One million refugees flee Ukraine; ICC opens war crimes probe
- UN General Assembly demands Russia stop its offensive in Ukraine. The vote was 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions.
- Russia says its troops have taken Kherson, as it continues to bombard Kyiv and Kharkiv.
- Pentagon says Russian convoy north of Kyiv remains stalled due to regrouping and logistical challenges.
- UN says 227 civilians have been killed and 525 wounded in Ukraine. More than one million people have fled, it adds.
- Russia says second round of talks with Ukraine will take place in Belarus on Thursday.
Here are all the latest updates:
Moody’s downgrades Russia’s ratings to B3
Credit rating agency Moody’s said it has downgraded Russia’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to B3 from Baa3, citing severe sanctions that Western countries have imposed on Russia.
The ratings remain on review for further downgrade, it said.
Japan’s Pan Pacific International says to accept 100 refugee families
Japan’s Pan Pacific International, formerly Don Quijote Holdings, has said it will accept 100 refugee families from Ukraine.
The company said in a statement it will accept 100 Ukrainian families approved by the Japanese government to enter Japan as refugees, and provide financial support and job opportunities.
Ukraine setting up hotline for students seeking to leave
Ukraine is setting up a hotline for “African, Asian and other students” who want to leave the country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
“We are working intensively to ensure their safety & speed up their passage. Russia must stop its aggression which affects us all,” Kuleba said in a Twitter post.
We have established an emergency hotline for African, Asian and other students wishing to leave Ukraine because of Russia’s invasion.
+380934185684
We are working intensively to ensure their safety & speed up their passage. Russia must stop its aggression which affects us all. pic.twitter.com/HRJPoOI0pg
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 2, 2022
One million refugees have fled Ukraine: UN
More than one million refugees have now fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country, according to the UN refugee agency’s chief.
“In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, said in a Twitter post.
“For many millions more, inside Ukraine, it’s time for guns to fall silent, so that life-saving humanitarian assistance can be provided.”
In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries.
For many millions more, inside Ukraine, it’s time for guns to fall silent, so that life-saving humanitarian assistance can be provided.
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) March 2, 2022
Residents of Enerhodar block access to key nuclear plant
Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from Lviv, said residents in the southeastern town of Enerhodar have blocked the road to Europe’s largest nuclear power station, in an apparent stand-off with Russian forces.
One resident told Al Jazeera: “The [Zaporizhzhia] nuclear plant is under secure protection, all the people are standing under Ukrainian flags. Nobody is going to surrender the city, our people are totally determined.”
17:26 EET People blocking the entrance to Enerhodar for Russian troops where nuclear power plant stays guarded by the National Guard. In the neighboring village Russian troops already injured two civilians https://t.co/66Kd1WeePc pic.twitter.com/z5x8Bz8AUk
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) March 2, 2022
Shelling and ‘terrifying fighting’ resume in southern Ukraine
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Dnipro, said there have been “worrying, terrifying accounts” from people attempting to leave the southern city of Mariupol.
People have been describing “horrifically strong and terrifying fighting in Mariupol this evening,” Stratford said.
There has also been accounts of “terrible shelling and mass casualties around the town of Volnovakha, north of Mariupol,” he said.
“There has been an attempt earlier in the day to try and organise some sort of corridor so that civilians could get out.”
Japan’s Toyota suspends operations at Russia plant
Toyota has said it would suspend operations at its only factory in Russia and stop shipping vehicles to the country, citing “supply chain disruptions” linked to Moscow’s assault on Ukraine.
The world’s top-selling carmaker said its plant in Saint Petersburg produced around 80,000 vehicles last year, mainly for the Russian market and representing just a fraction of the 10.5 million vehicles made worldwide by the Japanese group.
“Toyota Motor Russia will stop production at its Saint Petersburg plant from 4 March and has stopped imports of vehicles, until further notice, due to supply chain disruptions,” the company said in a statement.
Biden says UNGA vote highlights ‘global unity’
US President Joe Biden has said that the United Nations General Assembly’s vote to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine “demonstrates the extent of global outrage at Russia’s horrific assault on a sovereign neighbor and showcases unprecedented global unity”.
Russia billionaires move superyachts to Maldives, data shows
At least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires were anchored or cruising in Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, ship tracking data have showed.
Forbes reported that Germany had seized Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s mega yacht in a Hamburg shipyard.
Usmanov was on a list of billionaires to face sanctions from the European Union. A Forbes report based on three sources in the yacht industry said his 512-foot yacht Dilbar, valued at $600m, was seized by German authorities.
Three further yachts owned by Russian billionaires were seen cruising in Maldives waters, the data showed. They include the 88-metre (288 ft) Nirvana owned by Russia’s richest man, Vladimir Potanin.
Ukraine has thwarted Russia’s ‘sneaky’ plan, Zelenskyy says
Zelensky has said that his country thwarted Russia’s “sneaky” plans, saying he was proud of the “heroic” resistance to Moscow’s invasion.
“We are a nation that broke the enemy’s plans in a week. Plans written for years: sneaky, full of hatred for our country, our people,” Zelensky said in a video posted on the messaging app, Telegram.
He added that around 9,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the invasion began a week ago, a claim not immediately verifiable as Moscow does not report its losses.
People of colour struggle to escape Russian invasion
Non-white international students say they have been exposed to racism while trying to leave Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine rejects claims of discrimination by border guards and says it operates on a “first come, first served” approach.
