#Summary of News, 16/17 March 2022 PDT 20:00, EST 23:00, UTC 03:00
– 16 March [UK Defence Update](https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1504226935106330628)
– Given the delays in achieving their objectives and failure to control Ukrainian airspace, Russia has probably expended far more stand-off air launched weapons than originally planned.
– As a result, it is likely Russia is resorting to the use of older, less precise weapons, which are less militarily effective and more likely to result in civilian casualties.
– Latest UN reporting indicates that 1,900 civilian casualties, including 726 deaths, have already occurred in the conflict to date. The true casualty figure is likely to be significantly greater and will continue to rise as long as the conflict continues.
– [US DoD: Senior Defense Official Holds a Background Briefing, March 16, 2022](https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2969068/senior-defense-official-holds-a-background-briefing-march-16-2022/)
– [Casualties and losses of Russia](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FN9E9pGXIAA0oEQ?format=jpg&name=small) – Estimates of Russia’s losses by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. *Kyiv Independent*
– [Casualties and losses for both sides according to the United Nations](https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-civilian-casualties-2400-15-march-2022-enruuk) – Title says 15 March, date says 16 March.
– The number of refugees who have fled Ukraine has topped the [“terrible milestone” of three million](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220315-terrible-milestone-of-three-million-refugees-fleeing-ukraine), said the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency. *France24 English*
– Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian woman who protester at state-owned Channel1, was interrogated for 14 hours, fined, and may face 15 years in prison. [Newsweek article](https://www.newsweek.com/marina-ovsyannikova-could-still-face-jail-anti-russia-outburst-1688331), [BBC article](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60749279)
### Status of Fighting
[MAP OF THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine.svg) – *Wikimedia Commons*
– [Siege of Mariupol continues, with 2,500 civilian casualties](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-mariupol-descends-into-despair-708cb8f4a171ce3f1c1b0b8d090e38e3), claims Ukraine. *Associated Press (APNEWS)*
– Mariupol City Council claims that a theater hundreds of people [was destroyed](https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-mariupol-city-council-claims-russia-destroys-crowded-theater-live-updates/a-61140204). *Deutsche Welle English (DW)*
– [Three people killed and another 5 wounded in Kharkiv](https://www.reuters.com/world/three-killed-after-shelling-fire-ukraines-kharkiv-emergencies-service-2022-03-16/) after shelling. *Reuters*
– [Lviv reports that 35 were killed and another 134 are wounded](https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3428323-update-on-yavoriv-air-strike-35-dead-134-wounded.html) on Sunday. *Ukrinform*
– The ongoing siege at Chernihiv has claimed [113 lives](https://suspilne.media/217869-sonajmense123-vijskovih-ta-100-civilnih-zaginuli-na-cernigivsini-z-pocatku-vtorgnenna-rf/). *Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine*, in Ukrainian.
### Occupied territories by Russia
– Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky claims that Russia is trying to form a ‘pseudo-republic’ within Kherson, where the city and province of same name is already held by Russia. This could mean a new separatist republic like Donetsk and Luhansk. [Times of Israel news article](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/russia-said-planning-pseudo-referendum-in-captured-ukrainian-city-of-kherson/).
– [New mayor installed in Russia-controlled Melitopol after the Ukrainian city’s elected mayor was detained](https://edition.cnn.com/webview/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-12-22/h_d7ddf51a92bd3d4c8e15397ac8b1dfe8). Galina Danilchenko is the acting mayor.” *CNN*
– The kidnapped mayor Ivan Fedorov has been freed [after an exchange with 9 Russian POWs](https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3431846-melitopol-mayor-exchanged-for-nine-russian-pows.html) (POW: Prisoner of War). I couldn’t find information if he replaced Galina. *Ukrinform*
### Diplomacy
– [The UN Security Council will meet Thursday](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-united-nations-general-assembly-united-nations-war-crimes-europe-ba272d300bff8f43a6972e993848472e) at the request of the United Kingdom , the United States, France, Ireland, Norway and Albania.
– American President Joe Biden said that the United States is providing Ukraine with [USD 800 million, drones and anti-aircraft systems](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-says-us-give-ukraine-drones-anti-aircraft-systems-2022-03-16/)
– [Details of what is included in the US aid](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/tfx23x/whats_in_that_800_million_aid_package_president/). *r/ukraine*
– Biden also plans to [fly to Europe](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-biden-to-attend-nato-summit-269f8bf6bc29da251581f7cda5b85e2b) to talk with political leaders about the war in Ukraine. *Associated Press (APNEWS)*
– The UK Secretary of Defense said that his country is [supplying Ukraine with anti-tank missiles](https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-ben-wallace-announces-uk-govt-will-send-more-weapons-to-ukraine-for-country-to-defend-itself-against-russia-12561623). *Sky News*
– [International Court orders Russia to ‘immediately suspend’ military operations in Ukraine](https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114052). *United Nations*
– A [Fifteen-point draft deal was discussed](https://www.ft.com/content/7b341e46-d375-4817-be67-802b7fa77ef1) and reported by the Financial Times, but Raw Story reports that [Ukraine rejected this deal](https://www.rawstory.com/ukraine-rejects-russian-neutrality-idea-as-us-steps-up-aid).
– Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas [“The West should not say it will not intervene in Ukraine”](https://estonianworld.com/security/estonias-pm-the-west-should-not-say-it-will-not-intervene-in-ukraine/)
### Business and Economics
– [Moscow Stock Exchange will not open between 14-18 March](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-central-bank-decides-not-reopen-stock-market-trading-next-week-2022-03-12/). *Reuters*
– The Russian finance minister told Russia Today [ordered the payment of its debt](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/16/investing/russian-debt-payments/index.html). *CNN Business*
– Following the US and most EU countries, Japan [revoked Russia’s status as favored trade nation](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-revoke-russias-most-favoured-nation-trade-status-sources-2022-03-16/). *Reuters*
### Information war / Cyberwarfare
– Facebook [removes Russian hoax](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/exclusive-facebook-removes-more-russia-posts-claiming-childrens-hospital-bombing-2022-03-16/) that claimed Russia didn’t bomb a children’s hospital.
– Facebook (Meta) and Youtube have [removed a deepfake of Zelensky](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/16/tech/deepfake-zelensky-facebook-meta/index.html). The (low-quality) deepfake, featuring Ukraine’s President Zelensky asked for Ukrainian troops to put down their weapons and yield to Russia.
– [Short Twitter thread by the head of security of Meta](https://twitter.com/ngleicher/status/1504186935291506693).
#### Possible justification for the use of chemical weapons
– The U.N Security Council met on Friday after [Russia claimed the existence of ‘biolabs’ in Ukraine funded the the United States](https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/mar/11/there-is-only-one-aggressor-here-us-and-russia-trade-barbs-at-un-security-council-video). Allegedly, this could justify the use of biological and chemical weapons by the Russian army against Ukraine. *The Guardian*
– This is a conspiracy theory being pushed by Russia and China propagandists, that claims that [the United States funds biolabs in Ukraine for military purposes](https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/10/bioweapons-ukraine-russia-disinformation/). The journalist reporting this has also [made a Twitter thread with more details](https://twitter.com/Justin_Ling/status/1499436084249473024). *Foreign Policy, Justin Ling on Twitter*
– [NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia might use chemical weapons](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-chief-says-russia-may-use-chemical-weapons-german-paper-2022-03-13/) *Reuters*
– [Russian doubles down and claims that the United States could help Ukraine make nuclear weapons](https://www.jpost.com/international/article-701359). *The Jerusalem Post*
### News, Videos and Feature stories of interest for r/ukraine users
– (In German) – [What Putin has in common with Hitler](https://www.zeit.de/2022/11/wladimir-putin-russland-ukraine-krieg-adolf-hitler-nationalismus) – “To compare is not to equate: This cannot be said often enough. Comparing means not only working out what the compared have in common, but also what separates them, i.e. the differences. Only if this is taken into account can comparisons be meaningful and instructive. Especially in the case of the popular, but almost always misleading “comparisons” with Hitler, it is important to keep this in mind, also for current reasons: Of course, Putin is not a new Hitler. There is nothing to suggest that he hates the Jews and wants to exterminate them.”. [Anti-paywall link](https://12ft.io/proxy?q=http://www.zeit.de/2022/11/wladimir-putin-russland-ukraine-krieg-adolf-hitler-nationalismus). [Link to DeepL translator](https://www.deepl.com/translator).
– [The American Pundits Who Can’t Resist “Westsplaining” Ukraine](https://newrepublic.com/article/165603/carlson-russia-ukraine-imperialism-nato). – “John Mearsheimer and other foreign policy figures are treating Russia’s invasion of Ukraine like a game of Risk”. *By Jan Smoleński and Jan Dutkiewicz for The New Republic*.
– [Putin’s Road to War](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsfUiTJv2lE). The full documentary tries to explain Putin’s rationale for the invasion of Ukraine. *PBS*
– [Putin’s Road to War: Julia Ioffe (interview)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSNo2FPQDQw). *PBS*.
– [Inside Putin’s circle — the real Russian elite | Free to read](https://www.ft.com/content/503fb110-f91e-4bed-b6dc-0d09582dd007) – “As the west focuses on oligarchs, a far smaller group has its grip on true power in Moscow. Who are the siloviki — and what motivates them?”. *The Financial Times*.
