Tag Archives: Ukraine

BBC Question Time: Comedian Dom Joly Blasts Government’s ‘Disgusting’ Treatment Of Ukrainian Refugees

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Comedian Dom Joly has condemned the government’s “disgusting” treatment of Ukrainian refugees as he blasted the visa requirement and ministers’ fears of letting in spies.

Speaking on BBC’s Question Time, the Save the Children ambassador also criticised Conservative policies that tried to deter the “wrong sort of refugee”.

Joly took issue with the bureaucracy around the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with the government yet to say how many visas have been issued via the programme.

He also spoke out against ministers warning that women fleeing Ukraine could be Russian spies coming to Britain to launch Salisbury-style attacks.

Joly said: “Firstly, this government seems to … well, its supporters mainly, seem to have an anti-refugee, anti-immigrant feeling and so I think they feed off that, they feel that is the way to go.

“And certainly they have been incredibly confused by the fact that people seem to be incredibly sympathetic towards Ukrainian refugees and I cannot, for the life of me, see what the difference is between Ukrainian refugees and Syrians and Afghans. Well, actually, I can and I think that is one of the reasons, for instance, that there were no visa offices set up at Calais, because they did not want the wrong sort of refugee or immigrant turning up.”

He said the apparent sluggishness in issuing visas via the Homes for Ukraine scheme spoke to the “ludicrous amount of complications”.

“Why are we the only country asking people to have visas?,” he said, referring to the European Union, by contrast, granting temporary residency to Ukrainians fleeing the invasion and giving them access to employment, social welfare and housing for up to three years.

“There was this ridiculous excuse that somehow some of these people might be spies or they might be secret agents coming to do that. Well, that does not seem to affect any other country, so why are we so special?”

He finished: “I think it is disgusting the way we treat it, I really do.”

Almost a week after its launch, the government has not confirmed how many Homes for Ukraine applications have been successful. On Question Time, government minister Damian Hinds said a report detailing the figures has yet to be published, but “thousands” of Ukrainians with family links have been given visas.

He said: “Everybody recognises that there is the most enormous humanitarian emergency going on. We are a warm-hearted, kind-hearted nation, and we must do not only our share, but we want to do more than our share.”

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UK Sends 6,000 More Missiles To Ukraine In Johnson Push To ‘Keep Flame Of Freedom Alive’

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The UK is to send 6,000 more missiles to Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invasion as Boris Johnson urged Western allies to help “keep the flame of freedom alive”.

The British prime minister will use as summit of Nato and G7 leaders to detail a new support package for the Ukrainian military, including thousands of missiles comprising anti-tank and high-explosive weaponry.

In addition, the UK is providing £25 million from the Foreign Office’s conflict security and stabilisation fund to help pay the salaries of Ukrainian soldiers and pilots battling the Russians.

Ahead of his visit to Brussels on Thursday for talks, a month on from the Russian invasion, Johnson called on other Western leaders to step up the supply of military hardware to Kyiv as well as doubling down on sanctions against Russia.

“Vladimir Putin is already failing in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have shown themselves to be extraordinarily brave and tenacious in defending their homeland, in the face of an unprovoked onslaught,” he said.

“But we cannot and will not stand by while Russia grinds Ukraine’s towns and cities into dust. The United Kingdom will work with our allies to step up military and economic support to Ukraine, strengthening their defences as they turn the tide in this fight.

“One month into this crisis, the international community faces a choice. We can keep the flame of freedom alive in Ukraine, or risk it being snuffed out across Europe and the world.”

Britain has already sent more than 4,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, including next-generation light anti-tank weapons systems (Nlaws) and Javelin missiles.

The UK is also supplying and training Ukrainian troops in the use of Starstreak high-velocity anti-air missiles as well as providing body armour, helmets and combat boots.

In a further move, the government is to provide an additional £4.1 million to the BBC World Service to counter disinformation in Russia and Ukraine as well as new support for the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Justice secretary Dominic Raab will chair a meeting of justice and foreign ministers in The Hague to coordinate support for the ICC’s war crimes investigations.

