Russian invasion day 21: US to send 'longer range' anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine

European Court of Human Rights suspends all Russia-related matters

"US and its allies are fully committed to assist Ukraine. We are united. We will continue mobilising humanitarian assistance," President Biden said.

"Unprecedented new US weapons aid to Ukraine amounts to $1 billion," the US president added as he announced sending "longer range" anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine.

"Will support Ukraine's economy with direct financial assistance," the US president said.

Ukraine said Russian rocket attacks had led to civilian deaths in Mariupol.

"Today at around 3.30 pm a column of civilians being evacuated from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia was fired on by inhuman Russian occupiers," the Ukrainian military said, adding, "the number of victims is being clarified".

NATO is not planning to deploy forces to Ukraine, says Stoltenberg.

Meanwhile, the UN's top court ordered Russia to suspend its invasion of Ukraine saying it was "profoundly concerned" by Moscow's use of force.

"The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend military operations that it commenced on 24 February on the territory of Ukraine," pending the final decision in the case, judge Joan Donoghue told the International Court of Justice in The Hague. 

WHO warns of "unprecedented rate" of attacks on health system in Ukraine.

According to a report in the Financial Times, Ukraine and Russia have made significant progress on a tentative 15-point peace plan including a ceasefire and a Russian withdrawal.

"The operation is developing successfully and in strict accordance with plans," Putin said, adding,"We will not allow Ukraine to serve as a springboard for aggressive actions against Russia." 

The Russian president said the country was hit by a "massive cyber attack". Fake news is widespread, he said.

"Russian economy will required structural changes, he added while saying that the goal is to reduce unemployment and inflation.

The Russian president vowed to increase salaries and pensions amid Western sanctions.

Even as Ukraine President Zelensky pleaded for a no-fly zone to US lawmakers in a live video address, Russian President Putin said "military operation in Ukraine will be completed".

Putin said US, EU have acutally defaulted on obligations to Russia.

"Russia unlike Western countries will respect property rights," said said.

"Presence of Russian forces near Kyiv not connected with aim to occupy Ukraine," the Russian president said.

"Western attitude to Russians is like 'pogroms', he said

"Will not allow Ukraine to become 'springboard' to threaten Russia," the Russian president said.

"West's sanctions 'blitzkrieg' against Russia has failed," he added.
 

The Ukraine president thanked the US for its "overwhelming support" in weapons, finances and training while saying: "However, I call on you to do more. New package of sanctions till the Russian military machine stops."

"All American companies must leave Russia markets as it is flooded with our blood," he said, adding,"All American ports should be closed for Russian goods."

"Today the world does not have the tools. We need new institutions and alliances which can provide weapons, sanctions, finances everything under such conditions," he said.

"I am addressing President Biden. I wish you to be the leader of the world which means being leader of peace," he said.

"Our country is experiencing the same every night, for three weeks," the Ukraine President told US lawmakers referring to the repeated bombing by Russia on Ukraine's cities.

"We need you right now, remember Pearl Harbour, remember 9/11," he said.

"Is it a lot to ask for a no-fly zone," he asked.

"If it is too much to ask then you must be knowing how much military equipment is needed to protect ourselves," he told the US Congress.

"I am proud to greet from Ukraine from Kyiv, the is city under missile attacks and airstrikes from Russian side and we haven't given up," the Ukraine President told the US Congress on Wednesday.

"I am greeting you from the brave the people of Ukraine who are resisting for 8 years," he said, adding," Right now destiny of Ukraine is being decided."

"Russia has gone against basic human values," he said.
 

"I am proud to greet from Ukraine from Kyiv, the is city under missile attacks and airstrikes from Russian side and we haven't given up," the Ukraine President told the US Congress on Wednesday.

Reports say Russian media regulator has blocked the websites of ten media houses.

According to newswire AFP, the websites include Bellingcat, a Russian-language Israeli news site and regional websites namely Permdaily.ru. among others.

The news agency reported Russia's Roskomnadzor had confirmed the sites were blocked.

On Tuesday, a television journalist Marina Ovsyannikova had held out a poster on-air standing behind the news anchor protesting against the Ukraine war.

Kremlin had dismissed it as an act of "hooliganism". The poster said, "Stop the war. Don't believe the propaganda. Here they are lying to you." 

A Russian court imposed a $289 fine on Ovsyannikova and let her off. In the court proceeding, the Russian journalist maintained she was not guilty while facing possible ten-day detention.

Defence ministers from the countries of the NATO as well as non-affiliated countries neighbouring Russia including Georgia and Finland arrive at a meeting to discuss Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. 

Ukraine's "neutral status is now being discussed seriously, of course, alongside security guarantees," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said.

The two sides have held several rounds of negotiations aimed at finding common ground and bringing the hostilities launched by Russian leader Vladimir Putin in late February to a halt.

"This is what is now being discussed at the talks. There are absolutely specific wordings and in my view, the sides are close to agreeing on them," Lavrov added.

Security guarantees must be focus of talks with Russia, says Ukraine.

The Zelensky government rejected proposals of Austria, Sweden neutrality models.

Explosions in central Kyiv

Explosions rock central Kyiv as Russia intensifies its attack on the capital, which is under a 35-hour curfew due to what its mayor called a "difficult and dangerous moment".

Two residential buildings were damaged and two people wounded, emergency services say.

Explosions in central Kyiv

Explosions rock central Kyiv as Russia intensifies its attack on the capital, which is under a 35-hour curfew due to what its mayor called a "difficult and dangerous moment".

Two residential buildings were damaged and two people wounded, emergency services say.

France on Wednesday (March 16) called for the protection of journalists covering Russia's war in Ukraine, following the deaths of a Fox News cameraman and a Ukrainian producer near Kyiv.

"I recall the obligation incumbent on armed forces to protect journalists in line with international humanitarian law," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.

"I condemn any action targeting them with the greatest firmness," he said, adding that "these events illustrate the extreme danger in the Ukrainian theatre today".

Fox News veteran war-zone photographer and Ukrainian journalist killed in Ukraine. Click Here to read full report. 

IEA cuts 2022 oil demand outlook, fears Russia supply 'shock'

The International Energy Agency cut its world oil demand forecast for 2022 on Wednesday (March 16), warning that sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine could spark a global supply "shock".

"Faced with what could turn into the biggest supply crisis in decades, global energy markets are at a crossroads," the IEA said in a monthly report, warning that "the implications of a potential loss of Russian oil exports to global markets cannot be understated."

Smoke plume rises on Kyiv skyline

Smoke was seen rising above the Kyiv skyline Wednesday, on the day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to make a direct appeal for more help in a rare speech by a foreign leader to the US Congress.

Zelenskyy, previewing his speech to the US Congress, thanked President Joe Biden and “all the friends of Ukraine” for $13.6 billion in new support.

He appealed for more weapons and more sanctions to punish Russia and repeated his call to “close the skies over Ukraine to Russian missiles and planes.”

He said Russian forces on Tuesday had been unable to move deeper into Ukrainian territory but had continued their heavy shelling of cities.

Top developments

-Russia says their conscripts are not being sent to fight in Ukraine. But this is just another lie. We have already caught a bunch of them. Now they have something to tell their liar-in-chief (Official Twitter account of Ukraine)

-Russia ready for any formats of dialogue on Ukraine seeking diplomatic dolutions: Diplomat (Sputnik)

-Ukrainian forces continue to shell Donbass, fire 10 mortars, DPR says (Sputnik)

-Russian preschoolers, schoolchildren bullied in Denmark over special operation in Ukraine (Sputnik)

Update on refugee crisis

Around 20,000 people manage to leave the besieged port city of Mariupol by driving along a humanitarian corridor agreed with Russian forces, a Ukrainian presidential aide said.

More than three million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the invasion, the UN migration agency IOM says. 

Around half are minors, says the UN children's agency.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says 1.8 million people have fled to Poland.

Top developments at this hour

• US Senate unanimously passes resolution condemning Russia and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin over war in Ukraine.

• Ukraine president says positions of Ukraine, Russia at talks sound more realistic

• Ukrainian military strikes number of Russian military helicopters at Kherson International Airport. According to new satellite images from Planet Labs, the strike set on fire, or destroyed, at least three helicopters and military vehicles stationed at the airport.

'Courage of true friends of Ukraine': European leaders' defiant visit to Kyiv amid growing tension with Russia

In the first foreign leaders' visit to Ukraine's besieged capital since Russia's invasion, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.

"We have to halt this tragedy unfolding in the East as quickly as possible," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a post on Facebook announcing their arrival.

Ukraine had the "unequivocal support" of the European Union, he added.

Read full story here

Biden to announce $800 mn in new security aid to Ukraine: US official

US President Joe Biden will announce $800 million in new security assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, a White House official said, the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to deliver a speech to the US Congress.

