The Evening Wrap: Russia pummels Ukraine’s No. 2 city Kharkiv; convoy nears Kyiv

Russian shelling pounded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian targets Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital — as Ukraine’s embattled president accused Moscow of resorting to terror tactics to press Europe’s largest ground war in generations. With the Kremlin increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have tanked the ruble currency, Russian troops advanced on Ukraine’s two biggest cities. In strategic Kharkiv, an eastern city with a population of about 1.5 million, videos posted online showed explosions hitting the region’s Soviet-era administrative building and residential areas. A maternity ward relocated to a shelter amid shelling. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack on Kharkiv’s main square “frank, undisguised terror,” blaming a Russian missile and calling it a war crime. “Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget.... This is state terrorism of the Russian Federation.” As the fighting reached beyond military targets on Day 6 of a Russian invasion that has shaken the 21st century world order, reports emerged that Moscow has used cluster bombs on three populated areas. If confirmed, that would mean the war has reached a worrying new level. The Kremlin denied Tuesday that it has used such munitions and insisted again that its forces have only struck military targets — despite evidence documented by AP reporters of shelling of homes, schools and hospitals. The Russian defense minister vowed Tuesday to press the offensive until it achieves its goals, after a first round of talks between Ukraine and Russia yielded no stop in the fighting. Both sides agreed to another meeting in coming days. Throughout the country, many Ukrainian civilians spent another night huddled in shelters, basements or corridors. More than a half-million people have fled the country, and the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday that it has recorded the deaths of 136 civilians, including 13 children. The real toll is likely far higher. “It is a nightmare, and it seizes you from the inside very strongly. This cannot be explained with words,” said Kharkiv resident Ekaterina Babenko, taking shelter in a basement with neighbours for a fifth straight day. “We have small children, elderly people and frankly speaking it is very frightening.” A Ukrainian military official said Belarusian troops joined the war Tuesday in the Chernihiv region, without providing details. But Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had no plans to join the fight. With Western powers sending weapons to Ukraine and driving a global squeeze of Russia’s economy, President Vladimir Putin’s options diminished as he seeks to redraw the global map — and pull Ukraine’s western-leaning democracy back into Moscow’s orbit. “I believe Russia is trying to put pressure (on Ukraine) with this simple method,” Zelensky said late Monday in a video address, referring to stepped-up shelling. He did not offer details of the talks between Ukrainian and Russian envoys, but he said Kyiv was not prepared to make concessions “when one side is hitting another with rocket artillery.” As the talks along the Belarusian border wrapped up, several blasts could be heard in the capital, and Russian troops advanced on the city of nearly 3 million. The convoy of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles was 25 kilometers (17 miles) from the center of the city and stretched about 65 kilometers (40 miles), according to satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies. “They want to break our nationhood, that’s why the capital is constantly under threat,” Zelenskyy said, saying that it was hit by three missile strikes on Monday and that hundreds of saboteurs were roaming the city. Kharkiv, near the Russian border, is another key target. One after the other, explosions burst through a residential area of the city in one video verified by AP. In the background, a man pleaded with a woman to leave, and a woman cried. Determined for life to go on despite the shelling, hospital workers transferred a Kharkiv maternity ward to a bomb shelter. Amid makeshift electrical sockets and mattresses piled up against the walls, pregnant women paced the crowded space, accompanied by the cries of dozens of newborns. On the city’s main square, the administration headquarters came under Russian shelling, regional administration chief Oleh Sinehubov said. Images posted online showed the building’s facade and interior badly damaged by a powerful explosion that also blew up part of its roof. The state emergencies agency said that attack wounded six people, including a child. Sinehubov said that at least 11 people were killed and scores of others were wounded during Monday’s shelling of the city. Russia’s goals in hitting central Kharkiv were not immediately clear. Western officials speculated that it is trying to pull in Ukrainian forces to defend Kharkiv while a larger Russian force encircles Kyiv. They believe Putin’s overall goal is to overthrow the Ukrainian government and install a friendly one. In a worrying development, Human Rights Watch has said it documented a cluster bomb attack outside a hospital in Ukraine’s east