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A Ukrainian activist begs the West to do more · Apple News Today

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  Duarte Geraldino, Narrating: Good morning! It's Thursday, March 3rd. I'm Duarte Geraldino.
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  Shumita Basu, Narrating: And I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
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  Geraldino: Kherson is now the first major Ukrainian city to be occupied by Russian forces. Russian airstrikes kept people up throughout the night in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Satellite imagery shows the extent of the damage across Ukraine. Images of rubble, homes completely destroyed. As of early Thursday morning, Ukrainian officials estimate at least 2,000 civilians have been killed in the invasion. The U.N. says one million people have fled.
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  Basu: There's a link between Ukrainians under attack from Russia and Syrians who are watching from about 1,000 miles away. It wasn't too long ago that Putin sent his military to back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the country's civil war in 2015. "NPR" takes a look at the shared history of these two countries targeted by Russia and the similar tactics we're seeing the Russian military use.
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  Geraldino: Some of Russia's most intense bombing in Syria took place in 2016. This was during the battle for Aleppo, when Russian and Syrian forces rained down aerial missiles. According to Human Rights Watch, those airstrikes killed more than 440 civilians and at least one medical facility was targeted. HRW said the attacks amounted to war crimes and described the airstrikes as, quote, "recklessly indiscriminate."
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  Basu: The same type of brutality played out in a northwest province of Syria called Idlib. Russian military forces repeatedly targeted places like schools, hospitals and markets. "NPR" describes a series of airstrikes on one market that killed at least 43 civilians. Investigators from the U.N. concluded that Russia was responsible for multiple war crimes for what they did in Idlib.
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  Geraldino: Randa Slim is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. She told "NPR" that the Russian army's targets on civilians was, in part, intended to break their morale, to break Syria's spirit. She says it appears that's what they're trying to do in Ukraine too. Another Russia analyst told "NPR" that for the most part, Russia faced no real consequences for committing what amount to war crimes in Syria.
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  Basu: We've been hearing some leaders, including Ukraine's president, calling for investigations into Russia's actions, describing attacks on civilians, including children, as "criminal." Just yesterday, the International Criminal Court, the ICC, formally opened its investigation into Russia. But "USA TODAY" spoke to several war crimes experts, including people who've argued before the ICC, and many say they're skeptical this will have any real effect on Putin. The article describes the international community as having a "spotty track record, at best" when it comes to holding despots accountable. As one expert put it, "The wheels of international justice turn slowly."
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  An international coalition has mobilized to back Ukraine. A number of countries are imposing sanctions, they're closing their air space to Russian planes, and sending weapons and humanitarian aid. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking the West and NATO to do more. To impose a no-fly zone, which would restrict aircraft from flying over Ukraine. Enforcing it would mean shooting down Russian planes that violate the no-fly zone. The West has said that would amount to a declaration of war and is a non-starter.
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  Geraldino: On Wednesday, I sat down with Ukrainian journalist and activist Daria Kaleniuk. She's the co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center. It's a Ukrainian advocacy organization that promotes transparent democracy. And you might have seen a clip of her that went viral earlier this week where she got emotional when pleading with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to do more.
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  Daria Kaleniuk: [TEARFULLY] I see that my family members, my team members are saying that we are crying. We don't know where to run. This is what is happening, Prime Minister.
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  [END THE GUARDIAN ARCHIVAL CLIP]
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  In that exchange, she echoed Zelenskyy's call for a no-fly zone. Here's what she told me in our conversation.
