February 27, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Street fighting broke out in the center of Kharkiv as Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second largest city, Oleh Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration said Sunday. 

Synehubov urged residents of the eastern city to stay in shelters and not to travel anywhere. Russian vehicles entered the city of Kharkiv on Sunday, he said.

Kharkiv, with a population of about 1.4 million people, sits less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the Russian border and was approached by Russian forces shortly after the invasion started on Thursday.

Ukrainian forces have managed to deter Russian troops from entering the city for the past three days, but Synehubov said this has now changed, with fighting taking place at the heart of the city. 

A Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus for notional talks with Ukrainian representatives, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti.

Peskov said the delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and other departments, including the presidential administration, RIA reported.

"We will be ready to start these negotiations in Gomel [Homiel]," Peskov said, according to RIA.

The Kremlin has continued to put out messaging that Russia would send representatives to the Belarusian capital of Minsk to talk with Kyiv, despite its military's continued and unprovoked assault on Ukraine.

The Kremlin has claimed previously the Ukrainian side had countered with a proposal to meet in Warsaw and then dropped contact.

Top Ukrainian officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have expressed willingness to talk peace with Russia.

The White House, along with several EU nations, announced on Saturday the expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world.

But what exactly is SWIFT and how will it impact Russia?

SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It was founded in 1973 to replace the telex and is now used by over 11,000 financial institutions to send secure messages and payment orders. With no globally accepted alternative, it is essential plumbing for global finance.

Removing Russia from SWIFT would make it nearly impossible for financial institutions to send money in or out of the country, delivering a sudden shock to Russian companies and their foreign customers — especially buyers of oil and gas exports denominated in US dollars.

SWIFT is based in Belgium and governed by a board consisting of 25 people. SWIFT, which describes itself as a “neutral utility,” is incorporated under Belgian law and must comply with EU regulations.

What happens if Russia is removed?

There is precedent for removing a country from SWIFT.

SWIFT unplugged Iranian banks in 2012 after they were sanctioned by the EU over the country’s nuclear program. Iran lost almost half of its oil export revenue and 30% of foreign trade following the disconnection, according to experts.

The United States and Germany have the most to lose if Russia is disconnected, because their banks are the most frequent SWIFT users in communicating with Russian banks, according to Maria Shagina, a visiting fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

Senior Russian lawmakers have responded by saying that shipments of oil, gas and metals to Europe would stop if Russia is expelled.

Has SWIFT commented?

In a statement, SWIFT said it is a "neutral global cooperative" and "any decision to impose sanctions on countries or individual entities rests solely with the competent government bodies and applicable legislators."

Read more here.

Poland will provide a special train to transport the wounded from Ukraine to various hospitals in Warsaw, an official said on Saturday.

"Poland does not forget about aid for Ukraine. We are starting a train for the wounded who suffered as a result of Russia's military operations against Ukraine," Stanisław Żaryn, spokesperson for the minister of special services coordinator, said in a tweet.

France will send fuel supplies to Ukraine along with defensive equipment to support the country’s resistance to the Russian invasion, the Élysée Palace said in a statement Saturday following a partial meeting of national defense council. 

The statement gave no further detail on the defensive equipment, but an Elysée source told journalists earlier Saturday that this could include anti-tank weapons. 

The national defense council also agreed to freeze the financial assets of Russians targeted by sanctions and announced measures to “combat propaganda from influencers and the Russian media on European soil,” the statement said.

No details were given on these measures. 

French President Emmanuel Macron announced a “strengthening of economic and financial sanctions” in line with the European Union and the US, per the statement. 

Australia will work with NATO members to supply weapons to Ukraine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters on Sunday. 

The move to step up support comes after the Prime Minister said on Friday Australia would provide "non-lethal" military equipment and medical supplies,

Morrison also said Australia has expedited visa processing of Ukrainians seeking to enter Australia and will provide more humanitarian aid in the near future, describing it as a "top priority."

Ukrainian Major General Borys Kremenetsky told reporters in Washington Saturday that Ukraine had captured around 200 Russian soldiers who were "badly equipped."

CNN has not been able to independently verify the general's claims. 

Kremenetsky said he is working closely with the Pentagon, but Ukraine still needs more support with military aid. 

"There is list of crucial requirements, and we still need more capabilities. I can assure you that what we received already were used in a proper way," he said.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Saturday that more than 150,000 people have been forced to flee Russian violence in Ukraine.

Former US President Donald Trump defended his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday while also calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “a brave man” amid Russia’s deadly invasion of his country.

“He’s a brave man, he’s hanging in,” Trump said of Zelensky in remarks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, even as he declined to back away from complimenting Putin as “smart.”

The former President has repeatedly praised Putin in the days since Russian troops crossed into Ukraine and began launching rocket strikes against the country’s capital of Kyiv. His comments on Zelensky come days after he lavished praise on Putin, calling the Kremlin leader “genius” and “savvy” in a radio interview. 

Read the full story.