He is expected to announce an additional £1 million in funding for the court, as well as new support from UK soldiers with expertise in intelligence gathering and Scotland Yard’s War Crimes Team.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s predecessor told ITV News on Tuesday: “Please, no comparison.”

“How many citizens of the United Kingdom died because of Brexit? Zero,” he said, pointing to “only today” 150 Ukrainian children were killed by the Russian military and that whole cities have been completely destroyed.

Johnson also faced a backlash on Wednesday for pulling faces in the Commons as chancellor Rishi Sunak described Ukrainians huddled in basements.

The latest UK military intelligence suggests Russia is failing to break the spirit of the Ukrainian population as its invasion continues to stall.

In an intelligence briefing on Tuesday night, the ministry of defence said attempts to use media manipulation, propaganda and install pro-Kremlin local leaders have so far been unsuccessful.

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Ukrainian Media Sounds The Alarm On Missing Photojournalist Maks Levin

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A Ukrainian war journalist who has worked for several local and international media outlets has been missing for over a week, according to his friends, colleagues and multiple Ukrainian publications.

Maks Levin is a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker who disappeared while working on the front lines near Kyiv, his friend and colleague Markiian Lyseiko said on Tuesday. On March 13, Levin apparently drove in his own car to photograph the fighting in the Vyshhorod district — an area facing intense Russian violence.

The journalist reportedly left his car near the village of Guta-Mezhigirska and went south toward the village of Moschchun. His last communication was apparently from that morning, after which his phone went offline. Levin “may have been injured or captured by Russian troops,” Lyseiko said.

“Me, I will stay on the front line as long as I am physically able,” Levin told VICE in an interview published on March 9. “These soldiers are my friends.”

Ukrainian soldiers practice shooting during a military drill in the village of Schastya, near the eastern Ukrainian town of Luhansk, on Sept. 20, 2014. The journalist who took this photo, Maks Levin, has been missing since March 13, 2022, when he was covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine in an area near Kyiv.
Ukrainian soldiers practice shooting during a military drill in the village of Schastya, near the eastern Ukrainian town of Luhansk, on Sept. 20, 2014. The journalist who took this photo, Maks Levin, has been missing since March 13, 2022, when he was covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine in an area near Kyiv.

Maks Levin via Reuters

Levin has been covering war in Ukraine since the 2014 revolution and the fight with Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk region in the east. He and Lyseiko were on the front lines covering the Battle of Ilovaisk in August 2014, which became one of the largest military operations in Ukraine and a turning point in Russia’s war with the independent country.

During the battle, 400 Ukrainians who were promised a safe corridor out of the city were slaughtered. Despite being injured, Levin was one of four journalists who managed to escape. He and Lyseiko later created the documentary “After Ilovaisk.”

“The war has affected me personally: in October 2014, Viktor Gurnyak, my good friend, colleague, and volunteer of the Aidar Battalion was killed in a battle at the 31st checkpoint. There were guys in Ilovaisk that I became friends with, some of whom died or went missing,” Levin said of his experience on the front lines.

“We still keep connections with so many people who survived the battle. This story united us forever. And now it is my inner obligation to tell about Ilovaisk survivors.”

Levin was born in Kyiv and has worked with Ukrainian publications like LB.ua and Hromadske, as well as international outlets like Reuters, BBC and The Associated Press. His photos have been published in media ranging from TIME to Ukraine Crisis Media Center to The Moscow Times. He’s also shot projects for organizations like the United Nations, the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

“Max has four children, boys,” Levin’s friend and fellow Ukrainian journalist Tetiana Bezruk tweeted. “Max, we are praying for you and we hope you are alive and in touch.”

Lyseiko has asked the public to contact him with any information on Levin’s whereabouts.

