Monday morning news - March 14, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Russian airstrike escalates offensive in western Ukraine » Russian missiles pounded a military base in western Ukraine on Sunday, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 100. The facility is located near Poland’s border. It has served as a crucial hub for NATO weapons and supplies being delivered into the country.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles struck the sprawling facility, which has long been used to train Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, heard here through an interpreter, declared on Sunday …

ZELENSKYY: It’s impossible to say how many days we still have to free Ukrainian land, but we can say we will do it, because we want it. It’s a patriotic war against a very stubborn enemy …

Zelenskyy also said Russia is already trying to install pro-Moscow local government in towns it now occupies.

Since Russian forces invaded more than two weeks ago, they have struggled in their advance across Ukraine facing stiffer resistance than they expected.

On Sunday, an American journalist and filmmaker was killed near Kyiv. Fifty-year-old Brent Renaud died after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle.

Meantime in Russia, Western sanctions are already having a dramatic impact on the country’s economy. That according to Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

GEORGIEVA: We expect deep recession in Russia, and this abrupt contraction is affecting already how the Russian population is taking the hit on them.

And amid the ongoing crackdown on free press and social media in Russia, Instagram shut down its Russia-based accounts last night. It was forced to do so after it refused to censor messages critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

U.S., China officials to meet as tensions mount over Russia » President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is in Rome today for meetings with a top Chinese official.

The meeting comes amid growing concerns that China is amplifying Russian propaganda and may help Russia evade punishment from economic sanctions.

SULLIVAN: If they think they can basically bail Russia out, they can give Russia a workaround to the sanctions we’ve imposed, they should have another thing coming, because we will ensure that neither China nor anyone else can compensate Russia for these losses.

Sullivan is sitting down today with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi . The White House says the meeting will focus on “efforts to manage the competition between our two countries” as well as “the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine” on global security.

U.S. officials say China is attempting to provide cover for a potential Russian biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians. Sullivan said Beijing recently repeated false Russian claims that the United States was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs.

SULLIVAN: When Russia starts accusing other countries of potentially doing something, it’s a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.

He said the West is trying to expose Russia’s lies immediately to make it tougher for them to stage a false flag attack to make it appear that Ukraine is the aggressor.

Iran claims missile barrage near U.S. consulate in Iraq » Iran claimed responsibility Sunday for a missile barrage that struck near a U.S. consulate complex in northern Iraq.

Iran said the attack was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard earlier this week.

No injuries were reported in Sunday's attack on the city of Irbil. And Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said U.S. officials do not believe the American consulate was the intended target.

SHERMAN: We are very glad that our facilities are secure, that everybody’s accounted for, that no one has been hurt or killed. But all of that said, this is a great concern.

The United States and the Iraqi government condemned the attack as a gross violation of international laws and Iraq’s sovereignty.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said on its website that it targeted what it described as an Israeli spy center in Irbil.

Uber charging customers new fuel fee for rides, delivery » With gas prices at record highs, Uber is charging customers a new fuel fee to help offset costs for ride-sharing and delivery drivers. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Uber passengers will pay a temporary surcharge of either 45 or 55 cents for each trip. And delivery customers will pay either 35 or 45 cents for each Uber Eats order, depending on location.

The surcharges are based on the average trip distance and the increase in gas prices in each state.

The new fees take effect on Wednesday. Uber says the additional money will go directly to drivers. The surcharge will be in effect for at least 60 days, and the company will reassess after that.

As of Sunday, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded was $4.32.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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