I. Military action 

• Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in a massed assault by land, sea and air, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II. On Feb. 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, in an emotional address on state-run television, and on Feb. 22, Russian lawmakers gave Putin unanimous approval to deploy "peacekeepers" to two breakaway Ukrainian regions. (Reuters, 02.24.22, AFP, 02.21.22, AFP, 02.23.22)
• Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders from Russia and Belarus and landing on the coast from the Black and Azov seas. Ukrainian troops fought Russian forces along practically the entire border, and fierce fighting was taking place in the regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odessa and at a military airport near Kyiv, an adviser to the presidential office said. (Reuters, 02.24.22)
• The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was under bombardment on Feb. 25 morning, with missile strikes and a rocket crashing into a residential building as the second day of Russia’s military offensive pressed closer to the heart of the government. Ukrainian forces were battling Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million people, where President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in a television address that he was “target No. 1” of the Russian advance. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts agreed Feb. 25 to send thousands of troops backed by air and naval support to protect allies near Russia and Ukraine in response to Putin’s decision to invade, the organization’s top civilian official said. Speaking after chairing a NATO summit, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the 30-nation organization will send parts of the NATO Response Force and elements of a quickly deployable spearhead unit to the alliance’s eastern flank. It’s the first time the force has been used to defend NATO allies. Stoltenberg did not say how many troops would be sent or where they might go, but he did confirm that the move would involve land, sea and air power. (AP, 02.25.22)
• Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said that since Feb. 24 morning, Russian forces had destroyed 118 military facilities in Ukraine, including 11 military airfields and 13 surface-to-air missile systems. He added that Russia had downed five Ukrainian military planes, one helicopter and five drones, and that more than 150 Ukrainian service members had given up arms. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Zelensky announced that 137 Ukrainians have been killed and 316 wounded after the first day of fighting, and he said Russians were targeting civilian areas, not just military sites. He addressed Putin directly Feb. 25, saying: “There are fights all over the country. Let’s sit down.” (The Washington Post, 02.25.22)
• The Russian incursion into Ukraine is taking place along three main fronts, according to a senior defense official, who said the moves were “clearly designed to take key population centers” and topple Ukraine’s democratically-elected, pro-Western government. “Our assessment that they [the Russians] have every intention of basically decapitating the government and installing their own method of governance,” the official said, adding: “We haven’t seen a conventional move like this, nation-state to nation-state, since World War II.” (The Washington Post, 02.24.22)
• The Russian military has been unable to seize control of Ukrainian airspace, a senior U.S. defense official said Feb. 25, something the United States had predicted would occur quickly in the event of a Russian invasion. Russian and Ukrainian jets continue to fly over Ukraine, as Russians launch strikes on military targets. While Ukrainian air-defense capabilities, including surface-to-air missiles, have been degraded, they have not disappeared, the official said. (The Washington Post, 02.25.22)
• The Kremlin said on Feb. 24 that the length of Russia's military operation in Ukraine depended on how it progressed and on its aims, and that the assault should ideally cleanse the country of "Nazis" and "neutralize" Kyiv's military potential. In a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that nobody was talking about occupying Ukraine and that it was "unacceptable" to use the word to describe in the context of Russia's operation. (Reuters, 02.24.22)
• Putin on Feb. 25 called on the Ukrainian army to overthrow the government whose leaders he described as "terrorists" and "a gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis." Putin also accused "Ukrainian nationalists" of deploying heavy weapons in residential areas of major cities to provoke the Russian military, a claim that could fuel fears Moscow is creating pretexts for justifying civilian casualties. "I once again appeal to the military personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine: do not allow neo-Nazis and [Ukrainian radical nationalists] to use your children, wives and elders as human shields," Putin said at a televised meeting with Russia's security council. (AFP, 02.25.22, Reuters, 02.25.22)
• Putin defended his attack on Ukraine as a “necessary measure” after the head of a business lobby group urged him to be cautious in countering Western sanctions to avoid destabilizing the global economy. “To be clear, what is happening is a necessary measure,” Putin said in a televised meeting with business tycoons, speaking on a day when the Russian stock market had lost one-third of its value. “They created such great risks in the security sphere that it was impossible to react with any other means.” (The New York Times, 02.24.22)
• Zelensky has introduced martial law, and urged people to remain calm in a brief video address on Feb. 24 morning. Under martial law, no man aged 18 to 60 is allowed to leave the country. Conscription of fighting-age men will start with those with previous service records. (CNN, 02.24.22, The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Russian forces have prepared a mobile crematorium for use in any future conflict with Ukraine in what Britain’s Defense Secretary has described as “chilling.” The MoD released footage of a vehicle-mounted crematorium with room for one human body at a time, which has been seen trailing Russian forces and is expected to follow any troops into Ukraine. (The Telegraph, 02.24.22)
