Strictly's Kristina Rihanoff clarifies comment on Ukraine crisis after backlash

Vladimir Putin has so far resisted pressing the nuclear button because of treaties signed as a result of fears of “mutually assured destruction”, BBC presenter Ros Atkins has suggested. Putin ordered Russian troops to invade neighbouring country Ukraine on February 24, and while the capital Kyiv has so far resisted advances, there have been reports that the country’s first city has fallen after heavy bombing.

Vladimir Putin to assassinate Ukraine’s charismatic president Volodymyr Zelensky was “destroyed” by Ukrainian forces following a tip-off from Russia’s own security services. Speaking on Ukraine’s rolling news TV channel "Ukraine 24,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, claimed that officials had been informed by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that a kill team from the feared Chechen Kadyrovtsy group had been sent to Kyiv.He repeated the claim in a Telegram post on Tuesday, saying: “We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president".“And," he added, "I can say that we have received information from the FSB, who today do not want to take part in this bloody war."And thanks to this,” he added, “I can say that Kadyrov’s elite group was destroyed directly, which came here to eliminate our president”.The Kadyrovtsy, or Kadyrovites, are a ruthless armed militia that originally came to prominence fighting for Chechnya against Russia in the early 1990s.When their leader, Chechen warlord Akhmad Kadyrov, defected to Russia most of his followers went with him.An exact figure for the size of Kadyrov’s is hard to come by, with estimates ranging from 10,000 to 80,000.By 2006 the group had become a semi-formal unit of the Russian army, undertaking deadly missions in Syria as well as their native Chechnya.While operating under Russian orders they are also seen as the “private army” of Ramzan Kadyrov, who took over as leader following his father’s death in the 2004 Grozny stadium bombing.

Chelsea legend John Terry has paid tribute to Roman Abramovich after the Russian billionaire confirmed he has put the club up for sale. Abramovich has come under the spotlight over the past week following his country’s invasion of Ukraine.

While leaders around the world, including President Biden, have announced sanctions on Russia over its multifront war on Ukraine, major players in Hollywood are taking swift action of their own to condemn President Vladimir Putin's actions. Over the last week, musicians, festival organizers and industry leaders have announced their decisions to postpone events in Russia, severely limiting entertainment offerings in the country. Musicians press pause  The band "Imagine Dragons" was scheduled to perform in both Russia and Ukraine this coming June, but revealed over the weekend its decision to halt the shows.

Ryan Reynolds expressed the ’empathy’ he and his wife Blake Lively have for Ukraine after they promised to match donations made to the United Nations Refugee Agency – as Russia’s invasion intensifies. The 45-year-old actor was Wednesday’s guest on The One Show, where he discussed his latest science-fiction drama The Adam Project, which stars Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner. Speaking to presenters Alex Jones and Ronan Keating, the Deadpool star explained why he issued the appeal online.

Spotify has shuttered its Moscow office in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and will restrict the discoverability of content owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media.“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” a Spotify spokesperson said in a statement.“Our first priority over the past week has been the safety of our employees and to ensure that Spotify continues to serve as an important source of global and regional news at a time when access to information is more important than ever.”Confirming its Moscow office would be closed “indefinitely”, the streaming platform said they were “providing individual support to our personnel” in Moscow, as well as their “global community of Ukrainian employees”.In addition to restricting the discoverability of Russian state-affiliated media, the platform has also removed all content from Kremlin-backed outlets RT and Sputnik that was hosted on Spotify in the European Union and other markets. Additionally, it has launched a guide on the platform that directs users to localised “trusted news” sources.Spotify has stopped short of shutting off access for their Russian users, however, saying they believe it’s “critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to allow for the global flow of information”.“We are exploring additional steps that we can take and will continue to do what is in the best interest of our employees and our listeners,” the statement concluded.Ukraine has been under attack since last Thursday (February 24), when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military operation in the neighbouring country.

Mars later this year is 'very likely' to be called off as a result of the war in Ukraine, according to new reports.The ExoMars Rover launch to the Red Planet in June was planned as a joint operation by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russian space agency Roscosmos, but is now under threat following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It comes as the latest blow after a launch back in July 2020 was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Slipknot have announced that their upcoming July shows in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are being postponed in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.The Iowan metal band took to social media on Wednesday (March 2) to break the news, saying that new dates will be arranged for the three postponed concerts in Kyiv, Moscow and Minsk. Slipknot will seemingly proceed with the rest of their summer Europe tour as planned.pic.twitter.com/DyDD7lEdwR— Slipknot (@slipknot) March 2, 2022“We had looked forward to reuniting with our fans in these incredible cities, coming back together after global lockdown.

