Russia-Ukraine crisis: Volodymyr Zelensky says he's target number 1

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Friday to stay in Kyiv even as he said intel suggested that he was marked by the Russians as “enemy number 1.”   At least 137 Ukranians were dead, with 316 injured, Zelensky said. An estimated 100,000 people fled as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities.

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry on Friday said more than 1,000 Russian servicemen have been killed so far in the conflict. “Russia has not suffered so many casualties during the fighting in any of its armed conflicts since its inception,” the ministry said, Reuters reported.

But Zelensky warned in a video message, “(The) enemy has marked me down as the number one target. My family is the number two target.” “I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine.”

Asked if he was worried about Zelensky’s safety, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS: “To the best of my knowledge, President Zelensky remains in Ukraine at his post, and of course we’re concerned for the safety of all of our friends in Ukraine — government officials and others.”

A residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine after Russia pounded the city during a massive military operation Photo: Reuters

The Ukranian president also made his views on West’s actions clear. “This morning, we are defending our country alone. Just like yesterday, the most powerful country in the world looked on from a distance,” he said in a Facebook video, as quoted by CNN.

Sanctions, military advances

The United States, Britain, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union on Thursday unveiled more sanctions on Russia on top of those imposed earlier this week, aiming to freeze the country's banks, government and elite out of the global financial system.

Russia’s wealthiest individuals were already feeling the squeeze from escalating tensions between the nation and Ukraine.

It got much worse for their net worth after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. In less than 24 hours, they lost $39 billion — more than they had up to that point this year.

Social media giants stepped in highlighting security measure for users in Ukraine. Facebook owner Meta Platforms has set up a special operations centre to monitor the conflict in Ukraine, and it launched a feature so users in the country can lock their social media profiles for security, a company official said in Twitter posts on Thursday.

Twitter on Wednesday posted tips on how users can secure their accounts against hacking, make sure their tweets are private and deactivate their accounts. The company tweeted the safety tips in English, Russian and Ukrainian.A democratic nation of 44 million people, Ukraine is Europe’s biggest country by area after Russia itself. It voted for independence at the fall of the Soviet Union and has recently stepped up efforts to join the NATO military alliance and the European Union, aspirations that infuriate Moscow.

People fleeing the conflict from Ukraine arrive at Przemysl train station in Przemysl, Poland, on Friday Photo: AP/PTI

Invading Russian forces closed in on the Ukrainian capital Friday, in what appears to be an encircling movement after a barrage of airstrikes on cities and military bases around the country.

As they awakened on the second day of Russia's invasion, horrified civilians found themselves at risk as artillery shells rained down on some residential buildings on Kyiv's outskirts.

A spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, Shabia Mantoo, said more than 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes in Ukraine and that “up to 4 million people may flee to other countries if the situation escalates.”

Reviving Cold War fears of a nuclear showdown, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned in a speech that he has the weapons available if anyone dares to use military means to try to stop his takeover of Ukraine.

Whether an empty threat or not, Putin's words re-animated the spectre of nuclear war — through accident or miscalculation.

The airline industry meanwhile shifted its focus to Russia after the closure of the airspace over Ukraine, in a sign of the conflict’s growing fallout for the global aviation industry. 

THE LATEST SANCTIONS

BANKS & FINANCIAL FIRMS
 

US & UK: Curbs, combined with previous sanctions, kick vast majority of Russian banking assets out of both countries. New targets are Sberbank and VTB Bank, Russia’s two largest lenders

EU: Agreed sanctions targeting 70% of Russian banking market and important state-owned firms

SOVEREIGN DEBT & CAPITAL MARKETS

US: Americans will be banned from purchasing Russian sovereign debt in the secondary market after March 1

UK: Will ban Russian sovereign debt sales in London 

EU: Will ban EU investors from trading in Russian state bonds

INDIVIDUALS

US: Sanctioned those heading important Russian firms and would consider personal sanctions on Putin.

UK: Sanctions on over 100 Russian individuals and entities. Will also introduce laws to limit deposits that Russian nationals can hold in UK bank accounts.

EU: Will blacklist all lawmakers who voted to recognise two regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, freeze their assets in the EU and ban them from travelling to the bloc. Planning third round of sanctions, including against Russian President.

VLADIMIR PUTIN

ENERGY CORPORATES & NORD STREAM 2

US: Sanctions on the firm in charge of building Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Germany: It  said the pipeline could no longer be certified, effectively halting it. 

CURBING TECHNOLOGY

EU: Vowed to introduce measures to crimp Russia’s position in areas from high-tech components to cutting-edge software.

US: Implementing export controls to severely restrict Russia’s access to semiconductors, computers, telecom, information security gear, lasers, and sensors needed for military.