The announcement brings "the total (aid) announced in the last week alone to $1 billion," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. 

Zelensky is set to renew his appeals for more aid in his virtual address to Congress, as some lawmakers press the White House to take a tougher line over Russia's invasion.

US President Joe Biden is to travel to Brussels for NATO and EU summits next Thursday, officials said.

The gatherings on March 24 of the US leader with his European counterparts come as the US and EU unveiled successive waves of coordinated sanctions against Russia.

"We will address Russia's invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Biden will "reaffirm our iron-clad commitment to our NATO allies", White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

'Stop list': Biden, Trudeau, other top US officials barred from entering Russia

The Russian foreign ministry said US President Biden including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US defence secretary Lloyd Austin have been put on the "stop list" while banning them from entering the country.

Read full story

Amid the war in Ukraine, European Union banned export of champagne, high-end cars, fashion apparel, expensive electronics and sports gear to Russia.

"They've already killed 97 Ukrainian children," Zelensky said in a video address while addressing Canada's parliament.

"We're not asking for much. We're asking for justice, for real support which will help us to prevail, to defend, to save lives," Ukraine's president added as he received a standing ovation from Canadian lawmakers.

Russia's foreign ministry also sanctioned US President Joe Biden including defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The Russian foreign ministry said it "is the consequence of the extremely Russophobic policy pursued by the current US administration".

Reports said the Russian foreign ministry has imposed sanctions on Hillary Clinton including on President Biden's son Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden has been put on the "stop list", the foreign ministry said.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has also been put on "stop list", the Russian foreign ministry said.
 

French President Emmanuel Macron said he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin to offer protection for the Russian journalist facing a long prison sentence.

A Russian journalist had brandished on live TV a slogan protesting the invasion of Ukraine.

"We will launch diplomatic efforts aiming to offer her protection - either at the embassy but also protection through asylum," Macron said.

Mariupol authorities said nearly 2,000 civilian cars have driven out of the besieged city with a further 2,000 vehicles waiting to leave the city.

Reports say heavy bombardment has left nearly 400,000 inhabitants with no running water or heating with food running short. 

More than 2,100 residents have been killed since the Russian invasion, according to the city authorities.

 Amid the war in Ukraine, the UN said over three million people have fled the country with nearly half of them minors.

A child is becoming a refugee every second, the UN warned. More than half of them, 1.8 million have fled to Poland, the UNHCR said.

The Kremlin said it is too soon to draw conclusions on the talks but stressed that the talks are continuing "is in itself positive". 

Meanwhile, nearly 89,000 Britons expressed interest in hosting Ukrainian refugees, less than 24 hours of the launch of a "Homes for Ukraine" programme.

Amid the fighting in Ukraine, Germany's cyber security agency BSI urged consumers not to use the anti-virus software made by Russia's Kaspersky warning the firm could be implicated in cyber warfare.

Reports claim the journalist who protested on Russian state TV against the war in Ukraine has been detained by Russian authorities.

Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel 1 has reportedly been detained.

Marina lawyer Pavel Chikov said he was unable to find her client.

Dnipro Governor Valentin Reznichenko said on Telegram that Russian bombardment caused massive damage at an airport in eastern Ukrainian.

"During the night the enemy attacked the Dnipro airport. Two strikes. The runway was destroyed. The terminal is damaged. Massive destruction," Governor Valentin Reznichenko said. 

The UK government has imposed an additional 35 per cent import tariff on Russian goods including vodka.

Luxary products were already banned amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers will be travelling to Kyiv by train on Tuesday.

The visit comes amid renewed Russia attack across Ukraine's cities including Kyiv.

Mateusz Morawiecki, Petr Fiala and Janez Jansa are visiting as "representatives" of the European Union and are due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Polish government said in a statement.

Ukraine's authorities said there has been  massive damage at the airport in Dnipro in the eastern region.

"During the night the enemy attacked the Dnipro airport. Two strikes. The runway was destroyed. The terminal is damaged. Massive destruction," Dnipro region governor Valentin Reznichenko said on Telegram. 

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said city officials will impose a 36-hour curfew from Tuesday night amid a "difficult and dangerous moment" after several Russian strikes.

The curfew will last from 8 pm (1800 GMT) on Tuesday until 7 pm (1700 GMT) on Thursday.

Imitation, the sincerest form of flattery: French President discards suits, dons sweatshirt. Copying Zelensky?

It is said that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” 

Seems like French President Emmanuel Macron understood the assignment. Traditionally, the French have been trendsetters, known for their style and fine fashion. However, it appears that the French President is taking style tips from the most fashionable leader in Europe.

Check out the pictures here

Ukrainian man shocked as a missile explodes mere steps away from him: Watch

A CCTV video that is going viral on social media shows a missile blast in front of a Ukrainian civilian as he walks through a park. 

In Ukraine's capital, now surrounded by two sides and emptied of more than half its three million residents, the latest Russian attacks have killed at least two people.

Read full story here

Japan imposes new sanctions on Russian billionaire, and 16 others

Japan has decided to freeze assets of an additional 17 Russian individuals, bringing the total number targeted by sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine to 61, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.

The step was taken after the United States on Friday imposed sanctions on a slew of Russian individuals including billionaire Viktor Vekselberg and 12 members of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament.

Read full story here

Russia temporarily bans grain exports to former Soviet countries

Russia on Monday temporarily banned grain exports to ex-Soviet countries and most sugar exports, but a senior minister said it would keep on providing special export licences to traders within its current quota.

Read the full story here

Watch | Russia Ukraine crisis: Residential buildings hit by artillery firing in Oblon

UK warns Russia might be planning a chemical attack on Ukraine; US, NATO echo the concern

On Monday, the British Defence Ministry tweeted that Russia might use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine in response to a staged attack on Russian troops.

It said that "such an operation could take the form of a faked attack, a staged 'discovery' of agents or munitions or fabricated evidence of alleged Ukrainian planning to use such weapons."

Read the full story here

Watch | Gravitas: US warns China against helping Russia

Russian spies in spotlight over Ukraine shortcomings

The stuttering progress of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has thrown an unwanted spotlight on the Russian intelligence services, who observers say failed to prepare the Kremlin for the realities of the assault.

Several reports have suggested that a shadowy section of Russia's powerful Federal Security Agency (FSB) has come under particular scrutiny with its leader interrogated and reportedly even under house arrest.

This has led several commentators to question if all is well at the ominous headquarters of the FSB on Lubyanka Square in Moscow, once the home of the KGB in the USSR.

Observers believe Russia had expected to make far more rapid progress in the invasion after it was launched on February 24, with forces that were welcomed rather than face fierce resistance from Ukrainians.

Oil falls over 6% on Russia-Ukraine talk hopes, China lockdowns

Oil prices fell over 6% on Monday to the lowest in nearly two weeks, as diplomatic efforts between Ukraine and Russia looked like they might end the conflict which would boost global supplies, while a pandemic-linked travel ban in China cast doubt on demand.

Brent futures fell $7.11, or 6.3%, to $105.56 a barrel by 1:55 p.m. EDT (1755 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $7.82, or 7.2%, to $101.51.

IMF says working on bilateral donor trust fund for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund is working on a new Ukraine trust fund instrument to allow bilateral donor countries to contribute resources to the war-torn country as it battles a Russian invasion, an IMF official said on Monday.

A $1.4 billion emergency loan for Ukraine approved by the IMF last week is currently the maximum that Ukraine can borrow directly from the Fund current rules for the IMF's Rapid Financing Instrument, the official said.

Any additional near-term IMF-administered funding for Ukraine will come from bilateral donors, the official said, adding that the IMF's emergency loan is having a "catalytic" effect in encouraging donations.

Ukraine under attack | WION on ground zero tracking all sides of Russian invasion

No discussion of possible Putin-Biden summit, Kremlin says

No discussions are taking place about the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to the Tass news agency.

A White House spokesperson said on Feb. 22, two days before Russian armed forces entered Ukraine, that a summit was "certainly not in the plans", and that a de-escalation of Russia's conflict with Ukraine would be needed before any such meeting took place.

US told NATO, Asia allies that China willing to supply arms to Russia

The United States on Monday told allies in NATO and several Asian countries that China had signalled its willingness to provide military and economic aid to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, a US official said.

The message, sent in a diplomatic cable and delivered in person by intelligence officials, also noted China was expected to deny those plans, said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.

Lviv-area base struck by missiles launched from Russia: US official

The cruise missiles that devastated a western Ukrainian military base were launched from aircraft flying in Russian air space, a US defense official said Monday, indicating that a no-fly zone would not have prevented the attack.  

A "couple dozen" cruise missiles were launched from bombers flying over Russia to the Yavoriv overnight Saturday, killing 35 people and wounding 134.

The base was located west of Lviv and just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ukraine's border with EU and NATO member Poland.

