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December 25, 2022

CFPB Orders Wells Fargo to Pay $3.7 Billion for Widespread Mismanagement of Auto Loans, Mortgages, and Deposit Accounts

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Shopper Fiscal Defense Bureau (CFPB) is buying Wells Fargo Financial institution to pay much more than $2 billion in redress to buyers and a $1.7 billion civil penalty for lawful violations across a number of of its premier product or service strains. The bank’s unlawful perform led to billions of pounds in fiscal harm to its customers and, for hundreds of clients, the loss of their vehicles and houses. Consumers have been illegally assessed expenses and desire fees on vehicle and house loan loans, had their cars and trucks wrongly repossessed, and experienced payments to car and mortgage loan financial loans misapplied by the lender. Wells Fargo also charged buyers unlawful shock overdraft charges and utilized other incorrect prices to checking and personal savings accounts. Underneath the phrases of the order, Wells Fargo will shell out redress to the around 16 million impacted client accounts, and spend a $1.7 billion fine, which will go to the CFPB’s Civil Penalty Fund, wherever it will be used to give relief to victims of buyer financial legislation violations.

“Wells Fargo’s rinse-repeat cycle of violating the law has harmed thousands and thousands of American family members,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “The CFPB is buying Wells Fargo to refund billions of dollars to consumers across the region. This is an crucial first phase for accountability and lengthy-phrase reform of this repeat offender.”

Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) is one particular of the nation’s largest banking institutions serving households across the state. It gives a selection of shopper economical products and services, like mortgages, automobile loans, cost savings and checking accounts, and on-line banking products and services.

In accordance to today’s enforcement motion, Wells Fargo harmed hundreds of thousands of customers in excess of a period of various years, with violations throughout many of the bank’s largest item strains. The CFPB’s unique results consist of that Wells Fargo:

Unlawfully repossessed motor vehicles and bungled borrower accounts: Wells Fargo experienced systematic failures in its servicing of vehicle financial loans that resulted in $1.3 billion in damage throughout much more than 11 million accounts. The financial institution incorrectly applied borrowers’ payments, improperly charged expenses and curiosity, and wrongfully repossessed borrowers’ motor vehicles. In addition, the bank failed to guarantee that borrowers been given a refund for selected expenses on add-on products when a personal loan ended early.
Improperly denied mortgage modifications: Throughout at the very least a seven-yr period of time, the financial institution improperly denied 1000’s of property finance loan mortgage modifications, which in some cases led to Wells Fargo clients shedding their properties to wrongful foreclosures. The bank was knowledgeable of the issue for several years right before it finally dealt with the problem.
Illegally billed surprise overdraft charges: For many years, Wells Fargo unfairly billed surprise overdraft costs – charges billed even however consumers had plenty of dollars in their account to address the transaction at the time the bank approved it – on debit card transactions and ATM withdrawals. As early as 2015, the CFPB, as very well as other federal regulators, which include the Federal Reserve, commenced cautioning fiscal establishments against this apply, identified as approved positive costs.
Unlawfully froze buyer accounts and mispresented payment waivers: The lender froze additional than 1 million consumer accounts primarily based on a defective automatic filter’s resolve that there might have been a fraudulent deposit, even when it could have taken other actions that would have not harmed shoppers. Shoppers impacted by these account freezes had been not able to accessibility any of their dollars in accounts at the bank for an average of at least two weeks. The bank also made misleading statements as to the availability of waivers for a regular monthly provider payment.

Wells Fargo is a repeat offender that has been the subject of many enforcement actions by the CFPB and other regulators for violations across its traces of business enterprise, together with faulty student financial loan servicing, property finance loan kickbacks, faux accounts, and hazardous automobile financial loan procedures.

Enforcement action

Underneath the Buyer Economic Security Act, the CFPB has the authority to acquire action versus establishments violating federal customer money rules, together with by engaging in unfair, misleading, or abusive acts or techniques. The CFPB’s investigation observed that Wells Fargo violated the Act’s prohibition on unfair and misleading acts and tactics.

