Belarus joins Russia and 'invades Ukraine' - reports

Boris Johnson was accused of being a “threat to national security” following reports he was at a Tory party fundraising event on the night Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn Thursday morning, Dolly Parton ventured into the belly of Fox News’ hotbed of propaganda and misinformation, “Fox & Friends,” in an attempt to set the record straight about her decision to decline her likely nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.“Well, I didn’t feel exactly right about that,” she said, while being interviewed on the show along with James Patterson, who co-authored her new book “Run, Rose Run.” “Because my perception, and I think the perception of most of America — I just feel like that’s more for the people in rock music. I’ve been educated since then, saying that it’s more than that, but I still didn’t feel right about it.

Christopher Vourlias Before the Russian army launched an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, French war correspondent Loup Bureau was embedded in Donbass, the restive borderland in Eastern Ukraine, which since 2014 has been the site of an ongoing conflict between Russian-backed separatist groups and Ukrainian government forces.Reports were circulating of an impending Russian attack. Bureau, who had already spent time in the region while shooting his feature-length documentary “Trenches” – screening next week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival – expected it to be a localized skirmish.

British ballet dancer Xander Parish has made the decision to leave Russia and the country's prestigious Mariinsky Ballet amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Xander shared the news Sunday on Instagram.

Subscription streaming service Netflix has joined the Russia boycott.

The little brother of a schoolgirl who was shot dead alongside her parents by Russian troops has now also died in hospital.

The international union that governs skating said Tuesday that it was following the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee in banning athletes from Russia and Belarus from its competitions across the sports of figure skating and speed skating. It becomes the latest organization in the sports world to take action since Russia began its military invasion of Ukraine.

Franz Ferdinand have cancelled their upcoming shows in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine last week.The Scottish band have become the latest act to axe their planned Russian gigs in the wake of the widely condemned Vladimir Putin-ordered military assault, with Yungblud, Green Day and the Russian rapper Oxxxymiron also scrapping shows in recent days.After speaking out in support of the “open and welcoming” people of Kyiv last week, Franz Ferdinand have confirmed this morning (March 1) that their scheduled gigs in St Petersburg and Moscow on June 29 and July 1 will no longer take place.The band said in a statement that “the only reason for this is the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian state”.“We love Russia. This great country has inspired our band through its art and literature and since we first played there 17 years ago, we have built a rich and deep relationship with our Russian fans,” the band said.“Since Thursday morning [February 24], we have spoken to many of our friends in Russia via social media and have encountered unanimous opposition to this violence and solidarity with our Ukrainian friends.

Hayden Panettiere has shared rare support for her ex-partner Wladimir Klitschkoas he joins front lines for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.MORE: DWTS alum Maks Chmerkovskiy posts devastating video from Kyiv as Russia invades UkraineThe actress and Hall of Fame boxer Wladimir have had a tumultuous relationship since meeting in 2009; they became engaged in 2013 and welcomed their daughter in 2014 but later split. Wladimir has custody of their daughter, Kaya.WATCH: Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko says he is 'ready to fight'However, amid the news that Wladimir and his brother Vitali - the mayor of Ukraine's capital Kyiv - would be joining the front lines for Ukraine, Hayden showed her support for the 45-year-old, sharing a post of Wladimir's in which he called the war "Putin's war"."The Russian president is using war rhetoric in the purest Bolshevik tradition and is rewriting history to justify his redivision of borders," he wrote.MORE: Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin inundated with support after Russian invasion into Ukraine"He makes it clear that he wants to destroy the Ukrainian state and the sovereignty of its people.

Good Morning Britain viewers were left fearing for one of the show’s reporters after he had to take cover amid bomb sirens during an interview in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Bomb sirens were heard during chief correspondent Richard Gaisford’s live report of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as he chatted to presenters Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard. Richard, who is currently residing in Kyiv, was forced to put on protective equipment as he spoke to the hosts.

UEFA have voted to move this season's Champions League final to Paris as a result of Russia making the decision to invade Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning.

In her thoughts. Peta Murgatroyd asked fans to “please pray” for her husband, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, to return from his native Ukraine safely following the Russian invasion.

Superbowl outcomes among other light-hearted events, “The Simpsons” has most recently been credited on social media for anticipating something not so humorous: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Following to the tragic event, astute Twitter users analogized the conflict to a 1998 episode in the prophetic series called “Simpson Tide.” In it, Homer accidentally fires a submarine captain into Russian waters during a military exercise, prompting a newly resuscitated Soviet Union to deploy troops and tanks to the streets and instantly resurrect the Berlin Wall.