Russia launches military invasion into Ukraine

Western nations condemn the invasion, as Ukrainian civilians flee to safety. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Russia launches military invasion into Ukraine [Smoke rise from an air defense base in the aftermath of an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.] Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Ukraine Russia has launched a military offensive into Ukraine, with Russian troops moving into areas around the highly radioactive [Chernobyl exclusion zone]( — the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster. The US and Western nations have sharply condemned the invasion. President Joe Biden is set to speak about the latest developments. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would [freeze assets for all Russian banks](, including VTB Bank, the nation’s second-largest bank. Meanwhile, Ukrainian civilians are trying to flee to safety. And protests have cropped up around the world against the invasion. Global Markets Stocks have fallen worldwide following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Wall Street saw declines]( on Thursday, and Asian stock markets plunged, sending oil prices surging to nearly $100 a barrel. The conflict is likely to increase prices at gasoline pumps and grocery stores around the globe. Russia and Ukraine are both major producers of grains and various other commodities. The conflict, compounded with Western sanctions, could [upend global supplies](. United Kingdom The UK has lifted all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ending [coronavirus self-isolation rules]( as part of a new "living with COVID" strategy. The move comes a day after Queen Elizabeth II announced that she had contracted COVID-19. Buckingham Palace has reported that the 95-year-old monarch is [experiencing mild symptoms](. Britain is still recovering from its omicron variant surge that peaked in December and early January. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [US’ indefinite ban on Iranians drafted into Iran’s Revolutionary Guard continues to separate families]( [Chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hossein Salami wearing a mask, attends a ceremony on the occasion of first anniversary of death of late Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) general and commander of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 1, 2021.]( Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP/File photo Former conscripts say the listing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization unfairly prevents them from [being with their families]( in the US. When US President Joe Biden took office, he ended a Trump-era visa ban on citizens from several majority-Muslim nations, but this did not include those who have served with the IRGC. [How effective are sanctions against Russia?]( [Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, joined by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell, holds a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 23, 2022.]( Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP Rachel Ziemba, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, has looked closely at the [effectiveness of sanctions](. She spoke to The World's Marco Werman about what the latest sanctions on Moscow mean for Russia and the global economy. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Holy cow! 🐮 A young bull has had quite the journey in New Zealand. It was [swept into a river]( and over a waterfall during flooding on the west coast, narrowliy escaping being swept out to sea. It was then found unharmed a week later nearly 50 miles downstream near a blackberry bush. “It’s a fairly long trip and amazing he survived," said the bull's owner. [Screenshot of AFP News Agency tweet]( [Credit: Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [In case you missed it from The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.