NATO Says 'Nyet' to President Zelensky's Plea for a NATO No-Fly Zone

"On Friday, a meeting of NATO foreign ministers declined to establish the no-fly zone over  Ukraine requested by Urkaine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. This should come as a surprise to no one who is paying attention. The idea of a NATO enforce no-fly zone over Ukraine is one of the worst ideas possible.

 “Allies agree we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops operating in Ukrainian territory,” Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general, said at a news conference after a meeting of foreign ministers." RedState

Oil Crisis 2.0: US Gas Prices Jump Most Overnight Since Iraq War, Record Highs Imminent

"Gas prices at the pump were soaring long before Russia invaded Ukraine. The conflict has produced the prospect of a shortage of commodities, especially energy products, and sent Brent and WTI well over the $110 mark in recent days. Russia is one of the world's largest crude oil suppliers. The spillover effects of the Biden administration sanctioning the country into oblivion have resulted in one of the most significant daily jumps of gasoline on record. 

According to new AAA fuel data, the current national average gas price is $3.837, up almost 11 cents overnight, the second biggest move on record since the early days of the Iraq war in 2005. At this rate, gas prices could exceed the record in days, which is only 27 cents away." ZeroHedge

Middle East Is Frenemy Territory for U.S. and Russia

"Russia's allies, Syria and Iran, are backing it, but with trepidation. And U.S. allies in Israel
and the Arab world haven’t been willing to clearly take Washington’s side.

The unfortunate truth from the perspective of both global powers is that no Middle Eastern country stands to gain from the confrontation." Bloomberg

North Korea conducts suspected missile test ahead of South Korean election

"North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile, Seoul’s military said, continuing this
year’s record-breaking blitz of weapons tests with a launch just days before South Korea’s presidential election.

 From hypersonic to medium-range ballistic missiles, Pyongyang test-fired a string of weaponry in January and last week launched what it claimed was a component of a “reconnaissance satellite”—although Seoul described it as another ballistic missile." Frane24

Russia makes gains in south Ukraine after seizing major nuclear plant

"Russian forces took control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant Friday after their attack
on the site sparked a fire and fears of nuclear meltdown, but seemingly released no radiation.

The blaze at the Zaporizhzhia plant, located in Ukraine’s southeast, was extinguished early Friday but not before it spread concerns about the potential for catastrophic fallout across the continent.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who previously raised the specter of nuclear war over Europe, said Friday he had “no bad intention” toward neighboring countries but warned against doing anything that might “escalate the situation.”

Russian forces made gains in Ukraine’s south and in besieged major cities, worsening a grave humanitarian crisis despite some progress in talks between the two countries." NBC

Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial “Unscathed” According to Israeli Journalist

"After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russia had attacked the Babi

Yar Holocaust memorial in Kiev in an attempt to “erase our history,” an Israeli journalist visited the site to discover that it was in fact “unscathed.”

Narrative fail.

Legacy media outlets breathlessly reported on Monday that the memorial had been deliberately attacked by an air strike, amplifying Zelensky’s claim that the destruction was “beyond humanity.”

“[The Russians] have orders to erase our history, our country and all of us,” Zelensky said. “You killed Holocaust victims for the second time.”

However, the attack had actually targeted the nearby television tower and the memorial was not damaged.

The memorial was “not harmed and no bomb, missile or artillery shell hit the site itself,” Ynet News reported." SN

Russian troops accused of raping ‘numerous’ women as they rampage through Ukrainian cities

"Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba alleged there have been reports of Putin's soldiers
sexually assaulting Ukrainian women. 

 Kuleba backed a call for the creation of a special tribunal to punish Moscow's aggression as Russia's hostility escalates beyond bombing.

Kuleba said international law "is the only tool of civilization that is available to us to make sure that in the end, eventually, all those who made this war possible will be brought to justice". Sun

Horrifying video shows Ukrainian family mowed down by Russian troops

"Heartbreaking video shows the moment a Ukrainian family, including two dogs, was mowed
down by Russian troops — with the son heard crying, “Dad, please don’t die, I’m begging you!”

The distressing clip, filmed by the son, shows the bloody aftermath of Russian soldiers gunning down the man in his Mercedes minivan, as well as one of his three dogs, on Feb. 25.

The footage was initially shared by Ukraine’s armed forces on Monday but it wasn’t clear who the men were.

The slain father has been identified as Oleh Bulavenko, who had returned to his home to rescue his beloved pets." NYP

State Dept. urges embassies not to retweet Russian ‘war crime’ post: reports

"The State Department is urging America’s embassies across Europe to not repost a tweet
from the US Embassy in Kyiv that called Russia’s attack on a nuclear plant “a war crime,” according to multiple reports.

An internal message obtained by NBC News and CNN revealed the Department has warned the embassies to avoid sharing language posted by the Kyiv outpost, or delete their post if they already have.

