The Evening Wrap: Russia could take full control of major Ukrainian cities: Kremlin

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian forces could take full control of major Ukrainian cities and it had sufficient military clout to fulfill all of its aims in Ukraine without any help from China. The United States and its European allies have cast President Vladimir Putin’s invasion as an imperial-style land grab that they say has so far been poorly executed because Moscow underestimated Ukrainian resistance and Western resolve to punish Russia. “The defence ministry of the Russian Federation, while ensuring the maximum safety of the civilian population, does not exclude the possibility of taking major population centres under full control,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov said claims by the United States and European Union that Putin was somehow disappointed with the progress of what the Kremlin casts as a special military operation amounted to a provocation aimed at prompting Russia to storm cities. The United States, Peskov said, had shown its complete disregard for human life with the bombing of Yugoslavia and its capital Belgrade in 1999, its wars in the Middle East and the invasion of Afghanistan. “We don’t need advice from such strategists,” Peskov said. “All the plans of the Russian leadership will be achieved on time and in full.” Peskov said Putin had at the start of the operation explicitly asked the defence ministry to avoid storming major cities such as Kyiv because he thought Ukrainians units would use civilians as shields. He said some Ukrainian cities were already surrounded by Russian forces. When asked about remarks by U.S. officials who had said that Russia had asked China for military equipment, Peskov said: “No.” “Russia possesses its own independent potential to continue the operation. As we said, it is going according to plan and will be completed on time and in full.” COVID-19 vaccine for 12-14 years from March 16 It has been decided to start COVID-19 vaccination for the 12-14 age groups (those born in 2008, 2009 and 2010. i.e those who are already above 12 years of age) from March 16. In a release issued on Monday, the Union Health Ministry said the decision was taken after due deliberations with scientific bodies. The vaccine to be administered would be Corbevax, manufactured by Biological E. Limited, Hyderabad. Those above 14 years are already being administered COVID-19 vaccine. The Ministry has also decided that the condition of co-morbidity for COVID-19 precaution dose for the population over 60 years will be removed. From March 16 onwards, this population will be eligible for the dose. Meanwhile, the country reported 2,503 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, making it lowest in 680 days so far. “With this, India’s active caseload at 36,168 becomes the lowest in 675 days. Active cases now constitute 0.08% of the country’s total positive cases. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.72%. Media in Jammu and Kashmir being ‘choked’ due to local administration curbs: Press Council of India panel A three-member fact finding committee (FFC) of the Press Council of India on Jammu and Kashmir has said that the news media in the Union Territory, especially in the valley, is “slowly being choked” due to extensive curbs imposed by the local administration. Six months after the PCI, a statutory quasi-judicial body which acts as a press watchdog, set up the FFC headed by Prakash Deubey (convenor) with members Suman Gupta and Gurbir Singh on a complaint by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti in September last year, it has submitted its report to the council which is yet to debate and adopt it. In its report last week, the FFC said “news media in the Jammu and Kashmir region, and especially in the valley is slowly being choked mainly because of the extensive curbs imposed by the local administration.” “Our conclusion and recommendation is very specific: those indulging in any criminal acts, are not journalists pursuing their profession. If a ‘journalist’ is bearing arms or carrying grenades and other ammunition, he is not a journalist; he is a militant, and should be treated as such," the FFC said after meeting all stakeholders in its visits to twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar. “However, the security establishment cannot label writing against government policies, or quoting a family or civilian sources in a story about excesses of the armed forces, or tweeting a point of view as ‘fake news’ or ‘anti-national activity’ and then arresting the journalist for sedition. It is not the business of journalists to support government policies or development work,” it said. It said a journalist's job is to report the news as it happens, even if it is unpalatable to government officials. “The tendency to see all critical reporting and opinions as ‘anti-national’ must stop. A conflict zone has many players and many aspects of events that unfold. A journalist cannot and should not ignore the government version; at the same time, he is not the spokesperson of the government,” the report said. The report noted with concern that the public relations work of various government departments has been taken over by the police. “This should cease as it is against the letter and spirit of the functioning of the various arms of a democratic government,” it said. “Journalists rely on communication networks like the Internet, and access to events and persons to gather and transmit news,” the report said, seeking restoration of these normal privileges of news gathering. “A government has the power to snuff these out as we have seen in the case of J&K. Restricted internet facilities