On Sunday in Russia police arrested over 4,300 people who were participating in anti-war protests across different cities. Despite increased penalties for such action, the numbers appear to be increasing. It will be hard to determine over coming days however just how much that will be reportable, as independent media outlets across Russia are being shut down in response to new stronger laws banning what President Putin calls “Fake News” reporting.
Russian media outlets are required to publish only from official government sources.
- Russia Offers Evacuees Russian Refuge:Russia has announced six evacuation routes from several Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol. Four of the six paths to safety however lead to either Russia or its ally Belarus. Meanwhile, Ukraine leaders are saying that Russia’s claims of a temporary cease-fire is not accurate saying that, Russian forces continue to bombard areas across Ukraine
- Vinnytsia International Airport Destroyed Ukraine President Zelensky is accusing Russia of firing eight cruise missiles at Vinnytsia International Airport and destroying the airport completely. In an announcement posted on social media, Zelensky is again calling on the West and NATO countries to establish no-fly zones over Ukraine. This is a move that Russia says the President would interpret as direct participation in armed conflict against his country
- Peace marches across Russia: In many cities across Russia, anti-war protesters challenged government bans and marched for peace. Police arrested more than 4,500 demonstrators
- Desperation in Mariupol: Efforts are continuing to evacuate the encircled city of Mariupol.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay say ‘Nyet’: Apple Pay and Google Pay will soon be unavailable on Visa and MasterCard cards, following those two companies exit from Russia
- New Money Transfer Limits Set: Russia’s Central Bank is limiting the amount of money citizens can transfer abroad in a month to the equivalent of $5,000. The restrictions apply to money sent to relatives, as well.
- More Censorship: Russia’s federal censor started blocking the independent media outlets Mediazona, 7×7, Republic, and several other websites, all in retaliation for reporting unofficial facts about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- TikTok Shuttering Russia:TikTok says, “In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law. Our in-app messaging service will not be affected”
