Biden Authorizes Harsh Sanctions on Russia After Putin Invades Ukraine

The world is watching in horror as Russia invades Ukraine, with one of the largest armies on the planet killing innocent citizens and destroying countless buildings and homes with each passing day. While governments impose financial sanctions aimed at hurting the aggressor’s leader and its wealthy ruling class, many ordinary people feel hopeless.Now, a Russian musician known around the globe for political activism has utilized her platform and popularity to raise millions for the Ukrainian defense — and she did so using a sexy new technology that ensures the money is going where it’s needed without delay.Nadya Tolokonnikova, one of the members of Russian rock band Pussy Riot, set up an organization named UkraineDAO in order to sell an NFT for a good cause.The digital-only artwork sold for a whopping $6.7 million, and all the proceeds are going to Come Back Alive, a non-profit that was founded in 2014 and that calls itself “the largest foundation providing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”In just three days, as many as 3,200 individual donors spent digital cryptocurrency to own some of the NFT, which was nothing more than an image of the Ukrainian flag.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 42, appeared on Good Morning America Friday, March 4 and explained how he fled from Ukraine amidst Russian attacks. Before Maks got on a train from Poland and escaped his native country, he was arrested for breaking curfew. “They’re like, ‘Passport.’ I pull out my American passport. He starts speaking English with me. I was like, ‘I speak Russian.’ Then I regretted saying that. I thought maybe it was wrong,” Maks explained on GMA.

Metropolitan Opera after her support for Vladimir Putin resurfaced amid Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine.Netrebko, 50, is one of the opera’s highest grossing box office superstars and her exit is a major blow to the Manhattan cultural establishment.“It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera,” Met General Manager Peter Gelb announced in a statement on Thursday. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there was no way forward.”Gelb said last Sunday that the Met would not continue to associate with artists who support Putin.

Russia's assault on Ukraine has been revealed in devastating before and after photos of the city of Kharkiv.Kharkiv has been brutalised by heavy bombardments all week as Vladimir Putin attempts to seize the important city Located in northeastern Ukraine, around 250 miles east of capital city Kyiv, the city sits close to the Russian border and is known as "one of the most important cultural and educational centres of Ukraine". This along with its strategic importance have made it one of Putin's top targets in its invasion so far.Horrific photos from the besieged city show that its architecture has been all but destroyed by the Russian airstrikes which President Volodymyr Zelensky has described as 'war crimes'.Many of its key landmarks, including Freedom Square and the Opera House, have been hit as Ukrainian troops defend the city.In one startling image, the Karazin Kharkiv National University can be seen completely shelled to pieces.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is coming under intense backlash and criticism.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has unleashed a band of mercenaries renowned for war atrocities known as the Wagner Group into the conflict.While the world has marvelled at the brave Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion, Vladimir Putin has quietly slipped the elite group of killers into the country with President Zelensky their number one target.The shadowy organisation is believed to be owned by Putin's close friend Dmitry Utkin and has served as a private military in many of the world's bloodiest conflicts including Syria and the 2014 Donbas conflict. Perhaps in a bid to hammer home that they're the bad guys, the group's insignia bears a skull in the crosshairs of a gun - nice.

Good afternoon Insider team. Max Goldbart back in the saddle for your weekly dose of news as the Russia/Ukraine invasion continues to have huge ramifications for the film and TV world and vice versa.

Vladimir Putin has displayed a distinctive walk, which could be linked to KGB training.

Russian armada has been spotted lurking in the Black Sea and advancing toward Odessa, with fears that the Ukrainian port is Vladimir Putin's next target.The Ukrainian defence ministry warned that invading forces could be prepping for a possible attack.A Russian invasion of Ukraine's third largest city could open a corridor to Kyiv from the south for Russian forces to move through.Landing ships capable of launching tanks and hundreds of troops ashore have been spotted off the coast.Following the sighting of Russian personnel in the Black Sea heading toward Odessa, the Ukrainian defence ministry released a statement.In the statement, the ministry said: "In the waters of the Black Sea, we are observing a landing detachment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, consisting of four large landing ships accompanied by three rocket boats, advancing toward Odessa." Experts have warned that if Russia seize the port then they would be given a "chokehold" on Ukraine's economy, with comparisons made to the UK losing Dover. General Sir Richard Barrons, a former military chief, said the city was a "big prize" in the Russian invasion.