The strike made clear that western Ukraine, largely spared so far since Russian forces invaded on February 24, was vulnerable especially from long-range missiles.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike was an example of how a no-fly zone over Ukraine "would have had no effect."

Putin discusses Ukraine with Israeli prime minister Bennett

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict in Ukraine by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that the call had been at Israel's request.

In a readout of the call, the Kremlin said Bennett had told Putin about his recent contacts with leaders of several countries on the subject and that both agreed to continue their dialogue.

Bennett has held numerous calls with Putin in an attempt to assist efforts to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

US Treasury yields rise, oil falls on Ukraine peace hopes

US Treasury yields hit two-and-a-half year highs on Monday, while oil prices fell as investors weighed positive comments from cease-fire talks between Russia and Ukraine alongside expectations of the first rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

Russian and Ukrainian officials gave their most upbeat assessments on Sunday of the progress in their talks to end the conflict, with some delegates saying draft agreements could be reached within days.

European stocks closed higher on Monday on the tentative hopes of progress in the peace talks while oil prices retreated to their lowest in two weeks on the prospects of increased global supplies.

"Everything seems to be heading towards an acute point where we should have some headway. The fact is neither side has a complete edge and as a result talks are the most sensible outcome, with some type of resolution," said Thomas Hayes, chairman at Great Hill Capital in New York.

Germany's Scholz says Ukraine talks must lead to a ceasefire soon

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials and other diplomatic activity addressing the war in Ukraine but said the meetings must soon produce results that allow a ceasefire.

"We have to make sure that results are achieved soon that will make a ceasefire possible," Scholz told reporters after meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

Russian oligarch Abramovich spotted in Israeli airport

Sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was seen in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Monday shortly before a jet linked to him took off for Istanbul.

A photograph obtained by Reuters showed Abramovich, owner of Britain's Chelsea soccer club, sitting in the airport's VIP lounge with a face mask pulled down over his chin. 

Abramovich, who also holds Israeli and Portuguese citizenship, was among seven Russian billionaires added to the British sanctions list on Thursday as part of efforts to isolate President Vladimir Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Top envoys for the 27-nation European Union diplomats agreed to add Abramovich to the bloc's list of sanctioned Russian oligarchs, diplomatic sources said on Monday.

US options remain toward Russia, including full trade embargo

Options the United States could still take toward Russia amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine include a full trade embargo and blocking Russia's access to international waterways, US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told CNBC on Monday.

Possible US options remaining on the table also include prohibitions on nickel, uranium and titanium as well as on Russian entities' crypto assets, CNBC reporter Kayla Tausche said in a post on Twitter, citing an interview with Adeyemo.

Mayor of Ukraine's Kharkiv says Russian forces firing at city non-stop

The mayor of Ukraine's front line city of Kharkiv on Monday said the city had been under constant attack by Russian forces, who had fired at central districts causing an unspecified number of casualties.

"They're firing at us constantly," Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on national television.

Nine killed in air strike on TV tower in northern Ukraine

At least nine people were killed and nine more wounded in an air strike on a television tower in Ukraine's northern Rivne region on Monday, Governor Vitaliy Koval said.

"There are still people under the rubble," he said in an online post.

UK's Raab backs ICC 'to the hilt' in Ukraine war crimes inquiry

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Monday Britain backed an International Criminal Court investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine "to the hilt".

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said he had opened a formal investigation into possible atrocities on Ukrainian soil since 2014, when Moscow-based separatists seized part of the country's far east.

"It is important to get the deterrent message out to commanders on the ground in Ukraine and in Moscow that if they commit war crimes they could end up not just in the dock of a court in The Hague but in a prison cell," Raab told journalists in The Hague after meeting Khan.

He added that for this to be a credible message, Britain and other countries needed to offer the ICC "extra support" to fulfil its mandate in Ukraine. He did not give specifics.

Erdogan says too early to comment on more Russian arms purchases given Ukraine war

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday it was too early to comment on Turkey's possible purchase of more Russian weapons given Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and Ankara would decide after seeing what conditions arise.

Speaking in Ankara alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Erdogan said Turkey had provided military support for Ukraine in a manner NATO allies had not been able to despite its ties with Russia. Ankara was continuing to send Kyiv support, he said.

NATO member Turkey was slapped with US sanctions in December 2020 over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems and had been criticised by Western allies over the move.

Ankara has said it was forced to opt for the Russian weapons because allies did not provide weapons on satisfactory terms.

Prospect of nuclear conflict back 'within realm of possibility' over Ukraine: UN chief 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday sounded the alarm over Russia raising the alert level for its nuclear forces after invading Ukraine, describing it a "bone-chilling development."

"The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility," Guterres told reporters, and repeated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Russians' demand for VPNs skyrockets after Meta block

As Russia blocked access to Meta Platforms Inc's flagship social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, demand from internet users for tools to skirt the restrictions skyrocketed, data from a monitoring firm showed.

Instagram access in Russia was cut from Monday in response to Meta's decision last week to allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as "Death to the Russian invaders". Facebook was already banned over what Moscow said were restrictions on access to Russian media there.

On the eve of the Instagram ban, demand for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that encrypt data and obscure where a user is located spiked 2,088% higher than the daily average demand in mid-February, data from monitoring firm Top10VPN showed.

Convoy of civilians leaves Ukraine's Mariupol after days of failed attempts

A convoy of at least 160 cars left Mariupol on Monday in the first successful attempt to arrange a humanitarian corridor out of the encircled Ukrainian city after over a week of trying.

Civilians have been trapped in the southern port city by Russian shelling for more than two weeks and have been without heating, electricity and running water for most of this time, the Ukrainian authorities say.

Slovakia expels three Russian embassy staff 

Slovakia has decided to expel three Russian embassy staff based on information from the secret service and they must leave the country within 72 hours, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs... at the same time strongly urges the Embassy of the Russian Federation that their representatives perform their activities in line with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," it said in a statement.

UK 'looking at' housing refugees in seized oligarch homes

The UK government on Monday said it was considering housing Ukrainian refugees in property owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs, as it prepared to announce a programme for people to open their homes to those fleeing the war.

When asked if he supported calls for oligarchs' houses to be seized for refugees, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said it was "something we're looking at".

Health minister Sajid Javid earlier cautioned that the mansions should not be the "first place" considered to house refugees, warning of "legal hurdles" to clear first.

Biden may go to Europe to meet allies over Russia-Ukraine crisis

White House officials are discussing the possibility of US President Joe Biden traveling to Europe in the coming weeks to discuss Russia and Ukraine with allies, a source familiar with the situation said on Monday.

It is not certain whether the trip will take place as the plans are not yet finalized, the source added.

NATO to hold defence ministers meeting on Ukraine Wednesday

Defence ministers from NATO member states will meet in Brussels on Wednesday for an extraordinary meeting to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkey's defence ministry said on Monday.

In a statement, it said Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar would fly to Brussels to take part in the meetings and hold bilateral talks with his counterparts.

Refugee exodus reaches 2.8 million as Russia strikes hit west Ukraine

People fleeing what had been the relative safety of western Ukraine joined thousands crossing into eastern Europe on Monday after Russia attacked a Ukrainian base near the border with NATO-member Poland.

Ukraine said 35 people were killed at the base on Sunday. Moscow said up to 180 "foreign mercenaries" died and a large number of foreign weapons were destroyed.

Ukraine also reported renewed air strikes on an airport in the west of the country.

The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 climbed to more than 2.8 million, United Nations data showed on Monday, in what has become Europe's fastest growing refugee crisis since World War Two.

Ukraine economy could contract as much as 35% if war drags on: IMF

Ukraine's economy could collapse, contracting by as much as 35 percent if the war drags on, and the conflict also could jeopardize global food security, the IMF said Monday.

"There is massive uncertainty around the baseline," but at a minimum the country would see "output falling 10 percent this year assuming a prompt resolution of the war," the IMF said in an analysis of the economy in the wake of Russia's invasion.

EU sanctioning Abramovich, other Russians over Ukraine

The EU is to sanction Roman Abramovich and other oligarchs in its latest round of punishment of Russians seen as supporting Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, two diplomats told AFP on Monday.

The billionaire owner of the Chelsea football club and the others are being added to a list of individuals whose assets in the EU, including superyachts and mansions, can be seized and entry into the bloc refused, the diplomats said. 

They are part of a fourth round of EU sanctions against Russia, the details of which were expected to be published later Monday.

Russia may suspend grain exports until June 30

Russia may suspend exports of wheat, barley, maize (corn) and rye starting from Tuesday until June 30, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing the agriculture ministry.

Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter with Egypt and Turkey among the main buyers. It competes mainly with the European Union and Ukraine.

"The agriculture ministry and the trade ministry have prepared a draft government decree that would introduce a temporary ban on exports of the main grains from Russia from March 15 to June 30," Interfax quoted the agriculture ministry as saying.

