Russia-Ukraine war live updates: NATO accused of giving Russian bombing ‘green light’
President Volodymyr Zelensky claims NATO is to blame for ‘further bombing of Ukrainian towns and villages’, as fears of a Russian chemical weapons attack emerge.
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President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused NATO of giving Russia “the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian towns and villages” after the organisation declined his demands for a no-fly zone.
Secretary Jens Stoltenberg called the move not to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine a “painful decision,” saying NATO feared it would escalate the conflict.
Enforcing the zone would potentially involve NATO planes shooting down Russian planes over the Ukraine.
“We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering,” Mr Stoltenberg.
However Zelensky rebuffed calls such a move would provoke Russian aggression against NATO.
“This is the self-hypnosis of those who are weak, insecure inside, despite the fact they possess weapons many times stronger than we have,” he said.
“All the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your lack of unity,”
US President Joe Biden has also ruled out the move, saying “it’s not going to happen”.
FEARS OF RUSSIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK
Russia could now be preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, as they bizarrely warned the European Union of secret biological factories run by Americans in the conflict zone that could accidentally be caught in crossfire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has again claimed the Kremlin had intelligence pointing to America developing biological chemicals in Ukraine and the West was worried they could “lose control” as Russian forces continued to march on Kyiv.
The claim was interpreted as a possible “red flag” plot by Moscow to launch a chemical attack in the country as their frustrated forces continue to be stymied by Ukrainian resistance.
The Kremlin used such a double play in an address to the UN Security Council emergency meeting yesterday where they were heavily criticised for firing on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine which started a fire.
But the Russian delegation claimed it was not Russia attacking the plant but rather Ukrainian “terrorists” that fired indiscriminately on their troops and then set fire to power plant offices.
Russia’s envoy to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia dismissed Western uproar over the nuclear power plant and called Friday’s Security Council meeting another attempt by Ukrainian authorities to create “artificial hysteria”.
He said it was the Ukrainian power plant management that reached an agreement with Russian forces to protect the facility “to prevent the Ukrainian nationalist or other terrorist forces from taking advantage of the current situation to organise a nuclear provocation.”
The claim was dismissed by the West.
“The world narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
“Russia’s attack last night put Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at grave risk. It was incredibly reckless and dangerous and it threatened the safety of civilians across Russia, Ukraine and Europe.”
It was Ms Thomas-Greenfield who earlier warned Vladimir Putin would do whatever it took, including using biological and chemical weapons stockpiles, if he believed his war on Ukraine was faltering.
That threat came as the World Bank warned the war would create a world food and energy crisis, would lift prices and would have lasting consequences for Mr Putin and Russia.
“There’s a global outpouring in favour of Ukraine, and that will have lasting consequences, whatever the outcome of the war,” World Bank president David Malpass said, citing what he called “a very clear focus on Putin being the source of the problem.”
US ACCUSES PUTIN OF ‘WAR CRIMES’
The US said it was “ready” for war with Russia after accusing Vladimir Putin of war crimes for attacking Europe’s largest nuclear reactor.
Russian forces took control of the Zaporizhzhia site in what the US embassy in Kyiv in what Ukraine authorities warned was an attempt to “blackmail” Europe with a nuclear hostage.
“Putin’s shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further,” the embassy tweeted.
It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant. Putin's shelling of Europe's largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further. #TheHague#Zaporizhzhia#StandwithUkraine
— U.S. Embassy Kyiv (@USEmbassyKyiv) March 4, 2022
A fire that broke out at the complex was extinguished after Kyiv Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned an explosion “will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl”.
Before meeting NATO commanders in Europe, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the defensive alliance was preparing in case conflict spilt over the borders of Ukraine.
“We seek no conflict. But if conflict comes to us, we are ready for it, and we will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Blinken said before meeting NATO commanders in Europe.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a Security Council meeting “the world narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night”
“We all waited to exhale as we watched the horrific situation unfold in real-time,” she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is the only country to have ever fired upon an active nuclear power plant.
“For the first time in human history, a terrorist state has resorted to nuclear terror. Only immediate European action can stop Russian troops,” he said.
Despite the pleas, NATO ruled out implementing a “no-fly” zone in the skies above Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg it was a “painful decision” made to avoid a “full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering”.
He accused Russia of using banned weapons including cluster bombs in “a blatant violation of international law”.
International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said Friday that “both sides” are considering his offer to meet with him at Chernobyl to discuss the security of Ukraine’s nuclear sites.
“I have indicated to both the Russian Federation and Ukraine my availability … to travel to Chernobyl as soon as possible,” Grossi was quoted by the AFP as saying.
RUSSIA BLOCKS FACEBOOK, ‘CUTS OFF MILLIONS’
Russian officials have blocked access to Facebok and Twitter within the Russian Federation. According to reports, Russian Telecom regulator Roskomnadzor said the move as in response to the social network platforms preventing access to state-run media outlets RT and Sputnik in the European Union, Ukraine and the UK.
