Editor's Pick: Missiles hit Kyiv; Indians being evacuated

Russian missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, families cowered in shelters and authorities told residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to save the city from an assault that the Mayor said had begun with saboteurs. “The city has gone into a defensive phase. Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods. Saboteurs have already entered Kyiv,” said Mayor Vitali Klitchko. Air raid sirens wailed over the capital of three million people, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion. European Union finance ministers agreed to freeze European assets of Mr. Putin and his Foreign Minister. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was deploying parts of its combat-ready response force on alliance territory and would continue to send weapons to Ukraine. U.S. officials believe Russia’s initial aim is to topple Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr. Zelensky said he knew he was “the number one target” but would stay in Kyiv. As world leaders scrambled to find a way out of the crisis, some by announcing stiff sanctions against Russia, others like India preferring not to favour any side, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Mr. Putin is willing to talk with Ukraine. Besides the cost of war on the ground, the immediate fallout of the Russian invasion was felt in markets across all assets the world over; oil prices surged to over $100 a barrel; and the sporting world moved with its own sanctions with F1 cancelling the Sochi race later in the year, and Champions League moving the football final to Paris from St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, India has carried out a round of evacuation of its nationals in Ukraine. The first batch of Indian students left Chernivitsi on a bus for the Ukraine-Romania border. The Embassy of India in Kyiv said the evacuation was being organised with the joint effort of the Indian embassies in Romania, Hungary and Poland. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Friday and discussed the difficulties being faced by Indian students, numbering in the hundreds. Air India too began evacuation flights to countries bordering Ukraine to bring back Indian nationals caught in the strife. Russia’s Ukraine gambit could unravel key assumptions driving India’s economic policy, with the biggest concern being the impact rising oil prices could have on inflation, an editorial in The Hindu pointed out. With India, like other countries in the world, struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, all eyes are on the Ukraine-Russian conflict, making it the top story of the day. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. Click here The Hindu’s Editorials The perfect storm: On Russia’s Ukraine gambit Troubled waters: On India-Sri Lanka fishing conflict The Hindu’s Daily Quiz How many princely States were there in India before independence? Over 700 Over 600 Over 550 Over 650 To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 26 FEBRUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Missiles hit Kyiv; Indians being evacuated [Russian missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital Kyiv]( on Friday, families cowered in shelters and authorities told residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to save the city from an assault that the Mayor said had begun with saboteurs. “The city has gone into a defensive phase. Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods. Saboteurs have already entered Kyiv,” said Mayor Vitali Klitchko. Air raid sirens wailed over the capital of three million people, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion. European Union finance ministers [agreed to freeze European assets]( of Mr. Putin and his Foreign Minister. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was [deploying parts of its combat-ready response force]( on alliance territory and would continue to send weapons to Ukraine. U.S. officials believe Russia’s initial aim is to topple Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr. Zelensky said he knew he was “the number one target” but would stay in Kyiv. As world leaders scrambled to find a way out of the crisis, some by announcing stiff sanctions against Russia, others like India preferring not to favour any side, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Mr. Putin is willing to talk with Ukraine. Besides the cost of war on the ground, the immediate fallout of the Russian invasion was felt in markets across all assets the world over; oil prices surged to over $100 a barrel; and the sporting world moved with its own sanctions with F1 cancelling the Sochi race later in the year, and Champions League moving the football final to Paris from St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, India has [carried out a round of evacuation]( of its nationals in Ukraine. The first batch of Indian students left Chernivitsi on a bus for the Ukraine-Romania border. The Embassy of India in Kyiv said the evacuation was being organised with the[joint effort of the Indian embassies in Romania, Hungary and Poland](. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Friday and discussed the difficulties being faced by Indian students, numbering in the hundreds. Air India too began evacuation flights to countries bordering Ukraine to bring back Indian nationals caught in the strife. Russia’s Ukraine gambit could unravel key assumptions driving India’s economic policy, with the biggest concern being the impact rising oil prices could have on inflation, an [editorial in The Hindu pointed out](. With India, like other countries in the world, struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, all eyes are on the Ukraine-Russian conflict, making it the top story of the day.      Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more.  [Click here]( The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][The perfect storm: On Russia’s Ukraine gambit]( [Arrow][Troubled waters: On India-Sri Lanka fishing conflict]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz How many princely States were there in India before independence? - Over 700 - Over 600 - Over 550 - Over 650 To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( Today's Best Reads [[Ukraine crisis | India abstains from UNSC resolution against Russian aggression] Ukraine crisis | India abstains from UNSC resolution against Russian aggression]( [[Putin’s moves are hardly ‘chess thumping’] Putin’s moves are hardly ‘chess thumping’]( [[Inflection point for the West-led global order] Inflection point for the West-led global order]( [[A shrinking green in India’s growing megacities] A shrinking green in India’s growing megacities]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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