Ukraine war: West behaving like bandits, says Russia

The Kremlin, on Saturday, said the West is behaving like bandits but that Russia was far too big to be isolated as the world was much larger than just the United States and Europe.

Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the West was engaged in “economic banditry” against Russia and that Moscow would respond.

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He did not specify what response there would be but said it would be in line with Russian interests.

“This does not mean Russia is isolated,” Peskov told reporters. “The world is too big for Europe and America to isolate a country, and even more so a country as big as Russia. There are many more countries in the world.”

Peskov said if the United States imposed sanctions on Russia’s energy exports then it would give a considerable jolt to energy markets.

Below are 14 things to know about Russia-Ukraine war:

Ceasefire in two cities
Russia’s defence ministry announces a ceasefire to allow civilians in the besieged port city of Mariupol and the town of Volnovakha to evacuate. Mariupol’s mayor Vadim Boychenko says evacuations will begin at 0900 GMT.

The strategic city of 450,000 people on the Azov Sea, which has suffered intense shelling, has been without electricity, food, water and heating for days in the depth of winter.

Nuclear plant fire
A fire at Europe’s biggest nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia is put out, with Ukraine accusing Russia of “nuclear terror” in shelling the plant.

Russian troops later take over the site of the reactors, which generate a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity, after firefighters say they were prevented from reaching the blaze for hours.

West slams ‘recklessness’
At a United Nations Security Council meeting, the US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield says Russia’s “reckless” overnight attack “represents a dire threat to all of Europe and the world”.

Moscow’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia denies that Russian forces had shelled the plant, saying the statements “are simply untrue”.

Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), offers to travel to Ukraine to negotiate with Ukraine and Russia on ensuring the safety of nuclear sites.

More talks planned
One of Ukraine’s negotiators says the third round of talks with Russia on ending the fighting is planned this weekend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Moscow is ready for dialogue over Ukraine if all its demands are met

Jail threat to journalists
Award-winning Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta says it will stop reporting on the war and the BBC says it is suspending the work of its journalists in Russia as President Vladimir Putin signs a law imposing harsh jail sentences for the publication of “fake news” about the invasion.

‘Not over soon’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns that the war in Ukraine “may not be over soon” and that the US and European allies must sustain tough pressure on Russia until it ends.

G7 threatens further sanctions
G7 foreign ministers warn that Russia will face further “severe sanctions” for its invasion, and call on Moscow to stop its attacks near nuclear power plants.

NATO rejects no-fly zone
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance will not impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine after Kyiv calls for one to help stop Russia’s bombing of its cities.

Russia isolated
Russia is more isolated than ever after a historic vote at the UN Human Rights Council for a probe into violations committed during the war on Ukraine, with only Eritrea siding with Moscow.

47 killed in northern city
Forty-seven people have been killed following a Russian airstrike in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, regional authorities say.

‘Numerous rapes’
Ukraine’s foreign minister claims there have been “numerous cases” of Russian troops raping Ukrainian women and calls for an international tribunal on war crimes.

More than 1.2 million flee
More than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries since Russia invaded last week, the UN says.

Stocks sink, gas, oil soar
Global stock markets fall, gas prices reach a record high, and oil prices soar as investors fear the risk of an escalation after Russia attacked the nuclear power plant.

Hunger threat
The United Nations’ World Food Programme warns about a looming food crisis in Ukraine in conflict areas, while disruptions in production and exports could lead to food insecurity globally.