February 24, 2022
4:34 pm
LIVE – Russian invasion of Ukraine
Catch up on the headlines from Russia and Ukraine with our Live reporting from Ukraine.
You can follow all the news as it comes in – Live reporting invasion from Ukraine.
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has attracted an incredible amount of propaganda and fake news stories.
The people who are suffering are the Ukrainians who have been displaced, killed and captured. No-one disagrees with that.
But so many people are suggesting that their is an endgame that is involves Russian sanctions and isolation.
The cost of the war in Ukraine
Whilst Ukraine will be left in ruins and in need of a rebuild. The unfortunate cost of the war will leave the country with debt for the arms that have been supplied by the United States and being used as a proxy for the US.
Russia has a perspective which is monitored and blocked by major search engines.
Ukraine and specifically the President Zelensky is on a PR war. Rallying as many world leaders to join to condemn the Russian invasion.
Will Ukraine join NATO?
The questions everyone is still asking is Will Ukraine be able to join NATO and the EU.
And if that happens will Russia take this war to the next level.
On the Ground reporting from WTX News
Follow WTX News for the latest news from the ground in Ukraine.
We have staff and reporters on the ground in Ukraine who are reporting to us around the clock.
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Zelensky becomes Judge, Jury and despot
Cliff Notes – New law curtails anti-corruption bodies’ powers.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law limiting the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), provoking widespread protests across several cities.
- The law allows the Prosecutor General to access NABU cases and issue instructions, undermining the independence of these anti-corruption bodies and raising concerns about political influence.
- Criticism has emerged from various political factions, including EU officials, highlighting fears that such moves could jeopardise Ukraine’s commitments to fighting corruption and its pathway to EU integration.
Zelensky becomes Judge, Jury and despot
On July 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law restricting the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) mere hours after it had been passed by Ukrainian parliament.
The move sparked protests in several cities across Ukraine. Thousands of people took to the streets of Kyiv, with demonstrators criticizing what they saw as a “return” to the era of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced to flee to Russia during the Euromaidan Revolution in 2014.
The new law stipulates that the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president with approval of parliament, will have access to all NABU cases and can also grant other prosecutors access. The prosecutor general can issue instructions to NABU investigators, change the focus of trials, discontinue proceedings at the request of the defense and much more. The new law also significantly restricts SAPO’s procedural autonomy.
“The independence of both institutions — whether from political influence and pressure on future and ongoing investigations — has been effectively destroyed,” SAPO prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko told DW. “NABU and SAPO were created as bodies equipped with exclusive investigative powers to fight corruption at the highest levels, with full guarantees of their independence,” added NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. “This is a prerequisite for our [Ukrainian] progress toward Europe.”
Selective anti-corruption fighters?
NABU and SAPO offices were searched just one day before Ukraine’s controversial law was passed. Prosecutors of both agencies are suspected of maintaining ties to Russia. Some Ukrainian lawmakers have therefore welcomed the new law, including former prime minister and Fatherland party leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who accuses both bodies of being selective in whom they investigate over corruption.
“You can’t call this an anti-corruption structure, but rather a shadow government that controls all processes,” she said.
President Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities would continue working though “free from Russian influence.” He also said that “suspected corruption cases must be investigated; for years, some officials who fled Ukraine have been living abroad without facing legal consequences.”
Zelenskyy said there was no rational explanation why some of the billion-dollar corruption cases have been stalled for years and complained that Russia had previously gained access to sensitive information.
Law draws broad criticism
The new law drew criticism across party lines, with even members of Zelenskyy’s own ruling Servant of the People party expressing disapproval. Ahead of the vote, Anastasia Radina, who chairs the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, warned the law would have “catastrophic” consequences for the Ukrainian state.
“The country is reverting back to a state that the Russians were once pleased with, when there was a lack of rights and democracy,” warned opposition MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, who chairs Ukraine’s EU Integration Committee. “Sooner or later, such countries fall into the Kremlin’s sphere of influence.”
Klympush-Tsintsadze also said the law threatens European and other international financial aid, which is linked to Ukraine’s commitments to fight corruption.
Brussels calls new law a ‘serious step back’
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos called the new law a “serious step back” on X. She said “independent bodies like NABU & SAPO, are crucial for Ukraine’s EU path. Rule of law remains at the very center of EU accession negotiations.”
On Facebook, investment banker and financial expert Serhiy Fursa pointed out that many people accuse NABU and SAPO of inefficiency, through stressed that these bodies are “far more effective than assumed.” He said there had to be “great fear, which means that NABU is doing a very good job” if decision-makers are prepared to risk European integration and the Western support just to limit the body‘s powers.
On July 23, in light of the backlash, Zelenskyy convened a meeting with all the heads of Ukrainian law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, as well as Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. “We are all hearing what the public is saying,” Zelensky told them. “We see what people are expecting from state institutions to ensure all institutions operate according to the principle of justice and efficiency.”
Zelenskyy announced that a joint action plan to resolve the dispute would be developed within the next two weeks.
Botox-like injections spark outbreak of rare disease many doctors have never treated
Cliff Notes Nicola Fairley, a woman who received an unlicensed anti-wrinkle injection, developed severe symptoms mistaken for a stroke, leading to a diagnosis of botulism.
Sir Keir Starmer is caught between Trump, Macron and MPs over Palestine recognition
Cliff Notes Over a third of UK MPs have urged the Prime Minister to recognise a Palestinian state at an upcoming UN conference, escalating pressure
Russia launches largest missile‑drone barrage on Kyiv, prompting global calls for tougher sanctions
Russia launches largest missile‑drone barrage on Kyiv, prompting global calls for tougher sanctions
In the early hours of Thursday, Russian forces unleashed a record-breaking aerial assault on Kyiv, involving around 400 Shahed drones and 18 cruise and ballistic missiles, the largest strike since the full-scale invasion began three years ago. The bombardment persisted for nearly ten hours, triggering air-raid sirens and sending civilians scrambling to underground shelters. Two people were killed and at least 13 injured, with fires reported in six of Kyiv’s ten districts, including residential buildings, offices and warehouses.
The attack coincided with a high-profile recovery and sanctions summit in Rome, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western leaders to impose “biting” sanctions on Russia, including targeting its oil exports, to deter further aggression.
🔁 Reactions:
- President Zelenskiy: “Sanctions must be imposed faster and hard enough so Russia truly feels consequences” (The Guardian)
- Ukrainian authorities: “Entire night of explosions, rooftops blazing, residents forced underground” (The Guardian)
- Security analyst: > “This marks a tactical escalation—designed to stretch Ukraine’s defences and morale” (AP News)
📰 Media Bias & Framing:
- Reuters/AP/Guardian emphasise the unprecedented scale of the attack, the civilian impact, and the symbolic timing during a major diplomatic event (Financial Times).
- Financial Times, WSJ analyse how Russia aims to undermine Ukraine’s air defences and challenge NATO’s support strategy (Financial Times).
- Independent/The Times spotlight how reopening U.S. arms deliveries under Trump contrasts with the intensity of Russian aggression (The Daily Beast).
📊 Sentiment: Negative. The fury and magnitude of the strike, along with civilian casualties, dramatically raise the stakes of the conflict, reinforcing Kyiv’s plea for immediate and punitive sanctions while underlining Ukraine’s intensified need for Western air-defence systems.
1 Comment
awesome – Thank you