• Russia’s military claimed Feb. 24 that Ukrainian troops were abandoning their posts after Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Russia’s pro-Western neighbor, claims denied by Kyiv. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• People in Kyiv were told to make Molotov cocktail petrol bombs on Feb. 25 as they hid in makeshift shelters and basements, awaiting a Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital. "Make Molotov cocktails, neutralize the occupier!," the Defense Ministry said, while local authorities told people in the northwestern Obolon area of the city to stay off the streets because "active hostilities" were approaching. (Reuters, 02.25.22)
• The government of Ukraine is asking for volunteers from the country's hacker underground to help protect critical infrastructure and conduct cyber spying missions against Russian troops, according two people involved in the project. (Reuters, 02.24.22)
• Ukraine says it will posthumously honor a group of Ukrainian border guards who were killed defending a tiny island in the Black Sea during a multi-pronged Russian invasion. Ukraine lost contact with its forces on Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, a speck of land south of the port of Odessa, on Feb. 24 after Russia conducted strikes from air and sea, Kyiv said. A Ukrainian official said 13 soldiers had been killed. (Reuters, 02.25.22)
• A radiation spike has been recorded near Chernobyl's nuclear power plant which has been seized by Russian forces, monitoring data shows. Radiation levels increased about 20-fold on Feb. 24, monitoring stations there reported. But experts say another major nuclear disaster there is "extremely unlikely." The rise was caused by heavy military vehicles stirring contaminated soil in the exclusion zone surrounding the abandoned plant, Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported. Should an artillery shell hit the storage unit, Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister, said, “radioactive dust could cover the territory of Ukraine, Belarus and the countries of the European Union.” (BBC, 02.25.22. The New York Times, 02.24.22)
• Russia’s military claimed Feb. 24 that its Armed Forces are not carrying out missile, aviation or artillery attacks on Ukraine’s cities. “The Ukrainian armed forces’ military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military airfields and aviation are being put out of action by high-precision means of destruction,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in statements to state-run news agencies. Ukraine’s civilian population is not in danger, the TASS news agency cited the Defense Ministry as saying. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Feb. 24 that Russian forces have suffered significant losses in their attack on Ukraine. “Tens, if not hundreds, of bodies are returning to Russia,” he said in a video message from Kyiv without disclosing evidence for the claim. He asserted that the Ukrainian army has destroyed six planes, two helicopters and five tanks. (The Washington Post, 02.24.22)
• Ukraine on Feb. 23 began calling up reservists into the armed forces and urged its citizens to leave Russia immediately. The call was issued a day after Russia's upper house of parliament gave Putin permission to send "peacekeepers" into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. (AFP, 02.23.22)
• Putin made clear his target goes beyond his neighbor to America’s “empire of lies,” and he threatened “consequences you have never faced in your history” for “anyone who tries to interfere with us.” In a rambling speech early Feb. 24, full of festering historical grievances and accusations of a relentless Western plot against his country, Mr. Putin reminded the world that Russia “remains one of the most powerful nuclear states” with “a certain advantage in several cutting edge weapons.” (The New York Times, 02.24.22)
• Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine to “free Ukrainians from oppression,” Lavrov said Feb. 25, reflecting Moscow’s stark interpretation of the bombing and airstrike campaign against its pro-Western neighbor. “President Putin has decided to conduct a special military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, so that, freed from this oppression, Ukrainians could freely determine their future,” Lavrov said. "We are ready for negotiations at any moment, as soon as the armed forces of Ukraine respond to our call and lay down their arms," Lavrov said. (The Moscow Times, 02.25.22)
• American officials are warning Ukraine’s military to be aware of Russian disinformation campaigns. One U.S. official said it appeared Russia was publicizing false reports to discourage Ukrainian troops and prompt them into surrendering. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• NATO leaders meeting in a virtual summit say they have agreed to make “significant additional defensive deployments of forces” to the east of the alliance. That is expected to include the activation of NATO’s rapid reaction joint task force, about 5,000 combat-ready soldiers with full air and intelligence support. “Peace on our continent has been shattered,” the alliance’s secretary general said earlier in Brussels. (The New York Times, 02.25.22, The Washington Post, 02.24.22)
• NATO members are continuing to provide military weapons to Ukraine, including air defense systems, the western alliance’s head has said. After a crisis meeting of leaders of the 30 alliance members, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said they would continue to help Kyiv resist Russia’s invasion. (Financial Times, 02.25.22)
• British and NATO troops must not play an active role in Ukraine, a U.K. defense minister has said, to avoid “unnecessary” escalation of the conflict. “British and NATO troops should not, must not, play an active role in Ukraine,” James Heappey, the minister for the Armed Forces, told the House of Commons on Feb. 25. “We must be clear what the risks of miscalculation could be” and how quickly the situation could “escalate unnecessarily.” (Financial Times, 02.25.22)
• The Russian attack on Ukraine has prompted a flurry of activity among far-right European militia leaders, who have taken to the internet to raise funds, recruit fighters and plan travel to the front lines to confront the country’s invaders, according to a research group. In recent days, militia leaders in France, Finland and Ukraine have posted declarations urging their supporters to join in the fight to defend Ukraine against a massive Russian invasion. The posts have been located and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, a private organization that specializes in tracking extremist groups. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Here's a link to The New York Times' maps of the conflict's spread.

