'Historic': E.U. gives temporary protection to those fleeing Ukraine
The European Union will give temporary protection to those fleeing the war in Ukraine, it said Thursday.
Under a new directive, those fleeing the war will be granted temporary protection in the E.U. and given a residence permit. They will have access to housing, education and the labor market.
Unaccompanied children and teenagers will be entitled to legal guardianship.
The move was welcomed by Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, who tweeted that it was “solidarity in action.”
Ylva Johansson, the E.U.'s commissioner for home affairs, also called it "historic."
The law will come into force once it is formally adopted by the European Council, a step expected to take place in the coming days.
Ukrainian government websites briefly defaced with false claims of surrender
Some regional Ukrainian government websites were briefly defaced with false claims that the areas have surrendered to Russia, the Security Service of Ukraine said Thursday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said the country will not surrender despite Russia's military assault.
The announcement of website defacements comes after Ukraine publicly warned that Russia would conduct a disinformation campaign to falsely claim that major Ukrainian political and military leaders had surrendered.
Official websites for Ukraine's Volyn province were briefly defaced with the false claims of surrender, the province's local government announced on its Facebook page.
Zelenskyy's adviser says needs haven't been met after 2nd round of talks with Russia
After a second round of negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's adviser Mikhail Podolyak says Ukraine's needs haven't been met.
"The second round of negotiations is over," Podolyak said in a Twitter post. "Unfortunately, the results Ukraine needs are not yet achieved. There is a solution only for the organization of humanitarian corridors... ."
Putin says military operation in Ukraine going to according to plan
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the military operation in Ukraine was going according to schedule and that objectives have been met.
Putin, whose speech was translated into English, spoke with members of his Security Council in a video call and once again claimed that the Russian military was fighting “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine, an accusation experts say is slanderous and false.
Putin has long sought to falsely paint Ukraine as a Nazi hotbed, which is a particularly jarring accusation given that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost three family members in the Holocaust.
Putin also said Thursday that those fighting in the Russian military were heroes and ordered payment to the families of soldiers who had been killed.
Russia's sole independent TV station shuts down
TV Rain, the last remaining independent television channel in Russia, suspended operations Thursday, but not before journalists walked off set declaring, "No war," and the station broadcast a black-and-white performance of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."
The video choice was symbolic: a nod to when it was played in 1991 on state television as the rest of the world watched the beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Natalia Sindeeva, who helped co-found TV Rain in 2010 with the slogan the "Optimistic channel," reportedly told viewers: "We have never had such a difficult decision in our lives."
The Russian government flagged the station this week for restriction after it was accused of having "materials calling for extremist activity" and for publishing "false information about the actions of the Russian military as part of a special operation" in Ukraine.
Another independent media outlet in Russia, the radio network Echo of Moscow, announced Thursday that it was shutting down following similar accusations by the government.
'Crowded carriages' as people flee Russian shelling in Kharkiv
LVIV, Ukraine — Sheltering from Russian shelling with his 1-year-old son in Kharkiv's metro system, Serheii Shpak said he decided to leave the city in northeast Ukraine.
He said the train was filled with panicked people making their way west.
"The carriages were really crowded,” said Shpak, a web developer, adding that he planned to head to the city of Vinnytsia so his family could start a new life away from the threat of Russian attacks.
E.U. High Representative Josep Borrell slams Russia for censoring media, cracking down on antiwar protests
Josep Borrell, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, said Thursday that Russia is cracking down further on peaceful antiwar protests, as well as on the media.
Borrell, who also serves as vice president of the European Commission, said in a statement that two more prominent Russian media outlets, Echo of Moscow and TV Rain, were banned, and that Echo was liquidated Thursday.
"These media outlets are being silenced for giving a platform to sources and voices that challenge the falsified picture of the situation on the ground in Ukraine as portrayed by the Russian government and the disinformation network under its control, including Russian state-controlled TV channels," he said.
Borrell said the E.U. applauds the courage of Russians who have publicly spoken out against President Vladimir Putin and the invasion into Ukraine as well as Russian independent media.
Pelosi says she would back oil sanctions against Russia
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday she would support banning all imports of Russian oil and gas.
"I'm all for that. Ban it," she said during her weekly press conference. President Joe Biden faces growing calls from fellow Democrats to ban imports of Russian oil.