“All – do not/not retweet Embassy Kyiv’s tweet on shelling of the facility being a possible war crime,” the message reportedly reads. “If you have retweeted it – un-retweet it ASAP.”  NYP

Russian TV channel condemns war as staff walk out while live on air

"Staff at an independent Russian television station signed off their final broadcast by decrying
war and walking out of the studio in protest.

According to a report from Newsweek, Russian authorities ordered the station to cease broadcasting over its coverage of the country's invasion of Ukraine. The reported noted that Russian authorities demanded media refrain from referring to President Vladimir Putin's invasion as a "war" and instead insisted they use the term "special military operation." Those in violation of the newly authorized law face up to 15 years in prison." Blaze

Powell acknowledges Russia sanctions could rev China plan for alternative to dollar-centric banking

"Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is acknowledging that China could accelerate its
plans to create an alternative to the global dollar-standard payments system – amid the crippling sanctions the U.S. and other Western nations have imposed on ally Russia for invading Ukraine.....China had already been working on an alternative to the SWIFT international payments system, from which several Russia banks were banned Feb. 26 in response to the Ukraine invasion. Powell said that China's efforts have "been going on for some time" and acknowledged the Russian invasion and subsequent global economic response "may change the trajectory" of China's work." JN

The Hague-based International Criminal Court, or ICC, is the world’s first permanent court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a lot of calls to have Russian president Vladimir Putin put on trial there. So how does it work? The court was established in 2002 by the Rome Statute and has jurisdiction over four core crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Initially hou

Read more at DutchNews.nl:

The Hague-based International Criminal Court, or ICC, is the world’s first permanent court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a lot of calls to have Russian president Vladimir Putin put on trial there. So how does it work?

Read more at DutchNews.nl:

The Hague-based International Criminal Court, or ICC, is the world’s first permanent court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a lot of calls to have Russian president Vladimir Putin put on trial there. So how does it work?

Read more at DutchNews.nl:

Moldova Concerned About Possible Attack from Russian-Backed Region

"Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Friday voiced deep concern about the security situation
on her country’s border caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia stations about 1,500 to 2,000 soldiers in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, which is sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine.

The soldiers are split between a so-called peacemakers group and the Operative Group of Russian Troops, OGTR, which is subordinated to the Russian Western Military District based in Sankt Peterburg.

Paramilitary forces loyal to the secessionist regime in Tiraspol are estimated to number about 10,000 men. Moldova on the other hand has only about 6,000 troops, including staff personnel.

The Ukrainian general staff announced that significant Russian helicopter activity was observed on Friday morning near Tiraspol, the main city of Transnistria." BalkanInsight

 

Serbian Pro-Regime Media Praise Russia ‘Overrunning’ Ukraine

"Newspapers that support the Serbian government hailed the Russian invasion of Ukraine on
their front pages on Friday, 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his military assault. 

Informer and Alo led with front-page headlines claiming that Russia “reached Kyiv in a day”, while Objektiv’s headline said “Russians overrun Ukraine in a day”.

Vecernje Novosti‘s main headline was “Russian coup in response to NATO threats”.

Sprski Telegraf printed headline that “Putin is preparing ‘Satan’ [Russian R-36 intercontinental ballistic missile] for Europe” together with a photo of the Russian president in military uniform.

Politika led with “State of war in Ukraine”, saying that “Putin approved an operation ‘of demilitarisation and denazification'” and quoting only Russian sources about the ongoing war. Russian officials have often accused the Ukrainian government of Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, of being fascist.

Meanwhile Danas and Nova, which are seen as critical of the government, mostly reported on Serbian officials’ silence about the Russian attack on Ukraine." BalkanTimes

Spain to send 150 reinforcement troops to Latvia

"Spain will send 150 additional troops to Latvia as part of a wider NATO buildup in the Baltic
region following Russia's invasion of Ukraine....Spain, which already has 350 troops in the alliance's enhanced forward presence battlegroup in Latvia, is increasing the number in line with the NATO response plans." Reuters

Russia's main attack force regrouping

"Kyiv continues to face intense shelling but has so far been spared a major assault, with
Russia's main attack force stalled for days in a miles-long convoy on a highway to the north. 

But there are growing concerns that the stationary troops are regrouping and amassing logistical supplies before launching a fierce onslaught on the capital. 

Putin want to 'sever' Ukraine in half and deprive the north of resources needed to keep fighting the war - a siege tactic reminiscent of how he won the Chechen war in 2000." DM

BBC Pulls All Reporters From Russia After Moscow Criminalizes "Disinformation"

"Following earlier news that Russia will criminalize "disinformation" about military in
crackdown on "fake information", not that different from the wholesale "canceling" and deplatforming of any western media outlets that do not parrot the official narrative, moments ago the BBC announced that it would "temporarily suspend the work of all BBC News journalists and their support staff within the Russian Federation" while the news agency assesses the full implications of this unwelcome development." ZeroHedge