March 2, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Meg Wagner, Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Maureen Chowdhury, Jason Kurtz and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 4:01 p.m. ET, March 7, 2022
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3:41 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

Secretary of State Blinken: US still open to diplomacy, but there’s no path unless Russia pulls back forces

From CNN's Jeremy Herb

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discusses Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discusses Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday. (Elizabeth Frantz/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the US remains open to diplomacy with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, but said there’s no path unless Russia pulls back its forces.

“We of course remain open to pursuing any reasonable path, but it’s very hard to see any path when the bombs are dropping, the planes are flying the tanks are rolling,” Blinken told reporters at the State Department. “So de-escalation, pulling back forces, that would open a path of diplomacy.”

Blinken added that the US would help Ukraine diplomatically if Kyiv believes there’s a path that could end the war, but he noted that Russia often “goes through the pretense of diplomacy” while continuing on its aggressive path, noting the demands Moscow made in its first round of talks with Ukraine were “non-starters.” 

“If Ukraine thinks there is a path that would help advance its interests protect it end the war and we can be helpful in that, of course we’re fully prepared to do that,” Blinken said.

“But we really look to the Ukrainian government to what if anything might make sense. They’re engaged in talks with Russia. They had one round, there may be another one, we’ll see. But, of course, the demands Russia put on the table were beyond excessive, they were of course non-starters," he said.

4:22 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

Former NATO commander: Putin "pushing for land corridor to Crimea"

From CNN’s Arnaud Siad and Ben Kirby

Richard Shirreff, NATO's former deputy supreme allied commander, speaks to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday.
Richard Shirreff, NATO's former deputy supreme allied commander, speaks to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is “pushing for a land corridor to Crimea,” a former NATO commander told CNN Wednesday while commenting on Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.   

Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, NATO's former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe Richard Shirreff said: “It is quite clear that Putin is pushing for a land corridor to Crimea. I mean that is an obvious objective.”

“He’s had Crimea in the Russian Federation since 2014, he’s only been able to supply it across the Kerch Strait bridge, and so of course he’s looking to establish that land corridor down off the Sea of Azov,” Shirreff added.

Shirreff went on to say that Putin has been “humiliated” and his military “had not delivered” given the slow advances into the country.

“[Putin] is going to be ordering Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, to get cracking, to get stuck in, and to use whatever means he needs at his disposal,” Shirreff said. 

The former NATO Commander said he feared we would see an increase in civilian casualties and humanitarian catastrophe, with potentially the leveling of cities, as a result.

“I’m afraid to say I don’t think we have seen anything yet in terms of the destruction that’s likely to happen,” he said.

Watch former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe Richard Shirreff explain why fighting in cities is "tougher on the attacker":

2:56 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

The US is imposing new sanctions on 22 Russian "defense-related entities," Secretary of State Blinken says 

From CNN's Michael Conte

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. (Elizabeth Frantz/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new round of sanctions on Russia, targeting 22 Russian “defense-related entities” as Russia pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine.

The entities that will be sanctioned include “companies that make combat aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare systems,” Blinken said at a news conference at the State Department, “the very systems now being used to assault the Ukrainian people, abuse human rights, violate international humanitarian law.”

Blinken also announced export controls on Belarus “to hold the Lukashenko regime accountable for being a co-belligerent in President Putin’s war of choice.”

“We will choke off Belarus’s ability to import key technologies,” said Blinken. “And if Lukashenko’s support for the war continues, the consequences for his regime will escalate.”

2:37 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

"We are not at war with Russia," French president stresses

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a televised speech in Paris on Wednesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a televised speech in Paris on Wednesday. (Abaca/Sipa USA/AP)

"We are not at war with Russia," French President Emmanuel Macron said.

In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Macron said the war against Ukraine had created a "rupture" in Europe. 

Macron added he puts an importance on maintaining contact with both the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The French leader said he had kept up contact with Putin to try to "convince him to drop arms" and also to prevent the "enlargement of the conflict."  

