Russo-Ukrainian conflict, day four. Timeline of events, February, 27

The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, issued a refutation of his alleged report that Kyiv was surrounded. “Russia continues to fight against Ukraine not only with military weapons, but also with information. Today they created a clone of my Instagram page and spread information with reference to me that Kyiv was allegedly cordoned off and the evacuation of people was impossible. And it is surprising that Ukrainian telegram channels began to distribute this. Don’t believe the lies! Only trust information from official sources. Together, united, we will stand. Ukraine will win!

Rocket attack on Zhytomyr airport: The Ukrainian authorities say that the blow was delivered from the territory of Belarus. Prior to today’s agreement of Russia and Ukraine to hold talks on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, Lukashenka personally promised Zelensky that there would be no military action from Belarus against Ukraine.

The settlements of Shchastya and Stanytsia Luhanska are occupied and almost destroyed, the situation is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, said the head of the Luhansk administration Serhiy Gaidai: “Dwelling houses and infrastructure facilities have been destroyed. People are constantly in basements. We cannot carry out the evacuation of the population or at least bring bread and water to people. There are no communications and no way to restore them”.

A cinema in the very heart of Chernihiv was destroyed by Iskander’s blow from the territory of Belarus:

 For the first time in history, the EU has announced its readiness to start supplying weapons to Ukraine – the head of the European Commission said.

Turkey has officially confirmed that it has closed its straits for the passage of ships from Russia and Ukraine.

British Petroleum is getting rid of its stake in Rosneft, which makes up for almost 20% of the company. The head of the British oil giant leaves the board of directors of Rosneft.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, for the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, admitted that among the Russian soldiers there are dead, wounded and those taken prisoner, but did not name specific numbers. Earlier, the President of Ukraine Zelensky has announced the figure of more than 3,500 people.

Kadyrov’s fighters in Ukraine were hit by Turkish Bayraktar, Bellingcat’s Hristo Grozev said. A column of military equipment marked with the letter V was destroyed. About 70 fighters, according to Grozev, were burned alive. The rest went back to the border. Meanwhile, Kadyrov has announced that Chechen fighters will occupy the hottest spots in Ukraine and that there are no losses.

The European Union will ban all transactions with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

SWIFT ban and sanctions against Central Bank: how new restrictions could affect Russia

The European Union will completely ban the work of propaganda Russia Today and Sputnik on its territory.

The European Union is preparing additional sanctions against the Lukashenka regime.

 In the next few days, Russia will lose several hundred civilian aircraft. Within a few days, Irish leasing companies will terminate contracts for leasing foreign aircraft to Russian airlines and demand their return, writes The Independent.

The European Union completely closes its airspace to Russia – the head of the European Commission.

White House urges China to discuss Russian invasion of Ukraine – Reuters.

Sweden will give Ukraine financial assistance of $43 million, as well as 135,000 field rations, 5,000 helmets, 5,000 body armor and 5,000 disposable anti-tank grenade launchers, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said.

The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan stated that it is not considering sending the military to participate in the operation in Ukraine.

The level of support for the Ukrainian president has risen to 91% – this is three times more than in December 2021 – the Rating research group.

Over the past few days, about 368,000 citizens left Ukraine for Europe – UN.

OncoAlert, a worldwide network of oncologists, said it would no longer cooperate with Russia: “We cannot stand aside and not speak out against Russian aggression and to our Ukrainian friends and colleagues.”

VIDEO: Message from the famous boxer Alexander Usik: “I want to say that people [in Russia] understand me. You are not at war with our government, not with our army. You are at war with the people. This is our land. We are at home here. And we didn’t come to you. We don’t need to be released. We will free ourselves”

VIDEO: In Paris, people chant “Putin is a killer” and sing a Ukrainian march

Negotiations should start very soon, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, adding that the participants are arriving at the venue. President of Ukraine Zelensky stressed that the talks would take place not in Gomel, but on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River. Zelensky said that he did not have strong hopes for the result of the meeting with Russia in Belarus, but “they could try”, as this was “albeit a small one, but still a chance”.

