Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
09 March 2022 - Ukraine Special Weapons News
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Combat Operations
- Ukraine Accuses Russia of Bombing Hospital; Washington Rejects Polish Fighter Jet Plan VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- Washington condemned reports that a Russian airstrike had destroyed a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday, as U.S. officials struck down a Polish proposal to transfer Russian-made jets to a U.S. air base and then on to Ukraine.
- Defense Official Says Russia Hasn't Gained Superiority Over Ukraine DoD News 09 Mar 2022 -- With little change in operations from yesterday, the Russians have still not gained superiority over the entirety of Ukraine, a senior Defense Department official said today.
- Ukraine war: 12-hour ceasefire agreed for civilian evacuation Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- Russia and Ukraine have agreed to cease fire for 12 hours in yet another effort to allow the evacuation of civilians through safe corridors from several cities, including Mariupol, as fierce fighting raged on the 14th day of the conflict.
- Britain Says Russian Defense Ministry Admits Using Thermobaric Weapons In Ukraine RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- Britain says the Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed the use in Ukraine of the TOS-1A weapon system, which uses thermobaric rockets.
- Ukrainian Interior Ministry Reports Mixed Results On Civilian Evacuations, Blames Russia For Violations RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has reported that some civilians have managed to be evacuated from several towns and cities although Russian military forces were blocking the process in several places.
- Mariupol Maternity Hospital Destroyed By Russian Air Strike, Triggering Global Horror, Outrage RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- A Russian air strike has devastated a maternity hospital in the beleaguered port of Mariupol and wounded at least 17 people, Ukrainian officials said, triggering international condemnation from Washington, London, and the Vatican, among others.
- Ukraine Demands Cease-Fire At Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Amid Power Outage After Russian Takeover RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on Russia to agree to a cease-fire to allow repairs to the decommissioned Chernobyl power plant, the site of one of the world's worst nuclear disasters, after it was fully cut off from the electrical grid, raising the risk of radiation leaks.
- Slow Progress In Evacuations Of Ukrainian Civilians From Conflict Zones As EU Slaps Fresh Sanctions on Russia RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- Civilians are trickling out of several besieged Ukrainian cities amid an uneasy cease-fire announced by Russia as Western nations continued to ratchet up sanctions against Moscow for its unprovoked invasion, which has sparked a major humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands trapped without basic supplies.
- Ukrainian Nationalists Have Attacked Substation Supplying Power to Chernobyl NPP, Russian MoD Says Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- Russian troops established control over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on 24 February. On Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the plant had been "fully disconnected from the power grid" and claimed that "radiation leaks" were "imminent."
- Russia introduces "silence regime" in Ukraine for safe evacuation of civilians People's Daily 09 Mar 2022 -- Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday.
- Russia to start observing humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine on Wed. Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- Russia will start observing a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine, where it has been conducting a military operation, as of Wednesday.
Ukraine
Russia
- Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 9, 2022 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 09 Mar 2022
- Russian Defense Minister Confirms Presence Of Conscripts In Ukraine War For First Time RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- Russia's Defense Ministry has confirmed for the first time that conscripts are among military personnel involved in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
- Putin instructed the military prosecutor's office to look into the situation with sending conscripts to Ukraine TASS 07 Mar 2022 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin received a report on the implementation of his instructions to categorically exclude the involvement of conscripts to perform tasks on the territory of Ukraine, on his behalf, materials were sent to the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office for a legal assessment of the actions and punishment of officials responsible for failure to comply with this instruction, the press secretary told reporters head of state Dmitry Peskov.
- Telephone conversation with Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz President of Russia 09 Mar 2022 -- Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz.
- Meeting with Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova President of Russia 09 Mar 2022 -- Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.
- Russian MoD: 90% of Ukraine's Military Airports Containing Majority of Its Air Force Knocked Out Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- Russia launched a military operation to demilitarize Ukraine on 24 February after a formal request for assistance from its Donbass allies - who faced weeks of escalating shelling, sniper and sabotage attacks by Ukrainian forces. The operation has including concentrating strikes on Ukraine's military aerodromes to ensure Russian aerial superiority.
- Moscow: US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine Engaged in Development of Components for Biological Weapons Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- In a series of disclosures Sunday and Monday, the Russian military revealed that the Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency has been involved in the operation of more than 30 biological laboratories across Ukraine, and that these labs have engaged in the storage of and research into a number of deadly agents.
- Russian MoD Makes Public Documents Confirming Preparation by Kiev of Offensive Operation in Donbass Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- As Russia's special operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine continues, the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday stated that Russian armed forces had destroyed 2581 military targets in Ukraine since the launch of the operation on 24 February.
- Russian, Turkish defense ministers discuss situation in Ukraine People's Daily 09 Mar 2022 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the situation in Ukraine with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, on Tuesday.
- Thousands Arrested At Russian Anti-War Protests In 'Increasingly Brutal Crackdown,' Says Watchdog RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- Russian authorities have arbitrarily arrested thousands of peaceful protesters at anti-war rallies across Russia, in line with their increasingly brutal crackdown on those who disagree with Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on March 9.
