Street fighting broke out in Ukraine’s second largest city Sunday. Following gains on the ground, Russia sent a delegation to Belarus for peace talks with Ukraine. It’s reported that Ukraine’s president suggested other meeting spots, saying he was unwilling to meet in Belarus as that country was a staging place for the invasion. Prior to Sunday, Russian troops were on the outskirts of Kharkiv, a city that has a population of 1.4 million. Videos online show Russian vehicles moving through the city.
Meanwhile, according to CTV National News, the bombing campaign appears to be underway in Ukraine’s capital. Kyiv is preparing for heavy shelling. Explosions lighting up the night sky could be seen getting closer to the capital as the invasion continues. A local children’s hospital says a 6 year-old boy was killed during clashes in Kyiv.
Canada and its allies including the United States have barred a number of Russian banks from SWIFT, a global banking system hoping to hurt Russia where it hurts most. The SWIFT banking system moves billions of dollars each day around more than 11,000 banks and financial institutions around the globe. Cutting off Russia from the SWIFT messaging system will make it harder for Russian companies to do business.
Canada has said it will match Canadians’ donations to the Red Cross for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, up to a maximum of $10 million dollars.
Canada, along with a number of other countries have banned Russian aircrafts from their airspace. This morning (sun), Canada’s Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced in a tweet that Canada has closed its airspace to Russian aircraft operators. Italy, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic are among some of the other nations to ban Russian aircrafts from their airspace in light of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. In retaliation, Russia has reportedly closed its airspace to many of the same countries. Russian airliner Aeroflot typically operates a number of flights a day to the U.S., utilizing Canada’s airspace. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is into its fourth day.
Effective immediately, Canada’s airspace is closed to all Russian aircraft operators. We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine.
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) February 27, 2022
