Massacre at Babyn Yar in late September 1941

By Ruzeki, Shadow News  

September 29, 2023 

In late September 1941, Nazi German perpetrated one of the largest massacres of World War II at Babyn Yar ravine outside Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Summary: 

• Babyn Yar in Kyiv was the site of one of the largest mass shootings of Jews in German-occupied Europe. It occurred on September 29–30, 1941. 
• Nazi Germans continued to perpetrate mass murders at this killing site until just before the Soviets re-took control of Kyiv in 1943. 
• During this period, Germans shot Jews, as well as Roma, View This Term in the Glossary Ukrainian civilians, and Soviet POWs. 
• In the decades after the war,  Babyn Yar symbolized the struggle over the memory of World War II and the Holocaust in the Soviet Union. 

On September 19, 1941, Nazi German forces entered the city of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Along with a large part of German-occupied Ukraine, the city was incorporated into the Reichskommissariat Ukraine, which had been established on September 1 with Erich Koch as administrator (Reichskommissar). 

Before the German invasion, some 160,000 Jews resided in Kyiv. This was approximately 20 percent of the total population of the city. 

Following the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, approximately 100,000 Jews fled Kyiv or were already serving in the Soviet military. 

By the time the Germans occupied Kyiv, there were about 60,000 Jews remaining in the city. Most of those who remained had been unable or unwilling to flee earlier. This included mostly women, children, the elderly, and those who were ill. 

During the first week of the German occupation of Kyiv, there were two major explosions. These explosions destroyed the German headquarters and areas around the main street of the city center (Khreshchatyk Street). 

A large number of German soldiers and officials were also killed in the blasts. Though the explosions were caused by mines left by retreating Soviet soldiers and officials, the Germans used the sabotage as a pretext to murder those Jews who still remained in Kyiv. 

On September 29–30, 1941, German police units and their auxiliaries, under the guidance of members of Einsatzgruppe C, murdered a significant number of the Jewish population who remained in Kyiv. 

The massacre occurred at a ravine called Babyn Yar (Babi Yar). At the time, the ravine was located just outside the city. 

The victims were summoned to the site, forced to undress, and then compelled to enter the ravine. Sonderkommando 4a, a special detachment from Einsatzgruppe C under SS-Standartenführer Paul Blobel, shot them in small groups. 

According to reports sent to the headquarters in Berlin, 33,771 Jews were massacred during this two-day period. 

The massacre at Babyn Yar was one of many mass shootings perpetrated by the Nazi Germans beginning in 1941. It was also one of the largest mass killings at a single location during World War II. 

The ravine at Babyn Yar was a killing site for two years after the September 1941 massacre. There, Germans stationed at Kyiv murdered tens of thousands of people, both Jews and non-Jews; including patients from a local psychiatric hospital, Roma (Gypsies), Soviet prisoners of war, and civilians. 

The killings at the Babyn Yar ravine continued until the fall of 1943, only a few days before the Soviets re-took control of Kyiv on November 6. 

It is estimated that some 100,000 people, Jews and non-Jews, were murdered at Babyn Yar. 

With the Red Army approaching Kyiv in August 1943, Germans embarked on a cover-up operation to conceal what had been happening in Babyn Yar. 

To cover up the mass shootings at Babyn Yar, the Germans ordered 321 prisoners from Syrets to dig up the mass graves and burn the remains of victims. Eighteen inmates who escaped into hiding testified about those crimes to the Soviet authorities in November 1943. 

In January 1946, 15 members of the German police were tried in Kyiv by the Soviet court for the crimes committed at Babyn Yar. 

In the immediate decades after the war, Babyn Yar became a symbol of struggles over the memory of World War II and the Holocaust in the Soviet Union. 

Despite many efforts, there was no memorial at the site until the Soviets installed a monument in 1976. Deemphasizing the Jewish tragedy at Babyn Yar, the text on the monument referred to thousands of civilian victims without indicating that the vast majority of them were Jewish. 

BREAKING: The Wagner PMC boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed in a fatal plane crash in Russia.

By Ruzeki, Shadow News. 

Yevgeny Prigozhin in fatal plane crash, Russian state media and officials report.

According to emergency ministry, all 10 people on the plane, including three crew members, died in the crash. 

A private jet alleged to be carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner PMC group launched a failed mutiny in June, has crashed on a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg. 