“We are deeply concerned about the disappearance of Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin, and call on anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward immediately,” said Gulnoza Said, an official with the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“Far too many journalists have gone missing while covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and all parties to the conflict should ensure that the press can work safely and without fear of abduction.”

Levin is the latest journalist in Ukraine to either go missing or be killed. Yevhenii Sakun died March 1, Brent Renaud died March 13, and Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleksandra Kuvshynova both died March 14.

Oleg Baturyn and Victoria Roschina both disappeared on March 12. Russian occupiers released Baturyn on Sunday and Roschina on Monday. Roschina was forced to release a video saying Russian troops saved her life.

“The Russians were hunting us down. They had a list of names, including ours, and they were closing in,” wrote Mstyslav Chernov and Evgeniy Maloletka, who were the only remaining international journalists in the bombarded city of Mariupol. The two AP journalists escaped on March 15.

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Is Russia Losing The War? Putin’s Army Suffers ‘Considerable Losses’ As Invasion Stalls

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Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine are increasingly relying on the “indiscriminate shelling” of urban areas as they fail to capture key cities, the UK government has warned.

In its latest update on the crisis situation in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia had suffered “considerable losses” since launching its invasion more than three weeks ago.

As a result, Russia has “increased its indiscriminate shelling of urban areas resulting in widespread destruction and a large number of civilian casualties”, the MoD said.

“It is likely Russia will continue to use its heavy firepower to support assaults on urban areas as it look to limit its own already considerable losses, at the cost of further civilian casualties.”

The UK assessment comes as Ukraine accused Russia of further atrocities in the besieged city of Mariupol, where the city council says an art school that was sheltering around 400 people has been attacked.

The latest assault follows Russia’s bombing of a theatre earlier this week that was thought to be sheltering more than 1,000 people.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned Russia’s relentless targeting of Mariupol, calling the bombardment a “terror that will be remembered for centuries to come”.

Pope Francis also used his Sunday address in Vatican City to call on world leaders to “stop this repugnant war”.

“The violent aggression against Ukraine is unfortunately not slowing down,” he said.

“It is a senseless massacre where every day slaughters and atrocities are being repeated.”

The MoD also warned that it was likely that Russia would continue to use heavy firepower to attack urban areas as a means to limit its own “already considerable losses”.

There were reports on Sunday that a senior Russian Navy officer had been killed.

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Putin In Full Dictator Mode During Terrifying Rally In Moscow

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The Russian president Vladimir Putin celebrated the eight years since his troops seized the Ukrainian region of Crimea with a bizarre rally on Friday.

He spoke in front of a huge crowd in Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium and praised the war effort in Ukraine which has seen hundreds on both sides die.

Despite being accused of of committing war crimes through his attacks on civilians, the widespread Ukrainian resistance and the repeated suppression of any forms of free speech in Russia, the president told the audience: “We have not had unity like this for a long time.”

Putin also honoured those in Crimea who stood up to “neo-Nazis and radical nationals” and joined Russia, even though world leaders have rejected any claim that there is Nazism in Ukraine’s government.

In an ominous nod to the future, Putin also promised the crowd: “We know what we have to do next…we’ll definitely carry out all the plans we have made.”

The stadium speech is comparable to the kind of rallies former US president Donald Trump became famous for. The two leaders were said to have a certain kind of rapport, and the former US president has even called Putin’s Ukraine strategy a work of “genius”.

The rally speaks to the West’s concerns about Putin’s increasingly unhinged behaviour, and comes a day after current US president Joe Biden labelled him a “murderous dictator” and a “pure thug”.

What is the annexation of Crimea?

March 18, 2014, does mark Russia’s complete annexation of Crimea, although the peninsula is still not legally recognised as part of the country by the international community.

It followed an internationally discredited public vote held two days before where the people living in the peninsula were asked whether they wanted to be part of Russia or part of Ukraine.

While 97% of votes backed joining Russia, Ukraine said the referendum was illegal as it had taken place while Russian forces were in Crimea.