The CFPB purchase demands Wells Fargo to:

Give a lot more than $2 billion in redress to customers: Wells Fargo will be expected to pay redress totaling additional than $2 billion to harmed clients. These payments signify refunds of wrongful service fees and other prices and payment for a selection of harms this sort of as frozen bank accounts, illegally repossessed automobiles, and wrongfully foreclosed houses. Specially, Wells Fargo will have to pay:
- Extra than $1.3 billion in shopper redress for influenced car lending accounts.
- More than $500 million in consumer redress for impacted deposit accounts, including $205 million for illegal surprise overdraft expenses.
- Just about $200 million in shopper redress for impacted property finance loan servicing accounts.
Stop charging shock overdraft charges: Wells Fargo could not demand overdraft service fees for deposit accounts when the shopper experienced readily available cash at the time of a acquire or other debit transaction, but then subsequently experienced a destructive stability once the transaction settled. Surprise overdraft costs have been a recurring difficulty for consumers who can neither fairly foresee nor consider ways to steer clear of them.
Be certain automobile financial loan borrowers obtain refunds for selected incorporate-on fees: Wells Fargo must ensure that the unused part of Gap contracts, a style of financial debt cancellation deal that covers the remaining sum of the borrower’s auto mortgage in the case of a important incident or theft, is refunded to the borrower when a loan is paid off or or else terminates early.
Pay $1.7 billion in penalties: Wells Fargo will spend a $1.7 billion penalty to the CFPB, which will be deposited into the CFPB’s victims relief fund.

Study today’s buy.

Study CFPB Director Chopra’s remarks on a push phone announcing the action.

The CFPB needs to thank members of the public who submitted issues as a result of the CFPB’s criticism system throughout Wells Fargo products strains. These problems aided in the detection of some of the unlawful exercise uncovered in the CFPB’s investigation.

The CFPB is also grateful for the cooperation and the substantial function carried out by the Business of the Comptroller of the Currency, whose initiatives have contributed to the important remediation obtained by individuals harmed by the bank’s unlawful exercise, and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Shoppers who are suffering from ongoing challenges with Wells Fargo, or other fiscal suppliers, can submit complaints by browsing the CFPB’s web page or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372). The Bureau also has assets for individuals about home finance loan servicing, auto loans, and deposit accounts:

House loan servicing: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/client-tools/home loans/

Car financial loans: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/shopper-applications/car-financial loans/

Deposit Accounts: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/purchaser-tools/financial institution-accounts/

Wells Fargo personnel who are knowledgeable of other illegal exercise are encouraged to send out data about what they know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov.

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The Client Fiscal Security Bureau (CFPB) is a 21st century agency that will help consumer finance marketplaces do the job by earning policies much more efficient, by consistently and relatively enforcing those guidelines, and by empowering consumers to take additional manage over their financial lives. For far more data, pay a visit to www.consumerfinance.gov.

July 21, 2022

Elon Musk-Twitter dispute: Judge orders October trial for lawsuit over acqusition agreement

The choice came at the finish of the to start with listening to in the scenario in excess of whether or not to expedite the proceedings. When it filed the accommodate previous 7 days, days immediately after Musk moved to terminate the deal, Twitter (TWTR) filed a movement to expedite the proceedings and asked for a 4-working day demo in September. Musk’s legal group opposed the motion.

Tuesday’s hearing featured sharply worded arguments from both equally sides — like Twitter’s law firm at just one stage referring to Musk as a “committed enemy” — environment the phase for what is just about certain to be a contentious authorized battle.

Twitter’s lead counsel William Savitt came out swinging against Musk at the begin of the listening to as he argued in favor of a fast trial. Savitt said the continued uncertainty hanging around the enterprise from the excellent deal and litigation “inflicts hurt on Twitter day to day, just about every hour and every single working day.” He also pointed to what he explained as Musk’s ongoing disparagement of Twitter, together with on its very own platform.

“Musk has been and stays contractually obligated to use his greatest attempts to close this deal,” Savitt claimed. “What he’s performing is the precise opposite it’s sabotage.”

Musk attorney Andrew Rossman pushed back stating that Musk “isn’t going to have an incentive to preserve this hanging for a prolonged time,” noting that the billionaire stays one particular of Twitter’s biggest shareholders. He also noted that Twitter did not sue Musk about his alleged breaches of the offer until soon after he moved to terminate the offer, suggesting that the firm’s hold out invalidated its drive for expedition. (The choose in her reviews explained Twitter’s timing was not “unreasonable.”)