in recent days. Local residents have also reported the use of the munitions in Kharkiv and the village of Kiyanka near the northern city of Chernihiv, though there was no independent confirmation. The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor has said he plans to open a Ukraine investigation and is monitoring the conflict. Meanwhile, flames shot up from a military base northeast of Kyiv, in the suburb of Brovary, in footage shot from a car driving past. In another video verified by AP, a passenger pleads with the driver, “Misha, we need to drive quickly as they’ll strike again.” And Ukrainian authorities released details and photos of an attack Sunday on a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, saying more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed along with some local residents. The attack could not be immediately confirmed. The Russian military’s movements have been stalled by fierce resistance on the ground and a surprising inability to dominate Ukraine’s airspace. In the face of that Ukrainian resistance and crippling Western sanctions, Putin has put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert — including intercontinental ballistic missiles and long-range bombers — in a stark warning to the West and a signal of his readiness to escalate the tensions to a terrifying new level. But a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States had yet to see any appreciable change in Russia’s nuclear posture. Western nations have increased weapons shipments to Ukraine to help its forces defend themselves — but have so far ruled out sending in troops. Messages aimed at the advancing Russian soldiers popped up on billboards, bus stops and electronic traffic signs across the capital. Some used profanity to encourage Russians to leave. Others appealed to their humanity. “Russian soldier — Stop! Remember your family. Go home with a clean conscience,” one read. Fighting raged in other towns and cities. The strategic port city of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, is “hanging on,” said Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovich. An oil depot was reported bombed in the eastern city of Sumy. Indian student killed in Kharkiv shelling The conflict in Ukraine has claimed an Indian life. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday confirmed that an Indian citizen who was studying in Kharkiv, second largest city of the country, was shot to death. The MEA has summoned Ukrainian ambassador Igor Polikha for urgent consultation. “With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family,” said Arindam Bagchi, MEA Spokesperson, confirming the incident. The MEA said the Foreign Secretary is calling in ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India’s demand for “urgent safe passage” to Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and other cities in conflict zones. “Similar action is also being undertaken by our ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine,” the MEA said. The victim has been identified as Naveen S. G., who hails from Karnataka. He was shot while he was standing in a queue and waiting for food. Confirming the news, Karnataka Government officials said that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai spoke to Naveen’s father and all efforts will be made to bring back his body to India. Ukraine seeks to join EU as round of talks with Russia ends An embattled Ukraine moved to solidify its bond with the West on Monday by applying to join the European Union, while the first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at ending the fighting concluded with no deal but an agreement to keep talking. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted photos of himself signing the EU application, a largely symbolic move that could take years to become reality and is unlikely to sit well with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long accused the West of trying to pull Ukraine into its orbit. Russian and Ukrainian officials held their meeting on Day Five of the war under the shadow of Putin’s nuclear threats, and with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine running into unexpectedly fierce resistance and Western sanctions beginning to wreak havoc on the economy at home. A top Zelenskyy adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the talks, held near the Ukraine-Belarus border, were focused on a possible cease-fire and that a second round could take place “in the near future.” A top Putin aide and head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that the discussions lasted nearly five hours and that the envoys “found certain points on which common positions could be foreseen.” He said they agreed to continue the talks in the coming days. U.S. expels 12 Russian UN diplomats for spying The beginning of an already fraught United Nations Security Council meeting got even more tense when Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, informed the body that the U.S. had just expelled twelve of his colleagues from the country, a move confirmed by the American Deputy UNPR Richard Mills. Nebenzia, who conducts the meeting since Russia holds the presidency of the Council for February, opened by saying the “host country” [the U.S.] had