It is day 377 of the war in Ukraine. Follow the latest news about the war and all its aftermath in this live blog.
Monday 6 March
JPMorgan Chase CEO: The war in Ukraine is my biggest concern
21:15 | The war in Ukraine is the main concern of the economy. Jamie Dimon, CEO of the US bank JPMorgan Chase, told the Bloomberg news agency. He is also very concerned about the deterioration of relations between China and the United States.
According to the CEO of the largest US bank, these issues are much more important to the global economy than “everyday economic fluctuations”. He also believes the US economy can avoid a deep recession, despite the Federal Reserve raising interest rates in the face of high inflation. “We can still make a soft landing,” Dimon said. He says the American consumer is in good financial shape, even if it will eventually decline.
In the interview with Bloomberg Television, Dimon further said that artificial intelligence has enormous potential. He said JPMorgan Chase already uses AI to fight fraud and assess risk, for example. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s very special to me,” he said
Russian journalist gets community service for ‘fake news’ about army
8pm | Russian journalist Andrei Novashov has been sentenced to eight months of civil service in the Siberian region of Kemerovo. The local court had previously found him guilty of “knowingly spreading false information about the Russian military,” his former employer said.
Novashov worked for Siberia Realities, a local project of the American broadcaster Radio Free Europe. In addition to community service, Novashov is banned from posting any material online for one year.
Novashov discredited the military in four social media posts, according to the judge. He had also referred to an article accusing Russian troops of shelling civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which they took last year. Russia says it is doing everything it can to prevent civilians from being injured in what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Another Russian journalist, Maria Ponomarenko, was sentenced to six years in prison last month for accusing the Russian Air Force of bombing a theater in Mariupol in April where women and children had taken refuge there. Moscow has blamed Ukrainian nationalists for this, a claim rejected by Kiev and Amnesty International.
Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, “discrediting” the military in Russia can be punished with up to five years in prison. Deliberately spreading disinformation about the military can also lead to a 15-year prison sentence.
The Russian military closes the door on Wagner’s representative
4:20 pm | A representative of Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was denied access to the Russian army headquarters in Ukraine on Monday. Prigozhin announced via Telegram messaging service that his delegate ticket had been withdrawn.
The incident appears to be another sign of deteriorating relations between the Kremlin and the private mercenary army. In recent weeks, the two sides have been at odds over the supply of ammunition. Prigozhin has long asked for more bullets and grenades to continue fighting in the disputed Bachmut.
A letter he sent last weekend to the Russian army command with the repeated request for ammunition remains unanswered for the time being. Speaking on Telegram, Prigozhin said he would find out if the low ammunition supply was “the result of the usual bureaucracy or treason.”
According to the head of the mercenary army, Moscow does not appreciate his contribution. “If the Wagner group now withdraws from Bachmut, the entire front will collapse like a house of cards,” says Prigozhin.
The Wagner leader shares a long history with Vladimir Putin. He worked his way up as a caterer for the Russian president, hence his nickname “Putin’s chef.” Later he was behind a notorious “troll factory” that spreads propaganda on social media.
Prigozhin has long been silent about his role as founder of the Wagner Group, but in the last year he has increasingly come to prominence as the face of the mercenary army.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