The 2014 annexation of Crimea is now perceived as the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Did people really want to be at the rally?

Russian representatives claimed more than 200,000 people attended Friday’s celebrations. The official capacity of the stadium is 81,000, although there were crowds outside the stadium too.

But many attendees told the BBC they had been pressured by their employers in the public sector to attend.

Some students were allowed not to attend lectures as long as they went to the “concert”, while others told the BBC they had not been aware that the event was aimed at consolidating support for the Ukrainian war.

There is thought to be some support for the Russian attack on its European neighbour, but the full extent of the general public’s backing is hard to calculate.

The Kremlin has quashed any efforts to speak out against the invasion, including attempts to call it a war – Russia prefers to call it a “special military operation” – shutting down any protests or independent media outlets.

Children in their last six years of school have to now attend “My Country” lessons where they watch a video of Putin sharing his take on Ukraine’s history.

Putin is known to consider Ukraine and Russia as “brother nations” and wants them both to be under his influence in a throwback to the pre-Soviet era.

Children have been seen lining up to create the letter Z – the pro-invasion symbol which was first seen on the side of Russian tanks – and will have lessons dedicated to March 18 which aim to “form an understanding” of patriotism.

Teachers also shared a video showing people in the military are more likely to become heroes, all in honour of the “Crimean spring”.

Is the war really going well?

The Russian offensive is thought to have slowed significantly since it first began more than three weeks ago.

Russian forces are becoming increasingly violent and attacks on the west Ukraine city of Lviv shows the offensive is now spreading out.

Officials in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv say almost 90% of buildings in the city of Mariupol have now been damaged or destroyed by Russian forces, including a bomb shelter within a theatre where hundreds were sheltering.

The word “children” had been writing by Ukrainians in Russian outside for those dropping the bombs, although Kremlin representatives claim the attack was nothing to do with them.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is actually not doing as well as it expected to in its invasion because Putin expected the country to be the same as it was in 2014, during the Crimea annexation.

He said Russia “didn’t know what we had for defence or how we prepared to meet the blow”.

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Alarm Raised As Two Ministers Targeted By Russian Prank Callers

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Ben Wallace has blamed Russian “dirty tricks” after being pranked by someone claiming to be the Ukrainian prime minister.

In an apparent security breach, the hoax caller managed to get through to the defence secretary’s personal phone this afternoon.

They pretended to be Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal and began asking Wallace a series of questions.

After realising they were not who they claimed to be, the minister ended the call and revealed the “desperate” prank attempt on Twitter.

He said: “Today an attempt was made by an imposter claiming to be Ukrainian PM to speak with me. He posed several misleading questions and after becoming suspicious I terminated the call.

“No amount of Russian disinformation, distortion and dirty tricks can distract from Russia’s human rights abuses and illegal invasion of Ukraine. A desperate attempt.”

Later on Thursday, home secretary Priti Patel said she had also been targeted.

Wallace has been an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, claiming he had “gone full tonto” by invading Ukraine.

He also predicted that the war would be “Putin’s end” because it was going so badly for Russia.

The alarm was raised by Wallace after he became suspicious during a 10-minute video call on Thursday.

He ordered an investigation into the security breach but there are serious questions about Whitehall security after Patel said the same thing happened to her earlier this week.

“This also happened to me earlier this week,” Patel said.

“Pathetic attempt at such difficult times to divide us. We stand with Ukraine.”

The Home Office declined to give further details about Patel’s call.

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‘No War’: Protester Storms Russian State-Run TV During Main Evening Broadcast

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The main evening news programme on Russia’s state-run television was interrupted by a protester holding a poster against the war in Ukraine.

“NO WAR,” the sign read in English. Then, in Russian below: “Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They are lying to you.”

The rare rare anti-war protest on Channel One – behind the show’s anchor – was brief as the feed abruptly changed cameras.

The OVD-Info website, which monitors political arrests, posted a video in which Ovsyannikova identified herself as an employee of Channel One and spoke against the war.

