The shelling of Ukrainian cities continues as evacuation corridors open for 12 hours to allow civilians to leave Ukraine. Those who thought negotiations would have ended the conflict by now are bracing themselves for the unthinkable war. More than two million Ukrainians have left the country—some children have had to escape alone because their parents had to remain to fight or look after the elderly who are immobile. These are stories we heard back in 1939, and we should not be hearing them again now. Hollywood films and books have been based on these tragic tales, yet today they are not for entertainment purposes but are real life stories happening in the here and now in the news today.
The story of an 11-year-old boy who travelled alone to Slovakia, armed with a couple of bags and the name and address of a relative has hit home the huge sacrifices Ukrainians are making in their fight for democracy and freedom. Those who are ill or who are infirm and cannot be evacuated, what is their fate? They are left behind to die, or to find a way to survive if they are attacked. This is a dark time in humanity, where those who can or could help feel they cannot right now because they wish to respect the rules of engagement. At what price though, with countless of innocent lives?
The Kremlin sounds like a broken record whenever talks have taken place. The third round of talks yielded an evacuation corridor for half a day, and that is about it. The same demands are repeated, and are the conditions Russia is making before a ceasefire can happen:
An assurance that Ukraine will be denied membership to any alliance like NATO or the EU. Putin cannot demand that NATO or the EU reject any application for membership, for he has no right and it would go against the principles of NATO. Therefore, if Putin persists, we know already that NATO will never agree to the above as it would undermine the existence of the alliance. Ukraine has a partnership with NATO already, and has an association agreement with the EU over the past few years. These are the steps to full membership.
A demand that Ukraine is demilitarized, thus leaving them defenceless against any attacks. This is tantamount to a soft surrender, for no independent state should be forced to give up their army and weapons, for every state has a right to defend their land and citizens.
If this is how negotiations are going, then we know what the outcome will be. NATO must face that fact, and redefine how it chooses to protect and defend the principles of why the alliance was established.
Criticisms have been made for allowing a Russian gymnast to wear a ‘Z’ emblem which denotes support for the Russian invasion at the gymnastics World Cup in Doha, while he stood next to a Ukrainian. The International Gymnastics Federation has confirmed that it will request the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation to pursue disciplinary proceedings against, gymnast Ivan Kuliak for his unethical behaviour.
Day 13 (8 March)
Shell, who bought some Russian crude oil last week were criticized, and have admitted they made a poor decision. They will shut down operations in Russia, and pledged not to trade with Russian while the conflict continues.
The UK and US ban Russian oil, and other energy imports.
Ukrainians black out road signs so that the Russians will get lost.
Evacuation buses and trains arrive to take civilians out of the city, but there are reports that an evacuation route (Mariupol) was being shelled. Other reports say that the Russians are sabotaging the evacuation efforts by blocking the roads of the evacuation vehicles and relief trucks.
The Premier League have suspended their broadcasting deal with Russia, and no matches will be shown in Russia.
Reports say that Russia is trying to recruit Syrian soldiers as they seek foreign support.
Russia has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Europe in retaliation to the sanctions imposed. Many workers in Russia, and countries that are dependent on Russia are beginning to suffer with the weak rouble, few supplies, and no work as businesses have pulled out of Russia.
Pressure mounts for McDonalds and Coca-Cola to suspend trading in Russia. A few hours ago, McDonalds announced it will temporarily shut restaurants in Russia. Other similar chains have closed their stores but have made no comment on the Ukrainian invasion. Coca-Cola has in the last few minutes (9pm) also suspended trading with Russia.
China calls for peace talks, and has not stated whether it supports Russia or Ukraine.
Countries where Ukrainian refugees have fled to include; Poland, Slovakia, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Russia, and Belarus.
Japan imposes further sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and has banned the export of oil and any materials that could be used in warfare.
Unilever joins other companies and suspends the export and import of goods to Russia. Items produced in Russia will continue to be sold, but all advertising and investment in Russia will cease.
L’Oreal also following Unilever in suspending investment in Russia and has closed its stores.
Starbucks in the last hour joins McDonalds in closing its stores in Russia
There is rationing in Russia and the emergence of a black market.
Luxury brands, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Rolex have also chosen not to supply their good to Russia. Other brands, Gucci, Dior, and Chanel had already closed their stores in Russia and have pledged donations to help with the humanitarian crisis.
The humanitarian crisis grows in Ukraine, where medical supplies are needed, people are left with no water, heat, or food and as the temperatures in Ukraine drop, the people are left without proper shelter.
Cities that have not been attacked in Ukraine make preparations for an invasion.
Zelenskyy addresses the House of Commons in the UK, repeating that Ukraine ‘…will fight to the end at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land whatever the cost…we will fight in the forests, in the fields, the shores and in the streets’. He receives a standing ovation as he states Ukraine will not give up. He appeals for help from the West, and thanks the UK and the civilised countries for their continuing help.