II. Response

Sanctions:

• President Biden on Feb. 24 said the U.S. would sanction major Russian banks and impose export controls on Russia to curtail Russian high-tech imports as part of a coordinated effort with allies to penalize the Kremlin for its military attack against Ukraine. In remarks from the East Room of the White House, Biden said the sanctions would target Russian banks holding a combined $1 trillion in assets, including Russia’s two largest financial institutions, Sberbank and VTB Bank. He said the U.S. would also impose sanctions on additional Russian elites with links to the Kremlin. (The Hill, 02.24.22)

• The Biden administration intends to impose sanctions on Putin, taking the rare step of freezing the personal assets of a world leader, people familiar with the matter said Feb. 25. The sanctions are a provocative step but are also largely symbolic, as the status of Putin’s financial holdings has been cloaked in mystery and his money is not believed to be held in the United States. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)

• The European Union has agreed to freeze the assets of Putin and Lavrov. Putin and Lavrov will be subject to an asset freeze as part of a massive package agreed at an emergency summit of EU leaders on Feb. 25. It is unclear how badly the two men will be hurt by such a move or if it will be mainly symbolic. The package did not include harder-to-agree measures. President Charles Michel of the European Council said the bloc was already starting to work on a third set. (RFE/RL, 02.25.22, The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Zelensky on Feb. 25 afternoon criticized Europe for not imposing deep enough sanctions on Moscow and called on Putin to negotiate in order to “stop the death.” (Financial Times, 02.25.22)
• Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, called on the EU to cut Russia off from SWIFT, a payment system; close European airspace to Russian aircraft; and to impose personal sanctions against Putin and Lavrov, as well as oligarchs cooperating with Putin. “The European Union cannot look away,” he wrote. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain says he will introduce sanctions against Putin and Lavrov. At a NATO meeting he also urged other leaders to exclude Russia from the SWIFT payment system. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Russia will impose retaliatory sanctions on Western nations on the basis of reciprocity, the Kremlin said on Feb. 25. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said sanctions would cause problems for Russia but they would be solvable, as it had reduced its dependence on foreign imports. He declined to comment on how long Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the sanctions, would last and said questions about Ukrainian civilian deaths should be referred to the military. (Reuters, 02.25.22)
• Russia announced its first response to Western sanctions: British planes will be banned from flying to Russia or crossing its airspace, which could affect flights from London to Asia. Britain this week banned the Russian national airline Aeroflot. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Feb. 25 accused Russia of having attacked a kindergarten and an orphanage. “Today’s Russian attacks on a kindergarten and an orphanage are war crimes and violations of the Rome Statute. Together with the General Prosecutor’s Office we are collecting this and other facts, which we will immediately send to the Hague. Responsibility is inevitable," he wrote on Twitter (Russia Matters, 02.25.22)
• The E.U.’s desire to punish Russia with sanctions is complicated by its dependence on Russian energy. Supplies of both oil and natural gas have already been tight for months, driving up prices. Who would be hurt the most by a reduction in the flow? Germany, Italy, Austria and France are the biggest consumers of Russian natural gas in western Europe, according to the Russian energy giant Gazprom. (The New York Times, 02.24.22)

