North Asia

President Tokaev talks with Putin and Zelensky. Kazakh authorities and companies worried about the fallout from the conflict and Western sanctions against Russia. In terms of the Kremlin's geopolitical aims, with a large population of Russian origin, Kazakhstan's situation is similar to that of Ukraine.

It was the point of tension between Kiev and Moscow before the Russian attack. Since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine has garnered a true sense of natonal unity. Ukrainian army cleansed of out-of-control militias in Donbass. The Kremlin will not easily achieve victory.

Today's headlines: dozens of arrests in Russia among those demonstrating against the war in Ukraine; Russian companies relocate to Armenia to escape sanctions, hundreds more are waiting; Armenian MPs donate blood for Ukrainian hospitals; an Indonesian priest who made an "invaluable" contribution to the development of liturgy has died at 84; new Israeli air raids in southern Syria.

At the Wednesday general audience, thanks to the Poles who are taking in Ukrainian refugees. "Our prayer and fasting remind us that peace always begins with our personal conversion". In the catechesis a reflection on longevity as a symbol and an opportunity: "The arrogance of the time of the clock must be converted into the beauty of the rhythms of life."

Today's headlines: dozens of priests and deacons from the Moscow Patriarchate sign an appeal for an end to the "fratricidal war"; Chinese companies operating in Russia have started asking for advance payments; Pyongyang hid the invasion of Ukraine for days and blamed the imperialist West; Hong Kong activist convicted under anti-sedition law; in India four Christians arrested on false conversion charges.

The humanitarian association is reference point for schools of thought not aligned with Putin. With the invasion of Ukraine, the regime's warlike and hyper-nationalist rhetoric needs to eliminate alternative voices. Memorial activists are circulating cartoons that highlight the grotesque reality Russians are forced to live with.

The move by the Russian president caused a stir, including in China. Moscow has 5,977 nuclear warheads. For Savelyev, “Putin acts against all logic. He’s unpredictable”. He is sending “a signal to NATO,” says Kortunov. It seems that no one in the Kremlin can stop the Russian leader.

Turkey has chosen to apply the Montreaux Treaty, but when it speaks of Ukraine's "territorial integrity" it is also thinking of the Kurdish question. The conflict between Moscow and Kiev is a major internal economic problem for Ankara, which had offered itself as a venue for negotiations. Putin has instead preferred Belarus to avoid having to pay a price to Erdogan.

Today's headlines: A Christian family in Laos attacked on charges of practising a "foreign religion"; opposition parties in Georgia call for the blocking of TV broadcasts from Moscow; more than 3,000 Russians arrested for protesting against the war in Ukraine; Hong Kong ejects dozens of domestic workers because Covid-19 positive; migrant workers and Afghan, Indian and Nepalese students flee from Ukraine.

The exclusion from the Swift banking system and the freezing of the Russian Central Bank's assets decided by the West are a heavy blow for the Kremlin. There is a risk of collapse of the rouble and a run on ATMs. The US and Europe want to trigger a popular protest and push Putin to negotiate.

So far, the Israeli leader has kept a low profile in the crisis, trying to preserve ties with Ukraine whilst keeping his Russia connection, especially to counter Iran. Now however, Israel will have to take sides at the UN General Assembly and domestic public opinion is pressing for a condemnation of Russia. Meanwhile, 2,500 Ukrainian Jews have already applied for immigration to Israel under the Law of Return.

Chinese propaganda manipulates opinions on the invasion of Ukraine. Official media quote Russian media, while opinions on the web against the war are censored. Beijing authorities want to avoid criticism from the international community and possible retaliation against Chinese citizens in Ukraine.