Russia's Attack on Ukraine Information Update as of 2 March 2022

WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH 2022

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

UKRAINE:

•  Ukraine is continuing to defend its country on Day 7 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Over the past day, the Russian Armed Forces have carried out attacks using the Russian Air Force, artillery, multiple launch rocket systems and long-range weapons systems.
•  Talks between the delegations of Ukraine and the Russian Federation on ending the aggression are due to continue today.
•  Ukrainian President V. Zelenskyy told the Ukrainian Pravda that the Kremlin could not control Ukraine with bombs and air raids, saying: “The whole world admires you, Ukrainians. Today, you, Ukrainians, are a symbol of invincibility. It is a symbol of the fact that people in any country can become the best people on Earth at any moment.”
•  Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenko stated that Russian armed forces have taken full control of Kherson. Local authorities said the city has been completely surrounded by Russian troops.
•  The Ukrainian Army reported that Russian paratroopers had landed in Kharkov at night. Ukrainian troops have been engaged in fierce fighting with them.
•  The head of the regional government, O. Synehubov informed that at least 21 people have died and 112 people, including children, have been injured in the last 24 hours during the Russian shelling of Kharkov. 19-year-old Ukrainian biathlete Yevhen Malyshev has died defending the city.
•  An Indian medical student has died in Kharkov after leaving a shelter to get food. A Russian missile has also hit the police headquarters in the city. The city's university is burning, and so are several residential buildings.
•  An adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Minister reported that the Kalibr cruise missile attack, launched from Belarusian territory, on Zhytomyr west of Kiev has claimed four casualties.
•  Ukraine claims that Russia has lost 5,840 soldiers, 211 tanks, 862 armoured vehicles, 30 aircraft and 31 helicopters since the beginning of the invasion. These figures could not be verified from independent sources, because Moscow does not publish data on losses.

WORLD:

•  The World Bank is preparing a US$3bn aid package for Ukraine. It will also include at least US$350m in immediate aid to Kyiv.
•  Seven Russian banks will be excluded from the SWIFT system. This measure will take effect within 10 days after the EU Permanent Representatives Committee took the decision to do so on Tuesday.
•  Turkey rejected a request for Russian warships to cross the Bosphorus into the Black Sea. Foreign Minister M. Cavusoglu added that Turkey complies with the Montreux Agreement, which allows to restrict or ban the movement of warships across the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles in the event of war conflict.
•  Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, is leaving the European market, citing sanctions imposed by the West in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
•  In his speech, U.S. President J. Biden said that the United States will provide Kyiv with more than US$1bn in direct aid and is determined to defend every inch of NATO territory against a possible Russian attack. However, the U.S. military will not fight Russian invading forces in Ukraine. The United States will close its airspace to Russian aircraft.
•  The U.S. intelligence agencies are trying to examine Putin's state of mind and a possible link to the escalating war in Ukraine. Some of his long-term observers say his actions are increasingly unpredictable and irrational.
•  Caritas Poland, a Polish Catholic charity, will accept 2,000 children from Ukrainian orphanages.
•  Wizz Air offers 100,000 free seats for Ukrainian refugees on its short-haul routes. These will be flights from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania.
•  A meeting of EU finance ministers is scheduled to take place today. They will talk about sanctions against Russia.
•  The International Atomic Energy Agency will discuss the situation in Ukraine in a special session.

SLOVAKIA:

•  Starting from 10.00am, the SVK Government has been holding a meeting where the Defence Minister will provide a briefing on the current security situation to members of the Government.
•  Slovak Police has informed that it registered 12,690 people crossing the borders from Ukraine from Tuesday 06.00am to Wednesday 06.00am. Of them, 4,664 people were processed from the midnight to 06.00am. Currently, waiting times at the busiest border rossings are from 10 to 35 hours.
•  Since the outbreak of the conflict, the total number of people crossing from Ukraine into Slovakia has reached 66,945.
•  The Ministry of Defence has provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid in the form of 1,000 hygiene packages. It also includes blankets, sleeping bags and other supplies. The Ministry of Defence has announced that another humanitarian shipment is soon to follow.