EU's Borrell slams Putin's 'barbaric' invasion of Ukraine

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday condemned the "barbaric" invasion on Ukraine by Russian president Vladimir Putin and confirmed a fourth sanctions package against the Kremlin.

Borrell said Moscow was targeting not only the Ukrainian military but also civilians, noting that at the besieged southern port of Mariupol "more than 2,400 civilians have died" since the invasion started.

"Putin’s war is not only about Ukraine, it’s about security and stability of our European continent. It affects all of us", Borrell told a press conference in Skopje.

The fighting has spurred more than 2.6 million Ukrainian refugees to flee abroad, "the biggest movement since World War Two", he added.

Borrell confirmed the  fourth package of sanctions against Russia's trade, market access, membership in international financial institutions and the export of luxury goods -- specifically targeting steel, coal and energy sectors.

Exercise not linked to Russia’s invasion: NATO

A planned NATO exercise with about 30,000 troops from more than 25 countries from Europe and North America began in northern Norway on Monday.

NATO said that the drill, named Cold Response that includes 200 aircraft and 50 vessels, was “not linked to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.”

The drill in NATO-member Norway, which shares a nearly 200-kilometer (124-mile) land border with Russia, will be held just a few hundred kilometers (miles— from the Russian border and was planned long before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has declined to be an observer at the exercise that aims at having Alliance members and partners practicing working together on land, in the air and at sea, said the armed forces.

The Norwegian armed forces said it provided “thorough information” to the Russians, including the Russian Ministry of Defence, saying that was “vital for preventing misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict.”

Japan PM says world's response to Russia could shape new era following post-Cold War period

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday that the Russian invasion of Ukraine may have ushered in a new era after the post-Cold War period, and the way the world responds will likely shape that new era.

Japan, keeping pace with its Group of Seven peers, has frozen assets of major Russian banks, President Vladimir Putin and other leaders, while joining the West in blocking certain Russian banks' access to international payments system SWIFT.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is greatly changing the appearance of the international community. A new era that comes after the post-Cold War period may already be starting," Kishida said in a video message during an online seminar.

"Whether the world can respond resolutely to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and protect the core of the international order is a litmus test to foresee the era that follows the post-Cold War period."

France detains two over protest at villa of Putin's former son-in-law

French police were on Monday holding two men for breaking into a villa owned by the former son-in-law of Russian President Vladimir Putin in protest at the invasion of Ukraine, prosecutors said.

One of the men who broke into the luxury seaside residence in the southwestern resort of Biarritz was a French activist called Pierre Haffner. The other described himself as an opponent of the Putin government.

They are under investigation for intruding into a private home, the Alta Mira villa belonging to Kirill Shamalov, during "the past 48 hours", a source close to the case told AFP.

Businessman Shamalov is described by international media as Putin's former son-in-law. He was married to the Russian leader's younger daughter, Katerina Tikhonova.

Ukraine negotiator says talks with Russia will continue on Tuesday

Talks between Ukraine and Russia paused on Monday and will continue on Tuesday, one of Ukraine's negotiators said on Twitter.

"A technical pause has been taken in the negotiations until tomorrow. For additional work in the working subgroups and clarification of individual definitions. Negotiations continue," said negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak .

Ukraine's Zelensky to address full US Congress on Wednesday

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will deliver a virtual address to Congress on Wednesday as the western ally comes under intense shelling from Russia, Democratic leadership in the US Congress said Wednesday.

"We look forward to the privilege of welcoming President Zelensky's address to the House and Senate and to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy," House leader Nancy Pelosi and her Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer said in a joint letter to lawmakers.

Taiwan's ASUS says Russia shipments at a halt, after Ukraine urges exit

Taiwanese personal computer maker ASUS said on Monday that its shipments to Russia are at an "effective standstill" and that it abides by international regulations, after a Ukraine minister asked it to leave the country.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation, tweeted a letter on Thursday to ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih calling on the company to end its business in Russia. Moscow has invaded Ukraine in what the Russian government calls a "special military operation".

20 killed in missile strike by Ukraine, says Russia

The Russian military says that 20 civilians have been killed by a ballistic missile launched by the Ukrainian forces.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that the Soviet-made Tochka-U missile on Monday hit the central part of the eastern city of Donetsk, the center of the separatist Donetsk region.

He said that another 28 civilians, including children, were seriously wounded by the missile that carried shrapnel warhead.

Konashenkov said the missile was fired from an area northwest of Donetsk controlled by Ukrainian forces.

He charged that the shelling of the area of Donetsk that has no military facilities represented a war crime.

More than 160 cars exit encircled Ukraine city Mariupol via evacuation corridor

More than 160 civilian cars have been able to drive out of the besieged southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol along a humanitarian evacuation route, the city authorities said Monday.

"As of 13:00 pm (1100 GMT), more than 160 private cars have managed to leave Mariupol on the road to Berdyansk," the city council said on Telegram, in a significant evacuation since Russian forces surrounded the city early this month.

Russian delegation suspends participation in Council of Europe body

Russia's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is suspending its participation and will not take part in meetings, Russia's RIA news agency cited a member of the Russian delegation as saying on Monday.

Russia's foreign ministry last week said Moscow would stop participating in the Council of Europe.

Squatters occupy Russian oligarch's London mansion

Squatters have occupied the London mansion suspected of belonging to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who was placed on Britain's sanctions list last week, unfurling a Ukrainian flag and a banner saying 'This property has been liberated'.

Police said they were called in the early hours of Monday after it was reported that the squatters had entered the multi-million pound mansion in Belgrave Square, in an upmarket area of the British capital which is home to numerous foreign embassies.

"By occupying this mansion, we want to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but also the people of Russia who never agreed to this madness," said a statement from squatters, who described themselves as anarchists.

"You occupy Ukraine, we occupy you," the statement said.

Russian PM says Moscow, Minsk keen to boost union state cooperation amid sanctions

Russia and Belarus believe it is necessary to boost cooperation in their union state in the face of Western sanctions, the TASS news agency cited Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin as saying on Monday.

RIA cited Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko as saying Minsk was counting on Russia's support.

The two Slav neighbours are formally part of a "union state" and have been in talks for years to move closer together, a process that accelerated after Russian President Vladimir Putin propped up Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020 when his rule was threatened by months of mass street protests.

Ukraine calls for boycotts of global firms that stay open in Russia

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday sanctions pressure should be increased on Russia and called for a global boycott of international companies that have kept their operations open in Russia.

In a briefing, Kuleba also called for international ports to bar passage to Russian ships and cargo.

'Homes for Ukraine' website to help house refugees in UK

A website for Britons interested in housing and sponsoring Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion will go live on Monday as the government steps up its efforts to deflect anger over its response to the refugee crisis.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to portray Britain as helping lead the global response to the Russian invasion - which Moscow calls a "special operation" - but his government has faced criticism over delays in accepting refugees.

The new scheme called "Homes for Ukraine" will let refugees from the war come to Britain even if they do not have family ties, the government said on Sunday.

Britain will pay people 350 pounds ($460) a month if they can offer refugees a spare room or property for a minimum period of six months.

Under the scheme, members of the public, charities, businesses and community groups should be able to offer accommodation via the website by the end of next week, the government said.

Ukraine finance minister says hryvnia currency will remain stable

Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said on Monday he believed the hryvnia currency rate would remain stable.

"Exchange rate stability will be maintained," he said on national television.

Kremlin says doesn't rule out taking 'full control' of major Ukraine cities

The Kremlin said Monday that it may still opt to take control of large cities in Ukraine, as Moscow's military advances steadily towards several major urban hubs in its pro-Western neighbour.

"Putin gave orders to hold back on any immediate assault on large cities because the civilians losses would be large," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding however that, "the defence ministry does not rule out the possibility of putting large cities under its full control".

Putin signs law on registering leased planes as airlines' property 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing foreign planes leased by Russian airlines to be registered as the airlines' property, news agency Tass reported on Monday.

Sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine give leasing firms until March 28 to free themselves from deals with Russian airlines.

Chernobyl nuclear plant power line damaged by Russian forces

A high-voltage power line to Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant was damaged by Russian forces not long after electricity supplies were restored to the facility, grid operator Ukrenergo said in a statement on Monday.

It did not say if all external power supply to the plant had been lost as a result of the damage, but demanded access to the area to carry out repairs.

Ukrenergo did not produce evidence of the damage or the actions of the Russian forces and Reuters was unable to independently verify the extent of the damage or the cause of it.

Fourth round of Ukraine-Russia conflict talks underway: Kyiv negotiator

A fourth round of talks between Moscow and Kyiv got underway Monday, a senior Ukrainian negotiator said, amid mutual claims of shelling and civilian deaths earlier in the day.

