Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Kyiv, February 14, 2022

EA on BBC: Ukraine War — The Effect of Sanctions on Russia

Sunday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy Presses for Oil Embargo on Russia — “We Do Not Have Time to Wait”

UPDATE 2022 GMT:

France has expelled six more Russian staff under diplomatic cover.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that an investigation by the intelligence service DGSE “revealed on Sunday April 10 a clandestine operation carried out by the Russian intelligence services on our territory”.

Last week France ordered the departure of 35 Russian staff amid a series of expulsions by European countries and Japan of Moscow’s personnel.

UPDATE 1917 GMT:

Meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said “all those responsible” for war crimes must be “brought to justice”.

Nehammer, the first European leader to visit Putin since the Russian invasion, warned that international sanctions will toughen as long as civilians are being killed in Ukraine.

The Chancellor said afterwards that his was not “a visit of friendship” and that the conversation with Putin was “direct, open, and hard”.

I mentioned the serious war crimes in Bucha and other locations and stressed that all those responsible have to be brought to justice.

UPDATE 1911 GMT:

Russian forces have shelled Ukraine’s secord city of Kharkiv, killing a child and causing multiple other casualties.

Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Ukrainian forces were focused and ready to defend the city if the Russians try to overrun it.

Three people were killed and eight civiians wounded by Russian strikes in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, said regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

UPDATE 1900 GMT:

Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, says the defenders of Mariupol are still holding out.

Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade wrote earlier today on Facebook that they were “surrounded” by the Russians after a siege of almost seven weeks: “Today will probably be the last battle, as the ammunition is running out….It’s death for some of us, and captivity for the rest.” (see 1154 GMT)

Zaluzhnyi said:

Communication with the units of the defence forces heroically holding the city is stable and maintained.

We are doing the possible and impossible for the victory and the preservation of the lives of personnel and civilians in all directions. Believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!

UPDATE 1315 GMT:

Croatia has joined the long list of European countries expelling Russian personnel under diplomatic cover, ordering the departure of 24 embassy staff over Russia’s “brutal aggression on Ukraine and numerous crimes committed.”

UPDATE 1154 GMT:

The defenders of the besieged city of Mariupol are reportedly preparing for Russian occupation.

Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade wrote on Facebook of doing “everything possible and impossible” to retain control” but being “pushed back” and “surrounded” by the Russians.

Today will probably be the last battle, as the ammunition is running out….

It’s death for some of us, and captivity for the rest.

Almost half of the brigade is wounded, with men who have not suffered amputations returning to battle. Infantry have been killed, so the defense is by artillerymen, anti-aircraft gunners, radio operators, drivers, cooks, and even orchestra members.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said early Monday that tens of thousands of people have likely been killed in Mariupol, “but even despite this, the Russians are not stopping their offensive”.

UPDATE 1105 GMT:

The BBC estimates that more than 20% of Russian troops killed in Ukraine are officers.

The UK verified the identities of 1,083 slain Russian servicemen through reports by local officials or on Russian media. Among these were 10 colonels, 20 lieutenant colonels, 31 majors and 155 junior officers.

At least seven Russian generals have also reportedly been killed.

BBC World correspondent Olga Ivshina says Russia has lost some of its best specialists, including elite special forces operators, highly skilled fighter pilots, and experienced commanders. About 15% of the confirmed losses are paratroopers from units “which are considered the elite of the Russian army”.

UPDATE 1100 GMT:

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger has called out Moscow’s disinformation over the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim that it destroyed four Slovakian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems near Dnipro in east-central Ukraine.

Slovakia donated the systems to Kyiv last Friday.

UPDATE 1000 GMT:

The credit ratings agency S&P Global has placed Russia under “selective default”.

S&P red-flagged Moscow after its offered rubles for payments on two dollar-denominated bonds due on April 4.

Selective default refers to default on a specific obligation but not on an entire debt.

Last week the US Treasury blocked Russia from accessing foreign currency reserves in American banks, forcing Moscow to diver foreign currency reserves that could prop up its invasion.

Russia Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said, “We will sue, because we undertook all necessary action so that investors would receive their payments. We will show the court proof of our payments, to confirm our efforts to pay in rubles, just as we did in foreign currency. It won’t be a simple process.”

UPDATE 0930 GMT:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says tens of thousands of people have likely been killed in the Russian attacks on the besieged port city of Mariupol in southeast Ukraine.

Zelenskiy told the South Korean Parliament, “Mariupol has been destroyed, there are tens of thousands of dead, but even despite this, the Russians are not stopping their offensive.”

The President said at least 300 Ukrainian hospitals have been destroyed or damaged by the Russian assault.

Appealing for more assistance, he repeated that Vladimir Putin threatens Europe, not just Ukraine, and will not halt the invasion unless it is forced to stop.

Earlier Monday, South Korea Defense Minister Suh Wook rejected a request by Ukraine counterpart Oleksii Reznikov for anti-aircraft weapons, citing Pyongyang’s security situation and potential impact on military readiness.

