International military and political support for Ukraine against Russia and Zelensky: Let's stop the aggressor together

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the world organization's intention to "strengthen humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine", while Berlin agreed to transfer anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, against the backdrop of the Russian military attack.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday to inform him of the world body's intention to "strengthen humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine," a United Nations spokesman said.

Guterres "informed the (Ukrainian) president that the United Nations will launch on Tuesday an appeal for funding for our humanitarian operations in Ukraine," the spokesman added in a statement.

Martin Griffiths, the United Nations relief coordinator, said on Friday that more than $1 billion was needed for relief operations in Ukraine over the next three months, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced after Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

Russia's disenfranchisement

In this context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had asked United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deprive Russia of the right to vote in the Security Council in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

"Depriving the aggressor country of the right to vote in the UN Security Council, classifying Russian actions and statements as genocide of the Ukrainian people, and helping to hand over the bodies of Russian soldiers. This is what I addressed during my conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres," he wrote on Twitter.

Russia is one of the five permanent members who have veto power in the UN Security Council, along with China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Zelensky also asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support Kiev "politically" at the United Nations after New Delhi abstained from voting against Russia during a session in the Security Council.

India, along with China and the United Arab Emirates, abstained from voting on Friday's resolution condemning Russia's "aggression" against Ukraine and calling on the former to withdraw its soldiers immediately.

In a post on Twitter on Saturday, Zelensky confirmed that he had had a phone call with Modi in which he told him, "There are more than 100,000 gases on our land."

"Let's stop the aggressor together," he added.

The Indian Foreign Ministry issued a statement later on Saturday in which it spoke of a "conflict situation" and said Modi "stressed his call for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue".

Arming Ukraine

On Saturday, German media reported that Berlin had agreed to transfer anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, against the backdrop of the Russian military offensive.

In a report, the public broadcaster ARD stated that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had agreed to the Netherlands' request to send German-made anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.

The report indicated that the authorization includes 400 rocket launchers of the type "RPG".

This decision is a fundamental shift in the German government's policy, especially after it has come under increasing criticism from Ukraine and its NATO allies.

Until the beginning of the Russian military attack on Ukraine, Berlin ruled out supplying Kiev with weapons, and also refused Allied requests to agree to send German-made weapons to the country.

Berlin also authorized the delivery to Kiev of 1,000 anti-tank missile launchers, 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles and "kits" of howitzers, according to the government.

In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Berlin's decision to supply arms to Ukraine, calling on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to "continue in this way."

"Germany just announced sending anti-tank missile launchers and Stinger missiles to Ukraine. Keep it up, Olaf Scholz! The anti-war coalition is on the move!" Zelensky wrote on Twitter.

Zelensky also asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support Kiev "politically" at the United Nations after New Delhi abstained from voting against Russia during a session in the Security Council.

India, along with China and the United Arab Emirates, abstained from voting on Friday's resolution condemning Russia's "aggression" against Ukraine and calling on the former to withdraw its soldiers immediately.

Russia vetoed the resolution, taking advantage of its position as a permanent member of the council.

In a post on Twitter on Saturday, Zelensky confirmed that he had had a phone call with Modi in which he told him, "There are more than 100,000 gases on our land."

"Let's stop the aggressor together," he added.

Despite being a democracy and a member of the "Quad" alliance that includes Australia, Japan and the United States, India has refrained from explicitly condemning Moscow's move or describing it as an "invasion", and only referring to the "developments" taking place in Ukraine.

The Indian Foreign Ministry issued a statement later on Saturday in which it spoke of a "conflict situation" and said Modi "stressed his call for an immediate cessation of violence and a return to dialogue".

Pope Francis expressed his "deep pain at the tragic events" resulting from the Russian attack on Ukraine, during a telephone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kiev embassy in the Vatican announced Saturday.

The embassy wrote on Twitter: "Pope Francis today made a phone call to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Holy Father expressed his deep sorrow for the tragic events in our country."

For his part, the Ukrainian president posted on his Twitter account a message, "in which he thanked the Pope for his prayers for peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire," adding that "the Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness."

Russia bans the media from using the word "invasion" or talking about civilian deaths

Russia's communications regulator has ordered local media to remove any reference to civilians killed by the Russian military in Ukraine, and has banned the use of the terms "invasion," "attack," or "declaration of war."

The Russian communications regulator, "Roskomnadzor," confirmed in an official statement, Saturday, that "only Russian official sources have timely and reliable information" about what Moscow described as a "special military operation" in Ukraine aimed at "peacekeeping."

The commission's notice was sent to a number of local media, most of which were critical of the Russian authorities, such as the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, whose editor-in-chief was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dojd Internet channel and the Mediazona website. All of them had previously been classified as representing "foreign agents" in Russia.

The commission considers these media outlets to be guilty, for publishing false information confirming that "the Russian armed forces are firing on Ukrainian cities," as she put it.

On the same level, she condemned the content that "describes the military operation as an attack, invasion or declaration of war."

And Roskomnadzor warned that if this content was refused to be deleted, "access to these media outlets will be restricted," with heavy fines imposed as well.

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry called, in a statement, "all editorial staff in the media to be vigilant and not to become victims of Westerners responsible for organizing information pressure" against Russia.

The ministry condemned what it called the "blatant misinformation" practiced by Ukraine on social networks, orchestrated by Washington and NATO, as it put it.

They preferred death, This is how Ukrainian soldiers responded on a remote island before they were killed by Russian bombing

An audio recording spread on social media of a Ukrainian military group on a remote island that refused to surrender to a Russian naval force and abandon its position, prompting the Russians to shoot them, killing them all.

An audio recording of a Ukrainian soldier on a remote island refusing to surrender he and his colleagues to a Russian naval force has spread on social media, threatening them either to lay down their arms or to be bombed.

The Washington Post said that a small team of 13 Ukrainian border guards on the rocky Snake Island in the Black Sea received a warning from a Russian warship giving them the option to either surrender or be attacked, but the group preferred death to surrender.

"This is a Russian warship," the Russians said in a recording of the call. "I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed."

The Ukrainian forces refused to give up the island, and responded to the Russian forces with "Go to Hell!" Then the Russians opened fire, killing the whole group.

Western media celebrated the widely heroic stance, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced hours after the incident that the island's defenders would be awarded the title "Hero of Ukraine", the highest honor that the Ukrainian leader can bestow.

The Washington Post, in turn, confirmed the authenticity of the recording, citing a Ukrainian official.

In a separate recording, posted on TikTok, what appears to be a border guard wearing a helmet and masks on an atoll, also known as Zmiinyi Island, or Snake Island, appears swearing after being shot.

The "Washington Post" quoted a senior US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that he heard about the attack on Snake Island on Friday, and described it as "painful and inspiring at the same time."

"It certainly reflects what we've seen in the past 24 hours, which is the willingness of Ukrainians to fight for their country, and he did so with courage," the official said.