The move came at the same time, Mr Putin signed a new law introducing jail terms off up to 15 years for citizens spreading ‘fake news’ about the army, in a fresh crackdown on free speech amid anti-war protests within Russia.
“Soon, millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and silenced from speaking out,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said in a statement.
“We will continue to do everything we can to restore our services so they remain available to people to safely and securely express themselves and organise for action.”
Press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House was “deeply concerned” about the Kremlin’s latest move.
“This is part of their effort to cut off a range of information,” she said in a briefing on Friday afternoon in Washington D.C.
“There are concerning steps they have taken to crack down on any sort of information being shared with the public.
“This is a pattern. It’s not necessary a new approach but it is a crackdown on information.
“We are deeply concerned about this and concerned about the threat to freedom of speech in the country.”
RUSSIA ACCELERATES UKRAINE INVASION
On the ninth day of the invasion of Ukraine Friday, Russian forces pressed an advance into the country but are still facing resistance in their bid to seize major cities.
The capital Kyiv remains under Ukrainian control as does Kharkiv in the east despite heavy Russian bombardment. Russian forces have seized Kherson in the south and have encircled urban centres in the region.
The east Kharkiv remains in Ukrainian hands despite intense bombardments, while Russian forces press an offensive through the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
Kyiv and the north Kyiv remains under Ukrainian control, despite heavy bombardments, although Western observers have pointed to a major Russian column of hundreds of vehicle outside the city stationed around the Hostomel airfield.
There has been heavy fighting in the vicinity of Hostomel but the column has made little progress in recent days.
Regional authorities said 47 people were killed in a Russian air strike in the northern city of Chernigiv. Zhytomyr west of Kyiv has also come under heavy fire.
A major fight is ongoing for the city of Mariupol, still under Ukrainian control, while Mykolayiv just west of Kherson is surrounded.
In Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest atomic power plant was attacked and seized by invading Russian forces in a move that sparked international outrage.
Odessa remains in Ukrainian control and for now spared of fighting although there are fears of a possible amphibious assault on the city with Russian warships lurking off the Black Sea coast.
RUSSIANS ‘MINE’ NUCLEAR PLANT TO BLACKMAIL EUROPE
Staff at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power warned that Russian troops were laying down explosive mines around the reactor in an attempt to “blackmail the whole of Europe”.
“They will be trying to mine the nuclear power plant and blackmail the whole of Europe,” Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) employees wrote in the message early Friday morning as Russian troops attacked the plant, setting it on fire.
A translation of the message was provided to Fox News by Misha Gannytskyi, director-general of the Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News (UNIAN).
“Kadyrovtsy attacked the power plant,” another message reads. “Currently there is a battle between them and the National Guard of Ukraine. This is Kadyrovtsy group for sure.”
The messages were also published by UNIAN, which added the troops belonged to the Chechen Kadyrovtsy unit.
“Definitely Kadyrovtsy. They will now try to mine it and blackmail the whole of Europe,” the employees of the nuclear power plant said.
Gannytskyi told Fox News Digital that Ukrainian officials fear Russians will use control of the nuclear power plant as a “big hostage” to pressure Ukraine.
“We can say that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin already launched the nuclear war,” he said. “We here in Ukraine are curious: what else Putin need to do before Western countries will be ready to protect our sky?”
RUSSIANS SEIZE EUROPE’S LARGEST NUCLEAR REACTOR
Russian forces have entered the site of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant that caught fire overnight during clashes, the Ukrainian nuclear inspectorate says.
“The Zaporizhzhia NPP site has been seized by the military forces of the Russian Federation,” the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said of the site in Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest.
The statement said plant staff were continuing to operate the reactor and supply power according to normal safety rules.
“Currently, the cool down of nuclear fuel at Zaporizhzhia NPP power units is ensured by the design systems of power units in accordance with the requirements of the process procedures for safe operation,” the agency said.
It warned: “The loss of the possibility to cool down nuclear fuel will lead to significant radioactive releases into the environment.”
“As a result, such an event may exceed all previous accidents at nuclear power plants, including the Chernobyl (also known as Chernobyl) accident and the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
A blaze erupted around one of the six reactors early Friday morning local time after sustained shelling from Russian artillery sparked fears of a potential nuclear disaster.
And the world was given a virtual front row seat to the potential calamity, with tens of thousands of people tuning into a live stream of the assault from cameras at the plant.
The Zaporizhzhia plant in Enerhodar on the banks of the Dnieper River in the south of the country came under sustained attack as Russian forces attempted to cut power to one quarter of the country.
But in doing so, they were warned the world faced a nuclear disaster 10 times the size of the 1986 Chernobyl accident if the dome over the reactors were breached.
World leaders including President Joe Biden appealed to the Kremlin to cease firing on the plant with real fears of a nuclear leak.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg decried Russia’s “recklessness” over the shelling of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine and demanded Moscow stop the war against its neighbour.
Local firefighters were also reportedly being shot at as they attempted to put out the fire in an adjoining office block, before Russian troops were ordered to stop.
The live stream showed the shelling and one building aflame, and a volley of incoming shells, before a large candescent ball lit up the sky, exploding beside a car park and sending smoke billowing across the compound.
