The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.
Prosecutors won’t appeal early release for actor Moshe Ivgy, jailed for indecent assault
Prosecutors say they won’t appeal the early release granted to prominent actor Moshe Ivgy, jailed over the indecent assault and sexual harassment of four women.
Ivgy is expected to be released next week.
The actor is serving an 11-month prison sentence at the Hermon Prison in northern Israel.
The parole board said last week that although Ivgy’s crimes were “ugly,” the chances that he would pose a danger to the public or reoffend had diminished since he was jailed. Prosecutors have said in the past that Ivgy’s multiple assaults demonstrate a pattern of behavior.
Ukraine says it retook Chuguiv in east, with Russia suffering ‘heavy losses’
Ukrainian military officials claims to have retaken the city of Chuguiv in eastern Ukraine.
The claim has not been independently verified.
“The occupiers suffered heavy losses in personnel and equipment,” says the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a Facebook post.
Chuguiv was among the first places to report damage after Russia launched its invasion on February 24.
Brent crude up $12, shares sink and price of gold jumps amid Ukraine conflict
TOKYO — The price of oil jumps more than $12 a barrel and shares are sharply lower as the conflict in Ukraine deepens amid mounting calls for harsher sanctions against Russia.
Brent crude oil surges more than 10%, while benchmark US crude is up $10 at more than $125 a barrel.
Stock futures in the US and Europe also drop.
The price of gold, which is viewed as an investor safe haven in times of crisis, jumps $26 an ounce to $1,992.90.
Footage apparently shows burning residential building in Mykolaiv after bombardment
The Twitter account of the Ukrainian parliament posts a video of what it says is a burning residential building in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv.
Миколаїв. Російські терористи обстрілювали житловий будинок. pic.twitter.com/WI6RE6cHuq
— Верховна Рада України (@verkhovna_rada) March 7, 2022
The clip could not be independently verified.
The footage is released after reports of a heavy overnight bombardment of the city.
The Guardian reports that Mykolaiv’s mayor, Oleksandr Senkevych, says the buildings were targeted by Russian troops.
“There are many shells in the city that did not explode…do not approach, do not lift, and do not try to move them yourself,” Senkevych warns.
Top Iranian security official says Tehran evaluating new components in nuke talks
Iran’s top security official says the teams involved in the negotiations surrounding a new nuclear deal are undertaking “evaluation of new components affecting the negotiations.”
Ali Shamkhani tweets that Iran is adapting initiatives to accelerate an agreement, according to a translation by the Reuters news agency. No further details are given.
Iran and the United Nations nuclear watchdog had announced a tentative agreement on Saturday on an approach for resolving issues crucial to reviving Tehran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers.
Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in Vienna that while the UN agency and Iran had yet to settle “a number of important matters,” they had now “decided to try a practical, pragmatic approach” to overcome them.
The coming days are seen as pivotal because of the rate at which Iran is making nuclear advances.
Russia announces evacuation corridors from 4 cities, including Kyiv
Russia announces that it will allow the evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy.
According to the Interfax news agency, the evacuation corridors will be opened at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The corridors will open at 10 a.m. local time. The report does not say how long they will remain open for.
Previous attempts to evacuate cities have failed amid accusations by Ukraine of ongoing shelling by Russian troops despite the agreements.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now in its 12th day, and has caused 1.5 million people to flee the country with millions more thought to be displaced within the country’s borders.
New Zealand set to rush legislation allowing it to impose sanctions on Russia
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s government plans to rush through legislation that will allow it to impose economic sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
New Zealand’s existing laws don’t allow it to impose meaningful sanctions except as part of a broader United Nations effort. That has left New Zealand hamstrung since Russia has UN Security Council veto power.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the new legislation will allow New Zealand to target people, companies and assets associated with the invasion, including Russian oligarchs. New Zealand also could freeze assets and stop superyachts or planes from arriving.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta says the bill “will send a very clear signal that New Zealand will not be a safe haven for those wishing to move their investments here.”
The Russia Sanctions Bill is scheduled to be heard by lawmakers on Wednesday and could pass as quickly as the same day. Ardern says she’s hoping it will be supported by lawmakers across all parties although a unanimous vote wasn’t guaranteed.
Pelosi: Examining ban on import of Russian oil and energy products into US
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House is exploring legislation to further isolate Russia from the global economy, including banning the import of its oil and energy products into the US.
