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IN BRIEF: Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine

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Russian troops advance on Kyiv

Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital on Friday as Russian forces pressed their advance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with the international community to do more, saying sanctions announced so far were not enough.

Air raid sirens wailed over Kyiv amid unconfirmed reports that a Russian plane had been shot down and crashed into a building a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion that has shocked the world.

United Nations allocates $20 million to Ukraine

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced that the United Nations would allocate $20 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to meet immediate humanitarian needs in the region as he warned that the decisions of the coming days would shape the world and directly affect the lives of millions of people.

Putin must and will fail: EU

President Vladimir Putin “must and will fail,” top European Union leaders said on Friday as they agreed new sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine, saying he was trying to bring the continent back to the age of empires and confrontations.

UN Security Council to vote Friday on condemning Russia

The United Nations Security Council will vote on Friday on a draft resolution that would condemn Russia for invading Ukraine and require Moscow to immediately and unconditionally withdraw, but the measure is set to fail because Moscow can cast a veto.

The US-drafted resolution is then expected to be taken up by the 193-member UN General Assembly within days, a senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said earlier on Thursday.

What we know about the Russia-Ukraine conflict: Murder painted at outside Russian embassy in DC

Graffiti on the grounds of the entryway to the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. spelled out “murder” as a handful of demonstrators gathered on Thursday to send a message to Russia’s President about invading Ukraine.

A woman held a sign reading “Hands Off Ukraine,” after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war in a pre-dawn televised address.

SA calls for immediate withdrawal of Russian troops

South Africa has called on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine in line with the United Nations Charter.

In a statement, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation says the UN Charter enjoins all member states to settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice are not endangered.

“Armed conflict will no doubt result in human suffering and destruction, the effects of which will not only affect Ukraine but also reverberate across the world. No country is immune to the effects of this conflict. As the UN Secretary-General has indicated, the conflict will have a huge impact on the “global economy in a moment when we are emerging from the COVID pandemic and so many developing countries need to have space for the recovery”.

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UN, Red Cross call for protecting civilians

Civilians and critical infrastructure such as water and power systems in Ukraine must be protected from attacks in line with the rules of war, United Nations and Red Cross officials said on Thursday as aid agencies struggled to assess damage from Russia’s attack.

Ukrainian forces fought Russian invaders around nearly all of the country’s perimeter after Russia launched an assault by land, sea and air on Ukraine in the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.

Ukraine president urges citizens to fight

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday called on all citizens who were ready to defend the country from Russian forces to come forward, saying Kyiv would issue weapons to everyone who wants them.

Zelenskiy urged Russians to come out and protest against the war.

Sanctions on Russia

The European Commission said new EU sanctions will hit Russia’s economy and erode its industrial base.

Russia would respond to sanctions with “tit-for-tat” measures, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Other European countries started preparations to receive people fleeing Ukraine.

Poland called for the “fiercest possible sanctions” against Russia and the Czech foreign minister called the invasion a “barbaric act of aggression”.

Map of these countries below:

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