after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the suspension of internet mobile connectivity whenever there is a conflict situation and denying access to journalists to scenes of an armed encounter are all methods that have developed to choke free and fair news gathering in J&K,” it said. The report said journalists have high level of stress due to constant pressure from the government agencies and police as well as militants and they are still managing to do their job in such a hostile environment which is commendable. “At a broader level, because of the continuing conflict, the business of news media has been severely disrupted in the region and sources of advertising are slowly withering away,” it said, adding print media especially, which has large overhead costs, is hardly sustainable anymore. It said the normal lines of communication between the local government administration and journalists have been disrupted because of the former’s suspicion that a large number of local journalists are sympathisers of the militants’ cause. “This was admitted by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who frankly told the FFC that many journalists were of ‘anti-national’ persuasion. He conceded that when he was first appointed, he used to encourage open press conferences, but now had gone back to a ‘selective engagement’ with preferred journalists,” the report said. The report recommended stopping of “intimidation, arrests and detention under draconian laws”, underlining that it has recorded numerous cases of journalists being subject to interrogation, threatened and made to fill irrelevant profiling documents. “We have listed cases of journalists being summoned to the dreaded ‘Cargo Centre’ for questioning – a location reserved for interrogation for armed militants. Officially, the police have conceded to the FFC that as many as 49 journalists have been arrested and charged since 2016, not a small number considering that J&K has a very small press corps,” it said. Of these, the report said eight have been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which makes bail almost impossible. Demanding restoration of rights and privileges of the Kashmir Press Club, the FFC said it was a legal, representative body with a membership of over 300 journalists. Kerala only State where people appointed for just two years to Ministers get life pension: SC flags concern The Supreme Court on March 14 flagged concern about Kerala being the only State where at least 20 persons are appointed to Ministers for just two years, and then they go on to get pension for the rest of their lives. Justice Nazeer, the lead judge on a Bench also comprising Justice Krishna Murari, said he had a read a newspaper report about this phenomenon in Kerala. “At least 20 persons are appointed for Ministers for two years and then they get pension for full life... Please tell us why,” Justice Nazeer asked senior advocate V. Giri, who is appearing for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The State corporation has challenged the higher fuel prices, especially diesel, saying it would affect public transport. Justice Nazeer, at one point, asked if the State was “so rich” that it could appoint people for just two years and then go on to pay them pension for their whole lives. If so, Justice Nazeer said, the State could very well afford to pay for the fuel. The oral comments from the judge came amidst controversy about Ministers appointing certain people, including party functionaries, as their personal staff for handsome salaries. These people are eligible for pension after two years as personal staffers. Critics have highlighted this practice as a drain on the State coffers. "It is the only State doing this... Please convey our words to the State government," Justice Nazeer addressed Giri. Assuring the court that he would indeed pass on the message to the State government, Giri said the media would flash the judge’s comments in the next five minutes and it would reach the ears of the State government. Giri opted to withdraw the petition of the KSRTC. The corporation had argued that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act of 2006 mandated the constitution of an independent authority to fix fuel prices. It had wanted the court to intervene for the setting up of the authority with a former judge at its helm. The KSRTC had also urged the court to stop public sector oil companies from selling diesel to bulk purchasers at a price higher than the market rate. The corporation had said it purchased over four lakh litres of diesel a day. It said the purchase cost an extra ₹19 lakh daily. The hike in prices threatened the very continued existence of the corporation. The petition had said the hike was unfair considering the fact that in other countries public transport vehicles enjoyed reduced fuel prices. The petition said the corporation's service was an “essential service” under the law. It had alleged that the fuel price decontrol system in vogue since 2014 had been operated in a “colourable manner” to favour private players. BJP’s win in four States due to split in Opposition votes: Shiv Sena The BJP’s narrative that its recent electoral triumph in four States was solely owing to its development work there was false, said the Shiv Sena on Monday, asserting that a split in the Opposition votes helped it coast to victory. In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena said contentious issues like hijab were calculatedly raked up (by the BJP) with an eye on the polls and would now fade away as the elections in five States were over. “However, they will be revived once the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are near,” it said. Asserting that the BJP