⚡️⚡️ Plumes of smoke seen in Mariupol as multiple blasts heard near city, Sputnik correspondent says

❗️The Russian MoD says that nationalists battalions continue to hold about 5,000 foreigners hostage, using them as "human shields":

🔸 In Kharkov there are up to 1,500 students from India, up to 200 citizens of Jordan, 40 citizens of Egypt, and 15 citizens of Vietnam;

🔸 In Sumy there are 576 Indian citizens, 159 Tanzanian citizens, 121 Chinese citizens, 100 Ghanaian students, 60 Egyptian citizens, 45 Jordanian citizens, 16 Pakistani students, 15 Tunisian citizens, and 14 Zambian citizens;

The ministry also says that:

🔻 The Ukrainian side refuses to open humanitarian corridors in Kharkov and Sumy;

🔻 Kiev radicals are preventing the evacuation of the civilian population - a curfew has been introduced, exits have been mined, and civilians threatened with physical violence;

🔻 In Sumy, a group of students from Pakistan (up to 20 people) were beaten by nationalists when trying to independently go to the Sudzha checkpoint; the students were later sent back to a hostel.

The Russian MoD stresses that cases of discrimination are becoming more common, and that nationalist activists are preventing the evacuation of foreigners, especially those with dark skin, as well as citizens of India, Israel, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Egypt.

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⚡️ Moody’s Corporation says it's suspending commercial operations in Russia

‼️ 17 people, including children, were able to escape from Mariupol along the humanitarian corridor, DPR says

❗️ President Putin called the decision for a special operation in Ukraine difficult

🔸 Putin: the Russian Federation tried to resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a peaceful manner - it was necessary to let the people of Donbass speak Russian and live their own lives, but they organised a blockade

🔸 Putin: the people of Donbass are not stray dogs, from 13,000 to 14,000 were killed, but the West has preferred not to notice it for 8 years

🔸 Putin called the West's position on Ukraine a theatre of the absurd: black is white and white is black

🔸 Putin: Russia cannot ignore real threats to its security

⚡️ The current leadership in Kiev must understand that if they continue in the same spirit, then there will be a question of Ukrainian statehood, Putin says

❗️ Russia has detected militants from the Middle East in Ukraine - they're using jihadmobiles with explosives, and drive them to the Russian military, but to no avail, President Putin says

⚡️ Putin: Sanctions against Russia are akin to a declaration of war

❗️ President Putin: Martial law is introduced in the country by presidential decree in the event of external aggression, but we don’t have such a situation and, I hope, won’t

⚡️ British minister blurted out that NATO was involved in the conflict, and because of this it was decided to put the deterrence forces on alert, Putin says

❗️ Putin on a no-fly zone: Russia will consider its introduction in Ukraine by any country as participation in an armed conflict

⚡️ Putin: Process to destroy military infrastructure in Ukraine is almost completed

⚡️ Kiev's intel seeking to involve Syrian militants in Ukraine conflict - Source

❗️ Moscow regards US Senator Graham's remark to 'take Putin out' as call for terrorist act

Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned US Ambassador John Sullivan to present him with a note of protest over statements made by US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in which he called for the assassination of President Vladimir Putin.

"John Sullivan was notified that such a statement is qualified by the Russian Criminal Code as an attempt on the life of a statesman and entails grave consequences, including prosecution", the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

American GOP Senator Lindsey Graham earlier suggested that the only way to stop the Russian special operation in Ukraine, which started on 24 February, would be for someone in Russia to "take [Putin] out".

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📹: Vladimir Putin says Russia will consider any country that poses a threat to the lives of Russian servicemen as a participant in the military conflict

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⚡️ MFA: Russia won’t forget London’s cooperation with nationalists in Ukraine and Kiev regime, as well as supply of arms being used against Russian military

❗️ State Dept says 'special exception' flight was done to ensure Russian personnel and their families departed by instructed date

⚡️ Russian MFA: Countries contributing to sending mercenaries to Ukraine become participants in war crimes

⚡️ NATO will use Ukraine conflict as pretext to drag new states into bloc, Moscow says