As it happened | Russia accused of bombing school sheltering hundreds in Ukraine

Russian navy commander killed in Ukraine

A senior naval commander in Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been killed in Ukraine, the governor of Sevastopol said on Sunday.

Post-Captain Andrei Paliy, deputy commander of the fleet, died during fighting in the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on the messaging app Telegram.

he Russian navy did not respond to a request for comment.

Sevastopol, which is a major base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, is located on the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Watch | Zelensky compares Russian invasion to Nazi Germany during his address in front of Israeli lawmakers

Nestle says not profiting in Russia after Zelensky swipe

Nestle insisted Sunday that it was not making any profits in Russia after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Swiss food giant of doing business as usual.

In a speech live-streamed to a rally outside the Swiss parliament in Bern on Saturday, Zelensky urged Swiss companies to stop doing business in Russia and condemned firms that carried on regardless despite the siege of Mariupol.

He singled out Nestle and their "good food, good life" slogan.

"Business works in Russia even though our children are dying and our cities are being destroyed," he said.

But a Nestle spokeswoman said many of the firm's activities in Russia had been wound down, following the Kremlin-ordered invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on February 24.

"We have greatly reduced our activities in Russia," the spokeswoman told AFP.

Ukraine's Zelensky presses Israel for missile defence help

Russian and Ukrainian forces fought for control of the port city of Mariupol on Sunday, local authorities said, while President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Israel for help pushing back the Russian assault on his country.

During a video link address to the Israeli parliament, Zelensky questioned Israel's reluctance to sell its Iron Dome missile defence system to Ukraine. It was the latest in a series of appeals he has made for help from abroad.

"Everybody knows that your missile defence systems are the best... and that you can definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews," said Zelenskiy, who is of Jewish heritage.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has held numerous calls with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks to try to end the conflict.

Watch | Ukraine crisis impacts African nations as it reports spike in oil, grain prices

US suggested Turkey transfer Russian-made missile system to Ukraine 

The United States has informally raised with Turkey the unlikely possibility of sending its Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems to Ukraine to help it fight invading Russian forces, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

US officials have floated the suggestion over the past month with their Turkish counterparts but no specific or formal request was made, the sources told Reuters.

The Biden administration has been asking allies who have been using Russian made equipment and systems including S-300s and S-400s to consider transferring them to Ukraine as it tries to fend off a Russian invasion that began on February 24.

The idea, which analysts said was sure to be shot down by Turkey, was part of a wider discussion between Sherman and Turkish officials about how the United States and its allies can do more to support Ukraine and on how to improve bilateral ties.

The Turkish authorities have not commented on any US suggestion or proposal relating to the transfer to Ukraine of Ankara's S-400 systems, which have been a point of long-standing contention between the two NATO allies.

China envoy says Beijing is not sending arms to Russia

China's ambassador to the US said Sunday his country was not sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, but he did not definitively rule out the possibility Beijing might do so in the future.

In a lengthy phone call Friday, US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that there would be "consequences" if Beijing provided material support to Moscow as it prosecutes its war against Kyiv.

Asked Sunday on CBS whether China might send money or weapons to Russia, Ambassador Qin Gang spoke about the present, saying: "There is disinformation about China providing military assistance to Russia. We reject that."

Instead, "what China is doing is sending food, medicine, sleeping bags and baby formula, not weapons and ammunition to any party," he said.

Orphans moved from Mariupol clinic to Russia-held territory

A group of children stuck in a clinic in Ukraine's besieged Mariupol for weeks have been taken to Russian-controlled territory, a carer and a relative of the clinic's worker told AFP Sunday.

The 19 children, aged between four and 17 and mostly orphans, have been living in freezing cellars hiding from shelling in harrowing conditions.

From nearby towns in the Donetsk region, they were sent to a Mariupol sanatorium that specialises in pulmonary conditions before President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine.

Their carers have been unable to get to them since due to heavy fighting in the strategic port city that has been destroyed by Russian forces. 

Cathedral bells ring in support for Ukraine

The bells of St. Paul’s Cathedral rang out Sunday as a gesture of support for Ukraine.

The London landmark rang its 12 bells at 4 p.m. (1600GMT), the same time as church bells were due to sound in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. Durham Cathedral in northern England and other churches around Britain also joined in.

Dean of St. Paul’s David Ison said he hoped Ukrainians would “find comfort in this act of solidarity.”

He said “we continue to pray for strength and safety for the many people affected by the conflict, and for peace in Ukraine and around the world.”

Ukrainian politicians have likened their fight against Russian invasion to Britain’s struggle against Nazi Germany in World War II.

