Russia Ukraine war LIVE Updates: McDonald’s, Coca-Cola join US firms halting Russia operations

A militia man walks in a checkpoint set up at a road heading to the city of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

Russia Ukraine war LATEST Updates: The New York Times says that it is temporarily removing its journalists from Russia after Moscow imposed new legislation that effectively outlaws independent reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged British MPs to designate Russia as a “terrorist state” after President Vladimir Putin ordered a special military operation against his nation and called for tougher sanctions on Moscow to “make sure our skies are safe”.

An air alert was declared Wednesday morning in and around Kyiv, with residents urged to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible. “Kyiv region – air alert. Threat of a missile attack. Everyone immediately to shelters,” regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.

The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) on Wednesday said it is imposing a USD 10,000 limit on foreign cash withdrawals from foreign currency accounts by clients until 9 September.

In another apparent nod aimed at placating Moscow, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is no longer pressing for NATO membership. This was was one of Russia’s stated reasons for invading its neighbour Ukraine.

McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks bowed to public pressure and suspended their operations in Russia, joining the international corporate chorus of outrage over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is no longer pressing for NATO membership for Ukraine, a delicate issue that was one of Russia’s stated reasons for invading its pro-Western neighbor.

In another apparent nod aimed at placating Moscow, Zelensky said he is open to “compromise” on the status of two breakaway pro-Russian territories that President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent just before unleashing the invasion on February 24.

“I have cooled down regarding this question a long time ago after we understood that … NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine,” Zelensky said in an interview aired Monday night on ABC News.

“The alliance is afraid of controversial things, and confrontation with Russia,” the president added.

This, as Russia became the most sanctioned countries in the world. Key Russian banks have been cut out of the SWIFT payments messaging system, making financial transactions much more difficult. Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II has grown even more severe, with UN officials reporting that 2 million people have now fled Ukraine.

Manwhile, Moscow’s forces have besieged Ukrainian cities and cut off food, water, heat and medicine in a growing humanitarian crisis. But for days, attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians have stumbled amid continuing fighting and objections to the proposed routes.

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