South Korea has consistently said it will not provide lethal weapons to Kyiv. Instead, it has delivered $10m in humanitarian assistance, pledging last week to send another $30m, and sent non-lethal items such as bulletproof helmets, medical kits, and medicines.

UPDATE 0845 GMT:

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says 1,793 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 2,439 injured.

The OHCHR again warned that the actual toll is likely to be considerably higher, with information to be confirmed from areas where there are “intense hostilities”, such as Mariupol and Izyum, or where bodies are being recovered after Russian withdrawal, such as Borodyanka in the Kyiv region.

“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” the OHCHR wrote.

Ukraine’s ombudsman for human rights, Lyudmyla Denisova, said 183 children are confirmed to have been killed.

UPDATE 0842 GMT:

The French banking group Societe Generale is halting its activities in Russia and selling its stake in Russia’s Rosbank.

Societe Generale will write off about 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) with the withdrawal.

UPDATE 0838 GMT:

The Ukrainian military says Russia has lost about 19,500 troops during its invasion.

The military claimed the Russian loss of 725 tanks, 1,923 armored vehicles, 154 planes, and 137 helicopters.

Russia has not given figures for its casualties; however, on Friday, Kremlin advisor Dmitry Peskov acknowledged “significant losses”.

NATO and Western intelligence agencies said last week that Russia has lost about 20% of its invasion force.

UPDATE 0835 GMT:

The death toll from Russia’s missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station on Friday has risen to 57 civilians, with 114 wounded.

See also Ukraine War, Day 44: Russia Kills 50+ in Missile Strike on Railway Station in East

Russian forces shelled another railway station in eastern Ukraine on Sunday night, damaging five locomotives, tracks, and power lines.

UPDATE 0628 GMT:

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will meet Vladimir Putin on Monday, in the first visit by a European leader to Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Nehammer tweeted, “We are militarily neutral, but we have a clear position on the Russian war of aggression against #Ukraine This must stop! We need humanitarian corridors, a ceasefire, and full investigation of war crimes.”

Over the weekend, Nehammer visited Ukraine and toured Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, where Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians during their occupation.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Nehammer for the journey to Kyiv and Austria’s humanitarian aid, including fire engines: “This is a great signal that the leaders of European countries, though not all, are beginning to come to Ukraine, supporting us not only in words. They themselves see what is happening here and what are the consequences of Russia’s invasion.”

UPDATE 0613 GMT:

The World Bank has issued a stark assessment over Ukraine’s economy amid the Russian invasion, destruction, and blockade of Black Sea ports.

The Bank projected that GDP will contract by about 45% in 2022.

It also projected that Russia’s economy will shrink by 11%, and countries around Ukraine will suffer hardship, with some asking international agencies for help to avoid default on debts.

The Bank assessed that GDP will fall 4.1% in the region, a decline twice as sharp as that in 2020 amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: After a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has cited a welcome shift in Berlin’s position over the Russian invasion and war crimes.

In his late-night video address to the nation, Zelenskiy said the discussion was “how to strengthen sanctions against Russia and how to persuade Russia to seek peace”. He continued:

I am happy to note that recently Germany’s position is changing in Ukraine’s favour. And I consider this absolutely logical as a majority of Germans support this policy. I am grateful to them.

And I expect that everything we agreed will be implemented. This is very important.

Germany has been pressed by its allies and by Kyiv to take a tougher line on military aid and on sanctions, despite Berlin’s dependence on Russian energy imports.

On Saturday, alongside UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Scholz said Germany will halt purchase of Russian coal and will cut off Russian oil by the end of 2022. He did not give a timetable for a reduction of Russian gas; however, Defense Minister Christine Liebknecht has called on the European Union to establish a collective ban.

Since the February 24 invasion, German has reduced dependence on Russian oil from 35% to 25%, gas from 55% to 40%, and hard coal from 50% to 25%.

Germany has also dropped a long-standing prohibition on military exports to another country, beginning supplies of missiles, other weapons, and equipment to Kyiv. Still, Scholz indicated last week that Berlin will not provide tanks, leaving the ramped-up provision of armored vehicles to other countries.

Zelenskiy: The “Cowardice” of Russia’s Disinformation over War Crimes

In his late-night address, Zelenskiy called out Russian propaganda and disinformation over its bombardment and war crimes:

They say about the murders in Bucha that it is not them, but allegedly us. Although it is obvious to everyone that people were killed while the Russian army controlled the city.

They say about the missile strike at Kramatorsk that it is not them, but allegedly us. Although it was their propagandists who announced this strike. Although missiles flew from the territory under their control. And about any of our destroyed cities, about any of our burned villages, they say the same thing, that it is not them either, but allegedly us….

Do you know why this is so? Because it’s cowardice.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba added:

Following Friday’s slaying of at least 57 civilians in the Kramatorsk railway station in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces killed 10 more people, including a child, and wounded 11 others near Kharkiv in the northeast over the weekend.

The Russians also carried out more strikes on the already-destroyed airport in Dnipro in east-central Ukraine.

Ukraine Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said 1,222 bodies have been found so far in the Kyiv region after Russia’s withdrawal. Officials are investigating more than 5,600 cases of alleged war crimes.