Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 03-18-2024

A skit during the BBC’s annual Comic Relief fundraiser on Friday sparked a torrent of complaints from angry viewers over a joke about Ukrainian refugees in the UK.

BBC viewers who have raised hundreds of millions of pounds through the Comic Relief Red Nose Day telethon were angered by a segment during the Friday night broadcast that made a joke aimed at Ukrainians sheltering in the UK from Russia’s assault on their country.

During the charity special, a sketch in which the character Alan Partridge (played by Steve Coogan) along with his sidekick Simon (Tim Key) were supposedly broadcasting from the fictional North Norfolk Digital TV, in which they were reading out the most and least charitable things sent to them by the public.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons as he warns the West against its support for Ukraine, which Moscow invaded more than two years ago.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Oscar-winning film "Oppenheimer" on Monday as he warned that the world faced the highest risk of nuclear war in decades.

At a Security Council session called by Japan, Guterres said that the biopic about the morally conflicted father of the atomic bomb "brought the harsh reality of nuclear doomsday to vivid life for millions around the world."

It’s all European taxpayer money, the US hasn’t kicked in a dime. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is gaining ground in multiple sectors and Kyiv’s forces are having trouble stopping them.

An imaginative Czech plan to get Ukraine 800,000 critically needed artillery shells has found serious support and sufficient funding in Europe, but Kyiv’s hard-pressed gunners aren’t likely to get their hands on the ammo as fast as they need it.

“The Czechs have taken a very positive initiative to buy [artillery ammunition] outside of Europe. Countries are pledging money, also my country, providing funds for this. We have to move forward. Ukraine needs the weapons and the ammunition today,” said Latvian Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš in Monday comments.

In an intercepted call, Belgorod region residents were heard to discuss evacuation from border regions due to fierce battles and allege additional mobilization measures being put in place.

Residents of Russia’s Belgorod region are considering having to evacuate from border areas because of ongoingfierce fighting between pro-Kyiv militias and Russian regular troops.

In an intercepted call published by Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (HUR), a civilian woman says, “Everyone who can leave - leave en masse. They say that people are leaving, well, those who are richer, probably, who have somewhere to go.”

Russian anti-Putin volunteers assert significant losses for Kremlin troops and a blow to Putin’s image amid ongoing operations in Belgorod and Kursk.

Russian anti-Putin volunteers have claimed that their operations in the Belgorod and Kursk regions have resulted in substantial losses for the Russian army, with over 613 military personnel reported killed as of Monday morning, March 18.

The Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR) and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) conveyed through their Telegram channels: “In just a few days of conducting a limited military operation against Putin’s troops, our enemy has suffered significant losses in manpower and equipment.”

The chief of Ukrainian military intelligence said “the so-called elections” in Russia “are illegitimate” and “any results announced by the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) will be fake.”

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR), referred to protests during the latest presidential “elections” in Russia as a “ballot box riot.” He said that “such a large number of spoiled ballots and boxes have never been seen anywhere in the world,” according to the press service of the HUR.

“Whatever result the Russian Central Election Commission writes is fake, as the elections did not take place not only in the border regions. A vast number of polling stations will not have the opportunity to count the ballots due to Russian activists spoiling them, realizing the vileness of these ‘elections’," Budanov said to the Forum of Russian Volunteers on Sunday, March 17.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Kyiv's troops were in an "ongoing process" of building around 2,000 kilometres of defensive lines.

Ukrainian forces facing a lack of munitions and manpower are digging in to resist Russian attack, mirroring the invaders' strategy and showing Kyiv expects a drawn-out war.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Kyiv's troops were in an "ongoing process" of building around 2,000 kilometres of defensive lines.

Ukrainian officials hope to start accession negotiations with the EU in the first half of this year, well before the bloc’s 2030 target year for further EU enlargement.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said government authorities hope to start negotiations on joining the EU in the first half of this year,

“We are waiting and want to receive the approval of the European Council at the next meeting (this week – ed.) and believe that we will be able to start negotiations on accession in the first half of this year,” Shmyhal said in an interview with Euractiv, Ukrinform reports.

