Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that Western penalties against Moscow for its military incursion in Ukraine would destabilise the global energy and food markets and vowed the country would emerge stronger from the crisis.Putin's "special military operation" in Ukraine that began on 24 February has triggered unprecedented Western sanctions and sparked an exodus of international corporations from Russia.Putin on Thursday however downplayed the massive sanctions,

In the space of a single day, 28 February, Vladimir Putin’s “Fortress Russia” collapsed. The rouble plunged by about 30 percent, and Russian authorities closed all financial markets. Russians raced to ATM machines to withdraw as much money as they could, desperate to exchange it for anything that wasn’t the rouble.

With war raging in Ukraine, China’s annual “Two Sessions” convey an image of a country in denial. As the Communist Party and its advisory body gather in Beijing this month, there has been little or no mention of a seismic disruption in the world order – an omission that is all the more glaring in view of China’s deep-rooted sense of its unique place in history. With its unabashed great power aspirations, modern China may well be at a decisive juncture.

Blocking the Russian central bank’s foreign-exchange reserves was a brilliant move. Disconnecting some Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system was helpful. And pursuing the offshore wealth of Putin’s cronies is appropriate. But none of these sanctions have stopped the Russian invasion of Ukraine for one reason, and none of them will.The reason is simple: Russia continues to export oil and gas.

Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:Ceasefire Collapses Russia resumes its offensive against the besieged south-eastern city of Mariupol hours after agreeing to a ceasefire to allow residents trapped by the fighting to leave which Ukraine says it violated.Officials in Mariupol had announced plans for a large-scale evacuation during the ceasefire but later said they had to postpone the operation in the face of continued Russian shelling.Russia accused Ukra

Some weeks can feel like decades, and this week has been one of them. With Russia’s naked act of aggression against Ukraine, the tragedy of war has erupted in Europe once again. Russian forces have shelled residential housing, schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure. The Kremlin’s propaganda machine has been pushed into overdrive in its effort to justify the unjustifiable.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that "demands" Russia "immediately" withdraw from Ukraine, in a powerful rebuke of Moscow's invasion by a vast majority of the world's nations.After more than two days of extraordinary debate, which saw the Ukrainian ambassador accuse Russia of genocide, 141 out of 193 UN member states voted for the non-binding resolution.China was among the 35 countries which abstained, whi

The Ukraine-Russia crisis is posing a major challenge for China on many fronts.The ever-closer diplomatic relationship between Russia and China could be seen at the Winter Games with Mr Putin coming to Beijing as one of only a handful of known world leaders to attend.Significantly, Mr Putin waited until just after the Games were over to recognise the two breakaway regions of Ukraine and send in troops to back them.In its public pronouncements, the Chinese government has urged all sides to de-

Here are the latest developments in Russia's attack on Ukraine:11 Killed In Kharkiv At least 11 civilians are killed in ongoing shelling of Ukraine's second city Kharkiv in the east of the country.More Talks Planned Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia will return to their capital cities for consultations and have plans for fresh talks, both sides announce after a first meeting since war broke out.Russia Defends War Russia defends its decision to invade Ukr

On 18 February, 2022, six Filipino nationals from Ukraine arrived in the country after the Philippine government announced free repatriation flights for Filipinos living in the crisis-driven Eastern European state. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has estimated more than 350 Filipinos living in Ukraine.