“What is going on now is a crime,” she said. “Russia is an aggressor country and Vladimir Putin is solely responsible for that aggression.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve spent many of the last few years working for Channel One, doing Kremlin propaganda, and I’m deeply ashamed of this,” she said, according to a translation. “Ashamed that I allowed lies to come from the TV screen. Ashamed that I allowed the zombification of the Russian people.”

“We Russians are thinking and intelligent people,” she added. “It’s in our power alone to stop all this madness. Go protest. Don’t be afraid of anything. They can’t lock us all away.”

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Given Standing Ovation From MPs Before Historic Address To Commons

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British MPs have given a standing ovation to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he gave an historic address to the House of Commons.

MPs took to their feet even before Zelenskyy, who appeared via a live video link from Ukraine, had said a word.

Echoing Winston Churchill, a defiant Zelenskyy said: “We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, the fields, the shores and in the streets.”

Concluding his speech, he thanked Boris Johnson by name and called on the UK for more support.

Speaking through a translator provided by Parliament TV, he said: “We are looking for your help, for the help of Western counties.

“We are thankful for this help and I am grateful to you Boris.

“Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country (Russia) and please recognise this country as a terrorist country.

“Please make sure sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe.

“Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is stipulated by the greatness of your country.

“Glory to Ukraine and glory to the United Kingdom.”

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Ukraine Rejects Russia’s Proposed Humanitarian Corridors As ‘Completely Immoral’

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Russia has announced new “humanitarian corridors” to provide safe passage for Ukrainian civilians fleeing the invasion instigated by Vladimir Putin.

But the limited ceasefire was dismissed by Ukraine and Western allies as an immoral stunt, as the escape routes would only take displaced people to Russia and its ally Belarus.

What are humanitarian corridors?

A humanitarian corridor is a temporary pause of armed conflict, agreed by both sides, to allow food and medical aid to be brought to a warzone, or for civilians to evacuate.

These demilitarised zones are in most cases negotiated by the United Nations, and are seen as vital to avoiding a humanitarian catastrophe, especially when international law is breached by the shelling of civilians.

Humanitarian corridors have been used since the mid-20th century. During the so-called Kindertransport from 1938 to 1939, Jewish children were evacuated to the UK from areas under Nazi control. They were also created during the siege of Sarajevo, Bosnia, in the 1990s and the 2018 evacuation of Ghouta, Syria.

Access is typically limited to neutral parties, such as the UN or aid organisations including the Red Cross.

What has been proposed?

The Russian invasion has pushed 1.5 million people to flee the country, creating what the head of the UN refugee agency called “the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II”.

Two planned evacuation operations from Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha have failed over the last two days as the sides accused each other of failing to stop shooting and shelling.

In Mariupol alone, Ukrainian authorities have said they planned to evacuate over 200,000 civilians, or half of the city’s population.

Ahead of a third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for Monday, Moscow said it would open six humanitarian corridors – passages would open for civilians from the capital of Kyiv, the southern port city of Mariupol, and the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy.

But Ukraine rejected the plan given the proposed routes led into Russian or Belarusian territory. These are unlikely destinations for many Ukrainians who would prefer to head towards countries on the western and southern borders. Belarus is a key ally of Putin and served as a launching ground for the invasion.

Where Ukrainians are seeking safety.
Where Ukrainians are seeking safety.

PA Graphics via PA Graphics/Press Association Images

According to maps published by the RIA news agency, the corridor from Kyiv will lead to Belarus, and civilians from Kharkiv will only have a corridor leading to Russia. Corridors from Mariupol and Sumy will lead both to other Ukrainian cities and to Russia.

What has Russia said?

The Russian taskforce said the new pledge for humanitarian corridors was announced at the request of French president Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to Putin on Sunday. Macron’s office said he asked for a broader end to military operations in Ukraine and protections for civilians.