Ukraine:

• Ukraine wants peace and is ready for talks with Russia, including on neutral status regarding NATO, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters on Feb. 25. "If talks are possible, they should be held. If in Moscow they say they want to hold talks, including on neutral status, we are not afraid of this," he said via a text message. "We can talk about that as well." (Reuters, 02.25.22)
  • The Kremlin said on Feb. 25 that it was ready for talks with Ukraine after Zelensky said he was ready to discuss a “neutral status” for his country. But the conditions for such negotiations were not immediately clear as the Russian military signaled that it could be preparing an assault on the Ukrainian capital. Earlier, Lavrov had dismissed Ukraine’s offer to negotiate. He said at a news conference in Moscow that Zelensky was “lying” in saying he was ready to discuss a neutral status for Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported. (The New York Times, 02.25.22, The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Russia after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion, Zelensky announced Feb. 24. Zelensky made the declaration in a live televised address, comparing Russia to Nazi Germany. "Ukraine is defending itself and we shall not cede our freedom," he said. "Russia has attacked Ukraine in a cowardly and suicidal way, like Nazi Germany did during World War II." (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• “Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with Russia. I call on all our partners to do the same. By this concrete step you will demonstrate that you stand by Ukraine and categorically reject the most blatant act of aggression in Europe since WWII,” tweeted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Feb. 24. (Russia Matters, 02.24.22)
• Zelensky, speaking in a video address on Feb. 24, warned that a “new iron curtain” was descending that would “close off Russia from the civilized world.” “Our national task,” he said, is to assure that this curtain “doesn’t go across our Ukrainian territory, but [instead] across Russians’ home.” Zelensky appealed to world leaders, calling for the “most powerful package of sanctions in world history.” He added: “If you don’t help us, if you don’t help us powerfully, then tomorrow war will be knocking on your doors.” (The Washington Post, 02.24.22)
• Zelensky posted a video of him and other government officials in the capital city of Kyiv as Russian soldiers close in on the area. The video comes as Zelensky previously said he has intelligence that he is a prime target for Russia during the war. It also shows that the president has not left the city despite Russia's claims that he fled. (The Hill, 02.25.22)
• As reports of mounting casualties emerged, crowds of Ukrainians and foreigners fled Kyiv and other cities. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, crossed into Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia on Feb. 25 as Russian missiles pounded the capital Kyiv and men of fighting age were told to remain. Many waited for hours in freezing conditions to leave Ukraine after Putin launched an invasion. (The Washington Post, 02.24.22, Reuters, 02.25.22)
  • More than 50,000 Ukrainians have fled the country in less than 48 hours, mostly to Poland and Moldova, according to the United Nations’ high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi. The U.N. refugee agency noted Feb. 24 that Russia’s attacks have displaced as many as 100,000 Ukrainians from their homes. The United Nations is preparing for up to 4 million refugees from Ukraine if Russia's war against the country continues to escalate. (The Washington Post, 02.25.22, RFE/RL, 02.25.22)
  • Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban takeover of their country last year have found themselves in the middle of another bloody conflict in Ukraine. (The New York Times, 02.25.22) 
• Searching for diplomatic solutions, Zelensky asked the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, to mediate negotiations in Jerusalem between Ukraine and Russia. Bennett’s office declined to comment. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)

