Elite assassin unit sent for Ukraine president 'eliminated'

A resident of under-siege Kyiv downed a Russian drone with a jar of cucumbers from her balcony, it has been claimed.

W.N.B.A. superstar Brittney Griner has reportedly been detained in Russia on drug charges. The two-time Olympic gold medalist, 31, was arrested at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow after Russian custom officials found marijuana vape cartridges in her luggage, according to the New York Times. A statement released by the Customs Service says a criminal case has been opened into the “large-scale transportation of drugs,” which can result in a sentence of 5-10 years in prison if a conviction is upheld.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he considers Western sanctions to be akin to a declaration of war against Russia.

With the war in Ukraine continuing to push many of its citizens out of the country amid Vladimir Putin’s invasion, protests continue in Russia.  Thousands have taken to the streets to denounce the war, including the daughters of some of Russia’s most elite figures with ties to the Kremlin.  One of Russia’s most outspoken opponents of the invasion on social media has been Sofia Abramovich, who publicly called out Putin in her Instagram Story with a post that said, "Putin wants a war with Ukraine.The biggest and most successful lie out of the Kremlin propaganda is that most Russians are with Putin." Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich with his daughter Sofia Abramovich in the stands. (Mike Egerton/PA Images) The equestrian is the daughter of Roman Abramovich, 55, the owner of the Chelsea Premier League Football Club who has a reported net worth of $12 billion.The club owner has said he will sell the team after mounting pressure brought on by the invasion and his ties to the Kremlin.  Abramovich also announced that he has instructed the popular football club to set up a foundation that will use all net proceeds from the sale of Chelsea to "benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine." Abramovich has yet to be sanctioned over his relationship with Russia.

Before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy entered politics and found himself in charge of his country's fight against Russia's Vladimir Putin, he led a life as an on-screen performer. A former comedian, Zelenskyy, 44, starred as a head of state in the 2017 political satire "Servant of the People," which is also the name of the real-life political party he founded.

“Jeopardy!” is giving viewers a heads up that Friday’s episode contains a clue about Russia and Ukraine.

Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, is returning his Russian honour.

After 192 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, soprano Anna Netrebko will not be performing this year due to her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The Met made several attempts to convince Netrebko, who has made statements critical of the war, to rebuke Putin but failed to persuade the singer. "It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera," General Manager Peter Gelb said in a statement Thursday.

Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor said that it is blocking access to Facebook, as concerns are growing over a wider crackdown on media and the passage of new restrictions on reporting about the invasion of Ukraine.

Lending a helping hand. Lori Loughlin is doing her part amid the Ukraine-Russia war conflict.

The world is watching in horror as Russia invades Ukraine, with one of the largest armies on the planet killing innocent citizens and destroying countless buildings and homes with each passing day. While governments impose financial sanctions aimed at hurting the aggressor’s leader and its wealthy ruling class, many ordinary people feel hopeless.Now, a Russian musician known around the globe for political activism has utilized her platform and popularity to raise millions for the Ukrainian defense — and she did so using a sexy new technology that ensures the money is going where it’s needed without delay.Nadya Tolokonnikova, one of the members of Russian rock band Pussy Riot, set up an organization named UkraineDAO in order to sell an NFT for a good cause.The digital-only artwork sold for a whopping $6.7 million, and all the proceeds are going to Come Back Alive, a non-profit that was founded in 2014 and that calls itself “the largest foundation providing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”In just three days, as many as 3,200 individual donors spent digital cryptocurrency to own some of the NFT, which was nothing more than an image of the Ukrainian flag.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 42, appeared on Good Morning America Friday, March 4 and explained how he fled from Ukraine amidst Russian attacks. Before Maks got on a train from Poland and escaped his native country, he was arrested for breaking curfew. “They’re like, ‘Passport.’ I pull out my American passport. He starts speaking English with me. I was like, ‘I speak Russian.’ Then I regretted saying that. I thought maybe it was wrong,” Maks explained on GMA.

Metropolitan Opera after her support for Vladimir Putin resurfaced amid Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine.Netrebko, 50, is one of the opera’s highest grossing box office superstars and her exit is a major blow to the Manhattan cultural establishment.“It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera,” Met General Manager Peter Gelb announced in a statement on Thursday. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there was no way forward.”Gelb said last Sunday that the Met would not continue to associate with artists who support Putin.

By How do we talk about Olena Zelenska, the comedy writer-turned reluctant president's wife, who has emerged as a figure of defiant patriotism ? “Today I will not have panic and tears. I will be calm and confident,” Zelenska, 44, wrote on Instagram the last Thursday of February, the day Russia launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “My children are looking at me," she .

The Secretary General of NATO has warned of 'more deaths, more suffering and more destruction' to come in Ukraine, as world leaders pressed for a ceasefire amid further loss of life across the country.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is coming under intense backlash and criticism.

Good afternoon Insider team. Max Goldbart back in the saddle for your weekly dose of news as the Russia/Ukraine invasion continues to have huge ramifications for the film and TV world and vice versa.