2:55 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

US nuclear command and control aircraft have increased flights since Russia's Ukraine invasion, official says

From CNN's Oren Liebermann

The US military’s nuclear command and control aircraft have increased their number of daily flights since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a US official tells CNN, a sign that the US strategic force has responded in some way to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The fleet of Boeing E-6 Mercury aircraft has flown more frequently since the invasion, which has not been previously reported. The commander of America’s nuclear weapons says the posture of the US strategic force has not changed, but the increased flights mark a shift in the last week, even before Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would put his own strategic force, including nuclear weapons, on heightened alert.

Notably, the increase in frequency of the flights occurred even before Putin made the move, which the Pentagon called “unnecessary” and “escalatory.” The more frequent flights began one day before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as US officials warned the assault could begin within hours.

“I am satisfied with the posture of my forces,” Admiral Charles Richard, the commander of US Strategic Command, told a House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday. “I have made no recommendations to make any changes,” he continued, saying that the nuclear command and control was the “most defended, most resilient” it has ever been.

The US retains a portion of its ballistic missiles under a state of heightened alert, ready to be launched within minutes should the order come down from the President. The US also retains a launch-under-attack option to fire intercontinental ballistic missiles in the event of a confirmed attack.

Richard told lawmakers he was staying in Omaha, Nebraska, the headquarters of Strategic Command, so he can “assess and be satisfied in terms of our defensive posture.”

More background: The fleet of E-6s have been flying approximately seven sorties each day since Feb. 23, according to airplane tracking data on ADS-B Exchange, a flight tracking website that picks up on an aircraft’s transponder signal. The increase in flights began as US and western officials warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent. Prior to that date, the E-6 fleet was flying approximately three to four sorties each day, tracking data shows.

The E-6 is a command-and-control aircraft designed as a platform for a “survivable, reliable, and endurable” link between the military’s top commanders, including the President as commander-in-chief, and the strategic and non-strategic forces who carry out those orders. 

The aircraft has the critical highly classified ask of communications with ballistic missile submarines and ballistic missile silos, known as the TACAMO mission, which stands for “Take Charge and Move Out.” The E-6 can also launch ballistic missiles from silos using the airborne launch control system (ALCS).

Capt. Ron Flanders, the spokesperson for US Strategic Command, which oversees America’s nuclear weapons, said, “The Department of Defense routinely conducts and varies its flight operations as appropriate. We do not comment on the specifics of these operations nor on the manner in which they are conducted.”

“The E-6 is meant to serve as a survivable and redundant means of airborne command and control, keeping links between the our civilian political leadership and nuclear forces intact in a crisis,” said Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

“I have no reason to believe the ongoing flights are anything but routine or parts of exercises,” he added.

Notably, the increased frequency of the flights occurred even before Putin placed his deterrence forces, including nuclear arms, on a heightened state of alert over the weekend, which the Pentagon called “unnecessary” and “escalatory.” The more frequent flights began one day before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as US officials warned the assault could begin within hours.

Hans Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, said the E-6 flights happen routinely. The increased flights, he speculated, may be an extra precaution given the risks involved with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine so close to the US’s NATO allies.

“You could imagine there’s been an order that’s gone out that says we need to have this command-and-control system up and ready in case there are any crazy, unforeseen scenarios happening,” said Kristensen. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that therefore there’s a heightened nuclear alert status compared to what we normally have, but you can imagine they have that enhanced communication system up and running.” 

Kristensen also said the increased flights may be a way of sending a message to Russia that the US is watching.  

“That would be one way to communicate heightened vigilance so to speak," he said.

 

2:22 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

CNN teams report air raid sirens and a large explosion as night falls in Ukraine

CNN teams on the ground are hearing air raid sirens in Odessa and Uman, Ukraine.

And just moments ago, the team in Kyiv heard a large explosion. It's unclear the exact location of the explosion.

2:33 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

France: EU will take measures on cryptocurrencies to prevent Russia from bypassing sanctions

From CNN’s Eva Tapiero in Paris and Pierre Meilhan in Atlanta

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks on Wednesday.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks on Wednesday. (Eric Piermont/AFP/Getty Images)

The European Union is planning to take measures on cryptocurrencies to prevent Russia from bypassing economic sanctions, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday.