One of the most iconic images of British wartime resilience is a photo showing the dome of St. Paul’s surrounded by thick smoke during a night of heavy German bombing in 1940. (edited)

US envoy to UN decries 'disturbing' claims of Ukrainians deported to Russia

Accounts that thousands of residents of Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol have been forcibly deported to Russia are "disturbing" and "unconscionable" if true, US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Sunday.

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Thomas-Greenfield said the United States had not yet confirmed the allegations made on Saturday by the Mariupol city council via its Telegram channel.

"I've only heard it. I can't confirm it," she said. "But I can say it is disturbing. It is unconscionable for Russia to force Ukrainian citizens into Russia and put them in what will basically be concentration and prisoner camps."

Israel must live with choices on helping Ukraine, Zelensky tells Knesset

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Israel would have to live with the choices it makes on whether to help protect Ukraine against the Russian invasion, addressing the Knesset via video link.

Drawing comparisons between the Russian offensive and the "final solution" - the plan by Nazi Germany to exterminate Jews - Zelenskiy questioned Israel's reluctance to sell the Iron Dome defence system to Ukraine.

"Everybody knows that your missile defence systems are the best… and that you can definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews," he said.

"We can ask why we can’t receive weapons from you, why Israel has not imposed powerful sanctions on Russia or is not putting pressure on Russian business. Either way, the choice is yours to make, brothers and sisters, and you must then live with your answer, the people of Israel."

Russia hypersonic missile 'not a game changer' in Ukraine: US

Russia's claim it used a hypersonic missile in Ukraine was a way to reclaim war momentum, but the next-generation weaponry has not proved to be a "game changer," the Pentagon's chief said Sunday.

Moscow has said it has fired two hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, and while US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would not "confirm or dispute" whether Russia used such weapons, he warned that President Vladimir Putin's invasion was undergoing a change in tactics including the targeting of civilians.

Russia's use of the hard-to-intercept hypersonics would mark a dramatic escalation of its campaign to force Ukraine to abandon hopes of closer ties with the West.

But "I would not see it as a game changer," Austin told CBS talk show "Face the Nation."

"I think the reason he is resorting to using these types of weapons is because he is trying to re-establish some momentum," he added. "And again, we've seen him attack towns and cities and civilians outright (and) we expect to see that continue."

Berlin concert draws 10,000 in solidarity with Ukraine

Some 10,000 people attended a concert in solidarity with Ukraine in Berlin on Sunday, police said, with the crowd waving Ukrainian flags or holding banners with slogans opposing the Russian invasion.

Gathering near the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of a divided Germany during the Cold War, many performers on the stage wore shades of blue and yellow, the colours of the flag. 

Musicians included Natalia Klitschko, a Ukrainian singer who is married to the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko.

Jamala, a Ukrainian singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest with her song "1944" in 2016, was broadcast via videolink on a big screen, telling attendees that "music is a peaceful force".

"I think if all the musicians united it would be the strongest peace army in the world," she said to the crowd, listening under clear blue skies.

Germany seals energy deal with Qatar to reduce dependence on Russia

Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck secured energy deal with Qatar during his visit to Doha, confirmed a spokeswoman for the ministry on Sunday. The ministry said that this was an attempt to diversify Germany energy supply, in other words, reduce dependence on Russia

'Go Home': Ukrainian protesters confront Russian military vehicles in Kherson

The Russian trucks were forced to turn back and leave the immediate area after citizens blocked the path... Read more

China calls for ceasefire in Ukraine: State broadcaster

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on Sunday called for a ceasefire in Ukraine from both sides, said state broadcaster CCTV. However, Wang Yi has not criticised Russia. 

CCTV cited Wang saying "NATO's unrestricted eastward expansion deserves reflection", shifting blame for the war to Western countries.
 

Russian shelling destroys residential building: Kyiv mayor

Mayor of Kyiv has said that Russian shelling has destroyed a residential building causing casualties.

South Korea, Germany hold energy talks in Qatar amid Ukraine conflict

German and South Korean officials held talks in gas-rich Qatar on Sunday, underlining efforts by major energy importers to find alternatives to Russian supplies amid disruptions to oil and gas markets caused by the Ukraine war.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and German Economy Minister Robert Habeck for talks on bilateral cooperation focusing on the energy sector, the state Qatar News Agency reported.

The Gulf Arab state is the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas and holds the third largest gas reserves after Russia and Iran.

Kim also met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani for talks touching on investment, energy, health, agriculture, security and sports, especially the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Doha, QNA said.

