⏳ Saturday Fix: 'Ammunition, not a ride'

Morning all,

Normally we publish an in-depth piece on a Saturday - but this doesn't exactly feel like a normal week.

In light of the unfolding situation in Ukraine, we thought it best to work through the weekend and make sure all of your questions were answered.

Until tomorrow,

Your Fixers

GOOD LISTENER?

Click the screenshot below to access the podcast version of today's NewsFix.

THE LATEST HEADLINES

• Kyiv: The battle for Ukraine's capital is ongoing. The New York Times leads with "Ukrainian forces battle to hold Kyiv," CNN says "the battle has begun" for control of the city, and the BBC News headline is "fighting reaches Kyiv streets as Russia attacks". There are many reports of active fighting taking place on the streets.

• President Zelensky: Ukraine's president has uploaded at least two videos of him in Kyiv in recent hours, dismissing false reports he had fled the country. AP reported overnight the US asked him to evacuate the country, to which he allegedly replied "I need ammunition, not a ride".

• 'Chilling call': According to an investigative reporter with TIME Magazine, Zelensky told European leaders "this might be the last time you see me alive". A Senior EU official is said to have described the call as "chilling to the bone".
• Sanctions: Western countries have personally sanctioned President Putin and his Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. It means their assets will now be frozen in the US, EU, UK and Canada. Many outlets have also reported a US travel ban was also imposed. Below is an extraordinary tweet by Russia's first foreign minister.

• Weapons support: This morning Sky News reported 27 countries including the US and UK "have agreed to give more weapons, medical supplies and other military aid to Ukraine". Worth noting: The article mentioned that not all donating countries were NATO members.  

• Kazakhstan: NBC News tweeted over night that Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies, "is denying a request for its troops to join the offensive in Ukraine". The report went on to say the country is also not recognising the independence of the breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
• Ukrainian refugees: More than 50,000 Ukrainians are understood to have fled the country in the last 48 hours, most crossing the border into Poland and Moldova. Those numbers were given by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
• Building hit: An apartment block in Kyiv was hit overnight, causing several homes to be completely destroyed. As CNN noted, "the cause of the strike is unclear". Russia has repeatedly insisted they are not targeting civilian infrastructure.

WHAT IS GOING VIRAL?

As we all know, there is so much content online. Here is some of the most powerful content we have seen.

The photo below from The New York Times of a dead Russian soldier has been widely circulated overnight.

Below are some of the questions you guys asked us on our Instagram. I hope the responses are helpful to you.

ARE NATO TROOPS GOING TO BE DEPLOYED INTO UKRAINE?

No. There are headlines this morning relating to NATO activating its Response Force for the first time, but this is not to deploy into Ukraine.

According to The Financial Times, the meme below has been widely shared in Ukraine.

The Response Force means that up to 40,000 NATO troops - the exact number is not clear - have been put on standby and are ready to quickly deploy to NATO member countries in eastern Europe if needed.

Below is a map highlighting just how many NATO countries are close to this situation. Estonia and Latvia, like Ukraine, also border Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine borders four NATO countries - Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

WHAT IS MARTIAL LAW?

Martial Law is described as the "temporary substitution of military authority for civilian rule".  

Basically, the military are in charge, not normal police. As USA Today noted, the specifics differ from country to country, but it is "usually invoked during times of war, rebellion and civil disorder".

It was imposed in Ukraine on Thursday, within hours of Russia beginning their attack.

HAVE THERE BEEN MANY CASUALTIES?

Ukraine's military on Friday claimed 3,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. We have not seen any reports from the Russian side at this point.

Journalists have been cautious about the figures, encouraging people to "take these things with a grain of salt".

COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT SWIFT IS?

SWIFT is basically an international payments system, described as a messaging network "to make cross-border payments". It is used by 11,000 banks across 200 countries.

As RTÉ News noted, it stands for 'Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications'.

The reason it is in the news at the moment is because there seems to be division amongst Western leaders over whether or not Russia should be banned from SWIFT in response to the invasion.

You might remember Ukraine's Foreign Minister tweeted on the day the invasion began that anyone blocking the ban would have "blood on their hands".

Why is there disagreement about that? The Guardian cited "diplomatic sources" saying Germany, Cyprus and Italy were among EU member states reluctant to support a ban.

"The system allows Russian energy companies to easily get paid for selling their oil or gas across the world. If they are cut off, it will not only have a massive impact on Russia, but also the countries that do a lot of trade with Russia - like Germany." - RTÉ analysis

Donald Tusk, the former European Council President, did not hold back on his views on the matter 👇🏽

WHAT IS THIS WAR ALL ABOUT?

Here is undoubtedly the best on-camera explainer we have seen on this. Watch it - it will be so helpful!

HOW CAN WE DONATE TO HELP UKRAINIANS?

CNN has put together verified ways to donate funds to Ukraine.

Here are also some links to UNICEF, Action Aid, and Save the Children - they all appear to be raising funds.

Thank you for the support over the last few days - your help in spreading the word about NewsFix ensures we can continue to summarise the news for you each day!

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