Amid rising gasoline prices in the US, the Biden administration has yet to call for an oil import ban on Russia.
In a letter to Democrats, Pelosi says the legislation under consideration would also repeal normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus and begin the process of denying Russia access to the World Trade Organization.
Pelosi says the House would also empower the Biden administration to raise tariffs on Russian imports.
Congress intends to approve the Biden administration’s request for $10 billion in humanitarian, military and economic support for Ukraine, Pelosi said, as part of omnibus government funding legislation this week.
Syria claims two civilians killed in Israeli attack near Damascus
The Syrian army claims two civilians were killed by an Israeli attack near Damascus early this morning.
Syria says the strike at around 5 a.m. hit several targets south of the capital and also caused property damage.
The Syrian military says its air defenses shot down most of the incoming missiles. Syria regularly makes such claims, which are widely dismissed as empty boasts.
Russian artillery pounds city of Mykolaiv
Russian artillery launches a heavy bombardment of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv.
The shelling hits the city’s outskirts, lighting up the night sky, The New York Times reports.
Ukrainian forces pushed Russian troops out of the city yesterday and recaptured its airport.
The strategic city has an important port on the Black Sea.
Russian forces appear to have launched a heavy artillery barrage against Mykolaiv, a day after Ukrainian troops pushed them from the city and recaptured the airport. From my vantage, I could see flashes from the attack lighting up the night sky along a large swath of the city. pic.twitter.com/cm4E0cNtN3
— Michael Schwirtz (@mschwirtz) March 7, 2022
Syrian state media says Israel bombed targets near Damascus
Syria accuses Israel of carrying out airstrikes near the capital Damascus.
Syrian state media outlet SANA says the attack happened south of Damascus and originated in northern Israel.
The report says Syrian air defenses responded to “Israeli aggression” and that explosions were heard in the city.
There are no reports of casualties or damage.
Israel does not comment on strikes in Syria, but has said it has carried out hundreds of sorties against Iran-backed groups attempting to gain a foothold in the country.
Late last month, Syrian state media said three Syrian soldiers were killed in an Israeli airstrike near Damascus.
Last month Israel also allegedly fired surface-to-surface missiles at an observation post and “finance building” near the border town of Quneitra on the Syrian Golan Heights.
Russia is allied with Syria’s regime and allows Israel to carry out operations against targets in the country. The coordination has been a major factor in Israel’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Israel has refrained from antagonizing Russia by condemning Moscow for the invasion.
Russia recruiting Syrians to fight in Ukrainian cities, Wall Street Journal reports
Russia is recruiting Syrian fighters experienced in urban combat as it ramps up its assault on Ukraine, according to US officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
Moscow, which launched an invasion into its Eastern European neighbor on February 24, has in recent days recruited fighters from Syria hoping they can help take Kyiv, four US officials tell the US daily.
Russia entered the Syrian civil war in 2015 on the side of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The country has been mired in a conflict marked by urban combat for more than a decade.
One official tells the Journal that some fighters are already in Russia readying to join the fight in Ukraine, though it was not immediately clear how many combatants have been recruited, and the sources would not provide further detail.
Foreign fighters have already entered the Ukrainian conflict on both sides.
Chechnya strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov — a former rebel-turned-Kremlin-ally — has shared videos of Chechen fighters joining the attack on Ukraine and said some had been killed in the fighting.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has claimed around 20,000 foreign volunteers have volunteered to join Ukraine’s forces.
Russian missiles target infrastructure near Odessa
Russian forces carry out a missile strike targeting infrastructure in the village of Tuzla, near Odessa, the Kyiv Independent reports.
There are no immediate reports of casualties.
Air raid sirens sound in Kyiv.
UK Defense Ministry says Russia made ‘minimal ground advances’ over the weekend
The UK Ministry of Defense says Russian forces made “minimal ground advances over the weekend” in an intelligence update.
“It is highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved its planned objectives to date,” it says.
“Over the past 24 hours, a high level of Russian air and artillery strikes have continued to hit military and civilian sites in Ukrainian cities. Recent strikes have targeted Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv, and been particularly heavy in Mariupol,” it says.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 06 March 2022
Find out more about the UK government’s response: https://t.co/eiocXaCcoT
???????? #StandWithUkraine ???????? pic.twitter.com/MOPCAhea6i
— Ministry of Defence ???????? (@DefenceHQ) March 6, 2022
Russian gymnast sparks outrage by wearing pro-war ‘Z’ symbol on chest
Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak sparks outrage by placing a “Z,” a pro-war symbol for Russia’s invasion, on his shirt at a competition in Doha, Qatar.
