Attack on Iraq

According to reports, kurdish security forces said there was an Iranian attack on Erbil, Iraq near the u.s. embassy. Reportedly, Iran’s revolutionary guards who have taken responsibility, say the attack is in retaliation for the Israeli strike on Syria.

Russia and Ukraine resume talks by video link

According to a report, russian troops from Crimea are attempting to circumvent Mykolaiv and heading towards Odessa. Reportedly, a russian spokesman blamed ukrainians for not allowing evacuations from Mariupol. According to the report, humanitarian supplies, previously disrupted by warfare are expected in the city on Monday.

Reportedly, thirty five were killed in a strike on a military training facility near Lviv on Monday. According to reports, the base which used to be used by nato until they pulled out in February might be used to accommodate new foreign soldiers.

Reportedly, a second mayor has been abducted, this time for the city of Dniprorudne. According to a report, more than 668 russians, mostly young have been arrested in protests against the war. Reportedly, Moscow and Kyiv resume talks today via a video conference link.

Facebook allowing hate speach

According to reports, facebook are allowing hate speech directed at russians due to the war in Ukraine. Reportedly, businesses linked to Russia have been subject to vandalism and boycotting.

According to reports, Russia are advancing from the west and in various directions, but no news of Kyìv. According to a report, Ukraine are fighting staunchly.

Reportedly, adequate food aid has reached Ukraine, including Mariupol. According to a report, russians have shelled a military airfield in the west, and four ukrainian soldiers died. Reportedly, 1,300 ukrainian soldiers have died since the war began.

500-600 russian soldiers want to surrender

Reportedly, mercenaries from Syria and the middle east may join russian forces in Ukraine. According to reports, Ukraine forces are defending and russian troops are not making much headway on the ground. Reportedly, some russian troops are left without supervision, nowhere to sleep and in soaking conditions. According to a report, the Ukrainian president said 500-600 russian soldiers want to surrender.

Reportedly, Russia is bombarding hospitals and schools, though casualties suggest people have had time to evacuate. According to a report, citizens of Mariupol are still unable to evacuate. Reportedly, a video of a man being taken away by russian troops is said to be the Mayor of Melipitol, one of the first cities to fall. According to the report, residents are congregating in the square, chanting, bring back our mayor. Reportedly, there have been protests in other cities. According to a report, peace talks are identifying concrete points rather than ultimatums.

Chemical weapons

According to reports, both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of using chemical weapons. Reportedly, in a meeting of the u.n. security council in New York, Friday, a representative of the russian federation claimed there was a chemical weapons facility in Ukraine which was known to the u.s. An earlier exchange between the ukrainian army and pro russian seperatists in Donbas resulted in the evacuation of women, children and the elderly, though there is a possibility that ukrainian forces struck some kind of chemicals factory.

According to reports, the uk have announced sanctions for two more oligarchs, said by a uk spokesperson to have benefited from the russian regime, the implication being corruption.

Trench to bury the dead

According to a report, half of Kyiv’s population has fled. Reportedly, russian tanks entering the Kyiv area were being targeted by missiles. According to the report, aid has reached Mariupol who have had to build a trench to bury the dead. Reportedly, humanitarian corridors were set to go ahead today, Ukraine said humanitarian corridors will be resolved by people on the ground.

According to a report, the eu who strongly support Ukraines right to sovereignty say Ukraine’s membership cannot be fast tracked.

Ceasefire talks have failed

According to a report, russian airstrikes have battered many cities but little news of shelling in Kyiv. Reportedly, ukrainian soldiers are preparing for a possible ground battle.

According to a report, russian soldiers have surrounded the city of Mariupol for days, and a humanitarian crisis is developing for its 430,000 residents. According to a report, since the invasion began to March 3, the Ukraine interior minister said atleast 2,000 civilians have been died, though emergency services say this is just an estimation as many people remain trapped under the rubble. Reportedly, ceasefire talks have failed.

War in Ukraine

According to a report, civilians still trapped in besieged or destroyed areas are suffering from power outages and shortages of food and medicines. Reportedly, an air strike on the port city of Mariupol on Wednesday killed three people, including a child. According to the report, shelling of Mariupol, Thursday prevented a humanitarian convoy of supplies from reaching the city, while evacuations couldn’t go ahead.

Reportedly, Russia told Ukrainian citizens to evacuate because it was about to begin bombarding strategic targets. According to the report, Russia’s main objective is to topple the government in Kyiv and replace it with a kremlin friendly government. According to a report, troops to Ukraine’s territorial defence are in Kyiv practicing with anti tank missiles. Reportedly, according to the pentagon Russia has retained around 90% of the combat power it deployed to Ukraine, accounting for weapons and vehicles destroyed and made inoperable as well as troops killed and wounded.

Plan to supply Ukraine with missiles

According to a report, the uk are planning to supply Ukrainian forces with starstreak anti aircraft missiles and thousands of anti tank missiles, some long range. Reportedly, starsteak is the british equivalent to the u.s. made stinger ground-to- air-missiles that have been supplied by the u.s., Germany and the Netherlands. According to the report, the uk secretary of defence said ukrainian forces will have to be trained in how to use the missiles. Reportedly, starstreak are laser guided with a range of 7 km, unlike stingers which are infrared and are designed to be harder to jam.

According to reports, people in Mariupol have been without power or water for almost a week, and unguided bombs have been dropped on Chernihiv, to the north east of Kyiv.

Sovereign states

According to a report, the president of Ukraine has proposed a new agreement as an alternative to joining nato. Reportedly, if Russia signs the agreement it would agree to legal obligations to recognise Ukrainian statehood. Reportedly,Ukraine recognises that such an agreement might be surprising given the current situation, but the proposed treaty would set out specific steps taken by other parties against the violating party.

The question of neutrality is aligned to sovereignty in that in joining a military alliance such as nato there is an obligation to deploy troops on behalf of a u.n. resolution. According to a report, u.n. troops are currently deployed in Mali, the western Sahara, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Serbia, Samaria, Lebanon and Syria.