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'We'll fight for every meter of our land, for every citizen': President Zelensky
Nato’s secretary general warned Ukrainians that Russian forces are not withdrawing but regrouping as the Kremlin moves simply to deploy its troops elsewhere in the country rather than stage a promised partial withdrawal.
Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow did not appear to be scaling back its military operations in Ukraine. “We can expect additional offensive actions, bringing even more suffering,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has warned he will turn the taps off unless “unfriendly” countries start paying for oil and gas in roubles from Friday, in a move intended to shore up the value of the Russian currency, which has plummeted since Moscow’s 24 February invasion of Ukraine.
European leaders said gas contracts were signed with stipulations for payment in euros or US dollars and will not change.
German economy minister Robert Habeck said “it is crucial for us that the contracts are respected.”
“It is important for us not to give a signal that we will be blackmailed by Putin.”
Recommended Russian soldiers refusing to carry out orders and accidentally shot down own aircraft, claims UK spy chief US intelligence thinks Putin feels misled by his own military after repeated failures during Ukraine invasion Vladimir Putin’s advisers scared to tell him the truth, says British spy chief Russian troops ‘walking away’ from Chernobyl as Putin’s forces reposition, US says Where can I donate items for Ukraine and which items are most needed?
Key Points Russia regrouping not withdrawing, says Nato Putin ‘blackmail’ threat to Europe gas supplies branded hollow Nato defeated’ as Russia free to ‘trample’ over Kyiv, says former British army commander Russian army ‘defying orders and sabotaging equipment’, GCHQ confirms Global security at risk unless Russia stopped – Zelensky
Show latest update 1648745911 UK suggests it will refuse Putin’s demands for gas payments in roubles
Britain does not plan to pay for Russian gas in roubles, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said, adding that the government was monitoring the implications for the European market of Vladimir Putin’s demand.
Mr Putin said he had signed a decree saying foreign buyers must pay in roubles for Russian gas from April 1, and contracts would be halted if these payments were not made.
Asked if there were any circumstances in which Britain would pay in roubles for Russian gas, the spokesman told reporters: “That is not something we will be looking to do.”
Elsewhere in Europe, Germany and France said they would continue to pay in euros and US dollars as according to their contracts with Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy supplier.
Earlier today before the decree was announced, Italian prime minister Mario Draghi said he had received assurances from Mr Putin that Europe would not have to pay in roubles and played down fears that Moscow would cut off supplies.
Anticipating that Russia would turn the taps off, the German government yesterday declared an early warning of an energy emergency, the first step toward authorising government-imposed gas rationing for industry to spare homes and hospitals.
Liam James 31 March 2022 17:58
1648744470 Putin ‘blackmail’ threat to suspend energy supplies to Europe branded hollow
Vladimir Putin’s threats to cut off energy supplies to Europe have been dismissed as hollow by Western officials, because of the damage the move would do to a Russian economy already reeling from sanctions.
Putin has warned he will turn the taps off unless “unfriendly” countries start paying for oil and gas in roubles from Friday, in a move intended to shore up the value of the Russian currency, which has plummeted since Moscow’s 24 February invasion of Ukraine.
But Western officials today expressed scepticism that Moscow could find alternative buyers for its main exports, which are essential to fund Putin’s hugely expensive military adventure.
EU nations which are heavily reliant on Russia for energy supplies have so far shown a united front in opposing payment in roubles.
But there is speculation that Italy may be considering breaking ranks after the office of prime minister Mario Draghi said Putin had outlined a practical system for making the change in a phone call on Wednesday.
Putin ‘blackmail’ threat to suspend energy supplies to Europe branded hollow Moscow says it will turn off oil and gas taps unless ‘unfriendly’ states pay in roubles
Liam James 31 March 2022 17:34
1648743187 Allies agree to send more arms to Ukraine, says UK defence secretary
Ben Wallace has said international allies have agreed to send more military equipment to Ukraine including armoured vehicles and artillery ammunition.
Mr Wallace said he had taken part in a conference call with defence ministers from more that 35 nations, including the United States, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, to discuss what assistance they could provide.
“There will be more lethal aid going into Ukraine as a result of today,” he told Sky News. “Ukraine needs longer range artillery and that’s because of what the Russian army has been doing which is now digging in and starting to pound these cities with artillery.
“The best counter to that is other long-range artillery so they’ll be looking for and getting more long-range artillery, ammunition predominantly.
“They are obviously looking for equipment to defend its coastline because of Russian activity down there and we’ll be looking to see what more we can do.
“They are also looking for armoured vehicles of some types, not tanks necessarily, but certainly protective vehicles, and more anti-air. All of this will be forthcoming as result of this conference.”
Ukraine has pleaded several times for tanks and aircraft from allies. A proposal from Poland to send aircraft via a US airbase was rejected by Washington over fears of the Russian reaction to flying in military planes to a warzone.