Kuliak stands on the podium with the symbol on his chest next to Ukrainian gymnast Illia Kovtun, who won the competition. Kuliak places third and Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi takes the silver medal.
The International Gymnastics Federations says “it will ask the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation to open disciplinary proceedings against Ivan Kuliak following his shocking behavior.”
Starting on Monday, Russia and Belarus will be banned from international gymnastics competitions. Russian athletes are banned from most international forums.
The “Z” symbol represents the Russian phrase for victory and has been painted on Russian vehicles and equipment in Ukraine and featured in Russian pro-war propaganda.
Russian gymnast wears a pro-war “Z” symbol on his chest at a competition in Doha, March 6, 2022. (Twitter screenshot)
Ukraine suspends exports of meat, grains, other staples
Ukraine halts exports of some food products amid growing shortages of staples.
The Ukrainian governments says it suspended exports of “meat, rye, oats, buckwheat, sugar, millet and salt,” according to CNN.
Some exports, including wheat, corn, poultry, eggs and oil will only be allowed with permission from the Economy Ministry.
Grocery stores are increasingly running out of supplies as transportation becomes more difficult. Russia has increasingly attacked residential areas and civilian infrastructure in recent days.
Ukraine is a major world exporter of grains and other products, which some countries depend on.
Western countries call on Interpol to suspend Russia
UK Home Secretary Priti Patels says the UK and Western allies have called to suspend Russia from the Interpol international law enforcement organization.
Patel says she made the request to Interpol with counterparts from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The diplomats call for the “immediate suspension of Russia’s access to its systems.”
“Russia’s actions are a direct threat to the safety of individuals and to international law enforcement cooperation,” she says.
Interpol says it connects 195 member countries.
Russian diplomats expelled by US take off from New York for Moscow
Russian diplomats expelled by the US leave New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport for Moscow in a Russian government plane.
“This plane will return to their homeland Russian diplomats, whom the US Government has declared persona non grata,” says Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, according to CNN.
The US Mission to the UN late last month called the 12 diplomats “intelligence operatives” that were exploiting their positions for espionage.
US lawmakers seek to restrict trade with Russia; oil price surges; markets plummet
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House is exploring legislation to further isolate Russia from the global economy, including banning the import of its oil and energy products into the US.
Amid rising gasoline prices in the US, the Biden administration has yet to call for an oil import ban on Russia.
In a letter to Democrats released Sunday night, Pelosi says the legislation under consideration would also repeal normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus and begin the process of denying Russia access to the World Trade Organization.
Pelosi says the House would also empower the Biden administration to raise tariffs on Russian imports.
Congress intends to approve the Biden administration’s request for $10 billion in humanitarian, military and economic support for Ukraine, Pelosi said, as part of omnibus government funding legislation this week.
The price Brent North Sea crude oil, the European benchmark, soars to a near 14-year high of $140 due to the Ukraine war, heading toward the all-time high of $147.50.
The price per barrel of Brent oil has increased 33% since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Washington is in “active discussions” with European nations about banning Russian oil imports, although he stopped short of announcing an outright boycott.
Even if oil is technically still exempt from sanctions, Russian oil exporters are struggling to find buyers. Shell is one of the only companies still buying Russian oil, although it says it will donate the profits to Ukrainian causes.
The price of gold rises to more than $2,000 in Asian trade as investors flee to the safe-haven commodity. The price is of gold is at its highest level since September 2020.
As stock markets open after the weekend in Asia, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index in Japan tumbles over three percent.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong dives over four percent.
Futures for the US benchmark S&P are down over 1.5%.
Two of the world’s “Big Four” international accounting firms pull out of Russia.
KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers both say they will end their relationships with their Russia-based member firms. KPMG said it is also pulling out of Belarus.
KPMG International says in a statement it will be “incredibly difficult” to have its Russia and Belarus firms leave the network. KPMG has more than 4,500 employees in the two countries.
PricewaterhouseCoopers says it has 3,700 employees at its PwC Russia firm and is working on an “orderly transition” for the business.
The two other Big Four companies – Deloitte and Ernst & Young – didn’t immediately return Associated Press requests for comment.