Just hours after Deadline reported that Netflix is pausing all of its production and acquisitions work in Russia, the company’s co-founder, chairman and co-CEO Reed Hastings announced a $1 million donation to an organization providing emergency relief to Ukraine.

Jill Biden, Ed.D., shows support for Ukraine during President Joe Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address wearing a gorgeous ensemble.Dr. Biden wore a deep blue, long-sleeved dress, accessorized with the Ukrainian national flower as cufflinks.

The matter of Russian nuclear warfare is top-of-mind after Vladimir Putin announced he has put his nuclear deterrents on "high alert".

World War Three occurs would see satellites fall from the sky, forests burn and a nuclear winter spread over the earth killing everyone, according to a popular YouTube channel. Fears of nuclear war have been stoked in recent days following President Vladimir Putin's aggressive invasion of Ukraine, however there has been no indication of nuclear bombs being used.

Russian-born model Irina Shayk shared her support for Ukraine on Monday via Instagram. Shayk, 36, shared a photo of a black and white peace sign on her personal Instagram account as Russia continues to invade Ukraine. "No To War," she wrote, adding prayer and broken heart emojis.

Biffy Clyro and Placebo have announced that they’ve pulled out of Moscow’s Park Live 2022 in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.The annual festival – the purpose of which is to bring “pop-culture heroes of our time” to Russia – is due to take place at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex on June 16–19 and July 7–10/14-17.Biffy Clyro took to Instagram today (March 2) to announce that they will no longer be appearing at the festival.“Following the invasion of Ukraine, Biffy Clyro will no longer be appearing at Park Live festival in Moscow this Summer,” the band wrote, sharing an image of a Ukrainian flag. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all Ukrainian citizens and Russian people who desire peace.”A post shared by Biffy Clyro (@biffy_clyro)Placebo issued a statement on Twitter about their withdrawal.

The world watched in horror on 24 February, when it was announced that Russia had launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine. Russian president Vladimir Putin, 69, authorised what he called a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and denazify” its neighbours last Thursday. The horrifying attack was launched in the early hours of the morning, with Russian troops crossing the border into Ukraine before launching missiles at airports and military bases.

Chelsea striker, 45, appeared on Sky Sports on Wednesday afternoon, urging Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do everything within their power to end the war in Ukraine."I'm so proud to be Ukrainian," said Shevchenko."It's a very difficult moment for my country, for my people, for my family."My mum and my sisters are in Kyiv at this moment and there are terrible things happening there."People dying, children dying, missiles pointing at our houses and we need to stop this war."We need to find a way to stop the war."Today (March 2nd) marks the tenth day of the Russian invasion after President Putin advanced his force into Ukrainian borders.Around 660,000 have opted to flee their homes to avoid the conflict, according to the UN's refugee agency, but men aged 18-60 fit for military service have been forced to stay behind and fight.A visibly upset Shevchenko says he has pleaded with his family to leave their homes in Kyiv."Yes I have tried many times," he said, when asked if he had held talks about them fleeing.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.

Vladimir Putin's aggressive invasion of the country isn't going entirely to plan.A week has passed since Russian troops entered the country and resistance from the Ukrainians has been fierce. Today (March 2), Russia’s Defence Ministry's casualty report revealed that 498 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine, with 1,597 wounded since they invaded.

In his successful 2020 White House bid, candidate Joe Biden campaigned as a unifier trying to save the soul of America. Last night, in his first State of the Union address, the 46th President of the United States doubled down on that unity theme.

Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of England’s Chelsea FC, one of soccer’s biggest clubs, said Wednesday that he is selling the franchise, with the proceeds to go to a foundation that will benefit war victims in Ukraine.

Prince Charles and his wife and future queen consort, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall showed their support for the Ukrainian community during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London on Wednesday. A day after the first in line to the throne spoke out against Russia and President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, he and his wife were greeted by Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, the Ukrainian Ambassador, Vadym Prystaiko, and his wife, Inna Prystaiko.

Ukraine to fight the Russians. Brave veteran George Parker, 30, spent seven months on frontline infantry in Afghanistan and says Vladimir Putin's Russian forces "can't throw anything at him he's not seen before."The soldier said he believed it was his moral duty to fly out to war-torn Ukraine to defend its sovereignty. Since Ukraine’s President Volydymr Zelensky announced an international call to arms for people to go to Ukraine and help defend his homeland, hundreds of Brits have registered their interest.