At the Gostomel airport near Kiev, the Ukrainian An-225 Mriya, the largest aircraft in the world, was burned, Radio Liberty and Reuters report. Ukraine has officially confirmed the destruction of Mriya.

Spain, Canada, North Macedonia, Portugal close the sky for Russian aircraft. So far, a little less than 30 countries of the world have already banned Russian aircraft.

The head of the Russian delegation to the UN climate conference, Oleg Anisimov, said at the meeting: “Let me apologize on behalf of all Russians who were not able to prevent this conflict. Those who see what is happening cannot find any justification for attacking Ukraine”. Anisimov said that this statement is his personal opinion and cannot be regarded as the official position of the Russian delegation.

The Current Time TV channel reported that Roskomnadzor sent it a notification about the blocking of their website.

Telegram owner Pavel Durov: “Telegram channels are increasingly becoming a source of unverified information related to events in Ukraine. We do not have the physical ability to check all channel publications for accuracy. I urge users from Russia and Ukraine to be suspicious of any data that is being distributed on Telegram at this time”.

PHOTO: Large-scale anti-war rallies in Berlin and Prague. More than 100,000 people participate in the Berlin action

PHOTO: Anti-war protest in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Violent arrests are ongoing. Photo: David Frenkel/Mediazona

  Mayor of Kyiv Klitschko: Kyiv holds the defense, there are no Russian troops in the capital. At night there were clashes and skirmishes with sabotage groups. Since the beginning of hostilities, 9 civilians, 18 military and territorial defense fighters, as well as 4 unidentified people have died. 106 people were injured, 47 of them were civilians.

  The Kyiv mayor’s office turned to the residents of Kyiv with a request to help organize the defense of the Solomensky district of the capital.

ABOUT NEGOTIATIONS

  Alexander Lukashenko called Volodymyr Zelensky, the office of the President of Ukraine reports. An agreement was reached that the Ukrainian delegation would meet with the Russian one without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River. Lukashenka took responsibility for making sure that during the journey, negotiations and return of the Ukrainian delegation, all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory will remain on the ground.

  Kremlin: Israeli Prime Minister had a conversation with the President of Russia and offered intermediary services in Ukraine. Putin replied that the Russian delegation was in Belarus and was ready for negotiations in Gomel.

  Switzerland is trying to organize a Russian-Ukrainian meeting, local television reports.

  British Foreign Minister: “You cannot negotiate with Russia BEFORE the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine. The Russians do not have the right to negotiate with weapons pointed at the heads of the Ukrainians”

  According to Swiss media, Zelensky asked the President of Switzerland to hold a conference in Geneva to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Here’s where Russian troops have advanced in Ukraine (CNN)

 The city of Nikolaev, where the night battles took place, is once again under the control of Ukraine. The Unian agency reports that in the center of Nikolaev the anthem of Ukraine is played – “so that all citizens know in which country they woke up”. Nikolaev is located in the south of Ukraine. This is one of the important economic centers of Ukraine, there are several shipyards here.

VIDEO: Nikolaev after the fights:

 Russian soldiers from the column that broke through to Kharkiv occupied a school building. Ukrainian units continue street fighting.

VIDEO: Footage from the Ukrainian side

 The press service of President Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine will not participate in the negotiations in Gomel, Belarus. However, the Russian group ignored this message and stated that would stay there until 15:00 and wait for confirmation from Ukraine to agree to a meeting. In the morning, Zelensky said he was ready for negotiations “anywhere in the world where no missiles are flying to Ukraine”.

  President of Belarus Lukashenko:

1. “The reason for the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine was an attack from its side”.
2. “There were 2-3 missile strikes from the south of Belarus at the beginning of the conflict, because Kyiv deployed missile battalions near the border, planned to attack Russia and was ready to launch missiles near the Belarusian border”.
3. “There are no Belarusian soldiers, no weapons, no ammunition in Ukraine, and Russia does not need such help”.
4. “Weapons were brought to Belarus from Ukraine, bandit groups were trained to carry out provocations in the republic”.
5. “The conflict in Ukraine is nothing, if it continues to develop, it will get way worse”.
6. “Belarus will ask Russia to deploy nuclear weapons if the West deploys such weapons to Poland or Lithuania”.

