Russia Ukraine War News Live Updates: UNGA meets to pressure Russia to withdraw; Western companies to accelerate withdrawal

Seventh flight with 182 stranded Indians reaches Mumbai

The seventh flight carrying 182 Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine reached Mumbai on Tuesday from Bucharest, Romania as part of ‘Operation Ganga’. Union Minister Narayan Rane received the evacuated Indian nationals at Mumbai airport.

World Taekwondo Strips Vladimir Putin Black Belt

World Taekwondo has strongly condemned brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the body’s vision of “Peace is more precious than triumph” and the World Taekwondo values ​​of respect and tolerance. “In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to revoke the 9th dan black belt honorary title awarded to Vladimir Putin in November 2013,” an official statement said.

Hollywood stops releases in Russia

Warner Bros. stops release of “The Batman” in Russia just days before it opened in theaters there, when Hollywood halted distribution plans in the country after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Warner Bros., Walt Disney Co. and Sony Pictures said Monday they would “pause” the release of their films in Russia. Each studio has major upcoming releases that would debut internationally in the coming weeks. “The Batman”, one of the most anticipated films of the year, launches Friday in North America and many overseas territories, including Russia.

India calls for an immediate end to violence

India has said it is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of violence and an end to hostilities, saying that all differences can only be bridged through honest, sincere and sustained dialogue. India’s Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti told a rare emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Ukraine, convened Monday, that New Delhi is doing everything possible to undertake immediate and urgent evacuation efforts of Indian nationals who are still stranded in Ukraine.

Ukraine opens entry for foreign war volunteers

The Ukrainian president has signed a decree temporarily lifting visa requirements for foreigners who want to join the Ukrainian International Legion of Defense and fight on the side of Ukraine against invading Russian forces. President Volorymyr Zelenskyy’s decree will come into effect on Tuesday and will remain in effect as long as martial law is in effect.

Flight with 216 stranded Indians departs from Budapest

The eighth flight carrying 216 stranded Indian nationals has departed from the Hungarian capital Budapest to New Delhi under Operation Ganga, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday. On Twitter, Jaishankar said: “The eighth flight of Operation Ganga is departing from Budapest to New Delhi with 216 Indian nationals. Our pursuit of a safe return for all continues.”

Japan freezes Russian central bank assets as part of sanctions

Japan joined the United States and other allies on Tuesday in imposing additional sanctions on Russia, including an asset freeze on the country’s leaders and three financial institutions. Apart from those of six people, including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Japan will freeze the assets of Russia’s state-owned company Promsvyazbank and Vnesheconombank, as well as the country’s central bank. Japan will also ban exports to 49 Russian entities as part of the sanctions, the government said in a statement.

IIHF suspends Russian, Belarusian teams until further notice

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Monday suspended Russian and Belarusian teams from their competitions until further notice and revoked Russia’s hosting rights for the 2023 World Cup. The announcement comes as sports organizations around the world move to ban Russian athletes from participating in international events amid Russia’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine. † Belarus was an important staging area for the invasion. “We were incredibly shocked to see the images coming out of Ukraine,” IIHF President Luc Tardif said in a statement.

Shell leaves Russia

Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, said Monday it would end its joint ventures with Gazprom, a Russian natural gas giant. It joins BP, which said on Sunday it would sell its nearly 20% stake in Rosneft, the Russian state-controlled oil company. The double statements, each involving billions of dollars of investment, showed a sudden aversion to dealing with Moscow as the Russian military attacks Ukraine, forcing hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee. They also pointed to a remarkable turnaround in sentiment in an industry that has worked diligently for decades to win Russian projects. Shell had been careful to build a strategic relationship with Gazprom and has even provided financing and guarantees for the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany, which has now been blocked.

Withdrawal of Western companies from Russia is expected to accelerate

A flood of Western companies pulling out of Russia is expected to grow Tuesday as companies and investors in various sectors follow the lead of energy companies BP and Shell, which gave up billion-dollar positions after the invasion of Ukraine. Leading banks, airlines, automakers and more have halted shipments, terminated partnerships and called Russia’s actions unacceptable. Many more said they were considering action. “I would expect a slew of similar announcements in the coming days,” Sonia Kowal, president of Zevin Asset Management in Boston, said Monday, adding that the divestment by the major Norwegian sovereign wealth fund would support the move.

US says it is expelling 12 Russian diplomats for espionage

The United States announced Monday that it is expelling 12 members of Russia’s mission to the United Nations on charges of “intelligence agents” engaged in espionage. The Biden administration’s move came on the fifth day of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which has led to condemnation from the United States and dozens of other countries.

No more MCU for Russia

The Walt Disney Co said Monday it was pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including Pixar Animation Studios’ upcoming release, Turning Red, citing the “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis”. Disney is considered the first major Hollywood studio to pause theatrical releases in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.