South Park has tackled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in their latest episode ‘Back To The Cold War’, taking aim at Russian President Vladimir Putin.In the episode, which aired on Wednesday (March 2), Putin’s act of aggression against Ukraine is tied to him getting older and because his “dick doesn’t work the way it used to”.You can check out a clip from the episode of Putin dancing shirtless to ‘Two Tribes’ by Frankie Goes To Hollywood below.‘Back To The Cold War’ follows Butters as he competes against the Russians in a dressage championship. Mr.

Vladimir Putin's horrifying war on Ukraine have left the world looking on with great concern.

Mila Kunis, 38, has broken her silence on the war in Ukraine, her native country. She uploaded a video along with her husband Ashton Kutcher where they said they would match up to $3 million in donations to relief funds as they encouraged their fans to pitch in. “While we are witnessing the bravery of Ukrainians, we are also bearing witness to the unimaginable burden of those who have chosen safety. Through GoFundMe, this fundraiser will provide an immediate impact on refugee and humanitarian aid efforts,” they captioned the video.

Russian vodka off their shelves for the "foreseeable future" over the invasion of Ukraine, becoming the first UK supermarket to do so.It comes as more than one million people have fled Ukraine while Vladimir Putin's bloody bombardment of the country enters its second week.Russian Standard is one the best selling vodkas in the UK, brought to our shores in 1998 by billionaire Roustam Tariko.It had been priced at £14 per 70cl bottle, but has now disappeared from Co-op's website. Explaining the move, a Co-op spokesperson said: "In response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces and as a sign of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we have taken the decision to remove from sale Russian-made vodka."Russian Standard has been taken off sale with immediate effect because it is overtly marketed as being Russian and produced there."It will not be stocked for the foreseeable future."They added: "Our members and customers will also be able to support the humanitarian response to help those displaced by the conflict by donating at our stores to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal."The appeal will launch across our 2,600 stores today (Thursday 3 March 2022) and we’ll be match funding our customers donations up to £100,000."Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and those in Russia who oppose this invasion."Although Co-op are the first supermarket move against Russian vodka, this isn't the first example of UK businesses showing solidarity with the Ukrainian cause.

“You are looking at live pictures of a fire that has broken out at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant in the town of Enerhohrad after an attack by Russian troops,” said CNN’s Erin Burnett tonight in what could literally be the most explosive story out of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the Eastern European nation so far

Ukraine in a desperate bid to break morale, it has been claimed.Since Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded the country last week (February 24) they have incurred heavy casualties against fanatical Ukrainian resistance. And according to some European intelligence officials, Putin could soon turn to grim executions as he seeks to dominate the country.

Vladimir Putin is flanked 24/7 by a team of highly trained bodyguards armed with bulletproof briefcases who are permitted to kill anyone they perceive as a threat to him. Putin has been in power in Russia since 1999 and has always ruled with an iron fist, so its no surprise he takes his security detail incredibly seriously. The Federal Protective Service is responsible for the security of Putin and other high-ranking state officials and has over 50,000 employees.

Whoopi Goldberg is calling out Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert.

issued a directive instructing the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents who have allowed their transgender-identifying children to access gender-affirming medical treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormones. Abbott based his order on an opinion by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who opined that gender-affirming care renders patients infertile and should be considered “abuse” because it allegedly irreversibly impacts a child’s ability to procreate.In response, the White House condemned Texas Republicans’ actions, calling them “government overreach at its worst” and charging that such actions are politically-motivated.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorABC News anchor David Muir will anchor a live primetime “20/20” special from the border between Ukraine and Poland on Friday night, as the nation’s news networks continue to scramble to cover Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, one of the biggest global stories to take place in recent memory.Muir will report on the refugee emergency taking place along that border as Ukrainians seek safety amid turmoil in their country. The program will air on Friday, March 4, at 8 p.m.

Lord of the Rings character Gollum this week, using the character to criticise the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Serkis was discussing his voice work on The Lord of the Rings. He demonstrated the voice of Gollum and in doing so, criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by taking aim at Russian President Vladimir Putin.It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last Thursday (February 24).“Gollum was on this side and Sméagol was on this side,” Serkis said in the segment.“And he would say things like, ‘We wants it.