gave a religious colour to such issues which then took precedence over developmental works during elections, the Sena accused All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi of acting like the BJP’s ‘B-team’. “Even though the BJP might say it won on the basis of development in the four States, it is not true. They won as a result of a division of votes and many other factors. Did Owaisi take the poll plunge in Uttar Pradesh to secure Muslim votes? No. He [Owaisi] was used to divide the Muslim votes and to instigate the Hindu community. The BJP achieved success with this tactic, but till how long will it last?” said the Sena. The editorial disagreed with PM Narendra Modi’s claims that the BJP’s victory was a decisive indicator of the party’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Sena agreed with poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s remarks that results in “a State election cannot decide the future of a Lok Sabha election”. Alluding to the civic and Assembly polls in Maharashtra, the editorial said issues like terrorism, Pakistan and Dawood Ibrahim, which were forgotten by the BJP once the polls were over, would be raked up again. Acknowledging the ineffective leadership of the non-BJP Opposition in contrast to PM Modi’s leadership, the Sena said creating a viable Opposition leader by 2024 would have the BJP in a fix. “The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo and the entire BJP take to the electoral battlefield in a reckless manner. The BJP takes to the political or electoral battlefield only to win or defeat the opponents. Their aim is to completely decimate the political opponents,” said the editorial. The Sena, which shares power in Maharashtra along with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, had targeted Owaisi’s campaign in U.P. last year as well, remarking that the AIMIM leader was nothing but a “behind–the–scenes facilitator” of the BJP in its successful political journey in the country. Click here to read the Lokniti-CSDS post-poll survey results from Uttarakhand. In brief Former U.S. President Barack Obama has said that he tested positive for COVI-19 and urged fellow Americans to get vaccinated though the deadly disease is on the wane in the country. “I just tested positive for Covid,” Obama, 60, tweeted on March 13. “I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple of days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” he said on his official Twitter account. Obama also said that his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has tested negative. “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted,” the former President said in a Facebook post. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 14 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 could take full control of major Ukrainian cities: Kremlin The Kremlin said on Monday that [Russian forces could take full control of major Ukrainian cities]( and it had sufficient military clout to fulfill all of its aims in Ukraine without any help from China. The United States and its European allies have cast President Vladimir Putin’s invasion as an imperial-style land grab that they say has so far been poorly executed because Moscow underestimated Ukrainian resistance and Western resolve to punish Russia. [A police officer stops the traffic as people who fled the war in Ukraine arrive to join a 500 metre queue to seek assistance from the Ukrainian consulate on March 14, 2022 in Krakow.] “The defence ministry of the Russian Federation, while ensuring the maximum safety of the civilian population, does not exclude the possibility of taking major population centres under full control,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov said claims by the United States and European Union that Putin was somehow disappointed with the progress of what the Kremlin casts as a special military operation amounted to a provocation aimed at prompting Russia to storm cities. The United States, Peskov said, had shown its complete disregard for human life with the bombing of Yugoslavia and its capital Belgrade in 1999, its wars in the Middle East and the invasion of Afghanistan. “We don’t need advice from such strategists,” Peskov said. “All the plans of the Russian leadership will be achieved on time and in full.” Peskov said Putin had at the start of the operation explicitly asked the defence ministry to avoid storming major cities such as Kyiv because he thought Ukrainians units would use civilians as shields. He said some Ukrainian cities were already surrounded by Russian forces. When asked about remarks by U.S. officials who had said that Russia had asked China for military equipment, Peskov said: “No.” “Russia possesses its own independent potential to continue the operation. As we said, it is going according to plan and will be completed on time and in full.” COVID-19 vaccine for 12-14 years from March 16 It has been decided to start [COVID-19 vaccination for the 12-14 age groups]( (those born in 2008, 2009 and 2010. i.e those who are already above 12 years of age) from March 16. In a release issued on Monday, the Union Health Ministry said the decision was taken after due deliberations with scientific bodies. The vaccine to be administered would be Corbevax, manufactured by Biological E. Limited, Hyderabad. Those above 14 years are already being administered COVID-19 vaccine. The Ministry has also decided that the condition of co-morbidity for COVID-19 precaution dose for the population over 60 years will be removed. From March 16 onwards, this population will be eligible for the dose. Meanwhile, the country reported 2,503 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, making it lowest in 680 days so far. “With this, India’s active caseload at 36,168 becomes the lowest in 675 days. Active cases now constitute 0.08% of the country’s total positive cases. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.72%. Media in Jammu and Kashmir being ‘choked’ due to local administration curbs: Press Council of India panel A three-member fact finding committee (FFC) of the [Press Council of India on Jammu and Kashmir]( said that the news media in the Union Territory, especially in the valley, is “slowly being choked” due to extensive curbs imposed by the local administration. Six months after the PCI, a statutory quasi-judicial body which acts as a press watchdog, set up the FFC headed by Prakash Deubey (convenor) with members Suman Gupta and Gurbir Singh on a complaint by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti in September last year, it has submitted its report to the council which is yet to debate and adopt it. In its report last week, the FFC said “news media in the Jammu and Kashmir region, and especially in the valley is slowly being choked mainly because of the extensive curbs imposed by the local administration.” “Our conclusion and recommendation is very specific: those indulging in any criminal acts, are not journalists pursuing their profession. If a ‘journalist’ is bearing arms or carrying grenades and other ammunition, he is not a journalist; he is a militant, and should be treated as such," the FFC said after meeting all stakeholders in its visits to twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar. “However, the security establishment cannot label writing against government policies, or quoting a family or civilian sources in a story about excesses of the armed forces, or tweeting a point of view as ‘fake news’ or ‘anti-national activity’ and then arresting the journalist for sedition. It is not the business of journalists to support government policies or development work,” it said. It said a journalist's job is to report the news as it happens, even if it is unpalatable to government officials. “The tendency to see all critical reporting and opinions as ‘anti-national’ must stop. A conflict zone has many players and many aspects of events that unfold. A journalist cannot and should not ignore the government version; at the same time, he is not the spokesperson of the government,” the report said. The report noted with concern that the public relations work of various government departments has been taken over by the police. “This should cease as it is against the letter and spirit of the functioning of the various arms of a democratic government,” it said. “Journalists rely on communication networks like the Internet, and access to events and persons to gather and transmit news,” the report said, seeking restoration of these normal privileges of news gathering. “A government has the power to snuff these out as we have seen in the case of J&K. Restricted internet facilities after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the suspension of internet mobile connectivity whenever there is a conflict situation and denying access to journalists to scenes of an armed encounter are all methods that have developed to choke free and fair news gathering in J&K,” it said. The report said journalists have high level of stress due to constant pressure from the government agencies and police as well as militants and they are still managing to do their job in such a hostile environment which is commendable. “At a broader level, because of the continuing conflict, the business of news media has been severely disrupted in the region and sources of advertising are slowly withering away,” it said, adding print media especially, which has large overhead costs, is hardly sustainable anymore. It said the normal lines of communication between the local government administration and journalists have been disrupted because of the former’s suspicion that a large number of local journalists are sympathisers of the militants’ cause. “This was admitted by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who frankly told the FFC that many journalists were of ‘anti-national’ persuasion. He conceded that when he was first appointed, he used to encourage open press conferences, but now had gone back to a ‘selective engagement’ with preferred journalists,” the report said. The report recommended stopping of “intimidation, arrests and detention under draconian laws”, underlining that it has recorded numerous cases of journalists being subject to interrogation, threatened and made to fill irrelevant profiling documents. “We have listed cases of journalists being summoned to the dreaded ‘Cargo Centre’ for questioning – a location reserved for interrogation for armed militants. Officially, the police have conceded to the FFC that as many as 49 journalists have been arrested and charged since 2016, not a small number considering that J&K has a very small press corps,” it said. Of these, the report said eight have been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which makes bail almost impossible. Demanding restoration of rights and privileges of the Kashmir Press Club, the FFC said it was a legal, representative body with a membership of over 300 journalists. Kerala only State where people appointed for just two years to Ministers get life pension: SC flags concern The [Supreme Court on March 14 flagged concern about Kerala]( being the only State where at least 20 persons are appointed to Ministers for just two years, and then they go on to get pension for the rest of their lives. Justice Nazeer, the lead judge on a Bench also comprising Justice Krishna Murari, said he had a read a newspaper report about this phenomenon in Kerala. “At least 20 persons