February 25, 2022

BBC: Nato response force deployed - Stoltenberg

BBC

Nato's Stoltenberg tells reporters that Nato has deployed elements of its rapid response force on land, sea and in the air.

He says that the security bloc has "already strengthened our defence" and that the US, Canada and European nations have already deployed thousands of troops to the region.

More than 100 fighter jets are now operating in 30 defence locations in Europe, accompanied by more than 120 ships and three strike carrier groups, Mr Stoltenberg says.

He emphasises that the forces will defend "every inch of Nato territory" and adds that it will continue to offer support to Ukraine, as well as other nations in the region threatened by Russia - including Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447

February 25, 2022

BBC: We must stand ready to do more - Stoltenberg

More now from Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is speaking from Nato headquarters in Brussels.

He says that the invasion has caused enormous suffering and argues that Western leaders must "stand ready to do more, even if it means we have to pay a price, because we are in this for the long haul".

He adds: "The world will hold Russia and Belarus accountable for their actions. Russia as the aggressor, Belarus as the enabler."

Stoltenberg says that the "Kremlin's objectives are not limited to Ukraine" and notes that Russia has demanded legally binding agreements to halt further Nato expansion.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447

February 25, 2022

Nato to deploy more troops to Eastern Europe

Source: BBC

Nato leaders say they are deploying more troops to Eastern Europe after Russia's invasion.

"No one should be fooled by the Russian government's barrage of lies," the 30 leaders say in a joint statement.

Nato calls on Moscow to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and "to turn back from the path of aggression it has chosen".

"President Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine is a terrible strategic mistake, for which Russia will pay a severe price, both economically and politically, for years to come," the statement says.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447

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From CNN:

NATO is making "significant additional defensive deployments" to eastern part of alliance

From CNN's Nada Bashir

NATO said that it is making “significant additional defensive deployments of forces” to the eastern part of the alliance, noting that while “deterrence and defense” measures are being deployed, NATO’s actions remain “preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory.”

“We have deployed defensive land and air forces in the eastern part of the Alliance, and maritime assets across the NATO area,” according to a statement released Friday.

“We have activated NATO’s defence plans to prepare ourselves to respond to a range of contingencies and secure Alliance territory, including by drawing on our response forces,” the statement added.

The joint statement comes after a rare virtual summit of NATO Heads of State and Government on Friday, where members met to discuss what NATO has described as the “gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades.”

February 25, 2022

AP: Lithuanian stores removing Russian and Belorusian products from shelves

VILNIUS, Lithuania -- Major retail chains in Lithuania started to remove Russian and Belarusian products from shelves, a move joined by online shops and widely applauded by the public as a protest against Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.

Maxima LT, the largest chain in the Baltic nations, said Friday the Russian goods it sells are mainly alcohol, dried products and candy, amounting to millions of euros (dollars) in sales.

Other retailers like drug stores and home suppliers made similar announcements. The Lithuanian postal service said it will not be distributing any more Russian periodicals.

International companies such as IKEA are facing pressure to remove Russian-made goods from sale in the small Baltic country, which fears Russian aggression.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-united-nations-kyiv-6ccba0905f1871992b9371

February 25, 2022

European Union agrees to freeze assets of Putin and minister

Source: AP

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union agreed to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov along with other sanctions, according to Latvia’s foreign minister.

A decision to freeze Putin and Lavrov’s assets indicates that Western powers are moving toward unprecedented measures to try to stop the brutal invasion of Russia’s neighbor and a major war in Europe.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said in a Tweet on Friday that the EU’s foreign ministers “adopted the 2nd sanctions package” and added that “the asset freeze includes President of Russia and its Foreign Minister.”

He said the EU plans to prepare another package of sanctions.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-business-china-asia-b57700241d650315db1eb0e8516ce2d6

February 25, 2022

Russia puts 'partial restriction' on Facebook access

BRUSSELS (AP) — Russian authorities on Friday announced the “partial restriction” of access to Facebook after the social media network limited the accounts of several Kremlin-backed media over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Friday it demanded that Facebook lift the restrictions it placed Thursday on state news agency RIA Novosti, state TV channel Zvezda, and pro-Kremlin news sites Lenta.Ru and Gazeta.Ru. The agency said Facebook didn’t reinstate the media outlets.

The restrictions on the accounts, according to Roskomnadzor, included marking their content as unreliable and imposing technical restrictions on the search results to reduce the publications’ audiences on Facebook.

Roskomnadzor said its “partial restriction” on Facebook takes effect Friday, without clarifying what exactly the move means.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-business-china-asia-b57700241d650315db1eb0e8516ce2d6

February 25, 2022

'No To War' hashtag trends on Russian-language social media

BBC

The hashtag "No To War" has been trending on Russian-language social media, including the profiles of a number of Russian celebrities.

The hashtag and caption have been shared approximately 208,000 times on Instagram, sometimes accompanied by a black square. The posts come from Russia and the Russian diaspora, as well as Russian-speaking populations of former Soviet republics.

“Fear and pain. NO TO WAR," read a Thursday post from Ivan Urgant, a popular late-night talk show host.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447

February 25, 2022

European human rights organization suspends Russia

Source: Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Council of Europe has suspended Russia from the continent’s human rights organization because of its invasion of Ukraine.

The 47-nation council announced Friday that Russia was suspended with “immediate effect” from the organization’s Committee of Ministers and parliamentary assembly on Friday “as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed attack on Ukraine.”

The Strasbourg-based organization, which was founded in 1949, said Russia remained a member and continued to be bound by relevant human rights conventions.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-business-china-asia-b57700241d650315db1eb0e8516ce2d6

February 25, 2022

Breaking: Russia kicked out of 2022 Eurovision Song Contest

BBC

"We remain dedicated to protecting the values of a cultural competition which promotes international exchange and understanding."

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447

no details yet

February 25, 2022

"Amphibious assault" underway west of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, senior US defense official says

CNN

There is an “amphibious assault” underway on the Sea of Azov, located west of Mariupol in Ukraine, a senior US defense official told reporters on Friday.

Russians are now “putting potentially thousands of naval infantry ashore there,” the official said.

The official did not know exactly what these infantrymen are going to do in Ukraine, but the official said “the general assumption is they are going to move towards the northeast, towards Mariupol and the Donbas region.”

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-25-22/index.html