taken “yet another hostile step” against the Russian mission by expelling twelve staff. He called this a “gross violation” of the U.N. agreement with the host country and the Vienna Convention. Nebenzia said there needed to be an arbitration procedure on host country obligations. Russia was repeatedly being told to follow the path of diplomacy but Russia’s opportunities to do this were being “restricted”, Nebenzia said. Mills said the expelling of diplomats was not an appropriate topic of discussion at a meeting convened around the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The decision to expel officials was taken in “full accordance with the headquarters agreement that we signed with the U.N.”, Mills said, and that the diplomats “were engaged in activities that were not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations”. He said they were being sent out of the country so they “do not harm the national security of the host country [the U.S.]”. A statement posted to the US mission’s website said the diplomats were expelled for espionage and that US action on them had been in process for several months. India faces uncertainty over defence supplies from Russia and Ukraine, as also CAATSA waiver With tensions escalating between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis, India, which has major defence cooperation with Moscow and also with Kyiv, faces uncertainty over timely deliveries in the near future, in addition to the lingering threat of U.S. sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) over the S-400 deal. In the past, tensions between Russia and Ukraine had considerably delayed the modernisation of the AN-32 transport fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF). “It is too early to say at the moment, but there could be delays in deliveries from Russia both due to their own domestic commitments as well the sanctions imposed by the West. It will take some time to get a clearer picture,” an official source said on the condition of anonymity. The current crisis could also complicate the CAATSA waiver India is looking for from the U.S. administration, two officials independently stated. While the S-400 deliveries began in December and are underway, a clarity on the timely completion was awaited, one of the officials noted. Several observers termed the severance of links and economic sanctions by the West on Russia “unprecedented.” In this backdrop, India requires a functioning supply chain relationship with Russia for spares and support, which is critical for its military. To questions on possible restrictions by the U.S. on Russian equipment, former Indian Ambassador to Russia D. B. Venkatesh Varma said, “It will be very unfortunate if the U.S. has the same objective as China – to weaken the India-Russia defence relationship to the detriment of India’s defence capabilities.” While Russia has been a traditional military supplier sharing platforms and technologies that others wouldn’t, the cooperation has further deepened in recent years. For instance, with the $5.43bn deal S-400 air defence systems as well as other big ticket deals, the defence trade between the two countries has crossed $15bn since 2018. Even today, over 60% of Indian military inventory is of Russian origin, especially with respect to fighter jets, tanks, helicopters and submarines among others, while several major deals are in the pipeline. For instance, in December, India and Russia signed a ₹5,000 crore deal for 6.1 lakh AK-203 assault rifles to be manufactured jointly in Uttar Pradesh. Production was to begin within few months and it is expected to reach full-scale production within 2-3 years, said Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport after the summit in December. In addition, Russia is manufacturing two stealth frigates for the Navy. They are to be delivered next year onwards, while another two are being manufactured by the Goa Shipyard Limited under technology transfer. The keel of the ships has been laid and the Navy has said that the first one will be delivered in 2026 and the second one six months later. India had signed a separate deal with Ukraine for eight Zorya-Mashproekt gas turbine engines for the frigates. As reported earlier by The Hindu, officials had said that the engines, gear boxes and specialist support will cost around $50 mn a ship. India had taken delivery of engines for the first two frigates and handed them over to Russia for the frigates under construction there. However, the status of the engines for the frigates being built in India is not known. India is also looking to receive the third Akula class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) sometime in 2025. With the current offensive, the Russian defence industry may be preoccupied to supply to their own forces, a military officer observed, adding that they hoped Russia would be able to ensure timely deliveries. As for Ukraine, it is upgrading over 100 An-32 transport aircraft of the IAF under a deal finalised in 2009. While the upgrade of 45 An-32s in Ukraine was completed in 2015, the remaining aircraft were to be upgraded by the IAF Base Repair Depot, Kanpur. Ukraine officials had stated that all contractual obligations for the local upgrade would be fulfilled by 2020, though the current