Russian forces launch a massive strike on local government headquarters in the centre of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, killing at least 10 people. Russia’s defence ministry urges people to flee.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says in a phone call with US President Joe Biden that it is important to stop “aggressor” Russia “as soon as possible’.
8.07am: Ukraine gets $34 million in cryptocurrency donations
A firm that tracks cryptocurrency transactions says $33.8 million in the digital currency has been donated to Ukraine’s government and non-governmental organizations there since the start of Russia’s invasion, nearly a third of it on Tuesday.
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Chief Scientist Tom Robinson of Elliptic said most donations to date have been in bitcoin and ether. Some people are sending non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, to the Ukrainian government’s ethereum account.
8.01am: Oil prices surge $5 per barrel despite release of supplies
Oil prices surged another $5 per barrel on Wednesday after an agreement by the United States and other major governments to release supplies from strategic stockpiles failed to calm market anxiety over Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Benchmark US crude rose $5.24 per barrel to $108.60 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
7.42am: Russian airborne troops land in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, says Ukrainian army
Russian airborne troops landed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, the Ukrainian army said, adding that there were immediate clashes.
“Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv… and attacked a local hospital,” the army said in a statement on messaging app Telegram. “There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians.”
7.26am: Around 70 Japanese volunteer to fight for Ukraine
Several dozen Japanese men have answered a Ukrainian call for foreign volunteers to fight Russia’s invasion, according to a media report on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Sunday for the formation of an “international legion,” prompting dozens from the United States and Canada to volunteer.
As of Tuesday, 70 Japanese men – including 50 former members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and two veterans of the French Foreign Legion – had applied to be volunteers, the Mainichi Shimbun daily said, quoting a Tokyo company handling the volunteers.
7.10am: Canada to refer ICC to probe alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine
Canada has decided to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to probe alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russian forces in Ukraine, its government said on Tuesday.
The office of the ICC prosecutor on Monday said it will seek court approval to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine, just days after Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
7.04am: Biden says Putin now ‘isolated from the world’
The world has “isolated” Vladimir Putin for sending Russian forces pouring into Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said Tuesday, vowing that devastating sanctions would “sap” Russia’s economic strength and weaken its military.
“Putin is now isolated from the world more than he has ever been,” Biden told members of Congress in his first State of the Union address, adding “he has no idea what’s coming” in terms of economic penalties and punishment.
6.54am: Canadian sanctions to stay until Russia withdraws troops, says Trudeau
Canada will maintain sanctions against Russia until the latter withdraws its troops from Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.
“We will keep the sanctions in place right up until Russia recognizes and admits they made a huge mistake and withdraws its soldiers from Ukrainian soil,” Trudeau told the House of Commons during the day’s Question Period session.
6.48am: Biden calls Putin ‘a Russian dictator’
US President Joe Biden branded his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “dictator” during his State of the Union address Tuesday, one week after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
“A Russian dictator, invading a foreign country, has costs around the world,” Biden told Congress.
But “in the battle between democracy and autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security,” he said.
6.22am: Biden banning Russia from US airspace
US President Joe Biden has announced that the country is banning Russian aircraft from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine
Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check Russian aggression in Ukraine.
