Recent events of the Russian-Ukrainian war:
BERLIN. Austrian energy company OMV says it has decided not to invest in Russia going forward and is starting a “strategic review” of its stake in the Yuzhno-Rossskoye oil and gas field, which could lead to its exit.
OMV said in a statement late Saturday that “Russia will no longer be the main region” in its business. CEO Alfred Stern said that “the war in Ukraine is a tragic and dangerous situation that causes great suffering to many and which we look upon with the utmost horror.”
OMV owns a 24.99% stake in the Yuzhno-Rosskoye gas field. It says the review it has now launched “includes all options, including the possibility of a sale or exit.” He said he expects to incur costs of 500-800 million euros ($547-875 million).
He said he would also take on the €987 million cost associated with financing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, whose certification was suspended by Germany last month, which “may be irrevocable.”
The Austrian company has already completed negotiations with Russia’s Gazprom on a potential stake in the Urengoy gas field in Siberia.
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Kishinev, Moldova. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Moldova pledging America’s support to the small, pro-Western former Soviet republic that is coping with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and is watching with apprehension as Russia’s war with its neighbor escalates.
On Sunday, Blinken met with senior Moldovan officials who are seeking international assistance in dealing with the more than 120,000 refugees from Ukraine it is now hosting, as well as seeking security guarantees against potential Russian aggression. More than 230,000 people have fled to Moldova from Ukraine since the war began 11 days ago.
Blinken said that Moldova’s acceptance of refugees is a source of inspiration for the whole world.
“We admire the generosity of hospitality, the willingness to be such good friends for people in need, and indeed I want to do my best to help you deal with the burden this has placed,” he said.
Russia already has 2.6 million troops in the country, stationed in the disputed territory of Transnistria and under close surveillance as Russian President Vladimir Putin pushes ahead with an invasion of Ukraine. Although Moldova has no plans to try to become a NATO member, just three days ago Moldova filed a formal application to join the European Union on a fast track to strengthen its ties with the West.
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LONDON – British military officials on Sunday compared Russia’s tactics in Ukraine to those used in Chechnya and Syria, where cities have been bombed and badly damaged after Russian forces faced unexpected resistance from their defenders.
The strength of the Ukrainian resistance continues to surprise Russian forces, and they have responded with strikes against populated areas, including the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol, according to a daily briefing by the British Ministry of Defense.
“This is probably an attempt to break the morale of the Ukrainians,” the ministry said in a statement. “Russia used similar tactics in Chechnya in 1999 and in Syria in 2016, using both air and ground munitions.”
The ministry said Russia’s advance had been slowed by attacks on its supply lines. As a result, there is a “real possibility” that Russia is now trying to camouflage fuel trucks to reduce losses.
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TEL AVIV, Israel. The Israeli prime minister has returned from a surprise trip to Russia, where he met with President Vladimir Putin and discussed the war in Ukraine.
Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow on Saturday, where he met with the Russian leader for three hours. The trip was made “with the consent and blessing” of the Biden administration, Bennett’s office said.
Bennett spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after meeting with Putin. He then flew to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Bennett landed in Israel on Sunday morning and is expected to convene his cabinet for a weekly meeting on the same day.
Bennett’s trip was the latest attempt at diplomacy in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Israel is one of the few countries that has good working relations with both Russia and Ukraine. Israel has delivered humanitarian aid to Ukraine but also maintains ties with Moscow to ensure Israeli and Russian warplanes do not come into conflict in neighboring Syria.
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Kyiv, Ukraine — A Ukrainian paramedic who was shot dead while evacuating the wounded from the outskirts of Kyiv was buried in the country’s capital on Saturday.
Valentina Puszczych was known locally as “Romashka”, which means “Daisy”. A friend described her as a “daredevil” who was never afraid to “get hit by bullets”.
She always “ran to the most dangerous places” to save the wounded, Natalya Voronkova said.
Pusic was a well-paid worker in a transport and logistics company. But in 2016, she joined the army as a paramedic in connection with the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Several women, including those dressed in camouflage jackets, wept as her body lay in a coffin at the service. A portrait of Pusic hung on the wall nearby.
In the cemetery, red roses were laid to the body of Pusic. After she was buried, the flag of Ukraine was smeared with earth.
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Kyiv, Ukraine. Crowds of men lined up in Kyiv to join the Ukrainian army.
A Ukrainian government decree prohibits men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country so they can be called up for military service.
But some, like Vladimir Onisko, volunteered to fight.
“We know why we are here. We know why we are protecting our country. And our guys who are actually standing there and fighting the Russian armed forces,” he told British Sky News. “We know what we are doing and that is why we will win.”
Others, like British Army veteran Mark Ayres, have come to Ukraine to help.
Ayres said that the Ukrainian people inspire and “inspire everyone”.
“I have no illusions. I don’t have romantic notions about war or like, ‘I’m going to be some kind of hero’ or make a difference… but that’s what I do,” Ayres said.
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BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that China opposes any move that “adds fuel to the fire” in Ukraine.
Blinken says the world is watching which countries uphold the principles of freedom and sovereignty.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they spoke on the phone on Saturday.
Wang called for talks to resolve the coming crisis, as well as talks to create a balanced European security mechanism. Wang says the US and Europe should pay attention to the negative impact of NATO’s eastward expansion on Russia’s security.
The US State Department says Blinken stressed that the world is acting in unison in response to Russian aggression and ensuring that Moscow pays a heavy price.
China has broken with the US, Europe and other countries that imposed sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. China says that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, but the sanctions create new problems and undermine the political settlement process.
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WASHINGTON. US President Joe Biden called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss ongoing efforts to impose economic costs on Russia and accelerate US military, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine.
The White House said the pair also discussed talks between Russia and Ukraine during a more than 30-minute call early Sunday in Ukraine, but did not provide any further details.
Zelenskiy tweeted that the two presidents discussed security, financial support for Ukraine, and continued sanctions against Russia.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for giving Ukraine access to his company’s Starlink satellite internet system.
“I am grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. “Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities.” He joked that they discussed possible space projects, which he would talk about “after the war.”
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Saturday demonstrated a batch of Starlink systems that arrived in the capital. He said Starlink will help keep critical infrastructure running and the city protected.
Several large Ukrainian cities were left without the Internet and telephone communications after shelling by Russian troops.
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CHERNIGOV, Ukraine — Russia has dropped powerful bombs on residential areas in the city of Chernigov, a regional official said Saturday.
Vyacheslav Chaus published a photo of what he said was an unexploded FAB-500, a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) aerial bomb.
“Usually these weapons are used against military-industrial facilities and fortified structures,” said Chaus, head of the Chernihiv region of the same name. “But in Chernigov against residential areas.”
The city of Chernihiv, north of Kyiv with a population of 290,000, came under heavy shelling from Russian forces. According to official figures, 17 people were killed in the shelling in the region.
A video released on Saturday by the Ukrainian government shows people cheering as they watch a Russian military plane fall from the sky and crash.
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NEW YORK. Mastercard and Visa are suspending their operations in Russia, the companies said on Saturday.
Mastercard has said that cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network, and any card issued outside the country will not work in Russian stores or ATMs in the latest blow to the country’s financial system following its invasion of Ukraine.
Mastercard said it made the decision after discussions with customers, partners and governments.
Visa said it is working with customers and partners in Russia to stop all Visa transactions in the coming days.
The suspension is a continuation of more limited actions taken earlier this week to block financial institutions from accessing the networks that serve as arteries for the payment system. Russians have already been hit hard by heavy sanctions and financial penalties imposed by the US government and others.
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Follow AP reporting on tensions between Russia and Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.