(CBS News, Associated Press; WBAP/KLIF) Fake online information campaigns that appear to be launched by Russia do not seem to be garnering much credit, at least inside Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Zelensky has responded to Russian online claims that he called for the Ukrainian military to give up with an online cell phone video of himself, clearly shot inside the besieged capital of Kyiv with a statement he himself is there and will not give up, ending with the words, “Glory to Ukraine”.
Russian military stepped up artillery and missile attacks against Ukraine’s capital city and others overnight, but western military officials have noted the Russian advance in an effort to completely take over any Ukranian city has been met with more slowing and resistance than had been expected.
CBS News reports Moscow may respond to Western sanctions by opting out of the last nuclear arms deal with the U.S., cutting diplomatic ties with Western nations and freezing their assets.
“Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, also warned that Moscow could restore the death penalty after Russia was removed from Europe’s top rights group”, CBS reported.
Western nations have placed restrictions on Russian financial operations, a ban on technology exports to Russia and frozen the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and well as his foreign minister. Washington and allies continue to discuss further sanctions, including barring Russia from “SWIFT”, the dominant global messaging/instruction system for financial transactions around the world.
A broad humanitarian crisis is brewing now in eastern Europe, as more than one million Ukrainians have fled Ukraine, with a total of four million expected.
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