Kyiv's lead negotiator and presidential aide Mikhailo Podolyak posted a picture on Twitter of video-conference talks with Russian officials describing the negotiations as "hard", saying that the two sides were outlining their "specific positions". 

Ukraine negotiator says talks with Russia are hard but ongoing

Talks between Russia and Ukraine on Monday have started and communication between the two sides is hard but ongoing, Ukrainian presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.

Tweeting a photo of the talks, which are being conducted via video conference, Podolyak said: "The parties actively express their specified positions. Communication is being held yet it's hard. The reason for the discord is too different political systems."

Swiss Re halts new business with Russia and Belarus

Swiss Re said on Monday that it was not taking on new business with Russian and Belarusian clients, and that it was not renewing existing business with Russian clients.

In a statement sent via email, the reinsurer said that it was reviewing its current business relationships in Russia and Belarus.

Two dead as Antonov aircraft factory in Kyiv shelled

Two people were killed on Monday when an Antonov aircraft factory in Kyiv and a nearby residential building were targeted by Russian shelling, city officials said.

Russian forces "shelled a residential building and the Antonov factory... According to a preliminary toll, two people are dead and seven wounded," city hall said in a message on its Telegram account. A separate strike on a residential building on Monday killed one person and wounded 12.

Separatists say 20 dead in Donetsk after Ukraine attack

Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine said Monday that a strike by Kyiv's forces on the rebel's defacto capital Donetsk had left at least 20 people dead, ahead of talks to resolve the fighting.

Rebel officials said that fragments from a Ukrainian Tochka missile that was shot down had landed in the centre of the city and that, "20 people were killed and nine were injured," as a fourth round of talks was scheduled to end more than two weeks of fighting.

Ukraine said it will demand an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops during the fourth round of negotiations to held in a couple of hours.

"Peace, an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Russians troops - and only after this can we talk about regional relations and about political differences," Kyiv's lead negotiator Mikhailo Podolyak said.

Britain's defence ministry said Russia has established a naval blockade on the Black Sea coast "effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade".

"Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine," it said.

Russia accused foreign countries of wanting to force the country into an "artificial default".

"The freezing of foreign currency accounts of the Bank of Russia and of the Russian government can be regarded as the desire of a number of foreign countries to organise an artificial default that has no real economic grounds," Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov said.

Ratings agency Fitch had earlier downgraded Russia's sovereign debt rating into junk category warning that the decision reflects the view that a default is "imminent".

Siluanov however said Russia "is ready to make payments in rubles" as he denied claims that the country cannot fulfil the obligations.

At least two people were killed and 12 injured after a Russian airstrike on a residential building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

Ukraine's emergency services said the strike took place in a nine-storey apartment building. Three people were hospitalised and nine people were treated on the spot, it said.

Reports claim Instagram is no longer accessible in Russia after authorities announced they would close access to the social network site. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri had said the platform has 80 million users in Russia.
 

Ukraine reported renewed air strikes on an airport in the west and heavy shelling by Russian forces in Chernihiv.

Ukraine's interior ministry said its forces counter-attacked in Mykolayiv and the eastern Kharkiv region.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR has said nearly 2.7 million people have fled Ukraine with nearly 1.7 million people heading to neigbouring Poland.

Reports claim a kindergarten and residential buildings have been seriously damaged  due to shelling over the past few days in Kharkiv city.

Watch: Russian default no longer 'improbable': IMF

UN agencies have called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to attacks on healthcare professionals and facilities in Ukraine.

Talks between Russia and Ukraine will resume today, Ukrainian negotiators said even as local authorities claimed over 2,100 residents in Mariupol were killed amid continued Russian shelling in the city.

Meanwhile, fighting continues in the Kyiv suburbs as Russian forces continue their advance.
 

"If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory, on NATO territory, on the homes of NATO citizens," Zelensky said in a video address after Russian forces attacked an area near Poland.

Pentagon says 'armed attack on one, attack on all' if Russian forces strike in Poland

The United States had delivered two Patriot missile defence batteries to Poland.

On the same day, the US Department of Defense had turned down a Polish offer to send fighter jets to a US airbase in Germany, where they could be transported to Ukraine to battle Russian soldiers.

Read full story

Russian missiles hit a Ukrainian base near the border with Poland killing at least 35 people, reports said. Poland is a NATO member. Russia's defence ministry said the airstrike destroyed a weapons supplied by foreign nations to Ukraine.

The strike hit the Yavoriv International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security which is just 25 km from the Polish border.

Russia had earlier warned that it could target Western arms shipments and convoys to Ukraine. 

Russia shows signs of interest in Ukraine talks, says US official

Russia is showing signs that it might be willing to have substantive negotiations over Ukraine, even as Moscow is currently intent on "destroying" its neighbor, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Sunday.

Sherman, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, said the United States is putting "enormous pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a cease-fire in its weeks-old invasion of Ukraine and to allow the creation of humanitarian corridors so that civilians can escape.

"That pressure is beginning to have some effect. We are seeing some signs of a willingness to have real, serious negotiations. But I have to say ... so far it appears Vladimir Putin is intent on destroying Ukraine," Sherman said.

Ukraine says power has been restored to Chernobyl power station

Ukraine's atomic energy ministry on Sunday said power had been restored to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which meant cooling systems would operate normally and not have to use backup power.

The ministry made the announcement in an online post. Ukraine had earlier warned of an increased risk of a radiation leak if a high-voltage power line to the plant were not repaired. It had been damaged in fighting.

US, China officials to meet as tensions mount over Russia

President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser for talks with a senior Chinese official in Rome on Monday as concerns grow that China is amplifying Russian disinformation in the Ukraine war and may help Russia evade punishment from economic sanctions.

The talks between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi will center on “efforts to manage the competition between our two countries and discuss the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on regional and global security,” said Emily Horne, speaking for the White House national security council.

The White House has accused Beijing of spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with US support.

US officials said China was attempting to provide cover for a potential biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians by the Russian military.

Besieged Mariupol needs cease-fire: Red Cross

The Red Cross is warning of a “worst-case scenario” for hundreds of thousands of civilians in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol unless the parties agree to ensure their safety and access to humanitarian aid.

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, said in a statement said Sunday that residents of Mariupol “have endured a weeks-long life-and-death nightmare.”

The Geneva-based humanitarian agency said hundreds of thousands of people in the city are “facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.”

“Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell,” the ICRC added. “Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated. The human suffering is simply immense.”

The Red Cross called on the parties to agree on the terms of a cease-fire, routes for safe passage, and to ensure the deal is respected. It offered to act as a neutral intermediary in negotiations.

Bermuda suspends licenses for hundreds of Russian aircraft

Bermuda says it is suspending certification of Russian planes licenced in the British overseas territory due to sanctions on Moscow, likely impacting hundreds of Russian commercial aircraft around the world.

The move could have critical effects including the grounding of a significant portion of the Russian fleet, more than 700 of which are believed to be licensed in Bermuda.

"International sanctions on the aviation sector have had a significant impact on the ability to sustain safety oversight on Russian operated aircraft on the Bermuda Aircraft Registry," the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) said late Saturday in a statement. 

The system has been restricted to such a degree that the BCAA "is unable to confidently approve these aircraft as being airworthy," the agency said.

As of late March 12, "the BCAA has provisionally suspended all Certificates of Airworthiness of those aircraft operating under the Article 83bis Agreement between Bermuda and the Russian Federation," it said.

Tens of thousands protest in Berlin against war in Ukraine

Up to 30,000 men, women and children joined an anti-war demonstration in central Berlin on Sunday, with many 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, protesters - including people in wheelchairs and toddlers in pushchairs - walked through the streets of Berlin, at times chanting and singing.

Slogans on posters and banners included "Stop Putin", "Stop War", "Russian soldiers go home" and "Solidarity with Ukraine!"

Russian default no longer 'improbable', but no trigger for global financial crisis: IMF

Russia may default on its debts in the wake of unprecedented sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, but that would not trigger a global financial crisis, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Sunday.

Georgieva told CBS's "Face the Nation" program that sanctions imposed by the United States and other democracies were already having a "severe" impact on the Russian economy and would trigger a deep recession there this year.

The war and the sanctions would also have significant spillover effects on neighboring countries that depended on Russia energy supplies, and had already resulted in a wave of refugees compared to that seen during World War Two, she said.

Pentagon spokesman says Putin has 'blood on his hands'

The Pentagon has said the Russian invasion of Ukraine was an unprovoked ''war of choice that could be stopped at any time."

With the war in its third week and the death toll, refugees and destruction climbing, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters "all of this is by his (Putin's) choice and all that blood is on his hands and he could stop it right now if he wanted to."