Poland will provide MIG-29 jets, via the Ramstein Air Base which is the headquarters for the US Air Force in Europe, and where NATO Allied Air Command is situated. However the US have not agreed to the ‘deal’ (of a jet swap) and the offer of jets is on hold at present,
The House of Commons was packed and silent as they listened to a President who was fighting an unprovoked war, to maintain the democracy and freedoms that many of us have taken for granted. Zelenskyy reminds us all of the Second World War, when Britain fought the Nazis to protect the freedom and democracy of the land. There were hesitations back then, and we all learnt that appeasement fails when dealing with a dictator.
We hear him speak of Ukraine being attacked by cruise missiles—we all know that the invasion is wrong, but efforts to halt the aggressors in a diplomatic manner have failed, for they don’t respect rules and only want one-sided negations. It is painful to hear—to be in their shoes, living life and then to be suddenly attacked for no reason other than an aggressor having a desire to take control of your country. Those are the actions of bullies who think they are entitled, and act for their own selfish desires.
Zelenskyy talks about a disappointing meeting with NATO, who said they could not offer a no-fly zone which was necessary to protect the country. He stated that NATO did not appear to be ‘working’ according to its principles, and many would agree with that. Others say that a no-fly zone would affect Ukraine, but the majority of the deaths and casualties are from shelling and missiles. The idea is to reduce the death toll, and by cutting off Russian air strikes, the hope is that the casualty rate may fall.
The dilemma is that by enforcing a no-fly zone it would escalate the war to include all NATO countries, but failure to do so means more innocent lives are lost. The chances of the war ending sooner with fewer fatalities are higher with a NATO presence. Ukraine is a NATO partner, and had been looking for full membership where perhaps NATO should have offered it readily to Ukraine as a protective measure a few years ago? Perhaps Putin decided to attack before full membership was agreed as this was his only chance? No one wishes to point the finger of blame, but we all knew after the illegal annexation of Crimea, it was only a matter of time before Russia would try to take Ukraine again. The question is why didn’t NATO act back in 2014, and look at ways to give Ukraine the protection it needed? Prevention is always better than trying to seek a cure.
In his address, Zelenskyy talks of the bravery of the the Ukrainians fighting hand to hand, stopping tanks by whatever means they can find. It is understandable to hear his frustration with NATO and the ICC whose laws haven’t helped Ukraine during this crisis so far s they offered solutions that were more of a deterrent. NATO may have lined up reserve troops along the borders, and helped with transporting humanitarian aid, but these measures are not actively going to stop the Russian advancing their troops.
He talks of the problem of fighting one of the largest military armies in the world, by air, by sea, and land. Russia knows that they have a bigger army than Ukraine, and that is why the West must help before it is too late. The issue is to get around the rules of engagement, and if you can’t, then you have the power to rewrite and amend the articles so that you can act to fulfill the purposes of the alliance. Zelenskyy inspires with his courageous speech, reminiscent of Churchill’s beaches speech. Ukrainians will fight and will not give up, because democracy and freedom are worth fighting for.
At the end of the historic speech he thanks the UK and other countries for their ongoing help, and requests that further sanctions be imposed, and asked them to do what needs to be done to make the Ukrainian skies safe—a reference to imposing a no-fly zone. He also asks that the world to recognise Russia as a terrorist state and to act accordingly.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60657155
The reality of war after two weeks of the invasion on Ukraine has become evident as today, more companies withdraw from Russia , in part due to consumer pressure, but also because they must do their part to support democracy. Many have realized it is bad publicity to continue to trade with Russia while the invasion continues, and yes, they will be judged by their customers if they fail to act ethically. A service and product has to be good these days, but how ethical a company is these days truly matters. We must brace ourselves for the worst case scenario, and say a prayer for the displaced Ukrainians whom we hope have found shelter and safety in a bid to survive.
The Ukrainian Ambassador in Australia addressed our National Press Club this afternoon. Very moving and he was so articulate with English as a second language. He answered all questions put to him by media reporters with grace and dignity. I was left with nothing but admiration for him and his country who is facing such appalling bombardment from Russia. I must say too that he was treated with great respect by our media. They can be very hostile but they were most respectful. They knew they were speaking with a man who is incredibly brave like his people in Ukraine. His elderly parents are still in Kyiv. They won’t leave. They spend nights their nights in bomb shelters and their days making sandwiches and doing everything they can for their people who are fighting to protect their country, their beliefs, culture and homeland.
Thank you again for the daily cogent updates @EL.
Every night before I go to sleep I pray for Ukraine. Every morning after I way up I dread checking the news—fear of atrocities, fear of assassinations, fear of nuclear. I so admire Zelensky and the brave Ukraine people.
I just don’t see how this situation can end well (-ish, as it's too late to end well) without some help from NATO. Poland’s MIG plane transfer idea was out-of-the-box and I am disappointed in the Pentagon’s decision to torpedo the idea. If Russia doesn’t recognize rules of engagement, it is short-sighted for the West to continue operating under the rules.
Having lived and served in West Berlin behind the Iron Curtain back in the early 80’s, I never would have guessed the Wall would fall. But having seen the Wall fall, I never would have guessed that anyone would try to recreate the USSR. This situation must be stopped sooner rather than later.