The Russian officials said a man with Prigozhin’s name was among the passengers, without elaborating further. 

If confirmed, Prigozhin’s death would mark a spectacular end to his career. After playing a prominent role in Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin in June led his paramilitary force on a historic, abortive mutiny march on Moscow. 

Viral videos shared on social media channels known to be close to the Russian security services showed graphic images of a crash site in the Tver region north-west of Moscow, near the village of Kuzhenkino. 

The footage appeared to show emergency services approaching the burning carcass of a plane. Eight bodies have been recovered from the site, authorities said. 

The Russian investigative committee said it had opened a criminal case in relation to the crash. Rosaviatsiya, the Russian aviation agency, said it had launched a commission and was searching for the plane’s black box. 

A post by Grey Zone, a Wagner-connected social media channel, claimed Russian anti-aircraft defences had shot down the plane. It said that residents heard “two bursts of characteristic air defence fire” before the crash. “This is confirmed by inversion traces in the sky in one of the videos,” it added. 

President Vladimir Putin was speaking at a concert to commemorate the second world war in the Kursk region near the border with Ukraine when the crash was reported. 

The US president Joe Biden, who is on holiday in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, told reporters he did not know for a fact what happened but, was not surprised as not much happens in Russia that Putin is not behind. 

Prigozhin is a former Kremlin caterer known as “Putin’s chef”, he emerged as one of the most important leaders of Russia’s war effort before souring on the military’s leadership to such an extent that he launched a coup against Kremlin in late June. 

Under an agreement with the Kremlin, Wagner fighters decamped for exile in neighbouring Belarus, whose leader Alexander Lukashenko brokered the deal. 

Last month, Prigozhin said that Wagner fighters would eventually redeploy to Africa, where the group continues to fight as mercenaries in several conflicts. 

Prigozhin appeared in a video on Monday saying that he was in Africa on a mission to make Russia even greater on all continents. 

Although Prigozhin appeared to have been reintegrated into the Russian security establishment, most analysts had predicted they expected Prigozhin would face retribution. 

According to flight tracking site Flightradar24, the aircraft, an Embraer Legacy, was the same plane that Prigozhin had regularly used to travel around Russia and as far away as Africa.

Recently, the jet had been making trips to Belarus. 

When the Embraer jet last broadcast its position, it was flying at 28,000ft near Tver and moving at a ground speed of 513 knots. The route appears to be the aircraft’s normal flight path to St Petersburg, a run it last made on July 6. 

Video of the crash and its aftermath posted by social media with ties to Russian security services showed the plane rapidly descending from the sky, before crashing to the ground in a ball of flames. 

This developing story shall be updated once new information about the Wagner PMC boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is available. 

Russia-Ukraine war: The Black Sea grain deal expires!

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

Monday July 17, 2023 

According to the Kremlin, Russia won't extend the Black Sea grain deal, which expired today. This will stall the export of Ukrainian grain to the European market. 

The Black Sea Grain Deal – was brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey.

The deal has allowed over 30 million metric tonnes of graina to be exported from war-torn Ukraine since August, 2022. 

About 70 percent of these grains went to the European market whereas only a third went to developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia. 

On Monday, Russia announced that the black sea grain deal, which had been extended several times, will be terminated on Tuesday. 

Here’s a look at the deal and what it means for the world: 

What’s the Black Sea grain deal?

In July 2022, the deal was signed by Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov at Istanbul’s lavish Dolmabahce Palace. 

The deal created a safe corridor for Ukraine’s grain exports from three Ukrainian ports – Odesa, Yuzhny and Chornomorsk. 

Under the agreement, a coalition of Turkish, Ukrainian and UN staff monitored the loading of grain into vessels in Ukrainian ports before navigating a preplanned route through the Black Sea, which is heavily mined by Ukrainian and Russian forces. 

Ukrainian pilot vessels guided commercial vessels transporting the grain in order to navigate the mined areas around the coastline using a map of safe channels provided by the Ukrainian side. 

The vessels then crossed the Black Sea towards Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait while being closely monitored by a joint coordination centre in Istanbul, containing representatives from the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey. 

Ships entering Ukraine were inspected under the supervision of the same joint coordination centre to ensure they were not carrying weapons. 

What was the objective of the deal? 

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 led to a de facto blockade of the Black Sea, resulting in Ukraine’s exports dropping to one-sixth of their prewar level. 