Kirby added the United States is confident with the strategic deterrent posture in place should Russia make moves to use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

Instagram users in Russia are told service will cease from midnight

Instagram users in Russia have been notified that the service will cease from midnight on Sunday after its owner Meta Platforms said last week it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as "Death to the Russian invaders".

An email message from the state communications regulator told people to move their photos and videos from Instagram before it was shut down, and encouraged them to switch to Russia's own "competitive internet platforms".

Russia says 'foreign mercenaries' killed in Ukraine strike

Russia said Sunday that an airstrike it carried out in Ukraine, near the Polish border, killed foreign citizens who had joined Kyiv's army in its fight against Russia.

"As a result of the strike, up to 180 foreign mercenaries and a large cache of foreign weapons were destroyed," Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

China faces consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions over Ukraine: Sullivan

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday, warned Beijing that it would "absolutely" face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Sullivan told CNN the United States believed China was aware that Russia was planning some action in Ukraine before the invasion took place, although Beijing may not have understood the full extent of what was planned.

Now, he said, Washington was watching closely to see to what extent Beijing provided economic or material support to Russia, and would impose consequences if that occurred.

"We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions, evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them," Sullivan said. "We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world."

Bahamas orders halt to financial operations with sanctioned Russian entities

The Bahamas has ordered its financial institutions to halt all transactions with Russian entities that have been put under sanction by Western nations, the country's financial regulators said in a statement.

The government of the Caribbean nation has vocally condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but appears to remain conflicted over how aggressively it can participate sanctions efforts without damaging its relatively small economy.

Pope, in toughest comments yet, calls Ukraine invasion 'armed aggression'

A sombre Pope Francis on Sunday issued his toughest condemnation yet of the invasion of Ukraine, saying the "unacceptable armed aggression" and "massacre" must stop.

The pope has not used the word "Russia" in his condemnations of the war since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on Feb. 24. But the pontiff's choice of words appear increasingly aimed at rejecting Moscow's justifications for the invasion.

"Faced with the barbarity of killing of children, of innocents and unarmed civilians, no strategic reasons can hold up," he told 25,000 people in St. Peter's Square during his Sunday blessing.

Moscow says its action is designed not to occupy territory but to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" its neighbour. It has also denied targeting civilian areas.

"The only thing to do is stop this unacceptable armed aggression before it reduces cities into cemeteries," Francis said.

"In the name of God I ask you: stop this massacre!" Francis said, before asking the crowd to join him in silent prayer for an end to the war.

He called Ukraine's besieged port of Mariupol a "martyred city" and again appealed for "truly secure humanitarian corridors" to allow residents to evacuate.

Over 2,100 Mariupol residents killed since invasion began

More than 2,100 residents of Ukraine's besieged city of Mariupol have been killed since hostilities began, the local authorities said Sunday.

"As of today, 2,187 Mariupol residents have died from attacks by Russia," the city council posted on Telegram, raising the toll by almost 1,000 since Wednesday, when they said 1,207 civilians had died in the first nine days of the siege.

Russia and Ukraine give brightest assessment yet of progress in talks on war

Russian and Ukrainian officials gave their most upbeat assessments yet on Sunday of progress in their talks on the war in Ukraine, suggesting there could be positive results within days.

Separately, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Russia was showing signs of willingness to engage in substantive negotiations about ending a conflict in which thousands have died. More than 2.5 million people have fled.

Ukraine has said it is willing to negotiate, but not to surrender or accept any ultimatums.

"We will not concede in principle on any positions. Russia now understands this. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively," Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in a video posted online.

"I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days," he said.

RIA news agency quoted a Russian delegate, Leonid Slutsky, as saying the talks had made substantial progress.

"According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing," Slutsky said.

Neither side indicated what the scope of any agreement might be.

US journalist shot dead in Ukraine: Report

News agency AFP quoted medics and witnesses to say that a US journalist was shot dead and another was wounded on Sunday in Ukraine's Irpin.

Irpin is a frontline northwest suburb of Kyiv.

Read the full news report

Israel's foreign minister condemns Ukraine invasion

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has said that he "condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine". His words came after he met Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu in Bucharest

Turkey asks Russia's help to evacuate Turkish citizens from Mariupol

Turkey has sought help from Russia to evacuate Turkish citizens from besieged city of Mariupol.

"Yesterday, we called (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov) and asked him for his help evacuating our citizens," said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as quoted by AFP 
 

Regional governor says 35 killed in Russian airstrike near Lviv

Though reports of 9 deaths are doing rounds, regional governor has said that Russian airstrike on Ukrainian military target near Lviv has killed 35 people.

Also Read: UK citizens to get $456 a month to offer refuge to Ukrainians at homes

In what can be termed as an attempt to deflect anger over response to refugee crisis, Britain will pay people to open their homes to Ukrainians, who are fleeing the Russian invasion.  

Also Read: Russia-Ukraine conflict: Fighting rages on near Kyiv as Mariupol gets pounded

In Russian invasion of Ukraine, fighting is raging on the outskirts of Kyiv. Artillery barrages forced residents to look for shelter in multiple areas around the capital city.  

Also Read: US to send weapons worth $200 million to help Ukraine fight off Russia

In order to help Ukraine defend against invading Russian forces, the United States on Saturday said it would send additional small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons worth $200 million to the eastern European nation.  

Russia claims Ukraine is not letting people flee fighting

A Russian official on Saturday blamed Ukraine for humanitarian corridors for civilians trying to leave the country not working.

According to Russian National Defence Command Centre head Mikhail Mizintsev: "the Russian Federation for the eighth time provided humanitarian corridors in the Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol directions, one humanitarian corridor to the Russian Federation, and another one - through the territories controlled by the Kiev authorities towards the western borders of Ukraine."

According to Mizintsev: "There are already 2,638,989 of them (people wishing to evacuate to Russia) with specific names and addresses from almost two thousand settlements in Ukraine."

UK government will pay £350 a month to people who host refugees

Britons who accept Ukrainian migrants into their homes for at least six months rent-free will receive a £350 monthly "thank you" from the government.

Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, is finally introducing a "Homes for Ukraine" scheme after weeks of criticism of the government's reaction to the refugee issue.

Mr Gove proposes allowing a UK sponsor - an individual, charity, community organisation, or business - to select a specified Ukrainian person or family to stay in their house. 

• Zelenskyy announced Saturday that his forces lost 1,300 troops since the invasion started.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late Friday accused Russians of kidnapping the mayor of Melitopol, saying “They have transitioned into a new stage of terror".
• At least 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine as refugees since the conflict started, according to the United Nations.

'Ukraine will stand the test': President Zelenskyy's latest speech

The Ukrainian president has published a new speech in the past half hour.

He announced a number of military decorations for Ukrainian soldiers - most of them awarded posthumously.

He also commented on the situation in Kherson, a Ukrainian city under Russian control.

Local authorities have said a referendum is being planned by Russia with a view to making the region a breakaway republic similar to some other parts of eastern Ukraine - Donetsk and Luhansk.

Mr Zelenskyy says that "complete degradation" awaits the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) and the LPR (Luhansk People's Republic).

Russia ramps up ties with Sudan as Ukraine war rages

As much of the West seeks to isolate Russia after it invaded Ukraine, experts say Moscow is boosting relations with its longtime African ally Sudan, eyeing its gold wealth and strategic location.

Khartoum has lost crucial Western support since army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a military coup last October, a move that triggered broad condemnation and punitive measures, including a suspension of $700 million in US aid.

On February 23, the day before Russia invaded its neighbour, a Sudanese delegation headed by powerful paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo arrived in Moscow for an eight-day visit.

The two sides discussed "diplomatic, political and economic topics", as well as "Russian-Sudanese national security... joint cooperation and counterterrorism", said Daglo, commonly known as Hemeti, at a news conference upon his return.

Sudan relied militarily on Russia under strongman Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019 following three decades in power marked by international isolation and crippling US sanctions.

Russian private companies have reportedly benefited from Sudan's gold mines by ramping up ties with the military and Daglo's powerful Rapid Support Forces, which emerged from the Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities during the Darfur conflict that erupted in 2003.

"Moscow has been following a clear and coherent policy... to serve its interests" in Sudan and in Africa more broadly, analyst Khaled al-Tijani said.

"Russian investments in Sudan, especially in gold, and ties with security forces have remained shrouded in ambiguity," he added.

Premier League strips Chelsea owner Abramovich of club directorship

The Premier League board has disqualified Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich as a director at the English top-flight soccer club after he was sanctioned by the British government over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the league said in a statement on Saturday.

Abramovich, who had been under scrutiny after Russia's invasion, said last week he was selling the London club. But the sale is now on hold, with Chelsea operating under a special government licence.

"The Board's decision does not impact on the club's ability to train and play its fixtures, as set out under the terms of a licence issued by the Government which expires on 31 May 2022," the league said.