  Ukrainian media reports the successful use of Bayraktar drones against Russian troops.

  Austria and Ireland also close the airspace for Russian aircraft. Russian aircraft are already banned from flying over the UK, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland and Finland.

  The Central Bank of Russia commented on the consequences of sanctions and the disconnection of leading Russian banks from the SWIFT international financial system:

1. The Bank of Russia has the necessary resources to maintain financial stability and will continuously provide banks with cash and non-cash liquidity in rubles.
2. The Russian banking system is stable, has sufficient capital and liquidity to function smoothly in any situation. All customer funds on the accounts are saved and available at any time.

  The International Judo Federation has suspended Putin’s powers as honorary president and ambassador.

  Georgian Post will send humanitarian parcels to Ukraine for free. To send a parcel, you can apply with a passport to any of the Georgian post offices.

 In the video, Azerbaijani residents of Kyiv, they are armed and declare support for the Ukrainian Army

About 30 people are participating in an ongoing march n in support of Ukraine in Baku. A rally of solidarity with Ukraine is scheduled for 15:00 in front of the Ukrainian embassy in Baku. Humanitarian aid will also be collected to be sent to Kyiv.

  Fighting continues in Bucha (15 km from Kyiv), Russian equipment is coming. The bridge between Bucha and Irpen which leads to Kiyv has been blown up.

  Russian troops are trying to break into Mariupol, now there are battles on the outskirts of the city, the correspondent of Ukraine-24 reports.

  Heavy fighting continues on the streets of Kharkiv.

  Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian delegation arrived in Gomel for talks with Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky responded that negotiations cannot be held in Belarus because it is participating in the war. “If there were no aggressive actions from your territory, we could speak in Minsk, your city. The site for negotiations can be other cities, from the territory of which rockets do not fly. This is the only way the negotiations can be honest and lead to the end the war”, Zelensky said and suggested Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, or Baku.

VIDEO: Zelensky’s appeal:

 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny said that the Ukrainian air force shot down a cruise missile fired at Kiyv from the territory of Belarus by a Tu-22 aircraft.

  Russian Defense Ministry: Russian troops captured Genichesk and the Chernobaevka airfield near Kherson, and the DPR troops took Pavlopol and Pishchevik.

  President of Ukraine Zelensky announced the creation of an international legion for volunteers from abroad.

  Russian aircraft are prohibited from flying over the UK, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Poland. Finland also closes its airspace, after which the air blockade will be completely closed in the western direction.

  The websites of the Kremlin, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, Roskomnadzor and Channel One have not been working since yesterday. On February 25, the Anonymous hacker group announced that it was “participating in operations against the Russian Federation”.

  According to the UN, more than 150,000 refugees have already left Ukraine. Most people go to Poland.

 Heavy fighting is ongoing in the streets of Kharkiv, there are Russian special forces, soldiers and tanks in the city center. At night, the city was under heavy shelling, one entrance of a nine-story building collapsed, and a woman died. Advisor to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko called on Kharkiv residents to join the defense, throw Molotov cocktails and shoot from their homes. It was reported that a gas pipeline was blown up in Kharkov, but there was no official confirmation yet.

? Fighting continues in Vasilkov, in the suburbs of Kyiv and in Nikolaev. In Vasilkovo, after the air strike, the tank farm is still burning, the sky is covered in black smoke.

The city of Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson region is completely under the control of Russian troops, the mayor of the city Vladimir Kovalenko confirmed. He said that the Russian military removed all Ukrainian flags from administrative buildings. There is a dam of the North Crimean Canal Near Novaya Kakhovka, through which water is supplied to the Crimea.

Russian Defense Ministry: Over the past day, Russian troops completely blocked Kherson and Berdyansk.

An air raid alert is now sounding again in Kyiv. In the morning, the city administration reported that the situation in the capital is calm, the city is completely controlled by the Ukrainian army and volunteers. Explosions and shots were heard on online cameras throughout the night, but the Ukrainian media did not report on the battlefields.

The city of Nikolaev remains under the control of Ukraine, the mayor said. But fighting has been going on in the city since the night.