status was not immediately known. After the Balakot air strike in 2019, the IAF made an emergency procurement of R-27 air-to- air missiles for its SU-30MKI fighters. At the Aero India in February 2021, Ukraine signed four agreements worth $70 mn, which includes sale of new weapons as well as maintenance and the upgrade of the existing ones in service with the Indian military, as reported earlier. Congress warns of protest if Centre hikes fuel prices after Assembly elections If the Narendra Modi government increased fuel prices after the Assembly elections, then the Congress party would take to the streets, the party announced on Tuesday as it targeted the Modi government over the increase in prices of commercial LPG (liquiefied petroleum gas) and milk. Taking to Twitter, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, using the hashtag “#KiskeAchheDin”: “By increasing the price of LPG once again, the Modi government has made it clear that it has nothing to do with the sufferings of the common people. Today LPG, tomorrow petrol-diesel.” Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Alka Lamba said that inflation was a “manmade or Modi-made disaster”, and women and children had received a jolt on the first day of March, with milk prices going up by ₹2 per litre. Lamba said the price of a commercial LPG cylinder had now crossed ₹2,000 in Delhi, after the latest hike in its price by ₹105 per cylinder. “It’s feared that domestic LPG rates would also be hiked by ₹27 soon after the elections are over. The Indian National Congress has always taken the issue of price rise of petrol, diesel and LPG seriously. The Congress will take to the streets if the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG are raised after the elections,” she said. The Congress spokesperson claimed that the BJP had conceded “defeat” in the Uttar Pradesh elections as LPG rates had been hiked even during the Assembly elections in U.P., and the people were going to “punish” the ruling party over the rise in prices. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 4,29,24,275 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 5,13,896. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 01 MARCH 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Russia pummels Ukraine’s No. 2 city Kharkiv; convoy nears Kyiv [Russian shelling pounded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city]( and other civilian targets Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital — as Ukraine’s embattled president accused Moscow of resorting to terror tactics to press Europe’s largest ground war in generations. With the Kremlin increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have tanked the ruble currency, Russian troops advanced on Ukraine’s two biggest cities. In strategic Kharkiv, an eastern city with a population of about 1.5 million, videos posted online showed explosions hitting the region’s Soviet-era administrative building and residential areas. A maternity ward relocated to a shelter amid shelling. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack on Kharkiv’s main square “frank, undisguised terror,” blaming a Russian missile and calling it a war crime. “Nobody will forgive. Nobody will forget. ... This is state terrorism of the Russian Federation.” [Ukrainian emergency service personnel carry the body of a victim following shelling of the City Hall building in Kharkiv on March 1, 2022] As the fighting reached beyond military targets on Day 6 of a Russian invasion that has shaken the 21st century world order, reports emerged that Moscow has used cluster bombs on three populated areas. If confirmed, that would mean the war has reached a worrying new level. The Kremlin denied Tuesday that it has used such munitions and insisted again that its forces have only struck military targets — despite evidence documented by AP reporters of shelling of homes, schools and hospitals. The Russian defense minister vowed Tuesday to press the offensive until it achieves its goals, after a first round of talks between Ukraine and Russia yielded no stop in the fighting. Both sides agreed to another meeting in coming days. Throughout the country, many Ukrainian civilians spent another night huddled in shelters, basements or corridors. More than a half-million people have fled the country, and the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday that it has recorded the deaths of 136 civilians, including 13 children. The real toll is likely far higher. “It is a nightmare, and it seizes you from the inside very strongly. This cannot be explained with words,” said Kharkiv resident Ekaterina Babenko, taking shelter in a basement with neighbours for a fifth straight day. “We have small children, elderly people and frankly speaking it is very frightening.” A Ukrainian military official said Belarusian troops joined the war Tuesday in the Chernihiv region, without providing details. But Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had no plans to join the fight. With Western powers sending weapons to Ukraine and driving a global squeeze of Russia’s economy, President Vladimir Putin’s options diminished as he seeks to redraw the global map — and pull Ukraine’s western-leaning democracy back into Moscow’s orbit. “I believe Russia