Kyiv: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has moved into a secret base. The army moved to the Zelensky bunker, which was closer to Kyiv. But there are reports that he has left the capital. Although the airstrip was closed, a plane carrying him was reportedly flown from Zhuliany airport. Earlier, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi tried to contact Zelensky on the phone after an agreement was reached that they would talk to each other at 9.30 am, but could not be reached. Earlier in the day, Zelensky announced that it was ready to hold talks with Putin. His message was to sit around a table and discuss and stop killing people.
New Delhi: The Central Government has provided aircraft for Indians in Ukraine. The government will bear the entire cost of the trip, officials said.
Meanwhile, the camp offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are now operating in the cities of Lviv and Chernivtsi in western Ukraine. Government sources said more Russian-speaking officials were being sent to the camp offices. The first batch of Indian students has now reportedly left Chernivtsi for the Ukrainian-Romanian border.
Alternative arrangements are being made to evacuate Indian nationals in the wake of the closure of the Ukrainian air border. A team from the Indian Embassy in Hungary has been sent to the border post-Sohani to co-ordinate and assist Indians in exiting Ukraine. Indian officials said in a tweet that they were working with the Hungarian government to provide all possible assistance. India is closely monitoring the situation and developing evacuation plans.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also sending teams to the land borders with Ukraine in Poland, the Slovak Republic, and Romania. The group from Poland is on its way to the Krakowicz border with Ukraine. The team from the Slovak Republic is on a voyage to the Wisnie Nemeke Land Border and the team from Romania to Suseva.
The Ministry advised Indian nationals in Ukraine near these border points to contact these teams if they wish to leave Ukraine. Contact numbers are available on the Ministry’s website.
More than 20,000 Indians are stranded in Ukraine following Russia’s military action against its neighbors.
Washington: US President Joe Biden has announced new sanctions against Russia in the wake of the Russian occupation of Ukraine. Sanctions were imposed on the Russian economy, including export restrictions. Biden has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is an aggressor and that his country will have to face the consequences. Meanwhile, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, announced that the European Union (EU) has decided to impose further sanctions on Russia over its military action in Ukraine. He added that the support of the Ukrainian people and government to mobilize economic capacity and humanitarian support was also discussed. Charles’ response came after the European Union summit.
Biden has said he will not send troops to Ukraine and will not negotiate with Putin. Biden reiterated that Putin had decided to attack months ago. Britain, meanwhile, has announced significant economic sanctions against Russia. In the British Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a major economic embargo on Russia over Ukraine’s occupation.
Kyiv: 137 killed in Russian attack. Ukrainian President Vladimir Selensky said that soldiers were among those killed. 316 people were injured. The UN refugee agency says about 100,000 Ukrainians have fled.
Russian troops who entered Ukraine through the border arrived near Kyiv yesterday evening. With this, people started fleeing from Kyiv. But NATO, the Western military alliance, has made it clear that it will not take military action.
The United States has said it will not send troops to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Vladimir Selensky has said he is “alone” in his fight to save the country. Everyone is scared. He also accused Ukraine of failing to guarantee NATO membership or stand by its cause. Meanwhile, the Russian army captured the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. There are reports that officials there have also been taken, hostage.
Kabul: At least three people have been killed and 20 others injured in clashes between Pakistani forces in the Spin Buldak district of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Three people have been killed in a clash between Taliban and Pakistani forces on the Durand Line in Kandahar’s Spin Ba district. Civilians are fleeing the Durand Line.
The clashes began on Thursday afternoon. Pakistani border guards beat Afghan boy at Spin Buldak Gate. The Afghan security forces then opened fire on the Pakistani guards. Sources in Kandahar said that this was the reason for the clash. Traffic is currently restricted at the Spin Buldak Gate.
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested former NSE Group Operating Officer Anand Subramanian (Central Bureau of Investigation) in connection with stock market fraud. He was arrested late at night from his home in Chennai and taken to the agency’s headquarters in Delhi. He was an advisor to NSE MD Chitra Ramakrishna. As part of the investigation, a look-out circular was issued against Anand Subramanian, Chitra Ramakrishna, and Ravi Narain. The CBI is investigating allegations that information was leaked from the computer server of the market exchange to stockbrokers.
Earlier this month, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the market regulator, had fined Chitra Ramakrishna Rs 3 crore for leaking confidential information via email to an unidentified person.
New Delhi: The Pegasus case will be heard by the Supreme Court today. The case was initially scheduled to be heard on Wednesday but was adjourned till today at the request of Solicitor General Thushar Mehta. The case is being heard by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana. The other members of the bench are Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli.
The technical committee appointed to probe the phone leaks using Pegasus had submitted its interim report to the Supreme Court. The panel, headed by Justice RV Raveendran, handed over the interim report in a sealed envelope. It was reported that the committee had sought more time to complete the investigation.
Thiruvananthapuram: The working hours of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been rescheduled for the period from today to April 30 due to the possibility of sunstroke due to increased summer heat. Workers will be excluded from work during the day if they need to rest from 12 noon to 3 pm. The Mission Director said that the working hours would be adjusted to seven hours from seven in the morning to seven in the evening without any change in the amount of work and the total number of hours to be worked.
Kyiv: Russian aggression and counter-attack on Ukraine have created an atmosphere of war in the region. Russia’s land, naval, and air forces entered Ukraine at around 5 am local time yesterday. President Vladimir Putin announced on television that he would launch a military operation. Putin’s announcement comes shortly after Ukrainian President Vladimir Selensky announced the end of diplomatic relations with Russia. Within minutes, the attack began. The first missile strike targeted military bases and buildings along the border. Including the air, the base was attacked. Locals said there were reports of explosions in the wake of the Russian attack in all major cities, including the capital Kyiv. People sought refuge in underground metros and bunkers. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said the Russian attack was carried out using sophisticated bombs and long-range missiles. In addition to Kyiv, major cities such as Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Dnipro were attacked. This was followed by a counterattack by Ukraine. In the evening, airstrikes were reported in areas including the capital, Kyiv.
Ukrainian police say there have been 203 attacks in various parts of the country. Russia claims to have destroyed 74 military bases, including 11 airfields. In Ukraine, 40 soldiers and 10 civilians were reported killed in the attacks. Ukraine has blamed Russian airstrikes on a hospital in Donetsk for killing four people and wounding 10 others.
Meanwhile, Ukraine claims to have killed 50 Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian military has said it is defending a Russian military offensive at an airbase in Kyiv. A state of emergency has been declared in Ukraine and neighboring Lithuania following the outbreak of war. The Russian government has also issued a decree banning anti-war activities. In a televised address, Vladimir Putin said that Donbas had called on Russia to help the People’s Republic of Russia. Days ago, Russia decided to recognize the two independent republics of eastern Ukraine as the Donbas People’s Republic. NATO, meanwhile, has said it has no plans to send troops to Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops and locals joined Russia in the aftermath of the war. Twenty-six members of the security forces have defected to Russia, saying they do not want to serve Ukraine. They reached the center of Briask. At the same time, 16 Ukrainians fled the country to Dhansko, Crimea.