Fighting ongoing inside Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, regional governor says

Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces is going on inside the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a televised interview on Sunday.

Many of Mariupol's 400,000 residents have been trapped for more than two weeks as Russia seeks to take control of the city, which would help secure a land corridor to the Crimea peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Watch | Ukraine President Zelensky to virtually address Israeli lawmakers amid the ongoing Russian invasion

Ukraine conflict opens diplomatic and energy opportunities for Qatar

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has opened up diplomatic and commercial opportunities for gas exporter Qatar to expand energy sales to the West and bolster its alliance with Washington amid US tensions with other Gulf Arab states.

Qatar has sought a largely neutral stance on the conflict, but while trying to avoid choosing sides, it has signalled through its response that it can offer significant political and economic assistance to Western partners.

With many European energy importers looking urgently for ways to ease their heavy dependence on Russia, Qatar has suggested it could direct more gas in future to Europe.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in contrast have resisted Western calls for a rapid rise in oil output to contain a jump in crude prices caused by the conflict in Ukraine.

Those two leading Gulf Arab powers, which sought for years to isolate Qatar, have seen their own relations with Washington strained in recent years, partly over concerns about US security commitments to its Gulf Arab partners.

Meanwhile Qatar, which hosts the largest US air base in the Middle East, was designated a major non-NATO ally of the United States last month, a status neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia have been awarded.

It has sought to play a role throughout the Iran nuclear talks and has carried messages between Tehran and Washington.

China on the right side of history over Ukraine war, says foreign minister

China stands on the right side of history over the Ukraine crisis as time will tell, and its position is in line with the wishes of most countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

"China will never accept any external coercion or pressure, and opposes any unfounded accusations and suspicions against China," Wang told reporters, according to a statement published by his ministry on Sunday.

Wang's comments came after US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday of "consequences" if Beijing gave material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Australia bans alumina exports to Russia, sources coal for Ukraine

Australia has imposed an immediate ban on exports of alumina and aluminum ores, including bauxite, to Russia, the government said on Sunday as part of its ongoing sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

"Russia relies on Australia for nearly 20 percent of its alumina needs," the Australian government said in a joint statement from several ministries, including the prime minister's office. It added that the move will limit Russia's capacity to produce aluminium, which is a critical export for Russia.

"The Government will work closely with exporters and peak bodies that will be affected by the ban to find new and expand existing markets," the statement said.

Citing martial law, Ukraine president signs decree to combine national TV channels into one platform

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed a decree that combines all national TV channels into one platform, citing the importance of a "unified information policy" under martial law, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

Ukrainian privately owned media channels have hitherto continued to operate since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The decree announcement, made on the presidential website, did not specify how quickly the new measure would come into force.

Russia accused of bombing school sheltering hundreds in Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday that Russia had bombed a school sheltering 400 people in the besieged port of Mariupol, as Moscow claimed that it had again fired hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, the second time it had used the next-generation weapon on its neighbour.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the siege of Mariupol, a strategic mostly Russian-speaking port in the southeast where utilities and communications have been cut for days, would go down as a war crime. He also warned Russians that thousands of their soldiers had died in the conflict.

The war in Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin launched on February 24 to stamp out pro-Western leanings in the ex-Soviet country, has sparked the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

Watch | Ukraine President Zelensky awards soldiers in Kyiv amid the ongoing Russian invasion

Turkey says Russia and Ukraine nearing agreement on 'critical' issues

Turkey's foreign minister said in an interview published on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine were nearing agreement on "critical" issues and he was hopeful for a ceasefire if the two sides did not backtrack from progress achieved so far.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. President Vladimir Putin has called Russia's actions a "special operation" meant to demilitarize Ukraine and purge it of what he sees as dangerous nationalists. Ukraine and the West say Putin launched an aggressive war of choice.

Foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine met in the Turkish resort town of Antalya earlier this month with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also attending. The discussions did not yield concrete results.

But Cavusoglu, who also travelled to Russia and Ukraine last week for talks with Lavrov and Kuleba, told Turkish daily Hurriyet that there had been "rapprochement in the positions of both sides on important subjects, critical subjects".

"We can say we are hopeful for a ceasefire if the sides do not take a step back from the current positions," he said, without elaborating on the issues.

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, speaking to al Jazeera television, said the two sides were getting closer on four key issues. He cited Russia's demand for Ukraine to renounce ambitions to join NATO, demilitarisation, what Russia has referred to as "de-nazification", and the protection of the Russian language in Ukraine.