Kyiv and Moscow are among the largest exporters of grain in the world, and the blockade has caused grain prices to rise dramatically. 

The deal aimed to help avert famine by injecting more wheat, sunflower oil, fertiliser and other products into world markets, including for humanitarian needs. 

What has the deal achieved?

The current deal has helped to bring down prices and ease a global food crisis. 

Prices for wheat, the main ingredient in bread, have fallen about 17 percent so far this year while corn is down about 26 percent. 

Ukrainian grain has played a direct role in easing a global food crisis with 725,200 tonnes, or 2.2 percent of the supplies, shipped through the corridor used by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as aid to countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. 

According to the International Rescue Committee, the grain deal is a lifeline for the 79 countries and 349 million people on the front line of food insecurity. 

However, as of Monday, almost 8 million tonnes of goods have been shipped to China, nearly 25 percent of the 32.9 million tonnes exported, according to the UN, while almost 44 percent of exports were shipped to Europe. 

Why did Russia terminate the deal? 

For months, Russia had been saying that conditions for the deal’s extension had not been fulfilled. 

Last week, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that he wanted an end to sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank. 

Other demands include the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery and parts, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, the resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline and the unblocking of assets and the accounts of Russian companies involved in food and fertiliser exports. 

The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Black Sea agreements ceased to be valid. Because some conditions of the Black Sea agreements concerning Russia have not been implemented. 

Can the Black Sea grain corridor operate without Russia? 

Ukraine’s ports were blocked until the agreement was reached in July 2022 and it is unclear whether it would be possible to ship grain since Russia withdrew. 

Additional war risk insurance premiums, which are charged when entering the Black Sea area, are expected to go up and shipowners could prove reluctant to allow their vessels to enter a war zone without Russia’s agreement. 

War risk insurance policies need to be renewed every seven days for ships, costing thousands of dollars. 

Can Ukraine export more grain through the EU?

Ukraine has been exporting substantial volumes of grain through eastern European Union countries since the conflict began. There have, however, been many logistical challenges, including different rail gauges. 

Another issue is that the flow of Ukrainian grain through the eastern EU has caused unrest among farmers in the region who say it has undercut local supplies and been purchased by mills, leaving them without a market for their crops. 

As a result, the EU has allowed five countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while allowing transit for export elsewhere. As it stands, this will be phased out by mid-September.

Larger harvests are also expected in the eastern EU this summer and key ports, such as Constanta in Romania, are expected to struggle to handle the volume of grain they are likely to receive, leading to congestion and shipping delays. 

We shall update this story as soon as new information is available! 

Follow Ruzeki on Twitter for live updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other geopolitical news! 

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Russia-Ukraine war LIVE UPDATES: President Putin will punish those behind armed rebellion; Wagner chief-Prigozhin controls Rostov military HQ

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

Updated on Sat. June 24, 2023 at 10:30 EAT 

Russia accuses Wagner's Prigozhin of leading "armed rebellion". 

Yevgeny Prigozhin has vowed to take ‘revenge’ after accusing Russia’s military of targeting his forces in a rocket attack. 

Here is what President Vladimir Putin has said so far in his latest televised address to the nation:

Putin gave an emergency televised address on Saturday morning as the Wagner mercenary chief leads an armed rebellion

Putin said Russia is fighting “the toughest battle for its future”

He said the Wagner “armed mutiny” is a “stab in the back” to Russia. He called the rebellion treason and said anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished.

He said he would do everything to protect Russia, that the Russian armed forces “have been given the necessary orders” and that “decisive action” would be taken to stabilise the situation.

Putin said: “I will do everything possible to defend my country….And those who have organised an armed rebellion will be held accountable. Those who have been drawn into this, I call on you to stop your criminal actions.”

He also told viewers: “Personal interests have led to the betrayal of our country and the cause that our armed forces are fighting.” 

Here's the latest we're covering

• The Wagner private military group claims to have taken control of key military facilities in two Russian cities, Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. 

• It comes after Russia's FSB security service accused its boss Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an "armed rebellion" when he vowed retaliation after claiming Moscow's military killed a "huge amount" of his mercenaries in a strike on a camp. 
In a stunning series of late-night developments, the FSB urged Wagner fighters to "stop the columns" and detain their leader. 

• Russian state TV interrupted programming Friday night to report a defense ministry statement claiming Prigozhin's comments did not correspond to reality. 

