Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law Monday that would give Russian airlines the ability to seize foreign-owned airplanes so they can be re-deployed for domestic flights amid crippling sanctions that have negatively impacted its aviation industry.
The law would allow the airlines to take and operate planes leased by foreign companies that have stopped businesses operations in the country over its invasion of Ukraine, the state-owned TASS news agency reported. The planes will be certified by certification centers and test laboratories, the news outlet reported.
The move is an attempt to circumvent Western sanctions that have resulted in multiple countries, including the United States, closing their airspace to Russian airliners.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with oil and gas industry leaders on Monday to discuss his country’s energy security as it looks to move away from Russian hydrocarbons following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
"We’ll continue to back them in building up our domestic energy security, where neither the U.K. nor our allies can be blackmailed by the likes of Putin, and in accelerating some of the solutions we need to reach net-zero, from low-carbon hydrogen to carbon capture and storage," Johnson said.
The U.K. said last week it would phase out oil imports from Russia, which account for around 8% of the country’s oil supply. The U.K.’s European allies are anticipated to have a tougher time weening themselves off Russia’s oil, given their great reliance on imports.
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{{#rendered}}Sec. of State Antony Blinken spoke today with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, reaffirming both countries' support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's continued aggression.
Blinken also thanked Prime Minister Plenkovic and his government for supporting Ukraine, including providing security assistance and accepting refugees, and for Croatia’s active role in NATO, according to a readout from the U.S. Department of State.
Retired Gen. Keith Kellogg joined "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Monday to offer his latest analysis of Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine.
Kellogg, formerly the national security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, remarked that if the West won't let Ukraine have additional MiG fighter jets to fend off Kremlin attackers, they should seek projectile-based help from certain NATO-member countries.
The general said two Balkan countries, Greece and Bulgaria, along with fellow NATO member Slovakia, all have S300 missile technology that itself was originally designed by Moscow.
"The thing they should do is go to Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece, which are three NATO nations, and they've got a system called the S300, which is a Russian system that shoots down ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft [projectiles] as well, and put it around those point-targets and defend it," he said.
{{#rendered}}The Ukrainian military said that their forces have defeated a Russian attempt to take the port city of Mariupol, according to the Associated Press.
The Ukrainian military's General Staff said that Russians have been forced to retreat after suffering losses during their attack on the city, which has now been under heavy Russian fire for over a week and resulted in the deaths of 2,500 residents.
Those still in the city have faced a dire situation, lacking adequate power, food, and water. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that attempts have been made to deliver food and medicine to the city, though those have been interrupted by heavy Russian shelling.
A growing number of Republican and Democratic lawmakers are urging the Biden administration to facilitate a deal with Poland to send MiG-29 planes to Ukraine for additional air support as Russia continues its multi-front war on the country.
The Pentagon last week rejected Poland’s proposal for the U.S. and NATO to deliver MiG-29 planes to the Ukrainian military, arguing that the move could be mistaken as "escalatory" and could result in "significant Russian reaction" that could increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO.
On Monday, a group of 15 bipartisan House lawmakers penned a letter to President Biden, urging the administration to provide additional defense material to Ukraine and strengthen economic sanctions directed at Russia.
"Despite heroic and skillful resistance by Ukrainian forces, Russia currently retains air superiority over Ukraine," they wrote. "Russia’s advantage in this domain could soon develop into air dominance if the Ukrainians do not receive necessary military aid."
{{#rendered}}Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person died and six more were injured Monday when a Russian rocket landed on a civilian bus in Ukraine’s capital city – an attack captured by a surveillance camera at a nearby park.
Residents said their houses shook after the impact and a source in the city told Fox News Digital he could feel the shockwave from within an underground bunker nearby.
"Today was quite stressful," he said.
While Russian forces invade Ukraine and the West responds with unprecedented sanctions, an American astronaut is preparing to hitch a ride with two cosmonauts on a Russian spacecraft back to Earth from the International Space Station later this month.
Mark Vande Hei, a retired Army colonel, is set to break the record on Tuesday for the longest continuous stay in space by a U.S. astronaut before he departs the ISS on March 30.
There were some fears after Russia invaded Ukraine that the cosmonauts would ditch Vande Hei when they return to Earth in a couple of weeks.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos and a longtime ally of Putin, posted a video of the US flag being removed from a Soyuz rocket and has publicly sparred with retired U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly.
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{{#rendered}}Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed off on a temporary ban on the export of grains to the Eurasian Economic Union, according to Russian state media.
“Russia is introducing a temporary ban on the export of grain to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), as well as on the export of white sugar and raw cane sugar to third countries. The resolutions on this was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Restrictions on grain will be valid until June 30, on sugar - until August 31, 2022," reads a translation of the report.
Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat, while Ukraine also ranks in the top five.