Musk’s staff proposed that the dispute really should go to trial early next 12 months. “We are not opposing expedition complete quit, we are not asking for several years listed here,” Rossman explained. “What we are supplying as a substitute, Your Honor, is an incredibly swift and practical agenda.”

Subsequent each individual side’s argument, the decide overseeing the case, Delaware Courtroom of Chancery chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick, said Musk’s aspect “underestimate the potential of this court … to promptly procedure complex litigation.”

“The reality is that hold off threatens irreparable damage [to Twitter] … the lengthier the hold off, the higher the danger,” McCormick stated in announcing the scheduling prepare. She added that when couple cases warrant a demo for a longer period than five days, she would entertain a request from both facet to lengthen the trial if needed.

Even with this early scheduling dispute, the stakes had been higher for Twitter. The firm was already struggling to increase its person foundation and marketing organization in advance of Musk’s involvement, and now it and several other tech firms are pulling back again on expenses amid rampant inflation and fears of a recession. Twitter requires a swift resolution to the fight with Musk in order to restrict the uncertainty for its shareholders, employees and customers, and any fallout for its business enterprise that could be exacerbated by high priced, prolonged litigation.

Though Tuesday’s hearing was mostly a procedural a person, it provided a seem at how every aspect may perhaps method what is very likely to be a messy litigation approach. It may possibly also offer a glimpse as to how the judge overseeing the situation is approaching the dispute.

“There may be hints from what she asks and what she states, and what they say, all through the hearing that may well tell us something,” stated Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond College of Law.

The scenario has currently hit a compact snag: Although the listening to was initially scheduled to take area in-man or woman, McCormick despatched a letter to the two functions on Monday alerting them that she analyzed beneficial for Covid-19 and would be transferring the hearing to Zoom.

Less than three months after the blockbuster acquisition offer was inked, Musk moved to terminate the arrangement. He accused Twitter of breaching the deal by making misleading statements about the quantity of bot and spam accounts on the platform, and by allegedly withholding facts Musk states he needs to assess the scale of the challenge.

The SEC has asked Elon Musk more questions about his Twitter deal

Twitter strike again final 7 days in a 60-moreover-webpage lawsuit alleging that it is Musk who has violated the agreement. In the match, Twitter instructed Musk is using bots as a pretext to test to exit a offer more than which he now has buyer’s regret, pursuing the market downturn that has tanked Twitter shares, as very well as people of Tesla (TSLA), which the billionaire is relying on in portion to finance the offer.

Rossman on Tuesday named the plan that Musk’s considerations about bots are a pretext to exit the offer “nonsense.”

“We have purpose to imagine, centered on what we have found so significantly, that the serious quantities [of bots and fake accounts on Twitter] are significantly higher [than Twitter has publicly reported], with monumental implications for the extended-time period value of the firm,” Rossman explained. He extra that Twitter’s promises that Musk is in breach of the offer are “made in get to consider to strip Mr. Musk of his legal rights declare that he can terminate the agreement.”

Twitter has requested the courtroom to compel Musk to full the offer to buy the corporation. Whilst several legal experts say Twitter probable has the more powerful argument in the dispute, some also anticipate the organization may well conclusion up settling with the billionaire if the circumstance starts off to drag on, in an effort to cut down the disruption to its small business.

As with the dispute usually, Twitter and Musk had been much aside on regardless of whether to have a speedy trial. In its motion, Twitter stated the expedition is vital to ensure the offer can be done prior to the “fall dead” date of October 24 that the two sides beforehand agreed to shut the deal by, and to “protect Twitter and its stockholders from the continuing marketplace possibility and operational damage resulting from Musk’s endeavor to bully his way out of an airtight merger settlement.”

In a Friday courtroom filing, Musk’s attorneys called Twitter’s request an “excessive expedition” and claimed that the dispute is “extremely point and expert intensive, necessitating substantial time for discovery.” They also claimed that the first arrangement stipulated that fall-lifeless date would no for a longer time utilize if just one bash filed litigation more than the offer, calling Twitter’s request “moot,” and questioned that a 10-working day trial be scheduled for on or soon after February 13, 2023.