Ukraine says seven killed, including a child, after Russia fired at evacuation convoy

Ukraine's intelligence service accused Russia on Saturday of firing at a convoy that was evacuating women and children from the village of Peremoha in the Kyiv region, killing seven people including one child.

"After the attack, the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back to Peremoha and are not letting them out of the village," the intelligence service said in a statement, adding that the total number of wounded was unknown.

"Russians shot a column of women and children while trying to evacuate from the village of Peremoha in the Kyiv region along an agreed "green" corridor. Seven people died, including one child," it said.

Russia strikes near Ukraine’s capital; mosque reported hit

Russian forces pounding the port city of Mariupol shelled a mosque that was sheltering more than 80 people, including children, the Ukrainian government said Saturday. 

Fighting also raged in the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and Russia kept up its bombardment of other resisting cities.

There was no immediate word of casualties from the shelling of Mariupol’s elegant, city-center mosque.

The encircled city of 446,000 people has endured some of Ukraine’s worst misery since Russia invaded, with unceasing barrages thwarting repeated attempts to bring in food, water and medicine, evacuate trapped civilians and even bury the dead.

Thousands mass in Kyiv's twin city Florence to back Ukraine

Thousands of people packed into one of Florence's biggest squares on Saturday to show their support for Ukraine and listen to a videoed speech from its President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Florence has been twinned with Kyiv since the 1960s, when Ukraine's capital sent aid to the Tuscan city to help it recover from a devastating flood.

The crowds waved blue and yellow flags in Piazza Santa Croce as church bells tolled 17 times - one for each day since Russia invaded Ukraine in what Moscow calls a "special operation".

Rabbi who backed Abramovich's citizenship banned from leaving Portugal

 A rabbi responsible for the certification that allowed Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and others to obtain Portuguese citizenship is not allowed to leave the country and must present himself to authorities when required, Lusa news agency said on Saturday.

Officers of the Judicial Police, the national criminal investigation agency, detained rabbi Daniel Litvak on Thursday as part of an ongoing public prosecutors inquiry into how Chelsea soccer club owner Abramovich was granted citizenship.

Abramovich has been sanctioned by the British government over his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He has denied having such ties.

He was granted Portuguese citizenship last year based on a law offering naturalisation to descendants of Sephardic Jews who were expelled from the Iberian peninsula during the Mediaeval Inquisition.

Applicants' genealogies are vetted by experts at one of Portugal's Jewish communities in Lisbon or Porto. The Porto community, where Litvak is the rabbi, was responsible for Abramovich's process.

Biden authorises $200 million in new weapons, military training for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden on Saturday authorised $200 million in weapons and other assistance for Ukraine, the White House said, as Ukrainian officials said heavy shelling by Russian forces were endangering attempted evacuations.

The decision brings total US security aid provided to Ukraine over the past year to $1.2 billion, a senior administration official said.

In a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden directed that up to $200 million allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act be designated for Ukraine's defense.

The funds can be used for weapons and other defense articles from the Defense Department's stock, as well as military education and training to help Ukraine.

Germany to take 2,500 Ukrainian refugees from Moldova

Germany will take in 2,500 refugees who have fled to Moldova from Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday, as eastern Europe's efforts to aid refugees come under strain.

The number of refugees who have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24 now totals nearly 2.6 million and some cities in eastern Europe are running out of accommodation.

Speaking after meeting her Moldovan counterpart in Chisinau, Baerbock said Germany was committed to helping Ukraine's neighbours look after refugees and a corridor would be set up via Romania to bring people to Germany, mainly by bus.

"Europe and our country stands in solidarity with you, we will take refugees from you," she said.

Ukrainian foreign minister says ready to negotiate, but will not surrender

Ukraine was ready to negotiate to end the war started by Russia more than two weeks ago, but would not surrender or accept any ultimatums, the country's foreign affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday.

Speaking at a virtual event organized by the non-partisan, nonprofit organization Renew Democracy Initiative, Kuleba said civilian lives would be saved if Ukraine had fighter jets and more attack planes to destroy large military columns.

US ready to take diplomatic steps Ukraine will find helpful: State Department

The United States is willing to take diplomatic steps that the Ukrainian government would find helpful, a State Department spokesperson said on Saturday, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the West should be more involved in negotiations to end the war.

"If there are diplomatic steps that we can take that the Ukrainian Government believes would be helpful, we're prepared to take them", the spokesperson said.

"We are working to put the Ukrainians in the strongest possible negotiating position, including by increasing pressure on Russia by imposing severe costs and by providing security assistance to help Ukrainians defend themselves."

Eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha destroyed after Russia invasion

The eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha has been completely destroyed following the Russian invasion but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Saturday.

France and Germany urged Russia's Vladimir Putin to end the siege of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

After a three-way phone call with the Russian leader and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron's office also accused the Putin of "lies" for alleging that Ukrainian forces had committed human rights abuses.

The Czech Republic has asked other European Union members to take in 50,000 refugees from Ukraine as its resources are now stretched.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent refugee wave sparked a wave of solidarity in the Czech Republic with many Czechs offering to house Ukrainians fleeing the war.

More than 102,000 Ukrainian refugees have been registered in the Czech Republic since the Russian invasion on February 24, fire brigade spokeswoman Pavla Jakoubkova said.

President Putin in a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron hit out against alleged "violation of the norms of international humanitarian law by Ukrainian security forces"

"Putin informed them about the real state of affairs," the Russian president's office said, adding,"In particular, numerous facts of the flagrant violation of the norms of international humanitarian law by Ukrainian security forces were cited."

This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry on shows Russian paratroopers taking control of an undisclosed airfield in Ukraine, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.

Ukrainian soldiers on guard in Irpin, north of Kyiv as Russian forces stepped up their attack on Ukraine's capital

 Satellite pictures show long line of cars on the highway as residents attempt to leave Kyiv.

Satellite pictures show an overview of damaged buildings and burning fuel storage tanks at Antonov airport in Hostomel, northwest of Kyiv.

Russia may target Western arms supplies to Ukraine

Russia said it had warned "about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defence systems, anti-tank missile systems and so on."

Also See in Pics: Ukraine then and now, images from 1970s and after Russian invasion

Watch - Ukraine: The Exodus

As the war in Ukraine continues, the French government said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron will hold new round of talks with President Putin.

Ukrainian Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyiv is a "city under siege" while asserting that its forces are "ready to fight" with checkpoints prepared and supply lines in place, adding: "Kyiv will stand until the end".

Watch: Russia widens attack with airstrikes

After laying siege to southern port city Mariupol, Russian forces are reportedly heading towards the capital Kyiv city even as Ukrainian officials have said that they are “ready to fight”. Click Here to read the full report.

At a time when Russia is enhancing its operations in Ukraine, US Vice-President Kamala Harris has reached Poland. The leader must be really concerned about the humanitarian crisis unfolding due to the conflict. But is she?  

The US leader is currently facing widespread criticism after she broke into laughter on a serious question about the fate of Ukrainian refugees. Click Here to read the full report. 

Mosque housing 80 civilians shelled in Mariupol 

A mosque in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where 80 civilians were taking shelter, has been shelled by Russian forces, Ukraine's foreign ministry said on March 12. 

"The mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxolana (Hurrem Sultan) in Mariupol was shelled by Russian invaders. More than 80 adults and children are hiding there from the shelling, including citizens of Turkey," the ministry wrote on its Twitter account.

Is that 'Ghost of Kyiv'?

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has shared an image of a pilot wearing a black visor and oxygen mask, who appears to be in the cockpit of his MiG-29 fighter jet. 

The pilot in the image is said to be the same 'Ghost of Kyiv', the Ukrainian pilot who's assumed to be a myth. Reports claimed that he had shot down at least ten Russian jets during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Click Here to read the full report. 

Russia invades Ukraine: Top developments

• -Russian forces squeeze Kyiv, surround Mariupol
• -Ukraine: library in Chernihiv reduced to rubble after overnight shelling-
• -Volunteers travel to Poland to help Ukraine refugees
• -Zelensky says mayor of Melitopol has been kidnapped
• -Gunfire and explosions echo through Kyiv as city wakes
• -US soldiers deploy to Europe to aid NATO allies-
•  -Russia warns sanctions could cause ISS to crash: official

Russia warns sanctions could cause ISS to crash

Russia has warned that the sanctions placed on it for invading Ukraine could cause the International Space Station to crash, reported news agency AFP citing an official. 

Russian forces squeeze Kyiv, surround Mariupol

Russian forces inched towards Kyiv Saturday and pounded civilian areas in other Ukrainian cities as concerns grew over the besieged southern port of Mariupol, where officials said more than 1,500 people had been killed, reports AFP.

Air raid sirens sounded Saturday in several cities, including the capital Kyiv, Odessa, Dnipro and Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian media. 

