Liveblog Ukraine war: International Criminal Court launches investigation into war crimes

The Ukrainian military believes that Belarusian troops in the direction of Ukraine on the way. “Some units of the most combat-ready formations of the Belarusian Armed Forces have begun to move to the state border of Ukraine in the direction of Volhynia,” wrote the Ukrainian General Staff on Facebook. This information could not be independently verified. Volhynia is a region in north-eastern Ukraine.

International sport isolates Russia. After the IOC, Fifa and Uefa, the European Handball Federation EHF has now suspended Russia and Belarus for the time being. Accordingly, neither the national teams nor clubs from the two countries are allowed to take part in European competitions. With this step, the EHF follows a recommendation of the International Olympic Committee. For example, Meshkow Brest from Belarus is affected in the men’s Champions League. Rostov-Don and CSKA Moscow play in the premier class for women. According to the EHF, referees and officials from Russia and its ally Belarus will also no longer be nominated for matches until further notice. Events planned in Russia will be reassigned.

Because of the Russian attack on Ukraine, Canada is temporarily halting all crude oil imports from Russia. “We announce our intention to ban imports of crude oil from Russia – an industry that has greatly benefited President (Vladimir) Putin and his oligarchs,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. According to media reports, Canada has imported several hundred million Canadian dollars worth of crude oil from Russia in recent years.

In light of reports of numerous civilian casualties at the aggressive war of Russia against Ukraine has Kyiv Moscow war crimes accused. “Russia keeps attacking kindergartens and orphanages. Russia attacks hospitals. Russia attacks mobile medical aid brigades with shell fire and sabotage groups,” Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsia said at an emergency session at the UN Security Council in New York. These are not the files of a state with security concerns. “These are the files of a state determined to kill civilians. There is no debate: these are war crimes.”

Resistance to the war in Russia is not yet widespread, but it is happening. The authorities are taking rigorous action: Hundreds of people have again been arrested during the most recent protests. 208 were arrested during protests in Moscow, 181 in St. Petersburg, as the civil rights portal Owd-Info announced in the evening. There have been at least 413 arrests in 13 cities across the country. Our picture shows a scene on Sunday in Moscow.

The US government opposes establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. President Joe Biden has made it very clear that he has no intention of sending US troops into a war with Russia, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. A no-fly zone would be a step in this direction, because it would have to be implemented accordingly. “It would require the deployment of US military forces to enforce it, which would mean direct conflict, potentially direct conflict and potential war with Russia, which we do not want to engage in,” Psaki said.

The propaganda battle between Russia and Ukraine is also raging in the loss reports. Both sides report massive casualties in the enemy’s ranks. The Russian troops had moved a further 16 kilometers inland in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Monday evening. Since the beginning of the “special operation” more than 1000 objects of military infrastructure have been destroyed, including more than 300 tanks.

The Ukrainian military in Kyiv reported that more than 5,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and 191 tanks destroyed since the war began on Thursday. According to Ukrainian sources, 29 Russian helicopters and 29 planes were destroyed. Ukraine, also supported by the West with arms supplies, is defending itself against the Russian attack, which, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, aims to demilitarize the country.

US President Joe Biden consulted with allies before tweeting the following statement: “I spoke to allies and partners today about Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine. We will continue our support for the Ukrainian people as they defend their country , and reiterate our readiness to keep driving up the costs for Russia if they don’t de-escalate.”
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1498399200148656129

The International Criminal Court will official investigations to War crimes in Ukraine initiate. This was announced by chief prosecutor Karim Khan in The Hague. The investigation will be launched “as soon as possible”. Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, the prosecutor said he was closely monitoring the situation. According to Khan, the investigations initially relate to possible crimes that were committed before the invasion of Russia. In view of the spread of the conflict, however, the investigations should also be expanded in his view. The court had already investigated incidents related to the crackdown on pro-European protests in Kyiv in 2013/2014, as well as the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014 and in eastern Ukraine.

The war is pushing Ukraine closer to the EU and NATO. Eight EU heads of state have spoken out in favor of to open up an immediate prospect of accession to the European Union for Ukraine. They demanded that the ex-Soviet republic, which was under attack from Russia, be granted the official status of a candidate country and that the negotiation process begin. This emerged from an open letter published by a spokesman for Czech President Milos Zeman on Monday evening.

The Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany, Andrij Melnyk, has rejected Russian demands for a possible understanding between the two warring countries. “What we have heard is unacceptable”, Melnyk said on Monday on the Welt TV station. “What is non-negotiable is our territorial integrity. That means, including with Crimea and also with Donbass.” There will be no compromises. “We need a status quo ante 2013.”

According to the Russian UN mission, the United States has declared twelve diplomats in New York undesirable. These employees at Russia’s UN mission would have to leave the country by March 7, UN Ambassador Vasily Nebensia said in New York. The United States would thereby “grossly violate their obligations under the host country agreement.” In fact, at least some diplomats working at the United Nations in New York have special protections because the UN is an international organization to which all member countries must have access. A spokesman for the US State Department initially did not confirm the process when asked.

The European Union has already tightened the sanctions screw against Russia, but is apparently willing to follow up. This was announced by the Elysée Palace in Paris after a video conference of the heads of state and government of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Romania, the USA, Canada and Japan as well as representatives of the EU and NATO. “Further sanctions” could be imposed “in the coming days,” said the French presidency.

Turkey has banned the passage of warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. Ankara had “warned neighboring countries not to send warships through the Black Sea,” said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey — like Russia and Ukraine, a Black Sea riparian — had sharply condemned Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine last week.

Hungary does not want to allow the delivery of arms to Ukraine through its territory. “We will not allow the transport of deadly weapons across Hungarian territory”, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook. Szijjarto explained the decision was taken to ensure the security of Hungarian citizens on both sides of the border. The military transports could “easily become a target,” added the minister. At the weekend, the EU released 450 million euros for arms deliveries to Ukraine, which was under attack from Russia.