The move comes as wheat prices have been on the rise in recent weeks.
{{#rendered}}Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russia’s First Channel employee ran onto a live state TV news Monday to protest the war posted a video to social media explaining her actions.
“What’s happening in Ukraine is a crime and Russia is the aggressor. And there is only one person responsible for this, this man is Vladimir Putin," Ovsyannikova said in the video. "My father is Ukrainian and my mother is Russian, they have never been enemies, and this necklace is a symbol – that Russia must immediately stop this war and our brotherly nations can still come together.
"Sadly, I’ve been working on the First Channel during last couple of years, have been doing Kremlin propaganda, for which now I am very ashamed," she continued. "I am ashamed that I let lies be spread on television, I’m ashamed that I participated in turning Russian people into zombies, we kept quiet when it all started in 2014, we did not rally when Kremlin poisoned Navalny, we have silently been watching this anti-human regime, and now, the whole world turned back to us, next 10 generations will not be able to get rid of the shame of this war.”
A woman interrupted a live broadcast of Russian television to deliver an anti-war message, carrying a sign that read “Stop the war, no to war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They are lying to you here," according to a translation provided to Fox News.
{{#rendered}}Fox News State Department Correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine Monday.
"Earlier today, our correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while newsgathering outside of Kyiv in Ukraine," Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement Monday. "We have a minimal level of details right now, but Ben is hospitalized and our teams on the ground are working to gather additional information as the situation quickly unfolds."
Hall has been reporting for Fox News from Kyiv, even as Russian troops closed in on the city in recent weeks.
"The safety of our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority and of the utmost importance," Scott said. "This is a stark reminder for all journalists who are putting their lives on the line every day to deliver the news from a war zone.
"We will update everyone as we know more. Please keep Ben and his family in your prayers."
Asked about Hall's injury during Monday's press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration's thoughts are "with him, his family and all of you at Fox News."
{{#rendered}}UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres didn't rule out the possibility of nuclear war amid as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, warning the "bone-chilling development" was still a possibility.
“Raising the alert level of Russian nuclear forces is a bone-chilling development,” Guterres told reporters Monday. “The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility.”
Guterres called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine before it the possibility of nuclear war continues to escalate.
“It’s time to stop the horror unleashed on the people of Ukraine and get on the path of diplomacy and peace,” Guterres said. “The appeals for peace must be heard. This tragedy must stop.”
As Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashes terror across Ukraine, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told "The Faulkner Focus" Monday that he believes Russian forces about "ten days away" from running out of resources.
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{{#rendered}}Estonia is the first NATO member nation to have a body formally call for the implementation of a no-fly zone amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pleading with the United States and western allies to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
But President Joe Biden and NATO have ruled that out, saying that enforcing it would put the U.S. and NATO in direct confrontation with Russia and would expand the conflict.
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A senior U.S. defense official said Monday that almost all of the Russian military's advances in Ukraine remain stalled.
As it stands, Russian troops are about 9 miles outside of Ukraine's capital of Kyiv and it is believed they are trying to create a defensive line from the cities of Kharkiv to Mariupol, the official added, according to Fox News' Jennifer Griffin.
Estonia's parliament on Monday is calling for the creation of a no-fly zone in Ukraine as Russian attacks continue throughout the country.
"The Riigikogu asks the U.N. member states to take immediate steps to establish a no-fly zone in order to prevent massive civilian casualties in Ukraine," it said in a statement.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, when asked earlier for the United Nations' stance regarding the implementation of a no-fly zone, said it "is a matter that as you know has been analyzed by a number of countries that considered that possibility as a risk of escalation that could create a global conflict."
"It is based on that analysis that I think we need to be prudent -- even if I understand the dramatic appeal of the Ukrainian government," he added.
{{#rendered}}A growing and bipartisan group in Congress is pushing President Biden to facilitate the transfer of Poland's MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine amid Russia's brutal invasion, despite statements by the U.S. military that such a move would be high-risk, low-reward.
The White House is leaning on that position from the military in its opposition to providing the jets, including that Ukraine does not really need the aircraft. But Biden already ceded to pressure from Congress to take a tougher stance against Russia multiple times since the war started. And dozens more members from both parties Sunday called on the president to help Ukraine get its hands on the Polish fighter jets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is petitioning for.
"We, the 58 members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, urge continued U.S. commitment to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the freedom of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s ongoing invasion," the moderate, bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus (PSC) said Sunday. "We strongly believe that the U.S. must provide additional defense materiel to Ukrainians protecting their nation."
The PSC went on to call on Biden to help give the Ukrainians Stinger missiles, drones and Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets that Poland is offering to send to Ukraine.
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'America's Newsroom' host Bill Hemmer provides updates on Russia's military actions in Ukraine.