Liam James 31 March 2022 17:13
1648741760 Putin says Russia will only accept roubles for gas from tomorrow
Vladimir Putin said he has signed a decree saying foreign buyers must pay in roubles for Russian gas from 1 April.
“In order to purchase Russian natural gas, they must open rouble accounts in Russian banks. It is from these accounts that payments will be made for gas delivered starting from tomorrow,” the Russian leader said.
“If such payments are not made, we will consider this a default on the part of buyers, with all the ensuing consequences. Nobody sells us anything for free, and we are not going to do charity either – that is, existing contracts will be stopped.”
European leaders had said payments must continue in euros and dollars while energy companies said supply contracts with Russia’s Gazprom do not allow for payments in roubles.
Russia getting paid for gas in their currency would at best help marginally in getting around financial sanctions, propping up the ruble’s value or protecting the Russian economy, said Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University and a former official at the International Monetary Fund.
Liam James 31 March 2022 16:49
1648739872 ‘I could hear people scream’, mayor of Melitopol kidnapped by Russians speaks out
Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov speaks out in a television interview about his kidnapping, days after being released.
Ukraine’s parliament claimed Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped by armed men who put a plastic bag over his head, as shown in a Surveillance footage that went viral on social media.
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‘I could hear people scream’, mayor of Melitopol kidnapped by Russians speaks out
Liam James 31 March 2022 16:17
1648738817 Ukraine war: Russia using ‘banned anti-personnel landmines,’ campaign group says
Russia has been accused of using anti-personnel mines which aim to kill or “maim” people within a 16-metre radius.
Human Rights Watch said POM-3 landmines, which are banned under international treaties, were found in Kharkiv on Monday by Ukrainian ordnance disposal technicians.
More details here from my colleague Sam Hancock:
Russia using ‘banned landmines’ in Ukraine, campaign group says POM-3s, which are not permitted under the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, can detect when someone is approaching
Rory Sullivan 31 March 2022 16:00
1648737684 Few Russian soldiers left at Chernobyl, says Ukrainian state nuclear company
Only a few Russian soldiers remain at Chernobyl nuclear plant, after most of the troops there left in the direction of the Belarusian border, Ukraine‘s state nuclear company Energoatom has said.
“The occupiers, who seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and other facilities in the exclusion zone, have set off in two columns towards the Ukrainian border,” it said in a statement.
It added that Moscow’s troops had also retreated from
It said Russian forces had also retreated from Slavutych, a nearby town.
Rory Sullivan 31 March 2022 15:41
1648736905 Latvia bans pro-war ‘Z’ symbol
Latvia has banned public displays of the letter “Z”, as it has been used by Moscow to glorify its war efforts.
The symbol has been seen on the Kremlin’s tanks and on pro-war clothing back home in Russia.
Latvia’s parliament said anyone who displays the letter with the intention of justifying war crimes will be fined up to 350 euros (￡296). Companies doing so could receive penalties as high as 2,900 euros (￡2,450).
“Condemning Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine, we must take a firm stand that symbols glorifying Russian military aggression, such as the letters ‘Z’, ‘V’ or other symbols used for this purpose, have no place in public events,” said Latvian politician Artuss Kaimins.
Rory Sullivan 31 March 2022 15:28
1648735817 Kyiv hopes to evacuate thousands from devastated city of Mariupol
Ukraine hopes to rescue thousands of citizens trapped in the devastated city of Mariupol, sending a fleet of buses there on Thursday.
People who have already fled Mariupol have told The Independent of the horrors they experienced in their home town.
“More than 80 per cent of the city is completely destroyed. There must be thousands of dead, it’s too dangerous to even pull the bodies out from under the rubble to count them,” said Ruslan, 39, who escaped Mariupol on Tuesday with his three-year-old daughter and his wife.
The family managed to escape after stumbling upon a Red Cross volunteer who had a car.
Our foreign correspondent Bel Trew reports from the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia:
Ukraine sends bus convoy to Mariupol to evacuate thousands from devastated city Red Cross says ‘lives of tens of thousands of people’ depend on planned evacuation
Rory Sullivan 31 March 2022 15:10
1648735002 More Ukrainian troops buried
More Ukrainian soldiers were buried today in Lviv after being killed in battle.
The family of Yuriy Oliynyk mourned his death in the western Ukrainian city:
Relatives watch the burial of Ukrainian soldier Yuriy Oliynyk in Lviv
(Getty Images)
Ukrainian troops attend a funeral of three of their colleagues in Lviv
(Getty Images)
The family of Yuriy Oliynyk mourn his death
(Getty Images)
A Ukrainian soldier walks along a trench near Kyiv
(AFP via Getty Images)
Rory Sullivan 31 March 2022 14:56
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