Last week’s speech by SPD parliamentary leader Rolf Mützenich, in which he rhetorically asked whether it was not time to “think about how to freeze a war,” sparked controversy in the ruling coalition.

Germany’s governing coalition is increasingly divided over the country’s Ukraine policy, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) caught in the crossfire by its coalition partners due to softening its stance on support for the war-torn country.

Last week’s speech by SPD parliamentary leader Rolf Mützenich, in which he rhetorically asked whether it was not time to “think about how to freeze a war and end it later,” sparked controversy within the ruling coalition.

Starting today, tickets for the Kyiv–Vienna route can be purchased online with ID verification through Ukraine’s eGovernment portal, with similar measures expected for other international routes.

Starting from Monday, March 18, long distance train tickets to Austria via the direct Kyiv–Vienna route can only be purchased through an app published by Ukrzaliznytsia, the state-owned railway company, supported by identity verification through Ukraine’s Diia eGovernment portal.

According to Ukrzaliznytsia’s announcement, the new measure currently only applies to the tickets purchased for the direct Kyiv–Vienna service, while journeys to Vienna originating from Ukraine’s western border city of Chop can be purchased both online and at physical ticket offices.

The European Union is scrambling to boost arms production as it struggles to keep weaponry and ammunition flowing to Kyiv and refill its own stocks.

Over half of the EU's 27 countries, including powerhouses Germany and France, have called for the bloc's lending arm to bolster financing for Europe's defence industry in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine.

The European Union is scrambling to boost arms production as it struggles to keep weaponry and ammunition flowing to Kyiv and refill its own stocks.

The Russian economy is in a dire state as the ruble stands on the precipice of devaluation. There are gasoline shortages and challenges in getting sanctioned goods, an American economist explains.

Russia’s economy is not well, leading some economists to predict that the Kremlin will stop trying to defend the ruble’s value, to keep it below 100 to the US dollar, now that the Russian presidential elections have passed.

Volodymyr Lugovskyy, an economist at Indiana University, told Kyiv Post that he is “not alone” in predicting the “ruble to fall badly within a month,” explaining that it “should have happened a long time ago, but the ruble was kept at 100 at a great cost to the Russian economy for political reasons.”

Special Operations Forces snipers successfully take down a group of Russian soldiers during night operations in the Kherson direction.

Snipers from the Special Operations Forces (SSO) have reported the elimination of six Russian soldiers in the Kherson direction, according to an announcement on the SSO's Telegram channel.

The investigation led to the detention of two individuals who previously served with Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and who received monetary “rewards” from Russia for completing their tasks.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed two Ukrainians recruited by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to coordinate missile strikes on Ukraine and bury the remains of Russian soldiers killed near Kyiv.

“The recruited father and son were preparing Russian missile strikes on the capital region,” the SBU's press service reported on Telegram.

Europe is Stepping up Ukraine Support in America's Absence

On Feb. 17th, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark will be sending its entire inventory of artillery to Ukraine. Days later, Czech President Petr Pavel announced a new initiative to supply Ukraine with 800,000 much-needed artillery shells by combining an increase in production with a new initiative to source munitions from outside the European Union. Belgium and the Netherlands have both extended funding for this initiative.

As the United States falters on supplying Ukraine much-needed ammunition and equipment, European NATO members have reaffirmed their commitments to Ukrainian victory.

As a senior Republican Senator from South Carolina, Graham has been actively involved in Ukrainian affairs since the onset of Russia's invasion.

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham made a visit to Kyiv on Monday, March 18, as announced by the US Embassy in Ukraine via Twitter.

"Today we welcome Lindsey Graham to Kyiv. The US’s unwavering support is crucial for Ukraine’s success against Russia’s illegal full-scale war," the US embassy stated on Twitter.