• Security has been stepped up around Moscow — whose mayor said "anti-terrorist measures" are being carried out — and in Rostov, state media reported. 

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has addressed the nation in a televised speech. 

• Russia's Ministry of Defense appealed to Wagner forces to "safely return to their points of permanent deployment" on Saturday, after the private mercenary group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed to have taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities. 

• Russian security forces have cordoned off the building of the Wagner Center in St. Petersburg, according to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti. 

This development shall be updated as soon as new details are available. Follow Ruzeki on Twitter for live updates from Moscow. 

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Ukrainian assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin foiled

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

Moscow claims that Kiev regime attempted to strike the President's residence with two UAVs on Tuesday night.

On Tuesday night, the Kremlin reported that Ukraine launched two drone attacks intended to strike the Kremlin residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

In a statement, Moscow considers the incident an act of terrorism and assassination attempt. 

The aircraft were downed using electronic warfare measures and caused no casualties or damage. Both unmanned aircraft fell on the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow. This is according to the president’s office. His schedule was not affected.

The incident happened ahead of Victory Day and the parade on May 9, when foreign guests plan to be present. 

The statement noted that Russia reserves the right to retaliate in a manner, place and time of its choosing. 

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the president was absent from the Kremlin when the drones were downed. 

President Putin was at the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo in Moscow Region, which is located to the west of the capital. 

There is footage circulating on social media, which purports to show the aftermath, with a plume of smoke rising against the night cityscape from the territory of the historic seat of Russian power. 

Another short clip appears to show the moment one of the drones exploded over the Kremlin Senate, which hosts the presidential administration and also serves as a working residence of the Russian head of state. 

It was not clear what caused the blast, though two people can be seen in the video on the dome of the building. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for first time since Russia-Ukraine war

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

Published at 3:22 PM of Wednesday, April 26, 2023

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in their first phone call since the start of Russia’s special military operations in Ukraine. 

President Zelensky believes this meaningful call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of the bilateral relations. 

The call was also reported by the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Today's call comes after Xi Jingping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month. 

China has claimed neutrality in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with Beijing calling for resolution in the conflict. 

According to Beijing, the “legitimate” security concerns of Ukraine and Russia must be taken into account. Chinese officials believe NATO ambitions and the US intervention is fueling the conflict. 

This story shall be updated as soon as full details of the Xi-Zelensky call are available. 

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A UNITED FRONT: Xi Jingping and Vladimir Putin hold talks at Kremlin, Moscow.

  By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

Summary 

Xi Jingping and Vladimir Putin meet for ceremony, talks and later state dinner.

Japanese PM Kishida arrives in Ukraine to meet Zelenskyy. 

Full details of Xi’s talks with Putin on Ukraine peace plan not yet made public. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin for formal talks at the Kremlin. The second day of his three-day official trip. 

It’s Xi’s first visit since the Russian special military operations in Ukraine — and Beijing has billed the trip as a peace mission but has not yet indicated if a formal call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will also take place. 

Xi has invited Putin — his “dear friend” upon arrival for the state visit — to visit China later this year. It’s another show of support for Moscow despite the recent International Criminal Court  arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin. 

Putin and Xi appear to be positioning themselves as the leaders of a new global order opposed to the Western power. The U.S. has accused Xi of providing “diplomatic cover” for Putin after the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest. 

Key Updates now

• Xi and Putin take part in a signing ceremony of joint documents, according to the Kremlin. 
• Details have not been made public but they are expected to agree to formally deepen relations and economic cooperation. 
• Moscow has become increasingly dependent on Beijing to keep its economy afloat, as the war curbs its exports of oil and other commodities. 
• Beijing has portrayed itself as a potential negotiator, issuing a 12-point proposal for ending the conflict. 
• The media has portrayed the visit as Xi’s bid for leadership of the non-Western world. 
• Meanwhile, the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has arrived in Kyiv to meet with Zelensky and show support. 

Day Two, Tuesday: 

The large golden doors swung open and TV cameras tracked presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin as they strode toward each other from either side of the Kremlin’s St. George’s Hall, marking the beginning of a highly anticipated meeting. 

The gilded hall, with its marble floors and golden chandeliers, is the largest in the Kremlin and is dedicated to Russia’s military glory. Xi and Putin met in the middle of a long red carpet, smiling as they shook hands, before taking their positions. 