U.S.:

• Russia is carrying out “a brutal assault on the people of Ukraine” in “a premeditated attack” that has no justification, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a speech on Feb. 24, in which he announced new sanctions on Russia’s economy and military. “Putin is the aggressor,” Biden said, adding that Putin and his country will bear the costs of the war in Ukraine. (NPR, 02.24.22)
• Biden has been presented with a menu of options for the U.S. to carry out massive cyberattacks designed to disrupt Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations in Ukraine, four people familiar with the deliberations tell NBC News. No final decisions have been made, but among the options: disrupting internet connectivity across Russia, shutting off electric power and tampering with railroad switches to hamper Russia’s ability to resupply its forces, three of the sources said. (NBC News, 02.24.22)
• Earlier, the United States called off high-level meetings with Putin and Lavrov following Moscow’s recognition of Ukraine’s two rebel regions, a move described in the West as laying the groundwork for an invasion. The fast-moving events also threw a wrench into Lavrov’s scheduled meeting with U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken for Feb. 24. (The Moscow Times, 02.23.22)
• More than 300 State Department personnel have pressed the department’s leadership to do more to aid locally hired Ukrainian embassy staff who remain in Ukraine and face bombardment and invasion by Russian troops. In an emailed letter reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the foreign service officers and other staff criticized the department’s “lack of responsiveness” to requests for help from their Ukrainian colleagues. (The Wall Street Journal, 02.25.22)
• Wall Street's main indexes rallied for a second straight session on Feb. 25 as investors hunted for bargains at the end of a volatile week sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with sentiment also lifted by Moscow's willingness for talks. Global stocks rebounded, while oil prices fell below $100 a barrel and safe-haven gold came off 18-month highs after Western sanctions on Russia targeted its banks but left its energy sector largely untouched. (Reuters, 02.25.22)

China:

• Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call Feb. 25 that he supported Russia and Ukraine resolving their differences through talks, saying that Beijing would decide its stance on Ukraine based on the merits of the issue, according to state broadcaster China Central Television. (The Wall Street Journal, 02.25.22)
• China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, held a phone call with Lavrov on Feb. 24 after Russian troops invaded Ukraine and began airstrikes on numerous Ukrainian cities. According to a readout from China's foreign ministry, Lavrov told Wang the invasion was precipitated by the inability of the U.S. and NATO to uphold commitments made under the Minsk Protocol. Wang responded ambiguously. "China respects each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. "At the same time, we also see the Ukraine problem has a complex and particular historical state of affairs and we understand Russia's reasonable concern on security issues." But Wang also stressed that China wanted "dialogue and negotiation," rather than military means, to solve tensions. "China's position is to thoroughly cast aside a Cold War mentality," he said. (NPR, 02.25.22)
• China on Feb. 23 opposed the idea of sanctioning Russia and called for dialogue to resolve the Ukraine crisis while Taiwan criticized Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. (The Moscow Times, 02.23.22)
• Over three months, senior Biden administration officials held half a dozen urgent meetings with top Chinese officials in which the Americans presented intelligence showing Russia’s troop buildup around Ukraine and beseeched the Chinese to tell Russia not to invade, according to U.S. officials. Each time, the Chinese officials, including the foreign minister and the ambassador to the United States, rebuffed the Americans, saying they did not think an invasion was in the works. After one diplomatic exchange in December, U.S. officials got intelligence showing Beijing had shared the information with Moscow, telling the Russians that the United States was trying to sow discord—and that China would not try to impede Russian plans and actions, the officials said. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)

International:

• The U.N. Security Council is meeting on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. to vote on a resolution condemning Russia and demanding immediate withdrawal of troops. Russia is expected to veto the resolution. Diplomats say they hope to demonstrate Russia’s isolation. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• The Council of Europe said Feb. 25 it is suspending all representatives of Russia from participation in the pan-European rights body over Moscow's attack against Ukraine. Permanent representatives of its 47 member states "agreed to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Council of Europe," invoking Article 8 of its statute, a statement said. (AFP, 02.25.22)
• The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) took steps Feb. 25 to freeze Russia out of the international economic body. Russia had a long-standing request for membership. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Former Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who during her tenure favored strong ties with Russia, said on Feb. 25 that she fully supported economic sanctions against Moscow to end the “war of aggression by Russia and President Putin.” “There is no justification whatsoever for this blatant breach of international law, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Ms. Merkel told the German wire service DPA, in her first public comments about the invasion of Ukraine. (The New York Times, 02.24.22)
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Putin in a phone call on Feb. 23 that Turkey would not recognize any move against Ukraine's sovereignty, and warned against a military conflict. The Kremlin said Putin told Erdogan about the "necessity" of his decision to recognize east Ukraine's rebel Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Putin said the decision was taken "in the conditions of the aggression of Ukrainian authorities in Donbas and their categorical refusal" to abide to a peace agreement, the Kremlin said. (AFP, 02.23.22)
• Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda declared a state of emergency Feb. 24 after Russia attacked Ukraine from multiple directions. Citing “possible disturbances and provocations due to large military forces massed in Russia and Belarus,” he instructed the NATO country’s army to deploy along its borders. (The Washington Post, 02.24.22)
• Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the government in Warsaw was drawing up a resolution that would block Russian planes from operating in Poland’s airspace, according to a Reuters report. Prague is also “considering” closing its airspace to some Russian air companies, Czech journalists and Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. (The Moscow Times, 02.25.22)
• The presence of tens of thousands of Russian troops inside Belarus represents a threat to Belarusian independence, the country's exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said Feb. 23. (AFP, 02.23.22)
• Leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan did not issue any official statements on Russia’s actions in Ukraine. (Al Jazeera, 02.25.22)
• In a short statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid condemned Russia’s move as “a serious violation of the international order,” but also stressed Israel’s “deep, long-lasting and good relations with Russia and with Ukraine.” (Al Jazeera, 02.25.22)
• Venezuela blamed NATO and the U.S. for the crisis in Ukraine, with Venezuela’s foreign ministry saying that NATO and the U.S. had violated the Minsk agreements. President Nicolas Maduro said on Feb. 24 that his government repudiated “the perverse plans that seek to surround Russia militarily and strategically.” (Al Jazeera, 02.25.22)
• It took a day for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call for “an immediate cessation of violence” after Putin’s announced war against Ukraine. In a phone call with Putin, Modi called for “concerted efforts from all sides”, but failed to take any action against India’s ally. (Al Jazeera, 02.25.22)
• Vietnam said it was “extremely concerned about the armed conflict in Ukraine.” Vietnam has very close ties to Russia, which is Hanoi’s top supplier of weapons. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Myanmar’s military government said on Feb. 25 that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was “justified” and demonstrated Moscow’s position as a world power. (Al Jazeera, 02.25.22)
• The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, expressed “increasing concern” at the events in Ukraine and said his office was committed to holding accountable any party responsible for war crimes. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• BP is under pressure to sever its ties with Rosneft over the Russian energy group’s central role providing fuel to Putin’s armed forces. (Financial Times, 02.25.22)
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to restrict global energy supplies, with the resulting rise in oil and natural-gas prices likely to hit Europe hard and potentially ripple out to the U.S. and other global markets. It’s the last thing the global economy needs: Another “supply shock,” or a sudden shortage of key products—in this case oil, natural gas and other commodities—that is likely to exacerbate a global inflation problem and make matters harder for the Federal Reserve and other central banks, which are trying to prevent consumer prices from rising out of control. (The Wall Street Journal, 02.25.22)
• There is the $400,000 in cryptocurrency donations raised by a Kyiv IT professional to support the Ukrainian army. There are calls from Western cryptocurrency activists to mobilize on behalf of the Ukrainian people. And there are fears that Russia could use cryptocurrency to avoid the effects of Western sanctions. The first major conflict of the crypto era also means that, for the first time ever, a tool that can move billions of dollars easily across borders is available to be marshaled by both sides. (The Washington Post, 02.25.22)
• Russia was on Feb. 25 kicked out of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, while UEFA is exploring how to end its longstanding partnership with Gazprom, after stripping St Petersburg of this year’s Champions League final, as the football administrator moved to distance itself from Russia. (The Moscow Times, 02.25.22, Financial Times, 02.25.22)

