Portal:Current events/2022 March 1

March 1, 2022 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  - Battle of Kyiv
    - Kyiv offensive
      - A Russian military convoy that is about 64 kilometers (40 miles) long continues to advance toward Kyiv, as the invasion enters its sixth day. (BBC News)
      - A senior U.S. defense official asserts that the convoy has "stalled" amid the Ukrainian military response and fuel and food shortages, but also warns that the Russian troops are "certain to regroup". (NBC News)
    - Russian forces strike the Kyiv TV Tower with a missile, causing a temporary disruption of TV and radio broadcasting. Five people are killed in the bombing, according to Ukrainian emergency services. A Russian missile also strikes the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center. (APA) (CNN) (Ynetnews) (PBS)
    - The Russian Armed Forces warn Kyiv residents to leave the city as its armoured convoy approaches the city's outskirts. The Russians also warn people living around the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine to evacuate, with the stated purpose of "thwarting informational attacks against Russia". (Reuters) (TASS) (The Guardian)
    - The Ukrainian Armed Forces foil an assassination plot against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by killing a group of Chechen paramilitaries known as Kadyrovtsy, who were attempting to enter Kyiv on February 26, according to Ukrainian intelligence information. (Ukrayinska Pravda)
  - Belarusian involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    - Belarusian Ground Forces units enter northern Chernihiv Oblast, according to a senior Ukrainian territorial defence forces official. However, the Ukrainian presidential office says that there is no evidence that this has happened. Belarus previously said that it would not send its armed forces to Ukraine. (Ukrayinska Pravda) (Rzeczpospolita)
  - Battle of Okhtyrka
    - Ukraine confirms that more than 70 troops were killed in a Russian ballistic missile strike on a base in Okhtyrka, Sumy Oblast, yesterday. It is the largest loss of life for Ukrainian forces in a single attack since the invasion began. (The Guardian)
  - Battle of Kharkiv
    - A Russian missile strikes the Kharkiv Oblast state administration building on Freedom Square at 8 a.m. local time. Six people are injured in the strike, with the building being severely damaged. The Slovenian honorary consulate is also destroyed by a Russian missile. (Sky News) (Delo)
  - Siege of Mariupol
    - The head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, says that separatist forces are being assembled to encircle the port city of Mariupol. (CNN)
  - The European Court of Human Rights orders an immediate cessation of bombarding and targeting of civilian targets in Ukraine. (Europeiska Pravda)
  - A senior U.S. defense official says that some Russian troop units have surrendered to Ukrainian forces "without a fight". (Business Insider)
Syrian Civil War
- Rojava conflict
  - A battle between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian soldiers kills two SDF fighters and two government soldiers. (France 24)

Business and economy

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
  - Foreign relations of Andorra
    - Prime Minister Xavier Espot announces that he will enter urgently to parliamentary procedure on Wednesday so that the General Council can approve the normative framework to apply economic sanctions to Russia. This law will aim to freeze the bank assets of 700 people and 50 companies that the European Union considers to be linked to the invasion of Ukraine. It is the first time in the history of Andorra that sanctions have been applied to a foreign country. (Diari d'Andorra)
  - Foreign relations of San Marino
    - The Grand and General Council of San Marino authorizes the country's government to enact sanctions against Russia, although the council rejects that the measures have a military content. (San Marino TV)
Nord Stream 2
- Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary wholly owned by Gazprom that was supposed to operate the controversial gas pipeline in Europe, files for bankruptcy with the canton of Zug authorities after a range of sanctions was imposed on its parent company. (Radio Télévision Suisse)
Russian President Vladimir Putin bans exporting currency abroad in excess of US$10,000. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

The cargo ship Felicity Ace, which was carrying cars from Germany to the United States, sinks in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, after catching fire and being evacuated on February 16. (AP)
Eleven people die after a fire breaks out in a mall in Damascus, Syria. (CBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tests positive for COVID-19. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand
    - New Zealand approves the usage of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 18 years. (Otago Daily Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain
    - Bahrain issues an emergency approval for the vaccine candidate developed by Valneva, becoming the first country to approve the usage of the vaccine candidate. (Medical Xpress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea
    - North Korea informs the World Health Organization that it still has not reported any cases of COVID-19. (Korea Herald)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - Queen Elizabeth II holds a virtual audience for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19. (NBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
    - American health officials report that the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine protects children over the age of 5 years from hospitalizations and deaths due to the Omicron variant. (ABC News)
Ozone depletion and climate change
- Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that smoke from the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season has damaged the ozone layer, delaying its recovery by about a decade. (The Guardian)

International relations

Reactions to the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, International reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia–Ukraine relations
  - A second round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations will be held tomorrow in an effort to pursue a ceasefire. (The Hill)
- China–Ukraine relations
  - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asks China to help mediate a ceasefire. In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says that China is ready to help Russia and Ukraine reach an agreement and mediate a ceasefire. China has also expressed regret for the conflict. (Nikkei Asia) (Straits Times)
Ukraine–European Union relations
- The European Parliament formally accepts Ukraine's application for EU membership. (India TV News)

Law and crime

Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem
- The Israeli Supreme Court rules that four Palestinian families in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood that were expected to be evicted can remain in their homes for the time being. (AP)
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is charged with attempted murder and held in Santa Clara County Jail following a shooting yesterday. (Wrestling Observer)

Politics and elections

Aftermath of the 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état
- Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the ruling junta leader of Burkina Faso, signs a plan to begin a three-year transition to democracy. (France 24)

Science and technology

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Media freedom in Russia
- Russian authorities take down liberal Echo of Moscow radio station as well as an independent TV channel, Dozhd, both often critical of the government, for alleged deliberate falsehoods against the Russian military and incitement to extremism. (The Moscow Times)

Sports

2022 Major League Baseball season
- 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout
  - The MLBPA rejects an offer and final proposal by the Major League Baseball, thereby postponing spring training to March 12 and opening day to April 7. (MLB.com) (NBC Sports)
2022 Winter Paralympics
- Ukraine at the 2022 Winter Paralympics
  - The International Paralympic Committee announces that Ukraine will send a delegation of 20 athletes to the upcoming Winter Paralympics in Beijing. (CNN)
International reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball withdraws Russia's hosting rights of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship scheduled for August and September in response to the invasion. (AFP via Inquirer Sports)