LIVE: Russia To Reciprocate Sanctions Imposed by West

18:30 EST Update:

Russia To Reciprocate Sanctions Imposed by West

The Russian Federation announced that they plan to reciprocate and evaluate bilateral relations with those countries imposing measures on them.

17:30 EST Update:

West to Disconnect Russian Banks From S.W.I.F.T. System

Western Leaders of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada held discussions to issue the of Russia from S.W.I.F.T. interbank system. The decison to disconnect was agreed upon later this Saturday.

The German government announced that all Russian banks already subjected to Western sanctions will be excluded from S.W.I.F.T. Other Russian banks are expected to have this new sanction imposed.

"This is intended to cut off these institutions from international financial flows, which will massively restrict their global operations," the German government spokesperson stated.

Western nations "stressed their willingness to take further measures should Russia not end its attack on Ukraine and thus on the European peace order." 

16:45 EST Update:

Russian Armed Forces Disable 821 Military Targets

Russian Armed Forces have disable 821 military targets in Ukraine since the beginning of the special operation. This includes fourteen air bases, nineteen command centres, twenty-four anti-aircraft missile systems and forty-eight radar stations were destroyed, reported Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defense .

14:30 EST Update:

Ukrainian Soldiers Voluntarily Laid Down Arms in DPR

Daria Morozova, the DPR's human rights envoy, reported that more than 40 Ukrainian soldiers voluntarily laid down their arms and joined the Donetsk People's Republic.

"We are talking about more than 40 people who took part in the hostilities in the south and were abandoned by their commanders in positions without communication and support. Including women and those wounded. While talking to them, I became convinced that their decision to surrender was voluntary," Morozova said in a statement.

Morozova said that those wounded were provided with full medical assistance and confirmed that all Ukrainian soldiers who had voluntarily surrendered can return.

13:45 EST Update:

Russia Captures Weapons Delivered by West to Ukraine

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman major general Igor Konashenkov announced that the weapons came from the United States and the United Kingdom.

13:30 EST Update:

Ukrainian Nationalists Carry Out Attacks on Lugansk

The Russian Defence Ministry reported that Ukrainian nationalists carried out an attack with multiple Grad rocket launching systems against populated neighbourhoods in the town of Starobilsk in the Lugansk region on Saturday.

"As a result, a fire broke out in the town, there is destruction of residential buildings and deaths among the civilian population," a ministry statement said.

In this context, the Russian military noted that they have information that Ukrainian nationalists are planning to carry out similar acts in Kramatorsk and Slaviansk.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation do not attack cities and localities, they take all measures to preserve the lives of civilians," they reiterated.

11:30 EST Update:

Ukrainian Gunboats Attack Ships with Captive Servicemen

Russia's Defence Ministry reported that on Friday night 16 Ukrainian navy gunboats attacked Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels as they were transporting 82 Ukrainian servicemen who surrendered on Snake Island off the northern Black Sea coast.

The Ukrainian boats reportedly "used swarming tactics" and "the aim of this attack was to take revenge on the surrendered Ukrainian troops and to be able to accuse the Russian army of the massacre of the prisoners".

"As a result of the naval clash, 6 boats were destroyed. None of the 82 Ukrainian servicemen on Snake Island were injured," reported Russia's Defence Ministry.

In addition, the ministry reported that the area was overflown by U.S. strategic reconnaissance drones RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9A Ripper. "It is very likely that it was the US drones that directed the Ukrainian vessels against the Russian Black Sea Fleet ships," said the ministry.

11:00 EST Update:

Ukraine Rejects Talks With Russia

On Saturday, Kiev has rejected to hold talks with Moscow in Minsk, Belarus, the designated neutral grounds where it was agreed negotiations would take place. Kiev's refusal to hold talks is connected to the conditions proposed by the Russian side described as being "unacceptable".

Ukrainian presidential advisor Mikhail Podolyak said, "Any war ends with a negotiation process, but I think that the positions in this negotiations process will be different. These will be positions that Ukraine will dictate. It will set the conditions for what will happen next, including in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions."

As a result, Russia has called off the ceasefire to hold talks, causing Russian forces to resume operations in Ukraine. "The Ukrainian side has refused to negotiate. This afternoon Russian forces have resumed their advance in accordance with the plan of the operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

6:00 EST Update:

Dmitry Medvedev calls for a review of diplomatic ties with some western countries: Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned of the possibility of a final review of relations with countries that have imposed sanctions against Russia.

"There is good news. Sanctions can be an excellent occasion for a final review of all relations with those states that have imposed them. Including interrupting the dialogue on strategic stability," he wrote on his VKontakte page.

The politician did not rule out the possibility of a break in the dialogue on strategic stability and the rejection of international agreements related to this process.

