“Right now the destiny of our country is being decided,” @ZelenskyyUa says in a rare wartime address to Congress. President Zelenskiy says "Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death." He once again calls for a no-fly zone. Though he adds, if that is "too much to ask" there is an alternative and calls for more air defense systems.

🚨 Zaporizhzhya has 6 reactors & is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe. @GuyJohnsonTV & I spoke to @iaeaorg Director General Rafael Grossi about the plant today & how to avoid a nuclear accident? “It is a very, very delicate situation where anything could happen.”

https://twitter.com/bbcyaldahakim/status/1499536056810672128

From @AP

https://twitter.com/zekejmiller/status/1499536918115147783

President Biden starts his speech with Russia. Putin thought he could “roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over.” He tells the Chamber to stand to send a signal to Ukraine and the world.

Ukraine’s @OMarkarova is given a standing applause. And now China— “I’ve told Xi Jinping, it is never a good bet to bet against the American people.”

🚨Bank of Russia says there will be no stock trading today on the Moscow Exchange. Earlier today CBR hiked key interest rate to 20%. “External conditions for the economy have drastically changed. The increase of key rate will ensure a rise in deposit rates to levels needed to compensate for the increased depreciation & inflation risks.” cbr.ru/eng/press/pr/?…

🚨SWIFT is no long just on the table, the technicalities are being worked out. Sources tell me, @SalehaMohsin & @AlbertoNardelli a common decision & coordinated announcement is likely Sunday. Russia may soon be as isolated as Iran, Venezuela and North Korea. BREAKING from US & EU: “First, we commit to ensuring that selected Russian banks are removed from the SWIFT messaging system. This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally.”