Polish Foreign Minister and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau told the U.N. Security Council Monday that Russia's military activity in Ukraine amounts to "state terrorism".
“This operation -- poorly prepared and executed -- turned out to be a strategic and tactical failure. But instead of preventing further unnecessary deaths in its own ranks, the Kremlin changed its tactics," he said.
"The invading force started to target the civilian population and infrastructure in an attempt to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people . This is deplorable and shameful and amounts to state terrorism, "Rau continued. "Schools, hospitals and kindergartens are deliberately being targeted with internationally-banned weapons. The reports of women and children killed are devastating.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a speech to Congress virtually on Wednesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
"The Congress, our country and the world are in awe of the people of Ukraine, who have shown extraordinary courage, resilience and determination in the face of Russia’s unprovoked, vicious, and illegal war," the joint statement read.
"As war rages on in Ukraine, it is with great respect and admiration for the Ukrainian people that we invite all Members of the House and Senate to attend a Virtual Address to the United States Congress delivered by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Wednesday, March 16th at 9:00 a.m," it added.
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The United Nations' human rights office announced Monday that at least 636 civilians have been killed so far in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, including 46 children, according to Reuters.
More than 2.8 million people also have fled the country, the U.N. said Sunday, with around 1.7 million taking refuge in Poland.
{{#rendered}}Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Monday that a "technical pause" has taken place during a fourth round of talks between Ukraine and Russia.
Former NASA engineer Homer Hickam speaks about NASA's efforts to coordinate with Russia in space as tensions continue to grow in an effort to bring back an American astronaut.
The Russian military on Monday is letting people evacuate the besieged eastern city of Mariupol, Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security says, citing a local official there.
The official added that at least 50 cars have departed already through the so-called "green corridor".
{{#rendered}}Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed 85 children and wounded more than 100 others, a Ukrainian official said Sunday.
The casualties come as Russia’s "deliberate and brutal shelling of civilians continues," Ukraine Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova said in a tweet. She said that 369 educational institutions have also been damaged, 57 of which were destroyed in attacks.
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Activists on Monday are occupying a London townhouse linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, declaring that the property will be used to support Ukrainian refugees.
The U.K. government last week froze the assets of Deripaska, whom it identified as a prominent “pro-Kremlin oligarch” who is closely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“By occupying the mansion, we want to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but also the people of Russia who never agreed to this madness," the Associated Press quoted the activists as saying. "As always with wars, empires benefit and common people pay the price."
The U.S. government previously sanctioned Deripaska in 2018, saying he helped support Russia’s “malign activity” around the world and listed 5 Belgrave Square in London as one of his addresses.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
India on Monday is weighing an offer from Russia to buy its crude oil at discounted prices following Western sanctions, according to Reuters.
Their report cites two Indian officials as saying their government is considering the rupee-rouble transaction.
The development comes after the U.S. last week banned the import of Russian oil and gas.
Reports also have emerged of tanker owners avoiding Russian products over fears their vessels will get stopped mid-shipment, leading to costly delays.
{{#rendered}}Both the Ukrainian pregnant woman seen in a viral photo being carried out on a stretcher after Russian forces bombed a maternity hospital in Mariupol and her baby have died, according to a report.
The Associated Press captured photos and video of the publicly unidentified woman – lying on a stretcher beneath a watermelon patterned blanket with an empty look on her face while clutching her lower abdomen – as rescuers carried her through the rubble.
Surgeon Timur Marin found the woman’s pelvis crushed and hip detached. Medics delivered the baby via cesarean section, but it showed "no signs of life," the surgeon told the AP.
"More than 30 minutes of resuscitation of the mother didn’t produce results," Marin said Saturday. "Both died."
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The strongman leader of Russia’s republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has posted a video where he claims he is in Ukraine and is preparing to join Russian forces heading toward its capital of Kyiv, reports say.
In the footage -- which could not be independently verified -- Kadyrov says he is in Hostomel, where the Russian military has been bombarding an airport, according to the New York Times.
The video also appeared to show Kadyrov being briefed by Chechen troops, the newspaper adds.
In 2020, Kadyrov was sanctioned by the U.S. over alleged human rights violations such as torture and extrajudicial killings.
Drone video has emerged showing purported attacks by the Russian military and devastation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Officials there say around 2,500 of its residents have been killed during the Russian invasion, according to Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson.
{{#rendered}}One person has died Monday and three have been injured after a Russian airstrike hit an apartment building in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, the Associated Press reports, citing local authorities.
Images taken after the airstrike showed the building in flames as first responders evacuated those inside.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid warned Russian oligarchs Monday that his country "will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other western countries."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating the issue together with partners including the Bank of Israel, the Finance Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Airports Authority, the Energy Ministry, and others," he said.
Lapid's comments come after Israeli media reported private jets belonging to oligarchs landing in Israel in recent days, according to the Associated Press.
