Zelensky announces Ukraine is ‘prepared to consider neutrality’ following Russia’s requests
Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators fell victim to symptoms of suspected poisoning following a meeting in Kyiv earlier in March, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The sanctioned Russian oligarch and at least two senior members of Ukraine’s delegation developed symptoms, including red eyes and peeling skin on their faces and hands, sources familiar with the matter said.
Elsewhere, the mayor of Irpin, a besieged town on the outskirts of Kyiv, declared on Monday that Ukrainian forces had taken back full control after weeks of heavy fighting.
Irpin has been one of the main combat hotspots following Russia’s invasion on 24 February, and was prized by the Kremlin’s troops for its position close to the capital.
“We have good news today, Irpin has been liberated,” the mayor, Oleksandr Markushyn, said in a video post on Telegram. “We understand that there will be more attacks on our town and we will defend it courageously.”
Vladimir Putin ‘not serious’ about peace talks in Ukraine, Liz Truss suggests
Vladimir Putin is “not serious” about peace talks as the Russian president continues to “wantonly” bomb Ukrainian citizens, Liz Truss has told MPs.
With the Kremlin’s brutal invasion now in its 33rd day, the foreign secretary also suggested sanctions imposed by the UK and western allies were “pushing back” the Russian economy by years.
Her remarks come as Ukraine’s president insisted he was looking for peace “without delay”, with negotiators from Kyiv expected to meet with the Russian delegation on Tuesday in Turkey, writes Ashley Cowburn.
Joe Middleton28 March 2022 19:16
Abramovich illness was down to environmental factor and not poisoning, says US official
A US official said on Monday that intelligence suggests the illness of Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators was due to an environmental factor, not poisoning, as reported earlier today.
The Wall Street Journal and investigative outlet Bellingcat reported that the Russian oligarch and the negotiators had suffered symptoms of suspecting poisoning earlier this month after a meeting in Kyiv.
The US official told Reuters: “The intelligence highly suggests this was environmental,” adding: “E.g., not poisoning.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to elaborate.
Joe Middleton28 March 2022 19:05
Roman Abramovich’s poisoning is another example of the Stalinisation of modern Russia
Abramovich may have gotten off relatively lightly with potentially life-changing injuries, rather than an ice pick in the cranium, writes Sean O’Grady.
Joe Middleton28 March 2022 18:59
Zelensky adviser dismisses poisoning reports as ‘speculation’
Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to president Zelensky, has dismissed reports earlier today that Ukrainian negotiators and Roman Abramovich suffered from symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting in Kyiv at the beginning of March.
The Russian oligarch and at least two Ukrainian negotiators developed red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands since the meeting last month, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Mr Podoliak said the allegation was “speculation,” adding that the Ukrainian negotiators “are working as usual.”
A source close to Mr Abramovich told the BBC he had suffered symptoms of poisoning, but had now fully recovered.
Joe Middleton28 March 2022 18:44
5,000 people killed in Mariupol since Russian siege started
Nearly 5,000 people, including about 210 children, have been killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol since Russian forces laid siege to it, a spokesperson for the mayor said on Monday.
It was not immediately clear how mayor Vadym Boichenko had calculated the toll from a month of Russian bombardment that has devastated the city and trapped tens of thousands of residents without power and with few supplies.
Mr Boichenko’s office said 90% of Mariupol’s buildings had been damaged and 40% destroyed, including hospitals, schools, kindergartens and factories.
About 140,000 people had fled the city on the Sea of Azov before the Russian siege began and 150,000 have exited since then, leaving 170,000 still there, according to its figures, which Reuters could not immediately verify.
Mr Boichenko, who is no longer in Mariupol, said on national television earlier on Monday that about 160,000 civilians were still trapped in the city.
“People are beyond the line of humanitarian catastrophe,” he said. “We need to completely evacuate Mariupol.”
Ukraine said it was impossible to create any safe corridors on Monday, citing intelligence reports about possible Russian “provocations” along the routes.
Joe Middleton28 March 2022 18:27
UK Minister refuses to say how many visas issued after 20,000 applications made to Homes for Ukraine scheme
UK Minister refuses to say how many visas issued after 20,000 applications made to Homes for Ukraine scheme
Joe Middleton28 March 2022 18:24
Billionaire Russian oligarch sanctioned in UK complains he has to eat at home after credit cards blocked
A Russian oligarch hit with UK sanctions has complained about being confined to eating at his multimillion pound home in north London while living “practically under house arrest.”
Ukrainian-born Mikhail Fridman, who in 2021 had a fortune of £9.3 billion, alleged he can no longer afford to dine out in restaurants after his credit cards were blocked by British authorities – instead being forced to take his meals at his large Victorian house in Highgate.
In April 2016, The Times reported that he purchased the property, set on the northern edge of Hampstead Heath, for £65 million.
Emily Atkinson28 March 2022 18:13
Watch: Ukrainian activist sings lullaby calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine
Ukrainian activist sings lullaby calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine
Emily Atkinson28 March 2022 17:59
Ukraine publishes names of 620 alleged Russian agents
The names and contact details of 620 people alleged to be officers of Russia‘s Federal Security Service (FSB) involved in “criminal activities” in Europe have been published by Ukrainian military intelligence.
The intelligence branch of the country’s defence ministry listed people it said were FSB employees registered at the agency’s headquarters in Moscow, Reuters reports.
“Employees of the FSB of Russia involved in the criminal activities of the aggressor-state in Europe,” it said in a post in Russian on its official website.
It provided the names under a photo of the Moscow headquarters of the FSB, a successor to the Soviet-era KGB security police.
Emily Atkinson28 March 2022 17:54
Truss says Putin cannot be allowed to win from ‘appalling aggression’
Foreign secretary Liz Truss has said Ukraine must not be sold short in peace talks with Moscow and Vladimir Putin cannot be seen to benefit from the invasion.
“We need to ensure that any future talks don’t end up selling Ukraine out, or repeating the mistakes of the past,” Truss said.
“We remember the uneasy settlement of 2014 which failed to give Ukraine lasting security. Putin just came back for more. That is why we cannot allow him to win from this appalling aggression.”
Emily Atkinson28 March 2022 17:33