Researched & collated by: Vagda Galhotra & Nivedita Bobal
The Russian invasion: The latest update
We have extensively tracked the Russia vs Ukraine conflict since December. If you need more context, we highly recommend reading our Big Story on the historical roots of the conflict and this timely explainer on the effectiveness of economic sanctions, the return of the Cold War, what is driving Vladimir Putin, and India’s “balancing act.”
The cease fire: Last week, Russia and Ukraine agreed to create humanitarian corridors to help civilians escape the cities being shelled. The deal fell apart almost immediately—and residents of Mariupol and Volnovakha remain trapped. The reason: The Russians did not implement a cease fire as promised. Conditions within Mariupol are a nightmare: “There’s no electricity, no heating, no telephone connection. It is absolute horror. People drink from puddles in the streets.”
Peace talks: The third round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will be held today. Meanwhile, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett travelled in secret to Moscow to meet with Putin—with Washington’s blessing. He’s also had three conversations with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in 24 hours. There have been no breakthroughs but Bennett plans to keep trying. FYI: Israel has close ties with Russia and there’s a significant Jewish population in Ukraine. Associated Press has a good explainer on this unlikely peacemaker.
Death toll: The UN count for civilians is 364 deaths and 759 injuries—but with cities increasingly isolated by Russian troops the numbers are likely unreliable. Reporters in Kyiv witnessed civilians killed by shelling as they tried to leave the city. CNN has that story. The refugee count as of now: 1.5 million.
The students: India has brought back over 15,920 Indians on 76 flights—but around 700 students are still trapped in the city of Sumy—which is in the midst of fierce fighting:
“The main challenge remains the ongoing shelling there, violence, and the lack of transportation options. I think even more than transportation, it is about having a secure and safe way to get them (Indian students) out while they are not under threat.”
For now, they have been told to shelter in place—even though the city has no electricity or water.
State of the invasion: The Russians don’t appear to be pulling their punches anymore. They are targeting urban centres with big populations—making little effort to avoid civilian targets. That said, they only control one major city of Kherson as of now—and have failed to gain quick victories. According to the New York Times, this is due to “logistical snafus, baffling tactical decisions and low morale.” Also a factor: fierce and “unexpectedly capable defence” by Ukrainian forces. Worth watching: 2,000 people singing the national anthem on the streets of Kherson—now occupied by the Russians:
Other developments to note: Russians now control the nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia—which is making the International Atomic Energy Agency “extremely concerned.” They have also damaged a key oil pipeline that supplies southeast Ukraine.
Map to note: This is where the Russian troops are right now—and the dark red indicates areas under their control.
The #CancelRussia campaign: A flurry of big brands have pulled out of Russia including Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Samsung, Puma, Jaguar Land Rover, Burberry and Zara, Radio Free Europe, TikTok and American Express. BBC News has the full list. Putin, meanwhile, has banned Facebook, Twitter, BBC and Deutsche Welle—and called the economic sanctions “akin to a declaration of war.” And Moscow has rolled out this propaganda cartoon for Russian kids.
Related reads: New York Times looks at the politics of imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine—and the rise of war misinformation on TikTok. The Quint interviewed the Romanian mayor who scolded Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a viral clip. Washington Post has a heart-wrenching story on the animals in Kyiv's zoo who are traumatised by the war.
A big arrest in NSE scandal
The CBI has arrested Chitra Ramkrishna—who consulted a mysterious yogi while making key decisions as Managing Director of the National Stock Exchange (explained here). Already arrested: Anand Subramanian, the former group COO—who is suspected of impersonating the yogi. He apparently created the email account used by the so-called guru to communicate with Ramakrishna. (The Hindu)
UAE flagged for money laundering
The powerful global financial watchdog—the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)—has put UAE on its “gray list”—which includes a whole number of disreputable nations including Pakistan, Iran and North Korea. The reason for this demotion:
“The UAE long has been known as a place where bags of cash, diamonds, gold and other valuables can be moved into and through. In recent years, the State Department had described ‘bulk cash smuggling’ as ‘a significant problem’ in the Emirates.”