III. Russia’s domestic politics and economy

• The Russian ruble fell 10% to its lowest ever level against the U.S. dollar and euro Feb. 24 morning within minutes of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a “special operation.” (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• Russia’s stock markets plunged at the start of a delayed trading session Feb. 24 after Russia launched military action in Ukraine. The benchmark MOEX index of leading Russian shares fell by more than 40% in morning trading according to data on the exchange’s website. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
  • The start of trading was temporarily delayed to allow Russia’s Central Bank to announce an emergency support package — intervening in the foreign currency markets and boosting liquidity to banks. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• Russian billionaires lost $39 billion in a single day after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to calculations by Bloomberg. That doubled their losses since the start of the year following a $32-billion rout ahead of the invasion, as President Vladimir Putin geared up for his strike on Russia’s pro-Western neighbor, triggering heavy sanctions from advanced economies. (The Moscow Times, 02.25.22)
• The Bank of Russia said in a statement on Feb. 25 that to satisfy “a growing demand” for cash, it had “increased the distribution of hard cash to banks, and the replenishment of ATMs will continue this weekend.” Since Russia invaded Ukraine and Western nations announced measures meant to handicap Russian banks, uneasy Russians have lined up to withdraw funds from banks. The Bank of Russia said that all its clients funds were “fully preserved and accessible” for transactions. (The New York Times, 02.25.22)
• Investors’ ability to buy and sell Russians assets such as stocks and bonds has deteriorated sharply in a sign that western sanctions are eroding the country’s links to foreign capital markets. (Financial Times, 02.25.22)
• Anti-war protests took place in over 50 Russian cities on Feb. 24 night, with almost 2,000 arrested according to the OVD-Info watchdog amid major security force deployments in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk. (The Moscow Times, 02.25.22)
• Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said Feb. 24 he opposes Putin’s declaration of war against Ukraine, calling it a “distraction” from Russia’s economic stagnation and sociopolitical problems. “I am against this war,” Navalny told the judge. “I think this war is designed to divert attention from Russia’s problems, and it will only lead to greater impoverishment,” he added before being interrupted by the judge. “I consider those who unleashed this war to be bandits and thieves. I went into politics to fight this criminal regime of thieves.” (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• Russian celebrities, journalists and other public figures have voiced opposition to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, with activists planning to stage an anti-war rally in central Moscow this evening. Pop stars, late-night television hosts and film directors have been posting black squares to Instagram in protest of the war. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• Dozens of Russians have been detained in cities across the country for protesting against the war against Ukraine, independent monitors said Feb. 24. Solo pickets—essentially the only legal form of public protest in Russia—in protest of the war have taken place from the southern city of Tolyatti to the Far East city of Khabarovsk. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• Prominent rights activist Marina Litvinovich on Feb. 24 called on Russians to attend a “walk” against the war at 7 p.m. Moscow time, including on Pushkin Square in central Moscow. Soon after, authorities detained Litvinovich outside her home, the independent Dozhd broadcaster reported. Later, several anti-war protesters who had gathered at the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow were detained. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• As Russian forces began a major offensive in Ukraine, state-run media organizations began the morning by describing the invasion as a “peacekeeping operation” and saying that the Ukrainian army is in retreat. (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• In a statement, the Rozkomnadzor agency demanded that Russian media “use only information and data from official Russian sources” in covering what it called the “the special operation connected with the situation in the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic.” The regulator said that failure to comply could result in websites being blocked within Russia, and in a fine of up to 5 million rubles ($59,000). (The Moscow Times, 02.24.22)
• Russia on Feb. 25 announced a “partial restriction” of access to Facebook after reporting the social media network had taken action against the accounts of several Kremlin-backed media outlets over their coverage of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. (The Washington Post, 02.25.22)
• Kommersant special correspondent Elena Chernenko, a leading Russian journalist who organized an open letter against Russia’s war in Ukraine, has been barred from attending Foreign Ministry events. More than 200 journalists—including at state outlets—added their names to a letter drafted by Chernenko which stated there was “no justification for war” and that military action “was never and will never be a way to resolve problems.” (The Moscow Times, 02.25.22)