“Attempts by the Ukrainian side to deceive Russia and the whole civilised world…are useless this time,” the Russian defence ministry said after announcing the corridors.

What has Ukraine said?

Ukrainian deputy prime minister Irina Vereshchuk called the proposed evacuation routes to Russia and Belarus “unacceptable”. “Our people won’t go to Belarus and to Russia,” she told a news briefing, claiming that Russia was seeking to manipulate Macron’s sincere desire to help.

Macron criticised the proposal as a case of “cynicism”. “I don’t know many Ukrainians who want to seek refuge in Russia. That’s hypocrisy,” he said.

A spokesperson for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian proposal was “completely immoral”. “They are citizens of Ukraine, they should have the right to evacuate to the territory of Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.

The Ukrainian government is proposing eight humanitarian corridors, including from Mariupol, that would allow civilians to travel to the western regions of Ukraine where there is no Russian shelling.

The Russian proposal was reminiscent of similar ones in Syria. In 2016, a joint Russian and Syrian proposal to set up humanitarian corridors out of besieged opposition-held eastern Aleppo was criticised on humanitarian grounds.

Human rights activists said the tactic, coupled by brutal sieges, effectively gave residents a choice between fleeing into the arms of their attackers or dying under bombardment.

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Priti Patel Says Refugee Numbers Issued By Her Own Department Were “Absolutely Inaccurate”

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Figures issued by the Home Office showing that only 50 Ukrainian refugees had been given visas to come to the UK were “absolutely innacurate”, Priti Patel has said.

In an extraordinary development, the Home Secretary said the true figure will not be known until this evening.

Her comments came following intense criticism over the apparent failure of the UK’s refugee scheme to admit enough people fleeing war in their homeland.

Addressing MPs as she launched the Economic Crime Bill, which is aimed at cracking down on Russian oligarchs, the home secretary said: “It’s important for all colleagues in the house to know that the first quality assured figures on the Ukrainian families scheme will come this evening.

“The figures that are in the public are absolutely inaccurate and have not been assured by the Home Office, so I do just want to make that abundantly clear.”

She added: “Our scheme is the first of its kind in the world and we cannot measure it against any other countries.

“We have had already 14,000 people apply, we also have a sponsorship scheme that will be announced later on.”

The Home Office issued an update later on Monday saying 300 visas had been confirmed and 17,700 applications made.

Patel is also at odds with Boris Johnson after she appeared to suggest that a third refugee scheme, aimed at allowing more Ukrainians to arrive on humanitarian grounds, was being set up.

The government has already announced that Ukrainians in the UK will be able to bring family members from their home country.

In addition, British people and companies will be able to sponsor Ukrainian refugees.

But speaking to The Sun yesterday, the Home Secretary suggested the government was prepared to go further.

She said: “In response to the desperation I saw with my own eyes at the Polish border two days ago, I’m urgently escalating our response to the growing humanitarian crisis.

“I am now investigating the legal options to create a humanitarian route.

“This means anyone without ties to the UK fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will have a right to come to this nation.”

But the PM appeared to reject this idea while speaking during a visit to RAF Northolt, insisting the UK has “two very, very generous routes already” which could see “hundreds of thousands” of Ukrainians come to this country.

Meanwhile, Patel also rejected claims that the UK was not providing any support to refugees arriving at Calais and wanting to go on to the UK.

Pictures emerged on Twitter of signs, apparently in northern France, saying UK visas will not be provided there and advising people to apply online or travel to Paris or Brussels to make an application.

But Patel insisted there are British officials in Calais and “support on the ground”, telling the Commons: “It is absolutely right that we’ve already had people in Calais”, adding: “It is wrong to say we’re just turning people back – we’re absolutely not, we’re supporting those that have been coming to Calais.”

She warned that people-smuggling gangs are “roaming around Calais” and “human trafficking cases are now manifesting at the border”, adding: “It’s absolutely right that we have the right processes in place to check people and to safeguard people.”

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