The Kremlin has presented the weekend election -- marred by ballot spoilers and Ukrainian bombardments of border regions -- as proof Russians were behind Putin's assault on Ukraine.

Russia's election commission on Monday hailed what it said were "record" results for President Vladimir Putin, guaranteeing the former spy a fifth term in office after a vote that featured no credible opposition.

The Kremlin has presented the weekend election -- marred by ballot spoilers and Ukrainian bombardments of border regions -- as proof Russians were behind Putin's assault on Ukraine.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

As expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin wins a fifth term by a landslide of 87%, according to a Russian exit poll. At least 80 protesters have been arrested in Russian cities on the final day of a vote set to confirm Vladimir Putin in office. Long queues formed outside polling stations heeding a call to gather in protest issued by the widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. With the re-election of the 71-year-old Russian president seen as inevitable, the first two days of the vote saw dozens of incidents of vandalism at polling stations. Voting has also been taking place in the Russian-occupied parts Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea - BBC

Vladimir Putin said Russia would not be "intimidated" as he hailed an election victory that paves the way for the former spy to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years. “I want to thank all of you and all citizens of the country for your support and this trust," Putin told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow early Monday, hours after polls closed. "No matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much they want to suppress us, our will, our consciousness -- no one has ever succeeded in anything like this in history. It has not worked now and will not work in the future. Never," he said - France 24

Friends and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were quick to congratulate him on his election win but Western leaders denounced what they called an illegal election.

Friends and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were quick to congratulate him on his election win but Western leaders denounced what they called an illegal election.

Here is a round-up of the main reactions so far:

In yet another response to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, NATO announced that it would site a new air base for up to 10,000 personnel in Romania.

Construction work has begun to expand the existing Romanian 57th Air Base, at Mihail Kogălniceanu, to become the largest NATO military base in Europe at a cost of around €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion), Euronews reported on March 16. Once complete the base will be the size of a small city, covering an area of almost 3,000 hectares and a total perimeter of 30 kilometers.

Nicolae Crețu, current commander of air base 57 told Euronews that the expanded facility will include “Maintenance hangars, fuel stores, ammunition, equipment, aviation technical materials, simulators, feeding facilities, accommodation, everything that is needed to support the operation and missions of a base of this size.”

Russian forces also attacked Ukraine with 22 Shahed drones in the early morning of March 18, the Defense Forces downed 17 of them.

A missile launched by Russian forces struck a fire department in the border town of the Kharkiv region early Monday morning, March 18, according to the State Emergency Service's Telegram report.

Ukrainian FPV (First Person View) drones are currently responsible for between 65 and 85 percent of the destruction of Russian positions, according to a French military source.

Ukraine is relying on the massive use of drones to compensate for an artillery shell shortage and undermine Russian military capabilities, but experts warned they cannot tip the balance.

Both drones used for strikes hundreds of kilometres away and commercial drones are starting to dominate the battlefield.

In various cities including Paris, Berlin, and The Hague, Russians formed lengthy lines outside embassies, some brandishing anti-Kremlin signs or donning the colors of the Russian opposition.

In a show of defiance against what they called a manipulated electoral process to extend Vladimir Putin's rule, the widow and close allies of Alexei Navalny joined long queues of voters outside Russian embassies in foreign capitals on Sunday, March 17.

Navalny, Putin's most prominent critic, died suddenly in an Arctic prison last month, and his supporters had called for Russians to turn up at polling stations at midday Sunday in a "Noon Against Putin" protest, in what is now seen as the opposition leader's last wish. 

With 99 percent of voting stations having submitted results, Putin had secured 87.33 percent of all votes cast, government election data showed, according to state news agency RIA.

Vladimir Putin said Russia would not be "intimidated" as he hailed an election victory that paves the way for the former spy to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years.

All of the 71-year-old's major opponents are dead, in prison or exiled, and he has overseen an unrelenting crackdown on anybody who publicly opposes his rule or his military offensive in Ukraine.