Read more here.
Member of OSCE monitoring mission killed in Kharkiv
A member of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s special Ukraine monitoring mission was killed on Tuesday during the shelling of Kharkiv, the OSCE has said.
In a statement, the OSCE named the victim as Maryna Fenina, and said she had died “while getting supplies for her family in a city that has become a war zone”.
The OSCE mourns the death of a national mission member of the @OSCE_SMM in Kharkiv yesterday:https://t.co/3BtpxfpLH9
— OSCE (@OSCE) March 2, 2022
EU bars 7 Russian banks from SWIFT, but spares those in energy
The European Union has said it was excluding seven Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging system, but stopped short of including those handling energy payments.
Russia’s second-largest bank VTB, Bank Otkritie, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, Bank Rossiya, Sovcombank and VEB will each be given 10 days to wind-down their SWIFT operations, the EU said in its official journal.
SWIFT said in a statement that it would disconnect the seven Russian banks from their network on March 12, as required by EU regulations.
ICC prosecutor opens Ukraine investigation
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed he would immediately open an investigation into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine, following a request to do so by 39 of the court’s member states.
“These referrals enable my office to proceed with opening an investigation into the situation in Ukraine from 21 November 2013 onwards, encompassing any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person”, prosecutor Karim Khan said.
World Bank halts all programmes in Russia, Belarus
The World Bank has said it had stopped all programmes in Russia and Belarus with immediate effect, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and “hostilities against the people of Ukraine”.
In a statement, the multilateral development bank said it had not approved any new loans to or investments in Russia since 2014, the year Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine.
The bank said it had not approved any new lending to Belarus since mid-2020, when the United States imposed sanctions on the country over a disputed presidential election.
Spotify closes its office in Russia
Spotify said it has closed its office in Russia indefinitely in response to what the audio streaming platform described as Moscow’s “unprovoked attack on Ukraine”.
“Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an important source of global and regional news at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” Spotify said in a statement.
Kherson mayor says Russian troops in the streets
The mayor of the southern Ukrainian port city of Kherson, Igor Kolykhayev, has said Russian troops were in the streets and had forced their way into the city council building, the Reuters news agency reported.
Ukraine’s government had earlier played down reports that Kherson had fallen into Russian hands.
Kolykhayev urged Russian soldiers not to shoot at civilians and publicly called on residents to walk through the streets only in daylight and in ones and twos. “We do not have the Armed Forces in the city, only civilians and people who want to LIVE here!” he said in a statement.
The city is under Russian soldiers’ “complete control”, Russia’s Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said separately.
He said that the city’s civilian infrastructure, essential facilities and transport are operating as usual and that there are no shortages of food or essential goods.
Yellen says US will address potential sources of leakages in Russia sanctions
The United States will continue to address potential sources of “leakages” in the sweeping sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said.
Yellen said the hard sanctions slapped on Russia were having a significant impact, as reflected in the rouble’s sharp fall. Asked whether energy sanctions could follow, she said nothing was off the table with regard to sanctions.
Mercedes-Benz halts Russia exports
Mercedes-Benz has said it was suspending vehicle exports to Russia and local production in the country, becoming the latest carmaker to respond to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Mercedes-Benz will suspend the export of passenger cars and vans to Russia as well as the local manufacturing in Russia until further notice,” it said in a statement.
German rivals BMW and Volkswagen made similar announcements earlier this week as Western companies withdraw from sanctions-hit Russia.
Russian advance on Kyiv ‘remains stalled’: Pentagon
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has said the Russian military’s push towards Kyiv from the north “remains stalled”.
“From our best estimates, [Russian forces] have not made any appreciable progress geographically speaking, in the last 24 to 36 hours,” Kirby told reporters.
He said the Pentagon believes the advance has slowed down because Russian forces are deliberately regrouping while also facing unanticipated logistical challenges and resistance from Ukrainians.
US postpones ballistic missile test: Pentagon
The Pentagon says the US has postponed an intercontinental ballistic missile test previously set for this week to avoid escalation with Russia.
“In an effort to demonstrate that we have no intention in engaging in any actions that can be misunderstood or misconstrued, the secretary of defense has directed that our Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test launch scheduled for this week to be postponed,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
“We did not take this decision lightly, but instead to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power.”
Ukraine’s civilian toll climbs to 227 dead, 525 injured: UN
The United Nations’ human rights office has said that 227 civilians had been killed and 525 others were injured in Ukraine from when the Russian assault began through midnight on March 1.
“Most of these casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and air strikes,” it said in a statement issued in Geneva.
The UN human rights office said it believed that the true toll is “considerably higher”, especially in government-controlled territory in the last days, due to reporting delays in some areas where intensive hostilities have taken place.
Meanwhile, more than 870,000 people have now fled Ukraine in search of safety in other countries, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
Wreckage from downed Russian missile caused blast near Kyiv station
An explosion near Kyiv’s central train station was caused by falling wreckage from a Russian missile that was downed by Ukrainian air defence, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko has said in an online post.
The falling debris hit a heating pipe, causing the blast, but caused far less damage and casualties than if the missile had hit its target in central Kyiv, he said, without saying if anyone had been hurt in the explosion.
The station was being used to evacuate thousands of women and children, Ukraine’s state-run railway company Ukrzaliznytsya said in a statement.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Read all the updates from Wednesday, March 2, here.