5:30 EST Update: 

Russian troops take the towns of Stanitsa Luhanska, Krymske and Markovka: The Russian military has occupied Stanitsa Luhanska, Krymske and Markovka. This was announced by the chairman of the Lugansk regional state administration Sergei Gaidai. "Unfortunately, Stanitsa Luganskaya, Krymskoye, Markovka are temporarily occupied by the Russians," he said. Gaidai also added that the authorities are in place in all settlements

DPR Colonel Eduard Basurin: The retreating Armed Forces of Ukraine want to carry out bloody provocations in order to accuse the forces of the special military operation. Ukrainian militants are already destroying bridges and other vital infrastructure, said DPR Colonel Eduard Basurin.

5:15 EST Update:

Poland: Poland estimates that 100,000 refugees from Ukraine are already on its territory.

Some 100,000 Ukrainians crossed the border into Poland in recent days fleeing the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Polish Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker said.

"Since the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine and to date, 100,000 people have crossed the border from Ukraine into Poland along the entire Ukrainian border," Szefernaker told reporters. 

5:00 EST Update:

President Sadyr Zhaparov: Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov said in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Kiev was responsible for the failure of the Minsk Agreements and supported the decisive action taken by Moscow to protect civilians in Donbas.

4:45 EST Update:

The Czech Republic sends weapons to Ukraine: The Czech Republic will supply Ukraine with weapons worth a total of 188 million Czech crowns (about $8.7 million), Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said.

"The Czech Republic will send assault rifles, machine guns, pistols, sniper rifles and ammunition to Ukraine worth a total of 188 million crowns," Cernochova said.

 

"Machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles, pistols and equivalent ammunition worth 188 million. The government on Saturday approved further aid to Ukraine, which is facing a Russian attack. The Ministry of Defense also provides immediate transport to a place designated by the Ukrainian side. Our help does not end."

4:15 EST Update:

President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that "partners" are sending weapons to help Kiev, adding that he had spoken by phone with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. "A new day on the diplomatic frontline began with a conversation with Emmanuel Macron. Weapons and equipment from our partners are on the way to Ukraine. The anti-coalition is working," Zelensky said on Twitter.

3:55 EST Update:

Roscosmos Website: Russian space corporation Roscosmos website suffers cyber-attack from abroad

The website of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos is suffering a DDoS attack from abroad, which began on Friday night, the company's press service reported.

"The Roscosmos website has been under DDoS attack from foreign servers since last night. Technicians are taking the necessary measures to neutralize the attack," a representative of the press service said.

3:35 AM EST Update:

Macron: "The war will last, this crisis will last." It will have "consequences on the agricultural world." Emmanuel Macron issued this warning on Saturday, February 26, when he inaugurated the Agricultural Show in Paris, repeating twice that "war is back in Europe." Macron has also convened a meeting of France's defence and security council on the situation in Ukraine according to media sources

Ukraine embassy in Moscow: Will be evacuating to Latvia according to Reuters.

Kiev Metro: In Kiev subway service has been stopped. This information was confirmed by the capital's mayor Vitali Klitschko in his Telegram channel." The metro has switched to shelter mode. Transportation will not be carried out," he said. Klitschko also urged the people of Kiev to stay at home or in shelters, not to go out or go to the city.

3:30 AM EST Update: 

Russian space corporation Roscosmos has suspended cooperation with Europe on launches from the Kourou cosmodrome and withdrawn its employees from French Guiana in response to European Union (EU) sanctions, the company's director general, Dmitry Rogozin, said.

"In response to EU sanctions against our enterprises, Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with European partners in the organization of space launches from the Kourou Cosmodrome and withdrawing its technical staff (...) from French Guiana," Rogozin posted on his Telegram channel.

3:15 AM EST Update:

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Poland notified Russian airlines of the closure of their airspace, a source close to one of the Russian airlines told Sputnik.

"Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Poland sent a NOTAM (notice to skippers) about the airspace closure," the source said.

The three countries previously announced plans to close their airspace for Russian airlines from February 26 due to Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

3 AM EST Update:

Fighting occurred on Saturday in Kiev near the military unit of the 101st separate guard brigade of the General Staff of Ukraine, Sputnik cited local media as reporting. Explosions were heard and fire was observed in the area, according to the video footage published by Ukrainian news agencies UNIAN and strana.ua.

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According to the Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed 821 military targets in Ukraine since the start of the special operation.

"In total, the Russian Armed Forces have disabled 821 military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine," Konashenkov told reporters.

The spokesman said that 14 air bases, 19 command centers, 24 anti-aircraft missile systems and 48 radar stations were destroyed.

According to Konashenkov, seven fighter planes, seven helicopters, nine drones, 87 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 28 multiple rocket launchers, 118 special military vehicles and eight combat boats were destroyed.

In the early hours of 24 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a "special military operation" on Ukrainian territory, claiming that the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, already recognized by Russia as sovereign states, had requested assistance in the face of aggression by Kiev.

In response, the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed that Russian troop losses "have increased significantly".