"We have decided to work on additional measures to further strengthen the effectiveness of these sanctions and avoid any bypassing of the sanctions decided by the 27 member states. In particular, we will take measures on cryptocurrencies, which must not be used to bypass the financial sanctions decided by the European Union," Le Maire said during a news conference after a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels.

Le Maire added that while the exact measures addressing cryptocurrencies are unclear, EU members are "determined" to focus in this area to ensure the effectiveness of the bloc's sanctions against Russia.

"We had a specific report that was put together by Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank. We are going to study all the means that would allow us to avoid the bypassing of financial sanctions by cryptocurrencies," he said.

2:26 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

White House reiterates sanctions on Russian oil and gas "not something we're prepared to do right now"

From CNN's DJ Judd

Oil tanks are seen at the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery in Russia on February 24.
Oil tanks are seen at the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery in Russia on February 24. (Yegor Aleyev/TASS/Getty Images)

US President Joe Biden's senior adviser Cedric Richmond reiterated Wednesday that “everything is on the table,” including sanctions targeting Russia’s oil industry, while acknowledging “it’s not something we’re prepared to do right now.”

“When you talk about oil, you talk about increasing pain here at home for Americans and raising the price of gas and everyday expenses,” Richmond told CNN’s Ana Cabrera in an interview. “It's something we're definitely looking at; it is not something we're prepared to do right now. But I think the President was very clear when he said everything is on the table and he's not prepared to take anything off the table.”

Richmond took the opportunity to highlight the administration’s climate proposals, which he said “would lower energy prices for the average American family by $500 a month,” pointing to provisions in Biden’s Build Back Better legislation that he suggested would “lower Americans’ everyday costs.”

Here's what White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond said about Biden having to choose between targeting Putin or inflicting pain at the pump for Americans:

2:13 p.m. ET, March 2, 2022

Ukraine wants Russia to be severed from the global internet. Here's why experts say it's a risky idea.

From CNN’s Brian Fung

An employee inside the office of VK Company Ltd. works on a laptop overlooking Leningradsky Avenue in Moscow on January 19.
An employee inside the office of VK Company Ltd. works on a laptop overlooking Leningradsky Avenue in Moscow on January 19. (Andrey Rudkov/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File)

Over the past week, Ukraine's government has pressured major tech platforms to rethink how they operate with Russia, and it has been pretty successful.

Social media companies have reduced the reach of Russian state-backed media outlets, for example, and Apple has stopped selling its products and limited some services in Russia. 

But now Ukraine is pushing for something even more dramatic and consequential. 

On Monday, Ukraine's government called for Russia to be disconnected from the global internet. It sent a letter to ICANN, the US-based international non-profit that oversees the global system of internet domain names and IP addresses, with a plea.

"I'm sending you this letter on behalf of the people of Ukraine, asking you to address an urgent need to introduce strict sanctions against the Russian Federation in the field of DNS [Domain Name System] regulation, in response to its acts of aggression towards Ukraine and its citizens," wrote Andrii Nabok, who represents Ukraine on ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee.

Internet governance experts say Ukraine's request, if carried out, would effectively sever Russia from the internet, leaving Russian websites without a home. Email addresses would stop working and internet users wouldn't be able to log on. Russia would suddenly find itself on a digital island.

But those same governance experts are skeptical that Ukraine's request will ultimately be fulfilled. For one thing, they say, it would set a dangerous precedent that could give authoritarian countries license to make similar demands. For another, it is not clear that ICANN could make such a decision even if many wanted it to. 

Besides, they added, cutting Russia off from the rest of the digital world might be giving the Kremlin exactly what it wants: a citizenry unable to access outside information. 

Governments such as China's have sought to wall off their own people from the outside digital world. But Ukraine's request is unprecedented, according to Vint Cerf, widely considered one of the fathers of the internet.

"It is the first time in my memory that a government has asked ICANN to interfere with the normal operation" of the domain name system at such a scale, Cerf told CNN Business.

"The internet operates in large measure because of substantial levels of trust among the many components of its ecosystem," Cerf added. "Acting on this request would have negative consequence in many dimensions."

The letter was first reported by Rolling Stone. Angelina Lopez, an ICANN spokesperson, confirmed to CNN the letter had been received and that officials were reviewing it, but declined to comment.

Read more.