As their national anthems played, the Russian and Chinese presidents stood solemnly side by side, dwarfed by two large national flags. 

The grandiose optics, as well as their matching red ties, were a message: the image of a new, united front against the West. 

The ceremony preceded the main official talks on the second day of Xi’s three-day state visit to Russia. 

We shall keep updating you as new information about Xi and Putin talks is available. 

Russia-Ukraine War: ICC issues arrest warrant for the Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crime allegations.

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The ICC alleges President Putin is responsible for war crimes, and has focused its claims on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. 

The ICC believes the crimes were committed in Ukraine since February 24, 2022 - when Russia started its special military operations. 

Moscow has denied the allegations and labelled the arrest warrants as outrageous. 

It is highly unlikely that much will come of the move - the ICC has no powers to arrest suspects, and can only exercise jurisdiction within its member countries - and Russia is not one of them. 

However it could affect the president in other ways, such as being unable to travel to some countries. 

In a statement, the ICC confirmed it had reasonable grounds to believe President Putin committed the criminal acts directly, as well as working with others. It also accused Mr Putin of failing to use his presidential powers to stop children being deported. 

The US President Joe Biden said the arrest warrant of President Putin is justified. Despite the US not being a signed member of the ICC, it believes Mr Putin committed war crimes and should face trial at the Hague. 

Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, is also wanted by the ICC for the same crimes. 

Maria Lvova-Belova has been accused of supporting efforts to indoctrinate Ukrainian children taken to Russia. 

The ICC said it initially considered keeping the arrest warrants a secret, but decided to make them public in the event that it stopped further crimes from being committed. 

The ICC prosecutor Karim Khan told the press that children can't be treated as the spoils of war, they can't be deported. 

Reactions to the warrants came within minutes of the announcement, with Kremlin officials instantly dismissing them. 

Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said any of the court's decisions were null and void and the former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev compared the warrant to toilet paper. 

The Russian opposition welcomed the ICC announcement. Led by a close ally of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Mr Ivan Zhdanov said in a tweet that it was a symbolic step but an important one. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated he was grateful to Mr Khan and the criminal court for their decision to press charges against aggressive Russia. 

The Ukraine's Prosecutor Andriy Kostin emphasized the decision was historic for Ukrainians and that it was only the beginning. 

Russia is not a signed member of the ICC therefore, there is no chance that President Vladimir Putin or Maria Lvova-Belova will appear in the dock at The Hague. 

The ICC relies on the cooperation of governments to arrest people. According to international experts on politics and relations, Russia is not going to cooperate with the ICC nonsense. 

However Mr Khan pointed out that no-one thought Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian leader who went on trial for war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, would end up in The Hague. 

While Putin is the head of a G20 nation, and about to shake hands with China's Xi Jinping in an historic meeting, Mr Putin is now also a wanted man, and this might place restrictions on which countries he can visit. 

On August, South Africa will host the 15th summit of BRICS nations, which include Brazil, Russia, India, China and the host- South Africa. South Africa is a signed member of the ICC, it is unlikely that South Africa will arrest President Vladimir Putin because of its deep relations with Moscow. 

Some experts have said the ICC is on the way to losing members, which have strong ties with Russia. 

This developing story shall be updated as soon as new information is available. 

THE ANNIVERSARY: It's now one year since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

By Ruzeki and Faith C., Shadow News. 

Good morning from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

It’s one year since Russia launched its full-scale special military operation in Ukraine - the biggest war on European soil since WWII. 

We'll be with you throughout the day, reporting on the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war and how this war has changed the world. 

Summary

1. ■ A year ago today, Russia launched a full-scale special military operation on its neighbour Ukraine, triggering the largest war in Europe since World War II. 
2. ■ Since then, tens of thousands of people have died, entire cities have been destroyed and millions have fled the country. 
3. ■ Join us as we mark this sombre occasion, hearing the voices of Ukrainians and Russians, and explaining how things are after 12 months of offensive and defensive tactics of both sides. 
4. ■ Many families in Ukraine have been torn apart, millions have been displaced, and thousands of lives have been lost at the frontlines and beyond. 
5. ■ Shadow News will answer your questions about the war - and we'll be joined later by our US correspondent Natasha for live coverage of this one year anniversary. 

What led to the invasion?

Ukraine and Russia have a long, complicated history. Ukraine became independent in 1991, following the fall of the USSR, and gradually grew closer to the European Union and the West.

