March 3, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said Thursday it was banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, which begin on Friday.

“At the IPC we are very firm believers that sport and politics should not mix. However, by no fault of its own the war has now come to these Games and behind the scenes many Governments are having an influence on our cherished event," IPC President Andrew Parsons said in a statement.

Russia is preparing to file a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following the decision, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday.

“We are currently in work to establish our legal position to file lawsuits on the protection of our athletes’ rights, against the discrimination of athletes based on their ethnicity and the use of sports as a tool of a political pressure,” Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said, according to TASS. 

Parsons said the IPC's decision was also a matter of safety and security, with the situation in the athletes' village becoming "untenable" as tensions escalate, he said.

He said Paralympic committees from multiple countries had threatened not to compete, and that if Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to take part, "nations will likely withdraw" and "we will likely not have a viable Games."

The decision comes less than a day after the IPC initially permitted athletes from both countries to compete as neutrals under the Paralympic flag and the Paralympic anthem. It will affect 83 athletes from the two countries, Parsons said.

According to TASS, Matytsin said: “It is extremely inadmissible to put in action any type of sanctions in regard to Paralympians, who have already arrived for the tournament.”

Matytsin said he wanted CAS to consider the matter before Friday’s opening ceremony, TASS said.

Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have begun at an undisclosed location on Ukraine's border.

A short video clip showed the Ukrainian delegation entering a conference room where the Russian delegation was seated. The two teams shook hands before sitting down to begin their talks. 

This is the second round of talks.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also tweeted, "Start talking to Russian representatives. The key issues on the agenda:

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova accused the Russian Federation on Thursday of engaging in acts that amount to war crimes, adding that Russian forces in Ukraine have carried out “blatant violations” of human rights. 

“Recent events clearly point to the fact that the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine carry out the most blatant violations and abuses of human rights, systematically engaging in acts that clearly amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Dzhaparova said. 

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council via video link, Dzhaparova called on the UN to hold the Russian Federation to account for its invasion of Ukraine and ongoing military aggression. 

“We believe the Human Rights Council has a leading role to play in uniting efforts for ensuring the accountability of Russia for its crimes against my country,” the deputy foreign minister told the council. 

“This is the very moment of truth, not only for my country that is fighting for its survival, but for the whole international human rights system and its fundamental institutions, and for those who were entrusted to promote human rights as members of this council,” she said. 

More context: US President Joe Biden has said it is evident civilians are being targeted by Russia, echoing an accusation made by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces are dropping munitions on innocent people.

Unlike Johnson, however, Biden stopped short of labeling Russia's actions a war crime. "We are following it very closely," Biden said. "It's too early to say that."

Russia routinely denies targeting civilians in Ukraine; however, international media and observers have extensively documented civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, the UN confirmed at least 752 civilian casualties, including 227 killed, by Tuesday night. However, accounts of civilian death tolls have varied greatly across different authorities and agencies. CNN cannot independently verify the number of deaths.

Speaking on Thursday, Dzhaparova said Russia holds itself “above international law and above the rules-based order,” but noted that Ukraine “is resisting” Russian military aggression.

“Our international coalition is strengthening every day,” she added. “In this extraordinary moment, we must stand together to ensure accountability.”

Sergiy Stakhovsky, a former Ukrainian tennis pro who left his family to go fight Russia, said he decided to go back to his country because he "would like it to still be on a map."

Stakhovsky and his wife did not tell their three young children where he was going, but he said he thinks they may figure it out.

"It was not an easy decision. ... If I would stay home, I would feel guilt that I didn't come back. And now that I'm here, I feel guilty that I left them at home," he told CNN from Kyiv.

Stakhovsky beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's "lies would be transformed into history books," he said. "The modern history of Ukraine would be nonexistent."

He said he has had a basic military training class and that "people like me will be the last resort," but he is also in good health.

When asked if he'd be willing to sacrifice his life for his country, he said:

"This is a question which I don't have an answer to. I'm not sure that there is one individual who is ready to tell you now whether he's ready to sacrifice his life. I want to see my kids, that's for sure. I want to see my wife. That's my goal. But in a given moment, nobody knows what's happening."

Watch the interview:

The reservation system that is the backbone of airlines worldwide says it has terminated its agreement with Russia's government-owned carrier, which could significantly hamper domestic travel.  

The technology company Sabre says Aeroflot has been removed from its global distribution system, meaning the airline will not be shown in its "marketplace used by travel agencies, travel websites and corporations around the world to shop, book and service flight reservations."

The move is the latest significant measure against Russian aviation industry after the western world closed airspace to Russian aircraft. Earlier this week, Boeing and Airbus said they would no longer do business with Russian customers. Last week, Delta Air Lines ended its codeshare booking agreement with Aeroflot.

“Sabre has been monitoring the evolving situation in Ukraine with increasing concern," said Sabre CEO Sean Menke in a statement. “We are taking a stand against this military conflict."

As US President Joe Biden collects his Cabinet for a meeting today in Washington, DC, the officials sitting around the table will provide a good illustration of how widely the Ukraine crisis is being dealt with in the Biden administration.

Nearly every agency or department represented has played some type of role, a rare example of the tired phrase "whole of government" actually being true.

Around the table today will be:

And while Secretary of State Antony Blinken is not expected to attend, his absence is because he is traveling to Europe for meetings today with NATO allies.

The situation in the city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine “remains difficult,” a spokesperson of the Ukrainian National Guard told CNN Thursday, stressing however that the military “is not going to surrender the city.” 

“The Ukrainian military is not going to surrender the city and will strike at the occupying forces. The military will also continue to destroy enemy sabotage groups on the outskirts of Mariupol," the official continued.

Where things stand in the city: According to the spokesperson, Russian forces have been “constantly bombing” the city, with the objective of destroying infrastructure — including the city’s rail network. 

“Shelling is taking place even in the direction of residential buildings, schools and kindergartens,” the spokesperson told CNN. 

Earlier on Thursday, the city’s Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov said during an interview on CNN’s New Day that Mariupol had faced 26 hours of continued shelling, describing the situation as “critical.”

It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv, seven days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Here are today's latest developments:

Volkswagen is stopping production of vehicles in Russia and will suspend exports to the Russian market.

“The Volkswagen Group has received the news about the war in Ukraine with great dismay and shock. Volkswagen continues to hope for a cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomacy. We are convinced that a sustainable solution to the conflict can only be found on the basis of international law,” the carmaker said.

Other car makers, including Ford and Renault, have also paused production in Russia. Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo said they are stopping shipments to Russia until further notice.