Several dozen Jewish tycoons from Russia are believed to have taken on Israeli citizenship or residency over the past few years. Many have good working relations with the Kremlin, and at least four -- Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and Viktor Vekselberg -- have been sanctioned internationally because of their purported connections to Putin.
Israel grants automatic citizenship to anyone of Jewish descent. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, an estimated 1 million Jews from Russia and other former Soviet republics have moved to Israel.
Fox News' Yonat Friling and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak says a fourth round of negotiations is currently ongoing with Russia "on peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops [and] security guarantees."
"Although Russia realizes the nonsense of its aggressive actions, it still has a delusion that 19 days of violence against [Ukraine's] peaceful cities is the right strategy," he said in a tweet.
"The parties actively express their specified positions. Communication is being held yet it’s hard," he continued, posting an image of the talks. "The reason for the discord is too different political systems."
{{#rendered}}An executive at SE Ranking, a worldwide tech company with headquarters in California and London, has died in Ukraine along with her two children, officials said.
Tatiana Perebyinis, 43, her 18-year-old son Mykyta, and her 9-year-old daughter Alisa were killed by a Russian mortar attack in Ukraine as they were trying to board a bus to flee the country, KTVU reported.
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Despite President Biden's promise not to involve U.S. troops in the war between Russia and Ukraine, a miscalculation from either side during the tense struggle could risk dragging NATO into the conflict.
The fear of a deadly escalation in the conflict has been at the center of the Biden administration's response in recent days, with the Pentagon last week denying a request from Ukraine to transfer Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to the country's armed forces through the U.S.'s Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
"The intelligence community has assessed that the transfer of MiG-29s may be mistaken as escalatory and could result in significant Russian reaction that might increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters Wednesday. "Therefore, we also assess the MiG-29s to Ukraine to be high-risk."
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{{#rendered}}A spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington D.C. has seemingly denied reports that Russia has contacted his government to request military aid.
"I've never heard of that," spokesperson Liu Pengyu said, according to Reuters.
"The current situation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting," Pengyu added. "The high priority now is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even getting out of control."
In a Facebook post, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Ukrianian forces have successfully pushed back on Russian aggressors.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted devastating blows on the rear infrastructure (field bases and warehouses) in order to disrupt the system of logistical support of the enemy in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the occupiers," it said.
The General Staff added: "The moral and psychological state of the enemy remains low, which leads to the refusal of servicemen of the [Russian] Armed Forces to carry out the orders of the command."
And, "Keep calm! Let's win together! Glory to Ukraine!"
{{#rendered}}Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
"We destroyed the myth about 'invincibility' of the Russian Armed Forces."
"They have been expecting to conquer us in 48 hours. The stocks of food, fuel and ammunition were targeted for maximum 3 days. Nevertheless we have stopped them and disrupted their usurpation plans."
{{#rendered}}"We call on all parties involved in the fighting to place humanitarian imperatives first. People in Mariupol have endured a weeks-long life-and-death nightmare. This needs to stop now. Their safety and their access to food, water and shelter must be guaranteed," said Peter Maurer, International Committee of the Red Cross's president.
"The sound of warfare is constant. Buildings are struck, and shrapnel flies everywhere. This is the situation every person in the city faces," added ICRC's operational leader in Mariupol, Sasha Volkov.
Ukrainian authorities reported Sunday that the death toll following a Russian airstrike on a Ukrainian airbase rose to 35 dead and 134 wounded. Located in the Lviv Oblast, the airbase is only 13 miles from Poland's border.
Brent Renaud, an American journalist who was killed by Russian forces near Kyiv on Sunday, was working on a TIME Studios project about the global refugee crisis, the magazine confirmed."
We are devastated by the loss of Brent Renaud. As an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Brent tackled the toughest stories around the world often alongside his brother Craig Renaud," executives from the magazine said in a statement on Sunday. "It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine."
{{#rendered}}Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his side is pushing for a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin during ongoing negotiations."
Representatives of our countries’ delegations speak in video format every day. Our delegation has a clear task - to do everything to ensure a meeting of the presidents. The meeting that I am sure people are waiting for," Zelenskyy said in a video posted to his Facebook page Sunday evening.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy said he would meet with Putin in Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Moscow to meet with Putin earlier this week and has been trying to mediate and end to the war.
Russia has asked China for military and economic assistance in its war against Ukraine, Fox News has confirmed.
The request for military equipment came after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
The news comes as White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan prepares to meet with Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday.
Chinese leaders have so far refused to criticize Putin for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and criticized economic sanctions from the West.
China abstained in multiple United Nations votes to censure Russia.
Despite predictions by some officials that Russian forces could take Kyiv could fall within 72 hours of an invasion, the Ukrainians have been able to defend their capital city and and stall the Russian offensive.
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