Russia had long resisted Ukraine's move towards the EU and the West's defensive military alliance Nato.

For years, President Putin denied Ukraine its own statehood, culminating in a lengthy 2021 essay saying that Russians and Ukrainians were one people.

He frequently accused Ukraine of being taken over by extremists, ever since its pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted in 2014 after months of protests against his rule.

At that time, Russia retaliated by seizing the southern Ukrainian region of Crimea. An uprising in the east by Russian-backed separatists sparked a war that claimed some 14,000 lives.

In 2021, Putin began deploying big numbers of Russian troops close to Ukraine's borders.

For months Putin had denied he would invade his neighbour. Announcing the invasion on 24 February 2022, he accused Nato of threatening Russia’s “historic future as a nation". 

What happened on this day last year

02:30 (all times in GMT) In a televised speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin announces the launch of a “special military operation” in Ukraine

03:27 The first explosions are heard in Kyiv, and more blasts are reported across the country as Ukrainians wake up to war

04:58 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirms reports of nationwide missile strikes

11.56 Nato activates its defence plans, which include more than 100 jets on standby and 120 allied ships at sea, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean

12:03 The UK's then-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, addresses the nation, saying: "Our worst fears have come true and all our warnings have proved tragically accurate. President Putin of Russia has unleashed war… without any provocation and any credible excuse"

18:50 There are reports that the port city of Mariupol has been coming under heavy fire

21:40 Almost 2,000 people are arrested at anti-war protests in 40 cities across Russia

22:59 Zelensky calls for general mobilisation and imposes martial law. He reports that 137 Ukrainians died on the first day of the assault. 

The Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation speech

Moscow: The Russian President Vladimir Putin has just delivered a state of the nation address, assessing the special military operation in Ukraine as he ordered a year ago. 

President Vladimir Putin giving the state of the nation speech in Moscow.

Here are highlights from his address delivered on Tuesday to members of both houses of parliament, military commanders, soldiers and citizens: 

■ Russia is suspending its participation in the New START treaty. 

President Putin said he's forced to announce that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive arms treaty. 

The New START treaty was signed in Prague in 2010 by then President Barack Obama. It came into force the following year and was extended in 2021 for five more years after United States President Joe Biden took office. 

The treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia can deploy, and the deployment of land and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. 

According to military experts and scientists, Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, with over 6,000 warheads. Together, Russia and the US hold about 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads – enough to completely destroy the earth. 

■ A watershed moment for our country. 

Mr Putin stated he was making the address at a difficult time, a watershed moment for Russia, a time of cardinal, irreversible changes around the world, the most important historic events that will shape the future of Russia and its people, when each of them bears a colossal responsibility. 

■ Western nations trying to ‘distract people’s attention’. 

President Putin said the West is trying to use the principles of democracy and freedom to defend their totalitarian values and to distract people’s attention from corruption scandalsand even from economic-social problems. 

■ Responsibility is on West and Ukrainian elite. 

In his address, Mr Putin emphasized that the responsibility is on the West and the Ukrainian elite and government, which does not serve the national interest, but [rather serves the interest] of third countries [which] use Ukraine as a military base to fight Russia. 

He continued to say that the more the West send weapons to Ukraine, the more Russia will have the responsibility of the security situation at the Russian border. This is a natural response. 

■ We don’t fight the Ukrainian people. 

President Putin confirmed that Russia don’t fight with the Ukrainian people. The Ukrainians became hostages of the corrupt Kyiv regime that occupied Ukraine both economically and politically. Over years, Kyiv has been doing everything to bring this degradation … The Kyiv regime is using its people, it’s sad but true. 

■ Donbas subjected to ‘undisguised hatred’. 

Mr Putin said that they will resolve the tasks facing Russia. Since 2014, the people of the Donbas region have been fighting, defending their right to live on their own land, to speak their native language. 

They fought and did not give up in the conditions of blockade and constant shelling, undisguised hatred on the part of the Kyiv regime. They believed and expected that Russia would come to their rescue. 

Meanwhile, Russia did their best to solve this problem by peaceful means. It patiently tried to negotiate a peaceful way out of this most difficult conflict, but a completely different scenario was being prepared behind their backs. 

■ Reviving enterprises and jobs in occupied Ukrainian regions. 