Twitter’s lawyer on Tuesday pushed again on Musk’s team’s assert that the discovery course of action would get months mainly because it would call for digging into the specifics associated to the range of bot and pretend accounts on the system. The bot query is “emphatically and plainly not ahead of the court in this situation,” Savitt mentioned.

“Very little in the merger arrangement turns on that query, there is no representation or warranty in the merger that is relevant to how a lot of false accounts there may possibly be on Twitter,” Savitt explained. He additional that “Musk could have carried out diligence about this problem” prior to signing the offer but did not.

Meanwhile, Twitter carries on to just take the measures essential to commence with the acquisition. The business on Friday sent a letter to shareholders inviting them to vote on the deal to provide Twitter to Musk for $54.20 for every exceptional share at a specific assembly on an undisclosed day and time later this calendar year, in accordance to a regulatory submitting. Twitter’s board earlier unanimously advised that shareholders vote in favor of the offer, a placement it reiterated in the letter.

Irrespective of Musk’s move to terminate the offer, “we are committed to closing the merger on the cost and phrases agreed on with Mr. Musk,” the Friday letter states. “Your vote at the particular meeting is critical to our means to finish the merger.”

July 11, 2022

Mallya to Salem: Key SC orders likely today | Latest News India

The Supreme Court, which will resume entire procedure following an virtually 50-working day summertime holiday, will be in for a weighty action day on Monday when it is most likely to pronounce judgments in a number of substantial profile cases.

This week, the apex court docket will also consider up hearing in a host of essential cases, like bail plea of P Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad scenario fate of the newly shaped Shiv Sena-BJP coalition federal government in Maharashtra and the use of bulldozers by administrations in Uttar Pradesh districts to demolish houses of these allegedly involved in violence throughout protests more than remarks created against Prophet Mohammed by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

Among the the critical judgments probable to be pronounced on Monday are a single on punishment in opposition to former liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who faces a contempt of court docket scenario and a different in a circumstance involving gangster Abu Salem, who has sought enforcement of an undertaking specified by India not to punish him outside of 25 years following his extradition from Portugal in 2002.

The court had reserved its order towards Mallya on a petition submitted by Condition Lender of India in March this 12 months in search of recovery of unpaid loans to the tune of ₹9,000 crore. Mallya was asked to disclose all his monetary and immovable assets to the courtroom. However, contempt action was initiated following he failed to disclose receipt of a sum of $40 million from British spirit maker Diageo in February 2016. The fugitive businessman even transferred this quantity into the bank accounts of his 3 small children in apparent violation of his assurance not to alienate his property. In May possibly 2017, the leading court discovered him responsible of contempt but in spite of a number of dates mounted for him to show up, he failed to display up.

The case was heard at size by a bench of justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and PS Narasimha. The apex courtroom appointed senior advocate Jaideep Gupta as amicus curiae (pal of courtroom), who prompt that the make any difference can progress as Mallya had enough knowledge about this proceeding. His legal professionals again in India instructed the Supreme Courtroom that in January this year, he intimated them about the top secret proceeding initiated by him. The courtroom saw it as adequate indication that Mallya was knowledgeable of the contempt proceedings initiated versus him.

For the duration of the listening to, the Centre educated the apex court that endeavours to extradite the fugitive economic offender experienced fulfilled a roadblock as a mystery continuing was initiated by Mallya in London, pending which the authorities in the British isles were not inclined to extradite him. The federal government, nonetheless, urged the bench to grant exemplary punishment to Mallya for his willful non-participation ahead of the Supreme Court docket.

The case involving Abu Salem was reserved in May this year and it pertains to a solemn undertaking presented by India in 2002 although extraditing the gangster from Portugal in relationship with his position in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and murder of a businessman Pradeep Jain in 1995. The enterprise reported that Salem will not be sentenced to a jail phrase past 25 decades whilst the district courts in India slapped life sentence on him in the two offences.