is trying to put pressure (on Ukraine) with this simple method,” Zelensky said late Monday in a video address, referring to stepped-up shelling. He did not offer details of the talks between Ukrainian and Russian envoys, but he said Kyiv was not prepared to make concessions “when one side is hitting another with rocket artillery.” As the talks along the Belarusian border wrapped up, several blasts could be heard in the capital, and Russian troops advanced on the city of nearly 3 million. The convoy of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles was 25 kilometers (17 miles) from the center of the city and stretched about 65 kilometers (40 miles), according to satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies. “They want to break our nationhood, that’s why the capital is constantly under threat,” Zelenskyy said, saying that it was hit by three missile strikes on Monday and that hundreds of saboteurs were roaming the city. Kharkiv, near the Russian border, is another key target. One after the other, explosions burst through a residential area of the city in one video verified by AP. In the background, a man pleaded with a woman to leave, and a woman cried. Determined for life to go on despite the shelling, hospital workers transferred a Kharkiv maternity ward to a bomb shelter. Amid makeshift electrical sockets and mattresses piled up against the walls, pregnant women paced the crowded space, accompanied by the cries of dozens of newborns. On the city’s main square, the administration headquarters came under Russian shelling, regional administration chief Oleh Sinehubov said. Images posted online showed the building’s facade and interior badly damaged by a powerful explosion that also blew up part of its roof. The state emergencies agency said that attack wounded six people, including a child. Sinehubov said that at least 11 people were killed and scores of others were wounded during Monday’s shelling of the city. Russia’s goals in hitting central Kharkiv were not immediately clear. Western officials speculated that it is trying to pull in Ukrainian forces to defend Kharkiv while a larger Russian force encircles Kyiv. They believe Putin’s overall goal is to overthrow the Ukrainian government and install a friendly one. In a worrying development, Human Rights Watch has said it documented a cluster bomb attack outside a hospital in Ukraine’s east in recent days. Local residents have also reported the use of the munitions in Kharkiv and the village of Kiyanka near the northern city of Chernihiv, though there was no independent confirmation. The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor has said he plans to open a Ukraine investigation and is monitoring the conflict. Meanwhile, flames shot up from a military base northeast of Kyiv, in the suburb of Brovary, in footage shot from a car driving past. In another video verified by AP, a passenger pleads with the driver, “Misha, we need to drive quickly as they’ll strike again.” And Ukrainian authorities released details and photos of an attack Sunday on a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, saying more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed along with some local residents. The attack could not be immediately confirmed. The Russian military’s movements have been stalled by fierce resistance on the ground and a surprising inability to dominate Ukraine’s airspace. In the face of that Ukrainian resistance and crippling Western sanctions, Putin has put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert — including intercontinental ballistic missiles and long-range bombers — in a stark warning to the West and a signal of his readiness to escalate the tensions to a terrifying new level. But a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States had yet to see any appreciable change in Russia’s nuclear posture. Western nations have increased weapons shipments to Ukraine to help its forces defend themselves — but have so far ruled out sending in troops. Messages aimed at the advancing Russian soldiers popped up on billboards, bus stops and electronic traffic signs across the capital. Some used profanity to encourage Russians to leave. Others appealed to their humanity. “Russian soldier — Stop! Remember your family. Go home with a clean conscience,” one read. Fighting raged in other towns and cities. The strategic port city of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, is “hanging on,” said Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovich. An oil depot was reported bombed in the eastern city of Sumy. Indian student killed in Kharkiv shelling The [conflict in Ukraine has claimed an Indian life](. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday confirmed that an Indian citizen who was studying in Kharkiv, second largest city of the country, was shot to death. The MEA has summoned Ukrainian ambassador Igor Polikha for urgent consultation. “With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family,” said Arindam Bagchi, MEA Spokesperson, confirming the incident. The MEA said the Foreign Secretary is calling in ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India’s demand for “urgent safe passage” to Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and other cities in conflict zones. “Similar action is also being undertaken by our ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine,” the MEA said. The victim has been identified as Naveen S. G., who hails from Karnataka. He was shot while he was standing in a queue and waiting for food. Confirming the news, Karnataka Government officials said that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai spoke to Naveen’s father and all efforts will be made to bring back his body to India. Ukraine seeks to join EU as round of talks with Russia ends An embattled Ukraine moved to solidify its bond with the West on Monday by applying to join the European Union, while the first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at ending the fighting concluded with no deal but an agreement to keep talking. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted photos of himself signing the EU application, a largely symbolic move that could take years to become reality and is unlikely to sit well with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long accused the West of trying to pull Ukraine into its orbit. Russian and Ukrainian officials held their meeting on Day Five of the war under the shadow of Putin’s nuclear threats, and with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine running into unexpectedly fierce resistance and Western sanctions beginning to wreak havoc on the economy at home. A top Zelenskyy adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the talks, held near the Ukraine-Belarus border, were focused on a possible cease-fire and that a second round could take place “in the near future.” A top Putin aide and head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that the discussions lasted nearly five hours and that the envoys “found certain points on which common positions could be foreseen.” He said they agreed to continue the talks in the coming days. U.S. expels 12 Russian UN diplomats for spying The beginning of an already fraught United Nations Security Council meeting got even more tense when Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, informed the body that the U.S. had just expelled twelve of his colleagues from the country, a move confirmed by the American Deputy UNPR Richard Mills. Nebenzia, who conducts the meeting since Russia holds the presidency of the Council for February, opened by saying the “host country” [the U.S.] had taken “yet another hostile step” against the Russian mission by expelling twelve staff. He called this a “gross violation” of the U.N. agreement with the host country and the Vienna Convention. Nebenzia said there needed to be an arbitration procedure on host country obligations. Russia was repeatedly being told to follow the path of diplomacy but Russia’s opportunities to do this were being “restricted”, Nebenzia said. Mills said the expelling of diplomats was not an appropriate topic of discussion at a meeting convened around the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The decision to expel officials was taken in “full accordance with the headquarters agreement that we signed with the U.N.”, Mills said, and that the diplomats “were engaged in activities that were not in accordance with their responsibilities and obligations”. He said they were being sent out of the country so they “do not harm the national security of the host country [the U.S.]”. A statement posted to the US mission’s website said the diplomats were expelled for espionage and that US action on them had been in process for several months. India faces uncertainty over defence supplies from Russia and Ukraine, as also CAATSA waiver With [tensions escalating between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis]( India, which has major defence cooperation with Moscow and also with Kyiv, faces uncertainty over timely deliveries in the near future, in addition to the lingering threat of U.S. sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) over the S-400 deal. In the past, tensions between Russia and Ukraine had considerably delayed the modernisation of the AN-32 transport fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF). “It is too early to say at the moment, but there could be delays in deliveries from Russia both due to their own domestic commitments as well the sanctions imposed by the West. It will take some time to get a clearer picture,” an official source said on the condition of anonymity. [Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin. File] The current crisis could also complicate the CAATSA waiver India is looking for from the U.S. administration, two officials independently stated. While the S-400 deliveries began in December and are underway, a clarity on the timely completion was awaited, one of the officials noted. Several observers termed the severance of links and economic sanctions by the West on Russia “unprecedented.” In this backdrop, India requires a functioning supply chain relationship with Russia for spares and support, which is critical for its military. To questions on possible restrictions by the U.S. on Russian equipment, former Indian Ambassador to Russia D. B. Venkatesh Varma said, “It will be very unfortunate if the U.S. has the same objective as China – to weaken the India-Russia defence relationship to the detriment of India’s