are appointed for Ministers for two years and then they get pension for full life... Please tell us why,” Justice Nazeer asked senior advocate V. Giri, who is appearing for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The State corporation has challenged the higher fuel prices, especially diesel, saying it would affect public transport. [A view of the Supreme Court of India. File] Justice Nazeer, at one point, asked if the State was “so rich” that it could appoint people for just two years and then go on to pay them pension for their whole lives. If so, Justice Nazeer said, the State could very well afford to pay for the fuel. The oral comments from the judge came amidst controversy about Ministers appointing certain people, including party functionaries, as their personal staff for handsome salaries. These people are eligible for pension after two years as personal staffers. Critics have highlighted this practice as a drain on the State coffers. "It is the only State doing this... Please convey our words to the State government," Justice Nazeer addressed Giri. Assuring the court that he would indeed pass on the message to the State government, Giri said the media would flash the judge’s comments in the next five minutes and it would reach the ears of the State government. Giri opted to withdraw the petition of the KSRTC. The corporation had argued that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act of 2006 mandated the constitution of an independent authority to fix fuel prices. It had wanted the court to intervene for the setting up of the authority with a former judge at its helm. The KSRTC had also urged the court to stop public sector oil companies from selling diesel to bulk purchasers at a price higher than the market rate. The corporation had said it purchased over four lakh litres of diesel a day. It said the purchase cost an extra ₹19 lakh daily. The hike in prices threatened the very continued existence of the corporation. The petition had said the hike was unfair considering the fact that in other countries public transport vehicles enjoyed reduced fuel prices. The petition said the corporation's service was an “essential service” under the law. It had alleged that the fuel price decontrol system in vogue since 2014 had been operated in a “colourable manner” to favour private players. BJP’s win in four States due to split in Opposition votes: Shiv Sena  The[BJP’s narrative that its recent electoral triumph in four States]( was solely owing to its development work there was false, said the Shiv Sena on Monday, asserting that a split in the Opposition votes helped it coast to victory. In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena said contentious issues like hijab were calculatedly raked up (by the BJP) with an eye on the polls and would now fade away as the elections in five States were over. “However, they will be revived once the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are near,” it said. Asserting that the BJP gave a religious colour to such issues which then took precedence over developmental works during elections, the Sena accused All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi of acting like the BJP’s ‘B-team’. “Even though the BJP might say it won on the basis of development in the four States, it is not true. They won as a result of a division of votes and many other factors. Did Owaisi take the poll plunge in Uttar Pradesh to secure Muslim votes? No. He [Owaisi] was used to divide the Muslim votes and to instigate the Hindu community. The BJP achieved success with this tactic, but till how long will it last?” said the Sena. The editorial disagreed with PM Narendra Modi’s claims that the BJP’s victory was a decisive indicator of the party’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Sena agreed with poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s remarks that results in “a State election cannot decide the future of a Lok Sabha election”. Alluding to the civic and Assembly polls in Maharashtra, the editorial said issues like terrorism, Pakistan and Dawood Ibrahim, which were forgotten by the BJP once the polls were over, would be raked up again. Acknowledging the ineffective leadership of the non-BJP Opposition in contrast to PM Modi’s leadership, the Sena said creating a viable Opposition leader by 2024 would have the BJP in a fix. “The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo and the entire BJP take to the electoral battlefield in a reckless manner. The BJP takes to the political or electoral battlefield only to win or defeat the opponents. Their aim is to completely decimate the political opponents,” said the editorial. The Sena, which shares power in Maharashtra along with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, had targeted Owaisi’s campaign in U.P. last year as well, remarking that the AIMIM leader was nothing but a “behind–the–scenes facilitator” of the BJP in its successful political journey in the country. Click [here]( to read the Lokniti-CSDS post-poll survey results from Uttarakhand. In brief Former U.S. President Barack Obama has said that he tested positive for COVI-19 and urged fellow Americans to get vaccinated though the deadly disease is on the wane in the country. “I just tested positive for Covid,” Obama, 60, tweeted on March 13. “I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple of days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” he said on his official Twitter account. Obama also said that his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has tested negative. “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted,” the former President said in a Facebook post. 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