United States
- Senior Defense Official Holds a Background Briefing, March 9, 2022 DoD 09 Mar 2022
- Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's Call With Ukraine's Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov DoD 09 Mar 2022
- U.S. Doesn't Want Warfare in Ukraine to Escalate, Says DOD Official DoD News 09 Mar 2022 -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III thanked Poland's willingness to continue to look for ways to assist Ukraine, but he stressed that the U.S. does not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force at this time, said a Defense Department official.
- Harris Arrives In Warsaw Amid Dispute Over Fighter Jets For Ukraine RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived in Warsaw at the start of a two-day visit to Poland and Romania to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the impact the war is having on the region.
- Secretary Blinken's Call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2022
- The Kremlin's Allegations of Chemical and Biological Weapons Laboratories in Ukraine US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2022
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss at a Joint Press Availability US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2022
- Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing, March 9, 2022 DoD 09 Mar 2003
- US Congress reaches deal on billions in Ukraine aid Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced a deal reached between the two parties to allocate billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine.
- Pentagon: Polish proposal to send MiG fighters to Ukraine 'tenable' Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- The US military has rejected Poland's proposal to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to an American airbase in Germany and then send them to Ukraine, amid an ongoing Russian military operation in the country.
- Kremlin says US has unleashed economic war on Russia Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- Russia says the United States has declared an economic war against it with far-reaching consequences for energy markets and global economy.
- READOUT: Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen's Meeting with Counterparts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom US Treasury 09 Mar 2022
- Biden's energy ban on Russia omits uranium to avoid blackouts across US Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday, slapping an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports over Moscow's military operation in Ukraine.
NATO
United Nations
- IOM Regional Ukraine Response Situation Report #4- 9 March 2022 IOM
- IOM Regional Ukraine Response Situation Report #3- 9 March 2022
- IAEA Says 'No Critical Impact on Safety' at Chernobyl NPP Amid Reported Power Outage Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- Russian forces established control over the NPP on 24 February during the Russian operation to demilitarize Ukraine. Russian troops and Ukrainian forces subsequently reached an agreement to jointly ensure security at the facility.
- UNESCO bolsters protection for Ukrainian heritage under fire UN News 09 Mar 2022 -- The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has said that it is taking measures as best it can, to try and protect some of Ukraine's priceless heritage from destruction in the face of the Russian invasion, noting that the international community also has a duty to help protect and preserve the country's historic buildings, and other treasures.
- Invasion of Ukraine: Neighbours struggle with refugee influx; UN expresses 'horror' at Mariupol hospital attack UN News 09 Mar 2022 -- The exodus of millions of Ukrainians from their country following the Russian invasion could overwhelm neighbouring countries, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday, as the head of the UN Children's Fund, expressed her horror over the reported destruction of a maternity hospital in the stricken coastal city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy bombardment for days.
- WHO official calls for health, humanitarian principles in resolving Ukraine crisis People's Daily 09 Mar 2022 -- A World Health Organization (WHO) official on Tuesday urged that health and humanitarian principles should play as key drivers of peace in Ukraine.
Foreign Reactions
- More support urgently needed to assist people fleeing the war in Ukraine and countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova Council of Europe 09 Mar 2022 -- "Beyond the prompt humanitarian response already provided by European states to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, more support is urgently needed to protect their human rights and to support countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova", said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, following her three-day mission to the Republic of Moldova.
- Ukraine: EU agrees to extend the scope of sanctions on Russia and Belarus European Commission 09 Mar 2022 -- The European Commission welcomes today's agreement of Member States to adopt further targeted sanctions in view of the situation in Ukraine and in response to Belarus's involvement in the aggression.
- Judgment Day: European Nations Start Probing Alleged Russian War Crimes in Ukraine VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- In an impassioned video speech earlier this week, Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the Russian shelling of fleeing civilians from a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, saying there can be no forgiveness for the shooting of unarmed people.
- EU Agrees To Broaden Sanctions On Russian Officials, Oligarchs RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- The European Union has agreed to expand its third round of sanctions being imposed on Russia to target a larger number of oligarchs and officials close to President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
- Defence Secretary statement to the House of Commons on Ukraine: 9 March 2022 UK MOD 09 Mar 2022 -- Defence Secretary Ben Wallace gave a statement to the House of Commons on Ukraine.
- UK announces new aviation sanctions against Russia Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- The United Kingdom on Wednesday imposed new aviation sanctions against Russia which will give Britain the power to detain any Russian aircraft and ban exports of aviation or space-related goods to Russia in response to its military actions in Ukraine.
- London Slaps New Aviation Sanctions On Russia RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- Britain unveiled new aviation sanctions on March 9 under which any Russian plane can be detained, while exports of aviation or space-related goods to Russia can also be banned.
- UK strengthens ban on Russia aircraft and introduces new trade sanctions UK FCDO 09 Mar 2022 -- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced a new suite of aviation sanctions.