The bench comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh, whilst listening to the matter, experienced questioned the Centre for its view. An affidavit submitted by the Union dwelling secretary in April knowledgeable the court docket that India was bound by its assurance presented to Portugal but the query of his release will crop up only in November 2030 when the 25-year period will elapse. This interval was counted from November 11, 2005 when Salem was extradited from Portugal. However, Salem urged that his period of time of incarceration in Portugal jail prior to his extradition should really also be counted into the 25-calendar year sentence stipulation.

The courtroom explored two solutions that were ahead of it — to both read down the sentence of life imprisonment to a time period of 25 several years or immediate the Centre to decide on his remission ahead of completion of 25-year sentence. It will be attention-grabbing to see if the top court docket directs India to honour its undertaking heading by the theory of comity of nations.

On Monday, the court is also predicted to just take up a plea for long lasting clinical bail by 83-year-outdated Telugu poet and activist P Varavara Rao, who is a prime accused in the Elgar Parishad scenario for his alleged position in the Bhima Koregaon violence in Pune on January 1, 2018. His prayer for common bail on medical grounds was rejected by the Bombay superior court docket on April 13 in opposition to which he approached the major court. The significant court gave him 3 months to surrender, with the period expiring this thirty day period.

In an additional important situation outlined on Monday, the apex court will listen to a petition submitted by a bishop searching for a particular investigation workforce to enquire into alleged hate crimes directed against associates of Christian group in the state.

The political disaster in Maharashtra that introduced down the Uddhav Thackeray-led federal government following 39 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde joined fingers with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and shaped the authorities is also anticipated to occur up before the Supreme Court this 7 days.

Although the Shiv Sena has moved disqualification petitions against 16 rebel MLAs, including Shinde, and opposed the final decision of governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to contact the rebel Sena faction and the BJP to form a coalition governing administration headed by Shinde as main minister and Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy, the Supreme Courtroom on June 27 permitted rebel MLAs time till July 12 to reply to their disqualification pleas. The Thackeray camp then approached the prime courtroom to stall the floor exam requested by the governor citing pendency of disqualification proceedings. On June 29, the best courtroom permitted the belief vote to proceed. The same day, Thackeray submitted his resignation and a day later Shinde took oath as the new CM.

These petitions ended up clubbed together and directed by the court to be place up for listening to on July 11 together with other pleas by the Thackeray faction.

On July 13, the leading courtroom is anticipated to choose up a plea by the Muslim organisation, Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, versus the demolitions carried out by the UP administration concentrating on attributes of customers of the minority neighborhood who the state govt claimed were indulged in violence throughout protests around the derogatory remarks in opposition to the Prophet. The make any difference was adjourned throughout the trip to help the UP authorities to react to further details introduced by Jamiat. Nonetheless, the point out filed an affidavit declaring that the demolition motion was taken as for each regulation and experienced no connection with the violence that took spot in Kanpur and Prayagraj districts of the state past thirty day period.

February 22, 2022

Vladimir Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine after recognising breakaway republics

Vladimir Putin has requested troops into japanese Ukraine soon after recognising two Moscow-backed separatist regions, hobbling the prospects of a diplomatic alternative to the crisis as he put his region on a war footing.

The Russian president directed his military services to enter rebel-held Donetsk and Luhansk areas in Ukraine’s Donbas border spot for “peacekeeping” operations just after signing decrees pronouncing their independence.

The decrees and armed forces purchase sparked worldwide condemnation as the US and European allies vowed to reply with sanctions, and Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, accused Russia of violating its sovereignty.

Antony Blinken, US secretary of condition, said the move to recognise the so-referred to as Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics as impartial was a “clear attack” on Ukraine’s sovereignty. “States have an obligation not to recognise a new ‘state’ produced through the risk or use of power,” he mentioned.

Blinken additional that US diplomatic team centered in the western metropolis of Lviv would expend the evening in Poland for “security reasons”.

“Ukraine unequivocally qualifies the latest actions of the Russian Federation as a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state,” Zelensky explained in an address to the country.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s international minister, mentioned he planned to meet Blinken in Washington on Tuesday.

Putin declared the moves next an angry televised speech in which he solid doubt on Ukraine’s statehood and accused the west of making use of the country as a instrument to damage Russia. He also created obvious that his grievances with Kyiv stretched to the country’s existence in its existing form.

