receipts.

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Caitlin Clark is perfect player at perfect time for women's basketball

To get an idea of just how intoxicating Caitlin Clark’s game is, all you had to do Sunday — if you weren’t near a TV to watch her pile up 41 points, hand out 12 assists and grab 10 rebounds — was scroll Twitter. In sum: she’s the superstar women’s basketball needs, right when the game needs it. Women’s basketball is exploding in popularity across the country, as parity rises across college hoops and the WNBA forms super teams through free agency. And people are paying attention. Read more

Men's NCAA Tournament Elite 8 recap: Miami joins San Diego State as teams earning first trip to Final Four.

One more thing

Photo of the day: 'The Joker' filming in NYC

Lady Gaga was spotted while filming for the "Joker" sequel in New York City Sunday in which she will star alongside Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. Photos show the actress and singer surrounded by a squadron of police officers and protesters who held signs reading "Free Joker." Crews for the “The Joker” sequel have been facing the possibility that filming in New York could be disrupted as prosecutors consider a real-life indictment against former President Donald Trump, who has invited followers to rally on his behalf. The Trump protests have not materialized so far. Read more

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Ukraine live updates: Presidnet Biden warns of nuclear 'Armageddon'

The risk of nuclear "Armageddon" is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, President Joe Biden said during a fundraiser Thursday amid the threat Russian President Vladimir Putin will deploy nuclear weapons to ward off Ukraine’s attempt to reclaim control of Moscow-occupied areas.

Biden's warning follows talks among Russian officials about the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also repeatedly alluded to using his country's vast nuclear arsenal.

"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis," Biden said at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, suggesting Putin's threat is real "because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming."

For months, U.S. officials have warned of the possibility of Russia using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine. But officials said this week that they have seen no change to Russia's nuclear forces that would require a change in the alert posture of U.S. nuclear forces.

The U.S. has been "clear" to Russia about what the "consequences" of using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine would be, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

TURNING POINT IN THE WAR? As Russia admits defeat in Kharkiv, Ukraine regains land, confidence

Other developments:

►The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, met Thursday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and praised not only Ukraine's success on the battlefield but the country's "ongoing efforts to strengthen its democracy and its economy.” She said the U.S. would provide an additional $55 million to repair heating pipes and other equipment.

►Sweden’s domestic security agency said its preliminary investigation of leaks from two Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea confirmed they were caused by "detonations,'' and that the findings have "strengthened the suspicions of serious sabotage.”

►Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., a prominent Kremlin critic who was jailed for allegedly spreading “false information” about the war in Ukraine, has been charged with treason by Russian authorities.

►The European Union on Thursday froze the assets of an additional 37 people and entities tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine, including officials involved in the annexation of four Ukrainian provinces.

►Polish officials said they are distributing potassium iodide tablets to regional firefighter stations in case Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is damaged.

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Ukraine regains 150 square miles of land in expanding counteroffensive

As Ukraine consolidates the territory it has recaptured in the northeastern Kharkiv province, it continues to make gains in the east and south of the country.

Since the start of October, Kyiv's forces have taken back more than 150 square miles of land in the southern Kherson province that had fallen to the Russians early in the war, Ukraine’s southern military command said Thursday. Spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk added the situation along the southern front remains fluid.

At the same time, the Ukrainian counteroffensive that drove Russian troops out of Kharkiv and across the border has extended to the neighboring provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, which make up the industrial Donbas region that Russia covets. Among the prize gains was the strategically important city of Lyman.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials announced Wednesday the retaking of villages in those provinces. Zelenskyy proclaimed, “The return of the Ukrainian flag means that a peaceful and socially secure life is once again possible for Donbas.”

With the attempted Russian annexation of four provinces as a backdrop, further Ukrainian progress in parts of Luhansk appears probable because of favorable terrain and lack of Russian reinforcements, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

"Ukraine’s ongoing northern and southern counteroffensives are likely forcing the Kremlin to prioritize the defense of one area of operations at the expense of another, potentially increasing the likelihood of Ukrainian success in both," the institute said.

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2 Russians escaping draft seek US asylum after landing in Alaska

Two Russians who said they're escaping President Vladimir Putin's military conscription are requesting U.S. asylum after landing on a remote Alaskan island in the Bering Sea, the office of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.

Murkowski and fellow Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, said the Russians arrived at a beach near Gambell, an isolated community of about 600 people on St. Lawrence Island. Gambell is about 36 miles from the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia's region of Siberia.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the Russians arrived on a small boat Tuesday and were taken to Anchorage for screening and processing. The statement did not provide information on their asylum request.

A statement from Sullivan urged federal authorities to come up with a plan in case “more Russians flee to Bering Strait communities in Alaska.”

Kremlin accuses NATO of 'pumping up' nuclear talk

A Kremlin spokeswoman on Thursday appeared to tamp down controversy over any nuclear option in Ukraine and blamed NATO for an escalation in nuclear rhetoric.

"The Russian Federation is fully committed to the principle of the inadmissibility of nuclear war," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Zakharova said she won't "participate in pumping up the degree of nuclear rhetoric," saying it served the interests of NATO countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in announcing a partial military mobilization for his country last month, vowed to use “all available means” to deter attacks against Russia, an allusion to Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg then warned of “severe consequences for Russia” if Putin were to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The U.S. issued a similar warning.

Missile attacks draw close to Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia

Russia launched two missile attacks Thursday that hit more than 40 apartment buildings in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, close to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, authorities said. At least seven people were killed and five were missing, regional Gov. Oleksandr Starukha said.

The strikes came hours after Ukraine announced that Russian occupation forces had been driven out of three more villages in regions illegally annexed by Moscow.

Each side has blamed the other for rocket attacks roaring harrowingly close to the Zaporizhzhia plant. Putin on Wednesday declared the plant Russian property, a decree quickly rejected by Ukraine.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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