- British Servicemen Warned Fighting in Ukraine is 'Court Martial Offence' as Four Soldiers 'Go AWOL' Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- The statement by the UK Ministry of Defence followed reports that a 19-year-old Coldstream Guardsman was among at least four missing British soldiers, feared to have travelled to Ukraine to join the fighting.
- 'A Madman's Dream': Former Latvian President Vike-Freiberga On Putin's Dangerous Designs On Ukraine RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- President of Latvia from 1999 to 2007, Vaira Vike-Freiberga was crucial in getting the Baltic country into NATO. In an interview with Vazha Tavberidze of RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Vike-Freiberga speaks about Russian President Vladimir Putin's "outrageous" demands and how she is fed up with being told to appease Russia and to "not annoy the bear."
- Chinese Citizens Navigate Uncertainty in Ukraine VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- As the Ukrainian exodus continues, Chinese citizens in Ukraine have been sharing with VOA their experiences of fleeing the war.
- Chinese nationals' evacuation in Ukraine complete! All safe: embassy Global Times 09 Mar 2022 -- The last batch of 115 Chinese students who had been stranded in Sumy under siege safely arrived in western Ukraine's Lviv by train on Wednesday and were warmly received by the Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine, drawing a perfect conclusion to one of China's largest evacuation operations in history. It marked the successful completion of the mission as all 6,000 Chinese nationals in the country were moved to safe regions, the Global Times learned from the Chinese embassy in Ukraine.
- NATO pushing Russia-Ukraine tension to 'breaking point,' China warns Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- China says NATO's conduct has pushed the current tension between Russia and Ukraine to a "breaking point."
- China's Censorship, Propaganda Push Russian Version Of The War In Ukraine RFE/RL 09 Mar 2022 -- While international audiences saw images of besieged Ukrainian cities and thousands of civilians fleeing the country through humanitarian corridors that have faced Russian bombardment, Chinese viewers were shown Russian aid convoys bringing supplies to beleaguered Ukrainians.
- What China Can and Cannot Do for Russia Amid Sanctions VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- China's effort to help Russia economically cannot offset Western-led sanctions aimed at resisting its invasion of Ukraine, analysts assert.
- Beijing Blasts US Ban on Russian Energy, Says Wielding 'Sanctions' Stick Won't Lead to Peace Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- US President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday instituting a near total ban on Russian energy supplies, vowing that the prohibition of Russia-sourced oil and gas would deal "another powerful blow to Putin's war machine." Biden admitted that the decision would incur "costs" on Americans, but suggested that "defending freedom has a cost."
- How Russia's Ukraine Invasion Weighs on China's Economy VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- China's top political leaders are meeting in Beijing this week and have announced the country's new GDP goal for 2022, a major benchmark that Premier Li Keqiang has said will remain around 5.5%, the lowest target in decades.
- China's Xi calls for 'maximum restraint' in Ukraine conflict Press TV 09 Mar 2022 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has described the situation in Ukraine as "worrying," calling for "maximum restraint" to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the European country, where Russia has been conducting military strikes.
- Tokyo Freezes Assets of Russians, Clarifying Once Ambiguous Relations With Moscow VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- Japan announced Tuesday a new round of sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, signaling a shift from its gentler and more ambiguous response to Moscow's seizure of Crimea in 2014.
- Secretary Blinken's Call with Czech Foreign Minister Lipavsky US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2022
- Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Uzbekistani Foreign Minister Kamilov US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2022
- Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's Meeting With Finland's Minister of Defence of Antti Kaikkonen DoD 09 Mar 2022
- Opening Remarks for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's Meeting With Finland's Minister of Defence of Antti Kaikkonen DoD 09 Mar 2003
- Japan Sends Bulletproof Vests, Other Equipment to Help Ukraine, Reports Say Sputnik 09 Mar 2022 -- Japan on Wednesday night sent bulletproof vests, helmets, warm clothes, tents and other equipment owned by the Japan Self-defence Forces to assist Ukraine, media reported.
- Prime Minister speaks on phone with His Excellency Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary India PIB 09 Mar 2022 -- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on phone today with His Excellency Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary
- Turkey to Host Meeting of Ukrainian, Russian Foreign Ministers VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is headed to Turkey ahead of a meeting Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart at a Turkish resort. Ankara, which has close ties with Moscow and Kyiv, has been seeking to mediate since Russia invaded Ukraine.
- Many Vietnamese Civil Society Groups Support Ukraine VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- Independent civil society organizations in Vietnam are condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine, a stance at odds with Hanoi's abstention vote at the United Nations.
News Reports
- Calls Mount for West to Impose No-Fly Zone, Give Jets to Kyiv VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris travels to Poland's capital, Warsaw, Wednesday as the Biden administration and its NATO allies debated the best ways to fortify Ukraine while avoiding being drawn directly into the fighting, which would risk a wider European war.
- Can China Shield Africa From Fallout of Sanctions Against Russia? VOA 09 Mar 2022 -- Tall, stately and clad in brightly colored fabrics that stand out against the arid landscape, the women at a U.N. food distribution site in Jonglei state, South Sudan, wait patiently in line in the stifling heat to receive their monthly rations.
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