The Emirati real estate market also offers a safe haven for the money of war profiteers, terror financiers and drug traffickers. Point to note: There aren’t any serious consequences for being gray listed. But it does hurt UAE’s carefully honed biz-friendly image—and may make neighbouring Saudi Arabia a more attractive destination for foreign investments. (ABC News)
Wriddhiman Saha names names
The former wicket-keeper made a splash when he shared WhatsApp screenshots of a conversation with a “respected journalist”—who appeared to be threatening Saha with unspecified consequences for refusing to do an interview. There was great outcry and Saha was summoned by the cricket board committee to name the person—who apparently is Boria Majumdar. Now, the talk show host has gone on a social media rampage himself—and accused Saha of doctoring those screenshots. Quite frankly, we didn’t quite understand the muddled counter-accusations—which are in this Indian Express story. Suffice to say, Majumdar plans to sue Saha for defamation.
Fahad Shah arrested… again!
The editor of The Kashmir Walla was first arrested for “anti national” posts on social media. He received bail but was arrested again within hours for “glorifying terrorism, spreading fake news and inciting general public for creating law and order situation.” Shah was again released on bail on March 5… well, you can guess what happened. This time, he is back in jail thanks to a 2020 FIR that accuses him of rioting, attempted murder, abetment, printing or engraving defamatory matter, and public mischief. Do note that the police had not bothered to arrest him on these older FIRs until now.
The magistrate who granted Shah bail on Saturday said: “In a barbaric society you can hardly ask for bail, in a civilized society you can hardly refuse it. In other words, ‘bail is a rule and its refusal is an exception’.” What do we call a society that keeps throwing someone in jail at a whim and with the slightest pretext? (The Quint)
Wine helps fight diabetes!
A new study finds that consuming moderate amounts of the stuff—one glass per day for women and two for men—is linked to a lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes. The catch: You have to drink it with your meal. But the American Heart Association is asking non-drinkers not to take up wine—since alcohol consumption is a “double-edged sword.” Also: all bets are off once you open that wine bottle… (SciTech Daily)
Speaking of alcohol: New research shows that Asian American students turn to drinking to cope with the distress they feel after racist incidents. What remains to be studied: The long term effects of this kind of alcohol consumption. The sample pool represented nine ethnicities, a variety of majors and three in four participants were women. (NBC News)
Is the NFT bubble gonna pop?
The average trading value of these virtual assets has dropped, declining from $6,900 at the beginning of the year to under just $2,000—with an almost 40% decline in floor prices. But the outlook is mixed. NFT sales of prestige brands like the Bored Ape Yacht Club jumped by 59%, and as one analyst notes: “Trading volumes are down in general, but the demand measured by the number of unique traders and sales count is increasing.” (Futurism or Bloomberg News)
Five things to see
One: This is a big reveal! Sirajuddin Haqqani is the head of the Haqqani Network—the militant arm of the Taliban. The man—who is on America’s list of most wanted terrorists—has never been seen. All we had was a grainy photo of a semi-covered face. Well, he has finally been photographed at a police parade for new recruits. Watch him below. (France24)
Two: A bizarre new video posted by Russian state controlled media RIA Novosti shows the International Space Station breaking apart—after Russian cosmonauts bid adieu. NASA tweeted it out saying the vid is “clearly threatening the ISS program.” (Futurism)
Three: India beat Pakistan by 107 runs in the Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. But the highlight of the encounter is this clip of Indian players cooing over Pakistani captain Bismah Maroof’s seven-month-old baby. Well, girls will be girls—and thank god for that!
Four: In the mood for a seriously NSFW (or anywhere, really) tee shirt? A 2003 Gucci campaign that showed a man kneeling in front of a woman—whose underwear is pulled down to reveal the Gucci ‘G’... shaved out of her pubic hair. The ad created a huge uproar at the time—and was nearly banned—while Gucci said it was sexually subversive as its the man who is kneeling. Now for reasons that no one can fathom, designer brand Supreme has decided to revive the image—except it features an ‘S’ and is slapped on top of its graphic tees. Yup, we can see everyone wearing that one out. We refused to include a close up, but you can check one out over at The Cut.
Five: Heartbroken that your fave series documenting dysfunctional straight people in toxic relationships is over? Don’t worry. Netflix is already readying a suitable replacement for ‘Love Is Blind’—whose creators will now bring us ‘The Ultimatum’. The trailer promises it will be every bit as nuts. The Hollywood Reporter has more on the show.
Good stuff to check out
On the latest episode of the splainer podcast ‘Press Decode’, the splainer team looks at whether brown lives matter in the time of war—and the inequality within the so-called creator economy. Be sure to head over to the IVM website, Spotify or Apple Podcasts to listen to it.
