Ukraine urges citizens to leave Russia as crisis escalates
CBC
The latest:
Europe braced for further confrontation Wednesday and Ukraine urged its citizens to leave Russia after tensions escalated dramatically when Russia's leader got the OK to use military force outside his country and the West responded with a raft of sanctions.
Hopes for a diplomatic way out of a new, potentially devastating war appeared all but sunk as the U.S. and key European allies accused Moscow on Tuesday of crossing a red line in rolling over Ukraine's border into separatist regions — with several calling it an invasion.
The top U.S. diplomat cancelled a meeting with his Russian counterpart; Kyiv recalled its ambassador and considered breaking all diplomatic ties with Moscow; dozens of nations further squeezed Russian oligarchs and banks out of international markets; Germany halted a lucrative pipeline deal; and the U.S. repositioned additional troops to NATO's eastern flank bordering Russia.
After weeks of trying to project calm, Ukrainian authorities signalled increasing concern on Wednesday. The Foreign Ministry advised against travel to Russia and recommended anyone there leave immediately, saying Moscow's "aggression" could lead to a significant reduction in consular services.
The head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council called for a nationwide state of emergency — subject to parliamentary approval. Oleksiy Danilov said it will be up to regional authorities to determine which measures to apply, but they could include additional protection for public facilities, restrictions on traffic, and additional transport and document checks.
Already, the threat of war has shredded Ukraine's economy and raised the spectre of massive casualties, energy shortages across Europe and global economic chaos.
Even as the conflict took a new, dangerous turn, leaders warned it could still get worse. Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to unleash the force of the 150,000 troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, while U.S. President Joe Biden held back on even tougher sanctions that could cause economic turmoil for Russia but said they would go ahead if there is further aggression. Sanctions are key because the West has ruled out taking on Russia militarily.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged Western leaders not to wait.
"We call on partners to impose more sanctions on Russia now," he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "Now the pressure needs to step up to stop Putin. Hit his economy and cronies. Hit more. Hit hard. Hit now."
Responding defiantly to the steps already taken, Russian ambassador in the U.S. Anatoly Antonov retorted that "sanctions cannot solve a thing" in a statement on Facebook. "It is hard to imagine that there is a person in Washington who expects Russia to revise its foreign policy under a threat of restrictions."
In Ukraine's east, where an eight-year conflict between Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed nearly 14,000 people, violence also spiked again.
Since last Friday, when separatist leaders in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions announced mass evacuations into Russia, more than 96,000 residents of the separatist areas have crossed the Russian border.
After weeks of rising tensions, Putin took a series of steps this week that dramatically raised the stakes.
This weekend's reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is the culmination of a repair and restoration effort more than five years after it was gutted by a catastrophic fire.
Across northern and central Syria this week, families who've been torn apart by more than a decade of civil war have been holding joyous reunions.
The remains of a woman who fell into a sinkhole were recovered Friday, four days after she went missing while searching for her cat, a state police spokesperson said.
South Korea's ruling party chief showed support Friday for suspending the constitutional powers of President Yoon Suk Yeol for imposing martial law this week, in a bombshell reversal that makes Yoon's impeachment more likely.
South Korean opposition lawmakers said on Thursday they would vote this weekend to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his botched attempt to impose martial law, and police said they were investigating claims of treason against him and top ministers.
South Korea's parliament introduced a motion on Thursday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over a botched attempt to impose martial law, while the defence minister blamed for advising the move and ordering troops to the parliament resigned.
South Korea's opposition parties on Wednesday submitted a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing pressure to leave office hours after he ended a short-lived martial law that prompted troops to encircle parliament before lawmakers voted to lift it.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared "emergency martial law" on Tuesday, accusing the country's opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities.
Opposition forces seeking to overthrow Syria's President Bashar al-Assad launched their biggest offensive in years last week, retaking the northern city of Aleppo and driving government forces out of the region.
While nowhere in Gaza can be considered safe, among the most dangerous places these days is anywhere there's food.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday night pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.