The War Room: Russia has agreed to humanitarian escape routes from five cities under siege but Ukraine says the refugees are being shelled anyway. In a video interview shot at the capitol in Kyiv, Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelensky called the Russian army “war criminals.”

  An estimated two million people have already left Ukraine, the fast majority of them women and children because men of fighting age between 18 and 60 cannot leave.

  Fears are growing that deaths of Ukrainian civilians are going to rise dramatically as Russian forces bombard residential areas and non-military targets. While the Russians move slowly toward the capital of Kyiv, nearby cities and towns have been hit hard.

  Ukraine says 21 civilians were killed overnight in the city of Sumy. The Regional Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement saying “One house was completely destroyed, 16 were partially destroyed. As of 7:00, the bodies of 21 people, including 2 children, were found during an inspection,”

  At the same time, the Russian invaders have been mauled by infantry weapons that can take out tanks and aircraft. Amazingly, the Ukraine air force is still flying. The Ukrainians claim that their jets and a ground-based missile took out two Russian fighter jets. Ukraine’s Army commander said one Russian plane was shot down over Kyiv and a second went down in aerial combat near the capital.

  Russia has told Ukraine it will stop military operations “in a moment” if Kyiv meets a list of conditions. 

  Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Moscow demands that Ukraine stop fighting, change its constitution to declare neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as a Russian possession, and recognize the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.

  The straight-faced boldness of the Russians is stunning.  “We really are finishing the demilitarization of Ukraine,” Peskov said of the country Russia invaded with no provocation. “We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action. They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot.” 

The Information War:  While the Russian government spreads lies and fiction about what they refuse to admit is a war, some Russians have clued to the truth and they are not happy. As many as 5,000 protesters were arrested over the weekend and that could bring the total to 10,000 or more since the war began. Russians who speak out against the war can be sent to prison for up to 15 years.

  Some Russian soldiers have told their captors either that they had no idea why they were sent to Ukraine, or that they were told lies.

  In a 10 minute monologue on video, a captured Russian officer apologized for coming to Ukraine and expressed dismay at the lies he was told to justify the invasion. A few quotes:

– “We were told that “Ukraine’s territory is dominated by fascists’ regime, nationalists, Nazis have seized power, ordinary people need some help to get rid of this yoke.

– “I feel shame that we came to this country, this territory, Ukraine’s territory.”

– “I feel sorrow for people left in Russia. Their guilt is that they were misinformed. … They are constantly brainwashed.”

– “I am here like a deaths squad member. That is my personal feeling about Russian armed forces.”

–  “Russia cannot win here anyway.” 

–  “I cannot find the words to say sorry to Ukrainian people.”

Economic War: Levi’s jeans stopped selling in Russia. Visa and Mastercard announced they are suspending service for credit cards issued in Russia, making them unusable outside the country. 

  While major companies pull out of Russia in protest of the Ukraine invasion, US burger chain McDonald’s and Pepsi are remaining despite pressure to shut down. 

Fast Retailing Co., Asia’s largest retailer and parent of the Uniqlo clothing chain, will continue to operate in Russia. “Clothing is a necessity of life,” said Fast’s CEO Tadashi Yanai. “The people of Russia have the same right to live as we do.”

  On the energy front, Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, says it will stop buying oil and gas from Russia. In response to similar considerations in the West, Russia has said it may close its main gas pipeline to Germany if the West bans the import of  Russian oil. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said a “rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market”, causing prices to more than double to $300 a barrel.

 The European Union gets about 40 percent of its gas and 30 percent of its oil from Russia. 

  The war has already jacked up energy prices. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the US hit $4.17 yesterday.

The Spin Rack:  — The Supreme Court declined to review a decision that freed 84-year-old comedian Bill Cosby from prison. Cosby had spent several years in in the pen for sexual assault before a former prosecutor said he had made a secret promise to Cosby’s lawyers that he would never be prosecuted and a Pennsylvania court decided that was binding. — The Court also ruled to allow congressional maps imposed by state courts in North Carolina and Pennsylvania to stand, giving Democrats an advantage in this year’s election in two important states. The maps had been challenged by Democrats in both states because they had been drawn by Republicans to give an advantage to their own party.

Fog of War: Some restaurant customers have been complaining to eateries that serve the French Canadian dish poutine, which is fries slathered with gravy and cheese curds. They are not complaining about the calories or cholesterol. They think poutine was named after Vladimir Putin.

-30-