defence capabilities.” While Russia has been a traditional military supplier sharing platforms and technologies that others wouldn’t, the cooperation has further deepened in recent years. For instance, with the $5.43bn deal S-400 air defence systems as well as other big ticket deals, the defence trade between the two countries has crossed $15bn since 2018. Even today, over 60% of Indian military inventory is of Russian origin, especially with respect to fighter jets, tanks, helicopters and submarines among others, while several major deals are in the pipeline. For instance, in December, India and Russia signed a ₹5,000 crore deal for 6.1 lakh AK-203 assault rifles to be manufactured jointly in Uttar Pradesh. Production was to begin within few months and it is expected to reach full-scale production within 2-3 years, said Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport after the summit in December. In addition, Russia is manufacturing two stealth frigates for the Navy. They are to be delivered next year onwards, while another two are being manufactured by the Goa Shipyard Limited under technology transfer. The keel of the ships has been laid and the Navy has said that the first one will be delivered in 2026 and the second one six months later. India had signed a separate deal with Ukraine for eight Zorya-Mashproekt gas turbine engines for the frigates. As reported earlier by The Hindu, officials had said that the engines, gear boxes and specialist support will cost around $50 mn a ship. India had taken delivery of engines for the first two frigates and handed them over to Russia for the frigates under construction there. However, the status of the engines for the frigates being built in India is not known. India is also looking to receive the third Akula class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) sometime in 2025. With the current offensive, the Russian defence industry may be preoccupied to supply to their own forces, a military officer observed, adding that they hoped Russia would be able to ensure timely deliveries. As for Ukraine, it is upgrading over 100 An-32 transport aircraft of the IAF under a deal finalised in 2009. While the upgrade of 45 An-32s in Ukraine was completed in 2015, the remaining aircraft were to be upgraded by the IAF Base Repair Depot, Kanpur. Ukraine officials had stated that all contractual obligations for the local upgrade would be fulfilled by 2020, though the current status was not immediately known. After the Balakot air strike in 2019, the IAF made an emergency procurement of R-27 air-to- air missiles for its SU-30MKI fighters. At the Aero India in February 2021, Ukraine signed four agreements worth $70 mn, which includes sale of new weapons as well as maintenance and the upgrade of the existing ones in service with the Indian military, as reported earlier. Congress warns of protest if Centre hikes fuel prices after Assembly elections If the Narendra Modi government[increased fuel prices after the Assembly elections,]( then the Congress party would take to the streets, the party announced on Tuesday as it targeted the Modi government over the increase in prices of commercial LPG (liquiefied petroleum gas) and milk. Taking to Twitter, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, using the hashtag “#KiskeAchheDin”: “By increasing the price of LPG once again, the Modi government has made it clear that it has nothing to do with the sufferings of the common people. Today LPG, tomorrow petrol-diesel.” Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Alka Lamba said that inflation was a “manmade or Modi-made disaster”, and women and children had received a jolt on the first day of March, with milk prices going up by ₹2 per litre. Lamba said the price of a commercial LPG cylinder had now crossed ₹2,000 in Delhi, after the latest hike in its price by ₹105 per cylinder. “It’s feared that domestic LPG rates would also be hiked by ₹27 soon after the elections are over. The Indian National Congress has always taken the issue of price rise of petrol, diesel and LPG seriously. The Congress will take to the streets if the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG are raised after the elections,” she said. The Congress spokesperson claimed that the BJP had conceded “defeat” in the Uttar Pradesh elections as LPG rates had been hiked even during the Assembly elections in U.P., and the people were going to “punish” the ruling party over the rise in prices. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 4,29,24,275 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 5,13,896.  Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today‘s Top Picks [[IISc. researchers help develop math model to predict COVID-19 vaccine efficacy] IISc. researchers help develop math model to predict COVID-19 vaccine efficacy]( [[Explained | Why is the EU imposing sanctions on Belarus amid the Ukraine-Russia war?] Explained | Why is the EU imposing sanctions on Belarus amid the Ukraine-Russia war?]( [[Mumbai teen attempts record for batting longest, stays at crease for over 72 hours] Mumbai teen attempts record for batting longest, stays at crease for over 72 hours]( [[In fames: Potato country] In fames: Potato country]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](