– [Russia-Ukraine: What is a no-fly zone and why has NATO said no?](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/7/russia-ukraine-what-is-no-fly-zone-why-has-nato-said-no) – “As Ukraine urges no-fly zone, officials and experts warn of spiralling escalation if US gets directly involved in war.”. *Al Jazeera English*.
– [War in Ukraine: 79% of French people have a bad image of Vladimir Putin, according to a poll](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/tdqjof/in_french_translation_in_the_comments_war_in/). Original text in French, translation in the comments. poll done by IFOP.
– [German public opinion of the War in Ukraine](https://presseportal.zdf.de/pressemitteilung/mitteilung/zdf-politbarometer-maerz-2022/). *In German, ZDF-Politbarometer* – “The majority of supporters of such an embargo are from the SPD (62 percent), CDU/CSU (56 percent) and Greens (73 percent). Most supporters of the FDP (57 percent), AfD (78 percent) and Left Party (65 percent), on the other hand, want us to continue purchasing gas and oil from Russia.”
– [Concern grows over traffickers targeting Ukrainian refugees](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-immigration-moldova-poland-europe-17c62dbeb4c88e04e7253865bc20c9f0) *Associated Press (AP News)*
– [What China’s Social Media Is Saying About Ukraine](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/china-xi-ukraine-war-america/627028/) – Our analysis of online comments shows that pro-Moscow posturing is a veil for expressing a deeper critique of U.S. influence. *The Atlantic*
– Not really related to the war, but a video about [The Holodomor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1JI9_WNr1Q). *TimeGhost History*
### Other links of interest
– You can follow up-to-date information and news from the [r/worldnews live thread](https://www.reddit.com/live/18hnzysb1elcs)
– [Wikipedia: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine)
– [Wikipedia: Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine)
– [Reuters Graphics special with all the military equipment spotted in the war by Ukraine and Russia](https://graphics.reuters.com/UKRAINE-CRISIS/WEAPONS/lbvgnzdnlpq/)
– [#UkraineFacts: a international coalition of journalists fact-checking media surrounding the war in Ukraine](https://ukrainefacts.org/)
– DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH “War of Fakes”. [Deutsche Welle (DW) has reported it as being a source of fake news](https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-war-how-a-fact-checking-website-is-spreading-russian-propaganda/a-61062940), and the Russian Defense Ministry has linked this site in their tweets before.
## **Background and current situation**
– For a full background about the events that happened before the Russian-Ukrainian War, check [this post on r/OutOFTheLoop](https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/sqhno0/megathread_whats_going_on_with_ukraine_and_russia/).
—
# **Rule changes effective immediately:**
Since we expect a Russian disinformation campaign to go along with this invasion, we have decided to implement a set of rules to combat the spread of misinformation as part of a hybrid warfare campaign.
– No unverified reports of any kind in the comments or in submissions on r/europe. We will remove videos of any kind unless they are verified by reputable outlets. This also affects videos published by Ukrainian and Russian government sources.
– Absolutely no justification of this invasion.
– No gore
– No calls for violence against *anyone*. Calling for the killing of invading troops or leaders is allowed. The limits of international law apply.
– No hatred against any group, including the populations of the combatants (Ukrainians, Russians, Belorussians)
—
# **Current Posting Rules:**
Given that the initial wave of posts about the issue is over, we have decided to relax the rules on allowing posts on the situation a bit. Instead of fixing which kind of posts will be allowed, we will now move to a list of posts that are not allowed:
– We have temporarily disabled direct submissions of self.posts (text), videos and images on r/europe
– Status reports about the war unless they have major implications (e.g. “City X still holding would” would not be allowed, “Russia takes major city” would be allowed. “Major attack on Kyiv repelled” would also be allowed.)
– The mere announcement of a diplomatic stance by a country (e.g. “Country changes its mind on SWIFT sanctions” would not be allowed, “SWIFT sanctions enacted” would be allowed)
– ru domains, that is, links from Russian sites, are banned site wide. This includes Russia Today and Sputnik, among other state-sponsored sites by Russia. We can’t reapprove those links even if we wanted.
If you have any questions, [click here to contact the mods of r/europe](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/europe)
—
**Donations:**
If you want to donate to Ukraine, check [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/t03lml/want_to_support_ukraine_heres_a_list_of_charities/) or [this fundraising account by the Ukrainian national bank](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/wiki/ukrainewar#wiki_donations).
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**Fleeing Ukraine**
We have set up a wiki page with the available information about the border situation for Ukraine [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/wiki/ukrainewar)
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# Please obey the request of the Ukrainian government to [refrain from sharing info about Ukrainian troop movements](https://i.redd.it/5atggucaurj81.jpg)