- Russian President Vladimir Putin is chairing a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council on Ukraine, an official statement read on Friday.
- The European Union has agreed to place Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on its list of sanctioned individuals following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reports Reuters quoting EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
- More than 360 people in Ukraine have been wounded and 137 have been killed since Thursday’s attack.
- Amid invasion in Ukraine, Russia ‘partially restricts’ access to Facebook.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said that he will stay in capital city Kyiv as Russian forces advanced towards the country.
- Two loud blasts heard in Kyiv.
- China said on Friday that it is arranging evacuation flights for its citizens stuck in Ukraine as the conditions have deteriorated sharply. According to a statement by the Chinese embassy, scheduling of evacuation flights will depend on the flight safety situation. Expressing concerns at the crisis in Ukraine, the embassy refused to mention anything about Russian invasion.
- Loud explosions reported in central Kyiv.
- On day two of the Russian invasion, loud explosions were heard in central Kyiv, news agency AFP reported on Friday.
- Gold prices surge after volatile session.
- Gold prices across the globe rose on Friday after a volatile session, as investors analysed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia.
- According to news agency Reuters, spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,909.06 per ounce by 0204 GMT. US gold futures fell 0.8% to $1,910.70.
- Taiwan ‘strongly condemns’ Russia’s invasion, urges immediate cessation of military action.
- United States President Joe Biden reacted to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s “threat” to the West “with the greatest consequences in history.”
- The Japanese government has announced that it will impose sanctions on Moscow targeting semiconductor exports and financial institutions. These sanctions are a response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, carrying out airstrikes on its cities and military bases and sending in troops from three sides of the country. The Ukrainian government, which is struggling to fight the Russian forces, has pleaded for global help.
According to the reports, as many as 137 people were killed and 316 were wounded on the first day of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified the invasion by asserting the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine. Putin also warned that any interference would lead to “consequences you have never seen.”
Meanwhile, the United States became the latest country to impose sanctions on Russia. President Joe Biden said his government will block assets of large Russian banks, impose export controls aimed at the nation’s high-tech needs and sanction its business oligarchs.
