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Twitter is part of our war effort – Ukraine minister

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As Ukraine’s military and citizens battle Russia’s advancing troops, the country has opened a new front in the fighting – using tech expertise to rally Silicon Valley’s support and undermine the enemy. Digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov is leading the charge, but some of his tactics are proving divisive. From his underground shelter in a secret location in Kyiv, Ukraine’s youngest cabinet minister is waging a digital war on Russia. Using his preferred weapon – social media – Mykhailo Fedorov has been urging chief executives of big businesses to cut ties with Moscow. He’s also taken the unprecedented move of setting

Ukraine crisis: The West fights back against Putin the disruptor

Successive US presidents have struggled to get the measure of Vladimir Putin but now that Brussels and Berlin have joined the fray with such resolve, it’s a different story, writes Nick Bryant. It is often tempting to look upon Vladimir Putin as the millennium bug in a human and deadly form. The Russian president rose to power on 31 December 1999, as the world held its breath that computers would go into meltdown when the clock struck midnight, unable to process the change from 1999 to 2000. In the 20 years since, Putin has been trying to engineer a different

Ukraine: Angry Zelensky vows to punish Russian atrocities

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President Volodymyr Zelensky has said everyone who commits atrocities against Ukraine’s civilians will be punished. He said Ukrainians would not forgive or forget, and accused invading Russian troops of deliberate murder. “There will be no quiet place on Earth for you. Except for the grave,” the president said. Ukrainian officials say Russia is striking civilian targets around the country, including hospitals, nurseries, and schools. But Russia denies targeting civilians, saying it is carrying out a “special military operation” against Ukrainian “nationalists” and “neo-Nazis”. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told the BBC that, after “strong resistance” from the Ukrainian army,

Ukraine conflict: Shares slide as oil and gas prices soar

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Stock markets have sunk as soaring oil and gas prices spark fears of a global economic shock from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Oil prices soared to $139 a barrel, the highest level for almost 14 years, while wholesale gas prices for next-day delivery more than doubled. It came as the US hinted at a ban on buying Russian energy, as it looked to other countries to increase supplies. Petrol prices hit another record high, amid warnings of higher energy bills. The market turmoil is fuelling concerns that the price of many everyday items from food to petrol and heating, already

Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak investigated for wearing pro-war symbol on podium next to Ukrainian

Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak is being investigated after wearing a national war symbol on his leotard as he stood next to a Ukrainian rival on the podium in Qatar on Saturday. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said it had opened disciplinary proceedings against Kuliak for his “shocking behaviour” at the Apparatus World Cup in Doha. Kuliak earned bronze in the parallel bars final and displayed a letter ‘Z’ taped to his chest as he stood next to gold medal winner Illia Kovtun of Ukraine. The letter Z has become symbolic with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has been seen painted

Shell defends ‘difficult’ decision to buy Russian crude oil

Shell has defended its decision to purchase Russian crude oil despite the invasion and bombardment of Ukraine. The oil giant said in a statement that the decision to purchase the fuel at a discounted price was “difficult”. It confirmed that it had bought a cargo of Russian crude oil on Friday but it had “no alternative”. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hit out at the energy company, asking on Twitter: “Doesn’t Russian oil smell Ukrainian blood for you?” So far Western countries have not imposed sanctions on Russian oil imports, fearing it will drive up already record high energy prices

Microsoft stops selling products in Russia

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Microsoft has stopped selling its products and services in Russia, following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Major tech companies including Apple and Dell have made similar decisions. Microsoft said it had paused other aspects of its business in the country to comply with government sanctions. It added that it was providing cyber-security support to Ukraine to defend against cyber-attacks initiated by Russia. “Since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organisations,” Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a statement. Suspended operations Several tech companies have

War in Ukraine: UK promises quicker sanctions against Russian oligarchs

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The government is to change the law to make it easier to introduce sanctions against Russian oligarchs, after criticism the UK is acting too slowly. Ministers are tabling amendments to the Economic Crime Bill which are designed to allow the UK to align with penalties imposed by allies in the EU and US. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said foreigners trying to launder money in the UK would have “nowhere to hide”. But Labour accused the government of making a “U-turn under pressure”. Ministers have already imposed asset freezes on individuals and companies with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, following

Ukraine: Workers refuse to unload Russian oil from ship

Workers are refusing to unload Russian oil from a German-flagged ship, which is moored at a major British oil refinery. The Seacod vessel is berthed near the Stanlow Oil Refinery in Cheshire. The UK government has banned ships with “any Russian connection” from entering its ports due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the Unite union said cargo was not included in the ban and has called for ministers “to close this loophole”. Stanlow operators Essar said a German-flagged vessel was granted approval to berth by the Port Authority on Thursday. A spokesperson for the refinery, which supplies 16% of road

Ukraine war: Sky News journalist Stuart Ramsay and team shot at in ambush

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A British journalist covering the war in Ukraine has been shot and wounded after coming under fire in Kyiv. Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and his four colleagues were driving back to the Ukrainian capital when they were ambushed. As they tried to escape from the car, a bullet hit Ramsay in his lower back while camera operator Richie Mockler took two rounds to his body armour. They were told a Russian reconnaissance unit was behind the attack. Russian forces have stepped up their bombardment in recent days, with heavy shelling and attacks on high-rise apartment buildings, a clinic

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