It also showed armoured vehicles firing on the plant at close range.
The shelling did stop and emergency crews were eventually allowed onto the site to deal with the fire and inspect the damage. It was later confirmed there was no breach and radiation levels remained normal.
“At 06:20 (04:20 GMT) the fire in the training building of Zaporizhzhia NPP in Energodar was extinguished. There are no victims,” Ukraine’s emergency services said in a statement on Facebook.
ZELENSKY ACCUSES PUTIN OF ‘NUCLEAR TERROR’
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of resorting to “nuclear terror” and wanting to “repeat” the Chernobyl disaster.
“No country other than Russia has ever fired on nuclear power units. This is the first time in our history, in the history of mankind. The terrorist state now resorted to nuclear terror,” he said in a video message.
Mr Zelensky had also been in contact with leaders from the US, UK, EU, Germany and Poland and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Nuclear plant spokesman Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television fire crews were initially unable to get to the reactor which was under maintenance and had been shut down but still contained nuclear fuels.
“We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Mr Tuz said in a video statement.
“There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the biggest atomic energy station in Europe.”
Enerhodar is about 550km south east of capital Kyiv.
TURKEY BLOCKS RUSSIAN SHIPS
Turkey has taken the stunning decision to block four Russian warships from entering the Black Sea, as it surprisingly backs embattled Ukraine in the conflict.
Turkey is a longstanding member of the Western alliance of NATO but when it comes to Russia, it usually takes an opaque almost conciliatory stance.
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now imposed the 1936 Montreaux Convention to stop ships using its Bosporus waterway to access the Black Sea.
Four Russian warships, including one of its advanced flagship destroyers and frigate, immediately withdrew formal requests to pass through the channel waterway to supposedly lay further siege to Ukraine’s coastline.
Intelligence confirmed they were carrying cruise missiles and were expected to join the fight for Ukraine’s port city of Odessa but also target sites deeper inland.
The Turkish administration went one step further and has agreed to provide further armed drones to Ukraine’s military forces.
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry has already posted online videos of Turkish-made drones targeting Russian forces.
“We will very clearly, very sensitively, and objectively apply the Montreux regime. Russians should be thinking about this. Why? We showed this position in World War II; we stopped the German ships, the Italian ships even the Soviet-armed ships,” the president’s senior adviser Mesut Casin said.
President Erdogan had previously condemned the invasion of Ukraine and offered to mediate a truce.
PUTIN WARNS MACRON ‘WORST TO COME’
Meanwhile, Ukraine faces being a landlocked nation for the first time in its history with Russian forces’ relentless assault set to secure its entire sea-facing southern frontier.
The latest battle plan came as Russian President Vladimir Putin contacted his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to ominously tell him “the worst is still to come” in Ukraine and his operations “were going according to plan”.
Mr Putin then took to Russian State TV to again justify the war that he maintained was to liberate Ukrainians “brainwashed” by Nazi propaganda and ruled by neo-Nazis using foreign mercenaries to enslave them.
Curiously Mr Putin for the first time conceded Ukrainian citizens were being killed but claimed they were being used as human shields by “gangster” Ukraine forces that were hiding cannons, snipers and other weaponry in the suburbs.
He singled out and claimed to have proof foreign nationals from China and India were specifically being used as human shields.
“These are tactics of terrorists,” he said as he went on to praise the heroes in the Russian military. He pledged if they were killed their families would get $65,000 lump sum compensation.
RUSSIANS CLAIM KHERSON, ATTACK MARIUPOL, ODESSA
His address came as Ukrainian and Russian delegations discussed a truce although the Russian side was not shifting from its demand Ukraine agree never to accept NATO membership.
The talks, which canvassed “humanitarian corridors” for civilians to escape the violence and a ceasefire, ended in “regret”.
From the land, air and sea Vladimir Putin’s forces continued to lay siege to the Ukrainian seaside ports with Mariupol on the Azov Sea remaining surrounded and its citizens cut off from electricity and water.
Odessa too is now under air attack as images show a large Russian landing craft force leaving its base in Crimea, suggesting that city faces a troop invasion from the sea.
Ukrainian reservists are heading to the city to bolster defence.
Russian troops are moving toward the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv, a major shipbuilding centre.
The port of Kherson was earlier declared lost to Russian control although some pockets of resistance still existed.
Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest grain and food oil exporters from its Black Sea ports and cutting permanent access to the coast will deal a crippling blow to the country’s already challenged economy.
Ukraine maintained Russia’s desperation would force them to use tactics they deployed in Syria and Chechnya where it pounded cities of Aleppo and Grozny to ruins.
TOP RUSSIAN MILITARY LEADER KILLED
Meanwhile, the Kremlin confirmed one of their top military leaders Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division, was killed in fighting in Ukraine earlier this week.
The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.
Sukhovetsky, who was 47, began his military service as a platoon commander after graduating from a military academy and steadily rose through the ranks to take a series of leadership positions. He took part in Russia’s military campaign in Syria.
Originally published as Russia-Ukraine war live updates: NATO accused of giving Russian bombing ‘green light’
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