The separatist Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics had been recognised at a signing ceremony in the Kremlin after Putin warned that Russia would hold Ukraine responsible for any “ensuing bloodshed” in the area.

Map showing Ukraine and territory held by Russia-backed separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk

A senior US formal mentioned Putin’s speech was section of an effort and hard work to justify an invasion of Ukraine that could arrive as early as in the “coming hours”.

“It was an assault on the pretty concept of a sovereign and impartial Ukraine,” the US formal stated. “He made a range of untrue statements about Ukraine’s intentions that seemed designed to excuse probable military motion. This was a speech to the Russian individuals to justify a war.”

The Russian troops look established to continue to be in the Donbas region indefinitely, in accordance to draft agreements printed by the Kremlin below which Russia would defend the separatist states’ borders. Moscow deployed troops to the Donbas in 2014-2015, but has denied, even with overpowering proof to the contrary, that it was a celebration to the conflict there.

Western powers fearful that the troops could assistance make a pretext for Russia to attack Ukrainian forces. Putin repeated unsupported statements that Ukraine has stepped up an artillery and “terrorist” marketing campaign versus the separatists, which Kyiv and its western allies said was laying the groundwork for a “false flag” operation.

Following Putin’s choice to recognise the spots as impartial, US president Joe Biden issued an govt buy banning new investment, trade and funding by US entities in the Donetsk and Luhansk locations.

The White House said it would unveil supplemental measures to respond to the “blatant violation of Russia’s intercontinental commitments”. The US formal explained Washington was looking at the motion of the Russian troops and would respond accordingly, without offering any specifics.

“We system to announce new sanctions on Russia tomorrow in reaction to Moscow’s choices and actions these days. We are coordinating with allies and associates on that announcement,” claimed a second US formal.

A spokesperson for Olaf Scholz mentioned the German chancellor “condemned” the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, introducing that the move was “completely at odds with the Minsk agreement on a peaceful resolution of the conflict in jap Ukraine”.

Putin’s decision sparked an extreme round of diplomacy involving Biden, Scholz and Emmanuel Macron, president of France.

“This step will not go unanswered,” stated Scholz’s spokesperson.

A French formal stated “proportional, focused sanctions” would be discussed in Brussels and that “Russia will have to spend the value of its conclusions.” British isles overseas secretary Liz Truss said the United kingdom would also unveil sanctions on Tuesday.

Putin’s speech followed a meeting with his countrywide protection council wherever Russian officials lined up to denounce Ukraine and the US, disparage the stalled Minsk peace process and urge him to recognise the separatists.

“No one must blunder the theatrics as legit statecraft,” said the US formal. “This is Potemkin politics. President Putin accelerating the quite conflict that he is producing.”

The UN Safety Council held an unexpected emergency conference on Monday evening to go over the Ukraine disaster. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador, said Putin was laying assert to territories, this sort of as Finland and the Baltics, that were element of the Russian Empire.

“Putin wishes the world to journey again in time. To a time in advance of the United Nations. To a time when empires ruled the globe. But the relaxation of the globe has moved ahead. It is not 1919. It is 2022,” Greenfield-Thomas said.

Zhang Jun, the Chinese ambassador, pressured the have to have for diplomacy and termed on all get-togethers to “exercise restraint and steer clear of any action that may perhaps fuel tensions”.

Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya accused the US and its allies of earning “highly emotional” statements in reaction to Putin’s determination to recognise the two places in the Donbas as unbiased.

He also said Ukraine had greater shelling in the location, the latest in a string of statements that the US and its allies have dismissed as lies meant to support make the pretext for an invasion.

“We remain open up to diplomacy for a diplomatic solution. On the other hand, allowing a new massacre in the Donbas is one thing we do not intend to do,” Nebenzya claimed.

Day by day experiences of clashes in jap Ukraine have been an ominous backdrop to diplomatic endeavours to defuse the disaster. On Monday, Russia claimed it had ruined two Ukrainian military automobiles that strayed into its territory, killing 5. The unconfirmed incident would be the first immediate clash with Ukraine’s forces considering that Moscow mobilised 190,000 troops on its border.

Supplemental reporting by Person Chazan in Berlin, Derek Brower in New York and John Reed in Kyiv