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Bloomberg
Russian missiles hit a military training facility in western Ukraine close to the Polish border that had been used regularly by Nato before the invasion.
The strike, which comes after Russia warned that convoys of Western military supplies for Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets, raised new concerns about the conflict potentially spilling over Ukraine’s borders.
Initial reports suggest around eight missiles hit the International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Yavoriv, in the Lviv region of western Ukraine, the city’s mayor Andriy Sadovy said.
The attack killed 35 people and wounded 134, Lviv region governor Maksym Kozytskyi said on Telegram.
“This was a strike by air-to-surface missiles,†Kozytskyi said earlier during a video briefing. Ukraine’s military was able to intercept some Russian missiles launched at the center in Yavoriv, he said, reiterating calls for the West to enforce a no-fly zone. More than 30 missiles were launched from the planes, he said.
On the night of March 13, eight Russian missiles fell on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv, near #Lviv, which is just 25km away from the Polish border.
Russia has been striking targets in western Ukraine more frequently in recent days, including bombing several airports. The Russian military also continues to target sites around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and fierce fighting has been reported there.
The Yavoriv training center site holds particular significance for Nato and the US, which held training missions there as recently as early February.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Saturday warned that Western convoys of weapons deliveries to Ukraine are “legitimate targets,†stepping up its threats amid a major increase in military supplies to Kyiv’s forces.
The US authorised another $200 million in military aid for Ukraine, including “further defensive assistance†to help the country “meet the armored, airborne, and other threats it is facing,†US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
UK to streamline Ukrainian refugee intake after criticism
Bloomberg
The UK government is poised to offer a new system for processing and admitting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, after weeks of domestic and international criticism.
Cabinet member Michael Gove, whose brief includes housing and communities, told the BBC that local authorities would be given 10,000 pounds ($13,000) per refugee to cover the costs of services, while households that commit to host Ukrainians for at least six months would get 350 pounds a month.
At least 2.5 million Ukrainians are estimated to have fled their country in the wake of Russia’s invasion, with Poland taking the bulk of the influx. As of March 9, only 1,000 Ukrainians had been granted visas to enter the UK. That number now stands at 3,000, said Gove, who anticipates tens of thousands would eventually be allowed into the country.
“We are all doing everything we can to move as quickly as possible,†Gove said in the BBC TV interview.
Britons will be able to formally register their interest to host refugees from March 14.
Among the hurdles Ukrainians trying to enter the UK faced was a requirement to apply in-person at a designated centre. That will now be scrapped in favour of online applications, Gove said.
The government is also considering using the assets of sanctioned Russians to help ease the burden of supporting Ukrainian refugees in the UK.