U.S. sanctions target Russian President Vladmir Putin and a handful of associates, but the list is just as notable for who isn’t on it, many of the top names from Forbes’ list of the richest Russians.
(Image credit: Sergei Karpukhin/AP)
Monthly Archives: February 2022
Russia blocks Security Council action on Ukraine
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that would have demanded that Moscow immediately stop its aggression against Ukraine and withdraw all troops, a move several Council members said was deplorable, but inevitable.
Read the full story, “Russia blocks Security Council action on Ukraine”, on globalissues.org →
LONDON, Feb 25 (IPS
smaller
Thousands rush to enlist in Ukraine’s army to fight the Russian invasion
On Thursday, Volodymyr Omelyan and his family awoke to the sound of missile blasts nearby. By Friday, he had said goodbye to his wife and children and enlisted to fight.
(Image credit: Volodymyr Omelyan)
UK bans all Russian private jets from UK airspace
The UK’s ban on Russian flights has been expanded
Russian private jets will now be barred from UK airspace in an extension of a ban that previously included Russia’s major airline, Aeroflot.
“Putin’s actions are unlawful and anyone benefiting from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is not welcome here,” UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Friday evening.
He added that he has “strengthened” the previous flight ban on UK airspace to now include any “Russian private jet.” The ban is effective immediately, meaning private flights cannot enter UK airspace or touch down there.
Putin’s actions are unlawful and anyone benefitting from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is not welcome here. I’ve strengthened our ban in the UK so that no Russian private jet can fly in UK airspace, or touchdown – effective immediately.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 25, 2022
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had already suspended Aerflot’s foreign carrier permit “until further notice” in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military actions in Ukraine. Putin announced he ordered a “special military operation” in Donbass on Thursday morning, insisting the offensive is needed to protect the people of the Lugansk and Donetsk republics from what Moscow sees as “Ukraine aggression.”
The Russian leader said the ultimate goal of the operation, which has since extended to the Ukrainian territories, was to “demilitarize and denazify” the country. Ukraine, the UN, NATO, the US, and the EU all denounced the military action as an “unprovoked” aggression.
READ MORE: Zelensky suggests he and Putin negotiate
The UK had previously announced a ban on Aeroflot as part of a series of economic sanctions against Russia over its attack on Ukraine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday the sanctions were meant to “hobble” the Russian economy, and on Friday, he pushed NATO allies to take their own sanctions further, advocating for banning Russia from the SWIFT payment system, which connects financial institutions around the world. He also said Putin and his foreign minister will be personally sanctioned “imminently.”
Russia responded to the original UK ban by announcing that all UK-registered flights were banned from their airspace. Aeroflot also announced on Friday flights to London and the Irish capital city of Dublin had been axed.
Firm, Unified Response Needed to Russias Aggression
LONDON, Feb 25 (IPS) – It is now clear diplomacy matters little to Vladimir Putin. Despite the efforts of a string of presidents and prime ministers to prevent conflict, on 24 February, Putin started the war he’d been itching for.
Read the full story, “Firm, Unified Response Needed to Russias Aggression”, on globalissues.org →