Mariupol says thousands deported from besieged Ukrainian city

The authorities in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol say that nearly 40,000 people have fled over the past week. That’s nearly 10 per cent of its 430,000 population.

The city council in the Azov Sea port city said Sunday that 39,426 residents have safely evacuated from Mariupol in their own vehicles. It said the evacuees used more than 8,000 vehicles to leave via a humanitarian corridor via Berdyansk to Zaporizhzhia.

The strategic city has been encircled by the Russian troops and faced a relentless Russian bombardment for three weeks, coming to symbolize the horror of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Local authorities have said the siege has cut off food, water and energy supplies, and killed at least 2,300 people, some of whom had to be buried in mass graves.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the siege of Mariupol would go down in history for what he said were war crimes committed by Russian troops.

Slovakia starts deploying Patriot air defence system

he Patriot air defence system has started arriving in Slovakia from NATO partner countries and the deployment will continue in the coming days, Slovakia's defence minister said on Sunday.

The system will be operated by German and Dutch troops and will initially be deployed at the Sliac airport in central Slovakia to help reinforce the defence of NATO's eastern flank.

Officials in Poland say that trucks headed for Belarus are backed up for 40 kilometers (25 miles) while they wait to reach the Koroszczyn border point as a group of protesters is blocking the road there.

The protesters are calling for a ban on trade with Russia and its ally Belarus.

The protesters, Ukrainians and Poles, have been blocking access to the crossing, on and off, for some two weeks, to pressure Moscow into ending its war on Ukraine.

The latest round of the “NO Trade with Russia!” protest in eastern Poland began early Saturday.

Some 950 trucks were waiting to cross into Belarus early Sunday, according to spokesman for the local tax office, Michal Derus. The waiting time was 32 hours, he said.

The road leading to the border point has been closed and the police were separating the protesters from the trucks and the drivers, road infrastructure authorities said.

'Slaughters and atrocities' in Ukraine every day, says Pope

Pope Francis has said that there were 'slaughters and atrocities' taking place every day in Ukraine. He renewed his call to stop the war 

"The violent aggression against Ukraine is unfortunately not slowing down," he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his weekly Sunday address and blessing.

"It is a senseless massacre where every day slaughters and atrocities are being repeated," he said.

Zelensky to address Israel's parliament today

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address Israeli parliament today. In his attempt to rally support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, Zelesnky has already addressed legislatures of countries including those of the US, UK and Germany.

Switzerland ready to pay for defending democracy in Russia-Ukraine war, says PM

Cassis made it clear that Switzerland’s neutrality was not at stake due to the decision and it was taken after proper deliberation... Read more

Czech designer makes 'Zelensky pillows' to help Ukraine
 

More than 2,000 people have ordered the Czech designer's limited edition 'Zelensky pillows,' raising $18,900 for a nonprofit that helps Ukrainians afflicted by the violence... Read more 

US gunmaker donates abandoned rifles’ worth $200,000 to Ukrainian forces

The guns will first be shipped to an unknown NATO country and then arrive in Ukraine. The weapons may prove helpful to Ukrainian armed forces, who are fighting invading Russian troops...Read more

Watch | Ukraine under attack: WION's Anas Mallick on ground zero reporting Ukraine War

Watch | Ukraine under attack: Russia continues attack on capital Kyiv Region

What's the latest from Ukraine?

Today marks the 25th day of warfare in Ukraine.

Here's the most recent information:

1: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has renewed his demand for peace talks, denouncing "war atrocities" in Mariupol that will be "known for centuries."

2: Thousands of Mariupol people, according to the mayor and city council, have been forcibly deported to Russia.

3: According to the Ukrainian deputy prime minister, more than 6,000 people were evacuated yesterday after humanitarian corridors were agreed upon with Russia.

4: This includes almost 4,000 people from Mariupol; Russia has reported using hypersonic missiles in Ukraine for the first time; and Britain has stated that Russia is now pursuing an attrition strategy.

Watch | Day 25 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: City of Mariupol becomes a 'dead zone'

Watch | Residents of Kyiv rendered homeless as Russian troops target Ukraine's capital

Watch | Over 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

Watch | 3 Russian cosmonauts wear Ukraine colours as they arrive at the International Space Station

Watch | Day 24 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Fighting continues across Ukraine

March 19: As it happened | At least 847 civilians killed in Ukraine since conflict began, says UN

At a rally on Friday, Putin employed Stalinist rhetoric and patriotic themes to bolster popular support for his stalled invasion of Ukraine.

President Biden warned China's President Xi Jinping on Friday that if Beijing financially or militarily supports Russia's war, penalties would be imposed.