Portal:Current events/2022 March 5

March 5, 2022 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  - Eastern Ukraine offensive
    - Siege of Mariupol
      - Russian and Ukrainian forces agree to open a humanitarian corridor for five hours for people who want to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha, expecting 200,000 people from Mariupol and 15,000 people from Volnovakha to use the corridor. However, the implementation of the corridor is postponed as the two parties accused each other of violating cease-fire agreement. (Reuters) (The Wall Street Journal)
    - Head of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin announces that Sparta Battalion Commander Volodymyr Zhoha has been killed in Volnovakha. (Ukrayinska Pravda)
  - Siege of Chernihiv
    - A Russian Air Force warplane is shot down on the outskirts of Chernihiv, crashing into a residential area, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service. (CNN)
    - A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 is shot down in Chernihiv Oblast and one of its pilots is taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces. The other pilot died. (Ukranews) (India Today)
  - Kyiv offensive
    - Russian troops seize control of Borodianka in Kyiv Oblast after days of heavy shelling and airstrikes. Ukrainian authorities say that they were unable to evacuate a psychiatric hospital in the town which holds 670 patients. The hospital is now under Russian control. (CNN) (Sky News)
    - The Ukrainian military begins a mass evacuation of civilians from Irpin after the city was bombarded by Russian jets and artillery. Much of the city has now been destroyed. (BBC News)
  - Battle of Mykolaiv
    - Ukrainian Ground Forces retake control of Mykolaiv and seize Russian military equipment. (The Kyiv Independent)
  - Ukrainian refugee crisis
    - The International Organization for Migration says that the refugee crisis has now become the largest and fastest exodus of people in Europe since World War II. (Fox News)
  - Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Western sanctions on Russia are akin to a "declaration of war", and warns that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine could lead to "catastrophic consequences" for the world. (Reuters)
- War in Donbas
  - Russian President Putin says that around 13,000 to 14,000 people have been killed in Donbas since 2014. (TASS)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- 2022 Peshawar mosque attack
  - The Islamic State claims responsibility for yesterday's massacre, which killed at least 61 people. (CNN)

Business and economy

2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
- South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics suspends all shipments to Russia due "to current geopolitical developments". Samsung is the largest supplier of smartphones in Russia with a 30% market share. (Reuters)
- PayPal suspends its services in Russia, citing "violent military aggression in Ukraine". Inditex also announces that it is closing all of its 502 stores in Russia, which employ about 9,000 people. (BBC News)
- Visa and Mastercard suspend operations in Russia following "Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine". Visa says that it would cut off transactions "over the coming days", and that once a full ban is in place, bank cards issued in Russia will no longer work abroad. (The Independent)
2022 Russian financial crisis
- President Putin signs a decree authorising settlement of sovereign and corporate debts whose creditors come from "unfriendly countries" (whose list is to be determined within two days' time) to be made in rubles instead of foreign currencies, according to the exchange rate set by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR). (Bloomberg) (TASS)
Aeroflot, Russia's flag carrier airline, announces that all flights to foreign destinations will be suspended as of March 8. (RIA Novosti)

Disasters and accidents

Tornado outbreak of March 5, 2022
- A tornado outbreak across the Midwestern United States kills six people from at least ten tornadoes, with the National Weather Service issuing multiple particularly dangerous situation (PDS) tornado warnings. (WHO-TV)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 33,406 new COVID-19 cases, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 3,595,172. (Malaysia Kini)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
    - Saudi Arabia will lift its COVID-19 restrictions, including PCR COVID-19 testing requirements, along with requirements for travelers to quarantine. (Khaleej Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea reports a record 216 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,796. The country also surpasses 4 million cases of COVID-19. (The Korea Herald)

International relations

Reactions to the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, International reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia–United Kingdom relations
  - The United Kingdom's Foreign Office advises British citizens to leave Russia immediately if their presence is "not essential", citing the "lack of available flight options to return to the UK", and the "increased volatility in the Russian economy". (Sky News)
  - Russian Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova says that Russia will "not forget" British support for "Ukrainian ultra-nationalists", as well as the supply of British weapons to Kyiv, which are being used against Russian forces. (The Statesman)
- Russia–Ukraine relations
  - Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia announces that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine will resume on March 7. (Reuters)
- Israel–Russia relations
  - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the invasion as well as a potential ceasefire with Ukraine. Bennett is the first world leader to meet with Putin in person since the invasion began. (Jerusalem Post) (Axios)
- Kyrgyzstan–Russia relations
  - Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbayev expresses his support for any efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. (AKIPress)
- Cyprus–Russia relations
  - Cyprus denies access for five Russian military vessels to enter its port in Limassol. Whether the military ships could enter Cypriot ports in the first place is controversial, as the international law background is unclear. (Kathimerini Cyprus)
2021–2022 North Korean missile tests
- North Korea tests a ballistic missile in the Sea of Japan four days before the upcoming South Korean election. This is the ninth test conducted by North Korea this year. (CNBC)
Cross-Strait relations
- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reaffirms China's support for peaceful relations and reunification with Taiwan. However, he also calls for other countries to not engage in foreign interference. (Reuters)
Nuclear program of Iran
- Iranian officials reach an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to answer questions about their nuclear weapons program. (Xinhuanet)
Baku, Azerbaijan, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan, become sister cities. (Azerbaijan News Gazette)

Law and crime

International reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  - 2022 anti-war protests in Russian-occupied Ukraine
    - Anti-war protesters gather in Kherson to protest Russia's occupation of the city. (The New York Times)
- International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
  - Italian police seize luxury villas and yachts worth 143 million euros from five Russian oligarchs who have been sanctioned by the European Union. (Reuters)
Querétaro–Atlas riot
- During a Liga MX football match between Querétaro F.C. and Atlas F.C., a riot between fans breaks out. (The York Times)