Russia's Attack on Ukraine Information Update as of 1 March 2022

TUESDAY (MORNING) 1 MARCH 2022

(Sources: TASR, SITA, AFP, AP, DPA, ČTK, ČT24, GUARDIAN, CNN, BBC, REUTERS, UNIAN)

UKRAINE:

• More than 70 Ukrainian servicemen were killed when Russian troops shelled a military base in the town of Okhtyrka in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, regional governor D. Zhyvytskyy said.
• A Russian rocket attack took place in the centre of Kharkov, targeting the local government building in Freedom Square, Ukrainian media reported.
• The mayor of Kherson informed that Russian troops have already advanced to the suburbs and are setting up checkpoints at the entrances to the city.
• Ukraine has promised amnesty and financial reward to Russian soldiers who voluntarily lay down their arms. The president also signed a decree on a temporary visa-free regime for foreign volunteers who want to join Ukraine's defences against the Russian invasion.
• According to the latest satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies, a Russian military convoy, said to be 40 miles (64km) long, is advancing towards Kyiv from the north.
• Chechen leader Kadyrov admitted the first losses of his troops in Ukraine, where they were fighting alongside Russia – two soldiers died, while six others suffered various injuries.
• President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy called for a worldwide ban on Russian planes and ships using foreign airports and seaports.
• Speaking with French President E. Macron by phone, V. Putin said that the recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and the demilitarization of Ukraine are the conditions to end fighting in Ukraine.
• According to the UN, over 500,000 people have fled Ukraine since the outbreak of the conflict.

WORLD:

• Yesterday V. Zelenskyy asked for Ukraine to be accepted as an EU member country and officially signed the application for Ukraine's membership in the EU. Several heads of state, including Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, called for Ukraine's rapid accession to the EU.
• The United States has expelled 12 Russian diplomats from the Russian Diplomatic Mission to the United Nations based in New York. They were ordered to leave the United States by 7 March. The reason is their involvement in espionage activities.
• In an extraordinary session, the UN General Assembly will vote on a resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Australia will support Ukraine with military equipment and humanitarian aid totalling €68m.
• The United States has pledged further aid to Ukraine in the form of arms supplies and other sanctions against Moscow.
• Turkey has prohibited warships from accessing the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits in accordance with the Montreux Convention, which governs the movement of warships across these strategically important straits.
• According to the OVD-Info human rights group, 6,440 people have been arrested for anti-war protests in Russia.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will begin an investigation into the situation in Ukraine, Chief Prosecutor for ICC K. Khan announced.
• Canada has banned oil imports from Russia and will supply Ukraine with anti-tank weapons and ammunition.
• The EU's sanctions list has been extended to include other Russian oligarchs linked to the Kremlin, including the Russian President's spokesman D. Peskov.

SLOVAKIA:

• The SVK Government has decided that Slovakia will provide temporary refuge to Ukrainian citizens and their family members by the end of this year, while they can also apply to receive health care.
• Slovakia will request assistance from Frontex in protecting the Slovak-Ukrainian border. The Czech police are sending 50 police officers to the Slovak-Ukrainian border.
• Slovak airspace remains closed to Russian aircraft.