For the first time, the death of a Russian military has been confirmed from the Russian side. The head of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, announced on his Instagram the death of an officer of the Russian army, Nurmagomed Gadzhimagomedov, in Ukraine. But the Russian Ministry of Defense has not confirmed the death of Gadzhimagomedov and generally denies any losses since the beginning of the invasion.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops, Putin, has not seen for more than 40 hours. Yesterday, Putin did not make record any video messages, and no footage of any meetings with his participation was published.

The government of Ukraine has launched a website called “Look for yourself”, where information about captured and dead Russian soldiers is published. A hotline “Return from Ukraine alive” has also been opened.

Google has banned the RT TV channel and other Russian state media from receiving money for advertising on their websites and applications. Videos from restricted media outlets will be less likely to appear in recommendations on YouTube, Farshad Shadlou, a representative of the video hosting, added. Google explained this by “extraordinary circumstances”

Online camera installed on the Maidan in the center of Kyiv shows bursts of fire,  explosions have been heard all night with short breaks. Ukrainian media did not report on the places of fighting in the city during the night. The night before, the inhabitants of Kyiv were warned of the possibility of a bombardment. Amid complete blackout in the city, even journalists were asked not to turn off the lighting lamps in live broadcasts. Reports spread about the landing of Russian troops in the center of Kyiv, white traces that appeared in the sky were mistaken for their parachutes. However, these turned out to be traces of the work of Ukrainian air defense.

The mayor of Nikolaev Alexander Senkevich said that there were fights on the streets of the city at night. According to him, Nikolaev remains under the control of Ukraine.

In the city of Vasilkov, 24 km from Kyiv, a tank farm has been blown up at night and continues to burn, poisonous smoke has spread on for many kilometres. Fierce battles are going on for the second day outside the city. Ukrayinska Pravda, citing an unnamed source in the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reports that the battle is for the air base where six MiG-29 aircraft are based.

Kharkov has been shelled all night, fighting is ongoing. After a shell hit a 9-story residential building, a load-bearing wall from the second to the seventh floors collapsed, apartments on three floors were damaged, and one woman died, local authorities report. 20 residents of the house were evacuated. In the basement of the house, about 60 people were hiding from shelling, none of them were injured.

Lithuania handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine a large number of machine guns, pistols, helmets and armored vehicles.

More than 9.5 thousand French troops have been mobilized and put on alert due to the situation in Ukraine, France Press reported with reference to the General Staff.

French President Macron demanded that Belarusian President Lukashenko withdraw Russian troops from his country. “The brotherhood of the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples must force Minsk to refuse to be a vassal of Russia and an accomplice in the war against Ukraine”, Macron said.

Elon Musk announced that he provided Ukraine with Starlink satellite Internet. Ukraine became the 29th state where it became possible to use this service

SANCTIONS

The world’s two largest manufacturers of processors for PCs, servers and laptops, Intel and AMD, have suspended deliveries of their chips to Russia.

Germany has announced that it will join the countries that have closed their skies to Russian aircraft, joining Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the United Kingdom.

The European Union decided to disconnect VTB, Otkritie Bank, Sovcombank, Promsvyazbank and Novikombank from SWIFT. “This will effectively block Russian exports and imports. We will stop Putin from using his military treasury, we will paralyze the assets of the Russian Central Bank. This will freeze its transactions and make it impossible for the Central Bank to dispose of its assets”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The United States, Great Britain and Canada join this decision.

“Disconnecting Russian banks from SWIFT is only the first step towards excluding Russia from the global financial system”, said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The EU will work to ban Russian oligarchs from using their assets in European markets – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

UK Foreign Office: “We are working on a blacklist and in a few weeks we will impose sanctions against Russian oligarchs. A plan is being developed for the development of property that will be confiscated from those citizens of the Russian Federation who will be on this list”.

VIDEO: Thousands of people at the railway station in Lvov, waiting for trains to Poland, UNIAN writes:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, day 3. Follow the timeline of February 26 events here.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, day 2. Follow the timeline of February 25 events here.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, day one. Follow the timeline of February 24 events here.