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  Daria Kaleniuk: I'm in Poland, where the air defense systems of NATO are being placed. And they can provide the protection of our sky in Ukraine. They can hit Russian missiles. They are saying, "Well, we don't want to hit Russian troops. We don't want to hit Russian planes." But these missiles are over the territory of Ukraine, the sovereign nation, and the sovereign nation is begging help with hitting these missiles. That was what I am begging for. And I'm begging for this protection of our skies to evacuate at least children. You know, when we are talk, I have text messages from my friend who is now in Irpin, nearby Kyiv, in car with three newborn babies, trying to evacuate these three newborn babies from Kyiv. And it's just one of many, many examples what's actually happening on the ground, and what kind of suffering and miserable situation created for Ukrainians on the ground because of all these missiles. So it is inhuman. It is non-Christian. It is against any humanity. And we are begging the West to protect our sky, to be able to evacuate these children. Is it too much we are asking for?
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  Geraldino: The pushback from the West has been that declaring a no-fly zone over Ukraine would essentially amount to a declaration of war. Now, that move could trigger a nuclear response from Russia. What do you say to that? When we talk about the risk of a nuclear event.
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  Kaleniuk: I'm saying that the risk of nuclear event can happen any moment now, when Russians are shooting their missiles. The most heavy fightings which are happening now in Ukraine are in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, which is near one of the largest nuclear power plants in Ukraine. And any second, missile can hit that nuclear power plant. So it is immediate risk for NATO now, and for the entire world. If NATO will not protect Ukrainian sky, the most devastating consequences can happen. The West is saying, "Well, we can't. We are afraid of World War III." But I want to say that the World War III has already started. Just not everybody realize that yet.
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  Geraldino: What does the world look like if Putin wins?
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  Kaleniuk: It is the end of democracy. It's different world. Forget about rule of law. It ceases to exist at the moment when Russia started bombarding Ukraine. There will be no way to return democracy as an idea if Ukraine will fail.
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  [END APPLE NEWS IN CONVERSATION CLIP]
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  You can hear my full conversation with Daria on this weekend's episode of Apple News's "In Conversation."
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  Basu: On tomorrow's "Apple News Today," you'll hear some of my conversation with "Vox" reporter Zack Beauchamp. We spoke about why, at this point, the West is so adamantly opposed to a no-fly zone.
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  Zack Beauchamp: So people often misunderstand what a no-fly zone is, right? Like one analyst that I've seen pointed it out to people describing it as like a magical umbrella that prevents planes from flying there. That's not how it works. It is intervening in the conflict on Ukraine's side. Basically declaring war on Russia. That carries all sorts of different risks of nuclear escalation. And nuclear weapons have the potential to annihilate the planet.
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  That's tomorrow on "Apple News Today."
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  Geraldino: This next story comes to us from "The Wall Street Journal." It's a look at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's rise and how the former actor with no political experience became the face of Ukraine's resistance against Russia. The 44-year-old started out his career as a sketch comedian.
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  Basu: In 2006, so before he was president, Zelenskyy got into the Ukrainian version of the show "Dancing with the Stars," and he won. But what really planted the seed for politics was his TV show called "Servant of the People." It first aired in 2015. And in the show, Zelenskyy played a schoolteacher who goes viral for a video rant about corruption in Ukraine. And his character rides that notoriety all the way to the presidency. It sounds far-fetched, but the themes on the show are what laid the groundwork for his real-life political campaign. His political party is even named after the show: Servant of the People.
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  Geraldino: Since the start of the Russian invasion last week, Zelenskyy has captured the attention of global media, world leaders and the people of Ukraine. He shares videos that show him patrolling the streets of Kyiv in a ballistic vest. He's using his platform to scold the West, and to get them to ramp up their sanctions against Putin and Russia. During one video call, Zelenskyy warned Western leaders that it might be the last time they saw him alive. One EU official described the moment, saying, "The silence in the room was impressive." Shortly after, the EU moved to significantly expand the actions it would take against Russia.
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  Basu: Zelenskyy has won a lot of popular support in Ukraine for refusing to leave while the country is under attack. His allies have offered to help him and his family leave the country, to set up a government in exile. But Zelenskyy has vowed to stay and fight.
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  Geraldino: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
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  Basu: And when you're in the app, keep listening to hear narrated articles from our News+ partners.
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  Geraldino: We'll talk with you again tomorrow.
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