Key Events (28/02/2022):

04:57 - 352 Civillians killed, including 14 children. 1684, including 116 children wounded

05:03 - Belarus will renounce non-nuclear status

05:18 - Increase influx of weapons, with Biden confirming no boots on the ground

05:28 - Public figures in Ukraine hacked on facebook

06:37 - Russia’s central bank suspends the execution of all orders by foreign legal entities and individuals to sell Russian securities

06:47 - Extra financial curbs from the UK –

• Prevent the Central Bank of Russia from using its foreign reserves of $630bn “in ways that undermine sanctions imposed by us and our allies”;

• Stop designated banks from accessing sterling and clearing payments through the UK;

• Strengthen significantly trade restrictions against Russia;

• Prevent Russian companies from issuing transferable securities and money market instruments in the UK.

07:22 - Ukrainian Military - Offensive slowed down, More than five columns of enemy equipment and enemy manpower, frequent cases of desertion and disobedience were noted, 5,300 Russian personnel dead 

08:30 - Russia takes over Berdyansk and Enerhodar, and the area around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Ukraine denies nuclear plant fallen into Russian hands

09:14 - Residents of Mariupol was surrounded and under heavy attack 

10:01 - Lithuania will ask ICC to investigate “war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine”

10:55 - Talks between Ukraine and Russia begin

10:58 - EU expects application from Ukraine imminently 

11:18 - Filippo Grandi, the UN’s high commissioner for refugees: More than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine (281,000 people entering Poland, more than 84,500 in Hungary, about 36,400 in Moldova, more than 32,500 in Romania and about 30,000 in Slovakia, rest: scattered)

11: 22 - Zelenskyy says Japan to provide Ukraine with $100m aid package

12:00 - Rocket Strikes on Kharkiv: At least 11 people were killed on Monday in rocket strikes by Russian forces on residential districts of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, the head of the regional administration Oleg Synegubov said.

13:41 - EU looking to grant Ukrainians who flee the right to stay and work for up to three years

15:11 - EU Satellite Centre asked to provide intelligence to Ukraine 

15:15 - Survey by YLE, Finnish borachaster, majority in favour of NATO membership

15:38 - At the request of the Ukrainian government, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has spoken to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin

15:57 - Switzerland shifted from neutrality to adopting sanctions against Russia

16:15 - First round of talks concludes (Ukraine, Russia)

16:20 - Ukraine lodges formal request to join the EU

16:57 - Large explosions heard in Kyiv, 3 loud blasts

17:03 - ​​Ukraine demands Russian expulsion from Interpol

MOD Defence Update

• Majority of Russian ground forces remain 30km north of Kyiv

• Heavy fighting at Chernihiv and Kharkiv, Ukrainian control remains

• Russian armed forces acknowledging casualties for the first time

Summary (28/02/2022 - 19:00)

Day 5 started with Ukraine’s interior ministry providing an update on the number of casualties. One of the first updates of its kind, the ministry stated that so far 352 (including 14 children) have been killed and 1684 (including 116 children) wounded. Considering the nature of the conflict, the number is likely to be higher. The current Ukrainian Refugee numbers are estimated at more than 500,000 by the UN.

There is also continued commitment from the West to ensure Ukraine has access to weapons, with countries including the US sending more stinger missiles. However, attached with this weapons support was a renewed assertion from Biden that there will be no “boots on the ground”. The need for boots on ground may not be necessary, as the Ukrainian military is reporting that the offensive is slowing, and there are frequent cases of desertion and disobedience. This is likely the outcome of the casualties suffered by Russia, predicted to be around 5,300 personnel killed. 

Despite this, fighting at Kharkiv and Chernihiv continues, however Ukraine maintains control. The UK Ministry of Defence states that the majority of Russian forces remain 30km north of Kyiv. In the South-East, Russia claims to have taken control over Berdyansk and Enerhodar, and the area around Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Ukraine contests the validity of claims that Russia has control over the nuclear power plant. Furthermore, residents of Mariupol reported that they were “surrounded” and “under heavy attack”, whilst Kharkiv experienced rocket strikes. Oleg Synegubov, the head of the regional administration in Kharki, said that at least 11 were killed during the rocket strikes on residential districts of Kharkiv. There are also reports coming out of Kyiv of 3 loud blasts.

Finally, with the start of negotiations, Ukraine has formally requested to join the European Union. On Tuesday, the European Parliament will adopt a resolution calling on the EU institutions to work towards granting Ukraine EU Candidate status while also working towards integration into the European single market. It is worth noting that no formal process has started and it is likely to be discussed in March. Lithuania has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate “war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine”. As the conflict continues, there has been a shift in attitudes towards NATO, with Finnish broadcaster YLE finding that the majority of Finns would support membership to NATO. Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan said that while Turkey cannot abandon its ties with either countries, Ankara would limit the passage of some Russian vessels from Turkish straits to prevent an escalation of war.