Moscow has already begun and will continue to build up a large-scale programme for the socioeconomic recovery and development of these new subjects of the federation (territory annexed from Ukraine). We are talking about reviving enterprises and jobs in the ports of the Sea of Azov, which has again become an inland sea of Russia, and building new modern roads, as we did in Crimea. 

■ Putin understands how unbearably hard it is for families of killed soldiers. 

Mr Putin said he understood how difficult it was for families of the Russian soldiers who died fighting in Ukraine, and promised a “targeted support” with a new special fund. 

■ Child abuse all the way up to paedophilia … advertised as the norm’ in the West. 

President Putin said the West distort historical facts and constantly attack Russian culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions of other countries. 

For example, as it became known, the Anglican Church is planning to consider the idea of a gender-neutral God … Millions of people in the West understand they are being led to a real spiritual catastrophe. 

Looking at what the West do to their own people: the destruction of families, of cultural and national identities and the perversion that is child abuse all the way up to paedophilia, are advertised as the norm … and priests are forced to bless same-sex marriages. 

Russia-Ukraine War: How tanks from Germany, US and UK could prolong the Ukraine war

This could be the week when the Russia-Ukraine war escalates to new levels. It is certainly a decisive moment, when a coalition of Western nations led by Germany, US and Britain confirming they are finally supplying modern-made main battle tanks to Kyiv.

Germany said it would send Leopard 2 tanks and the US said it would send M1 Abrams tanks. Both the UK and Poland have already made concrete pledges, and other western nations are expected to follow. Some military analysts have described the move as a potential "gamechanger or escalator" in the war, which has lasted more than a year now.

But is it really enough for Ukraine to win the war? 

Well, the Western tanks will make a difference in favour of Ukraine. 

In modern warfare, tanks have been a key element for offensive operations - to punch through enemy lines and retake territory. 

Used effectively, they provide mobile firepower, protection, shock and surprise. Concentrated in numbers, they can dislocate an enemy's defences. But they also need the support of artillery to first weaken those defences and then the support of infantry to hold retaken ground. 

History shows tanks alone don't win battles. The British first used hundreds of tanks at the battle of Cambrai in November 1917 - to end the deadlock of static trench warfare. Initially they made significant advances, but many tanks soon broke down and a German counter offensive turned British gains into losses. 

Tanks can also be used in defence. In 1940 they were used by the retreating British and French armies at Arras to stall the Nazi invasion, allowing the subsequent evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk.

But Ukraine has made clear that it wants weapons not just to stall any potential Russian spring offensive, but to retake its own territory - to go on the attack. 

If the Western pledges are firmed, Ukraine's armed forces could be boosted by more than 100 tanks. That would still fall well short of what Ukraine's overall military commander asked for.

Last October, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine needed an additional 300 tanks, 700 infantry fighting vehicles and 500 howitzers for his planned offensive this year. It might end up with just half of that.

The training required on the weapons will take time too - weeks if not months. And it's still not clear when all this equipment will arrive.

The US has indicated that its 31 M1 Abrams tanks might not be ready for months. Ukraine is also waiting for the West to respond to its repeated request for modern warplanes. An army attacking on the ground will need protection from the air.

Western officials had hoped that Ukraine may be able to mount an offensive as soon as this spring. They believe there is now a window of opportunity while Russia struggles to recruit and rebuild its battered forces, and to replenish its dwindling supplies of ammunition. 

The greatest challenge for Ukraine will be logistics - maintaining the flow of fuel, ammunition and spare parts. Ukraine is not just having to maintain its old Soviet-era arsenal, it is also having to worry about an increasingly complex inventory of Western supplied weapons. 

The UK is not just sending Ukraine 14 Challenger tanks, but also 30 artillery self-propelled guns and armoured vehicles to carry and protect troops.

That new package of military support also includes mine breaching and bridge-laying vehicles. In other words, the essential elements needed for any offensive operation.

The US is also providing Ukraine with more than 100 Bradley and Stryker armoured vehicles, and Germany 40 of its Marder infantry fighting vehicle - as well as tanks.

Tanks are the tip of the spear, designed to move quickly over open ground. The Challenger 2, Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams are faster than most Russian-made tanks with speeds of more than 25mph (40km per hour) on rough terrain.

To take ground quickly, with any element of surprise, they would likely avoid urban areas where they would be more vulnerable to attack. Russia showed early on in this war, in its failed attempt to surround Kyiv, that a long column of armour on a road is an easy target.