Russia to legalise piracy, allowing patent steals from 'unfriendly nations'   

Russia is reportedly easing its copyright laws to offset sanctions imposed by Western nations in response to its invasion of Ukraine – in doing so it is effectively legalizing piracy of games, movies, TV shows, and more.

The Russian Ministry of Economic Development proposed relaxing piracy legislation earlier this week to circumvent sanctions.

“The possibility of lifting restrictions on the use of intellectual property contained in certain goods, the supply of which to Russia is limited, is being considered,” said the Ministry. “This will smooth out the impact on the market of breaks in supply chains, as well as the shortage of goods and services that arose due to new sanctions by Western countries.”

Also Read: In conflict, Russia violates nuclear safety principles in Ukraine, says US

With the conflict intensifying, the United States has accused Russia of violating nuclear safety principles in Ukraine on Friday.  

It has also demanded that Moscow’s invading forces stop firing on nuclear power plants.   

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday (March 12) urged the mothers of Russian soldiers to prevent their sons from being sent to Ukraine to fight. Click Here to read full report. 

Also Read | Ukrainian biowarfare labs claim: Russia using UNSC for 'spreading disinformation', says US

As the allegations of US-backed Ukrainian biowarfare labs grow, the United States has accused Russia of using a UN Security Council meeting on Friday for "lying and spreading disinformation".   

• In Greece, Russia sympathies die hard despite Ukraine war
• 'All that we have is our talent': Heartbroken Ukrainian musicians find refuge in Denmark
• Funerals for 3 Russian police officers killed in Ukraine
• Human trafficking fears as refugees flee war in Ukraine
• Fuel price hike threatens German supply distribution

Clouds over Merkel's legacy as Russian invasion lays flaws bare

Up to the final hours before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, former chancellor Angela Merkel had been touted as the person favoured by Germans to try to talk President Vladimir Putin out of the conflict.

But as Russian bombs fell on Ukrainian cities, a shadow has fallen on Merkel's 16 years in office, with some observers now questioning if her detente policies with Putin had in fact left Germany, and Europe, vulnerable. 

Russian soldiers have kidnapped the mayor of southern Ukraine's Melitopol on Friday (March 11), the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials said. Click Here to read full story. 

• Just over 7,000 people evacuated from Ukrainian cities. Mariupol blocked - Zelenskiy
• US accuses Russia of using UN council for 'disinformation' 
• US accuses Russia of violating nuclear safety principles in Ukraine
• Ukraine's Zelenskiy defiant as Russian forces, despite setbacks, regroup near Kyiv
• US imposes new sanctions on Russian billionaire, Putin spokesman''s family
   

• Satellite pictures detail attacks, destruction in Ukraine 
• Mayor of Ukraine city Melitopol abducted by Russian troops 
• New life arrives; Ukraine residents flee or hide 
• Russia could use chemical and biological weapons, US warns

• IAEA on ensuring safety of Ukraine nuclear facilities 
• Air raid sirens sound in Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia 
• Ukraine's President calls on the mothers of Russian soldiers to prevent sons being sent to war 

"We will ban the export of any EU luxury goods from our countries to Russia, as a direct blow to the Russian elite," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said as UN warned Russia that attacks that target civilians were banned and could amount to war crimes as it raised the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine.

Will have to re-evaluate strategy to defend food sovereignty: Macron

As Russia widened its attack on Ukraine targeting new cities, French President Macron said the war could "deeply destabilise" food prices.

"Europe and also Africa will be very deeply destabilised as regards food because of what can't be planted right now in Ukraine," the French president said, adding,"We will have to prepare for that and re-evaluate our production strategies to defend our food sovereignty... but also to be able to define a strategy concerning Africa."

Read full story

Joe Biden said the United States and its allies will strip Russia of the status guaranteeing equal treatment between international trade partner.

"The United States and our allies and partners continue in lockstep to ramp up the economic pressures on Putin and to further isolate Russia on the global stage," Biden said.

 Russia 'would pay severe price' if it uses chemical weapons, Biden warned.

"We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine," Biden said adding that pitting the NATO alliance against the Kremlin "is World War III."

Biden announces US ban on Russian vodka, diamonds, seafood

"It's a war with a very stubborn enemy... who has decided to hire mercenaries against our citizens. Murderers from Syria, a country where everything has been destroyed... like they are doing here to us," President Zelensky said after Kremlin confirmed President Putin had allowed Syrian fighters to take part in the Ukraine war.

Read full story

"There are certain positive shifts, negotiators from our side reported to me," Russian President Putin told Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in a televised meeting.

The Russian leader said negotiations were being held on almost on a "daily basis".
 

Russia has launched 328 cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities, towns and villages since February 24, Ukraine's armed forces said even as Russia declared its airborne troops were on move in Kyiv region.

This bloody crime of Putin's regime is a blatant violation of the international humanitarian law," General Valeriy Zaluzhny said.
 

Watch: All Russian banks, payment cards and ATM's blocked

Russian authorities on Friday opened case against Meta for calling for "murder" of Russians.

According to Russian news agencies, prosecutors have asked the country's court to designate Facebook's parent organisation Meta as an "extremist organisation".

The prosecutors have reportedly asked the country's watchdog to restrict access to Meta's Instagram social networking service.

Canada on Friday announced it was imposing sanctions against Pamfilova, Usmanov even as UK said it was slapping sanctions against 386 Russian lawmakers.

President Joe Biden is poised to announce the revocation of Russia’s “most favoured nation” trade status, which would allow higher tariffs to be imposed on some Russian imports, as per US media.

Stripping Russia of its favoured nation status paves the way for the United States and its allies to impose tariffs on a wide range of Russian goods, which would further ratchet up pressure on an economy that is already heading into a "deep recession."

Read full story

Kremlin says Syrians can volunteer to fight for Russia in Ukraine, reports Reuters.

Also read | West made mistake by promising NATO membership to Ukraine: EU foreign policy chief Borrell

• Vice president Harris meets US, Polish troops at Warsaw airport
• Ukrainian-born pop act Bloom Twins host a fundraising concert at London's Roundhouse
   

• NATO Chief Stoltenberg arrives at Antalya Diplomacy Forum 
• Satellite images of destroyed shopping centre in Chernihiv, Ukraine 
• Shoe factory in Dnipro set on fire after airstrike
• Ukrainian-born pop act Bloom Twins host a fundraising concert at London's Roundhouse

• 2.5 million people have now fled Ukraine: UN
• EU proposes extra 500 mn euros for Ukraine military aid: Borrell

• All 3 flights of Indian students evacuated from Sumy have reached India
• Putin agrees to Shoigu’s proposal on transferring captured equipment to Donbas
• Russian Deputy PM speaks to Indian petroleum minister; invites Indian investment in the Russian oil and gas sector
• Russia releases video said to show its drone air strike

Promising NATO Membership to Ukraine Was Mistake: Borrell

The West has made a number of mistakes in its relations with Russia, including when it promised a NATO membership to Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
 

Also Read: In conflict, Russian forces destroyed $100 billion worth infrastructure till now, says Ukraine's official

Russian forces have destroyed at least $100 billion worth infrastructure, buildings and other assets in the conflict till now, said Ukraine's top government economic adviser Oleg Ustenko on Thursday.   

Also Read: UNSC to discuss Russian claim of US-backed biowarfare labs in Ukraine

With the Russia-Ukraine conflict deepening with every hour, the fight seems to have reached the UN Security Council.  

On Friday, the forum, UNSC, will discuss what Russia claims are "the military biological activities of the US on the territory of Ukraine."  

Russian President Vladimir Putin backs plans to send volunteer fighters to Ukraine. 

Report on oil prices

Oil prices rose on Friday (March 11) but were on track for their biggest weekly declines since November after see-sawing on fears of escalating bans on Russian oil versus efforts to bring more supply to market from other major producers.

Brent crude futures climbed $2.48, or 2.27%, to $111.81 a barrel at 0747 GMT after dropping 1.6% in the previous session.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $2, or 1.89%, to $108.02 a barrel, following a 2.5% decline on Thursday.

Civilian targets hit in Ukraine

On March 11, Shelling was also reported in Lutsk, a city in north-western Ukraine.

"Explosions at the airport side," Lutsk mayor Ihor Polishchuk wrote on Facebook. 

The Russian defense ministry said in a briefing on Friday that its troops targeted airports in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, another western Ukrainian city some 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of Lutsk.

"Military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk have been put out of order," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. 

Civilian targets hit in Ukraine's Dnipro: Emergency services

Civilian targets came under Russian shelling in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro Friday, killing one, emergency services said, in what appeared to be the first direct attack on the city.

Early on Friday, "there were three air strikes on the city, namely hitting a kindergarten, an apartment building and a two-story shoe factory, starting a fire. One person died," the emergency services said in a statement.

Top developments at this hour

• Russian forces edge closer to Kyiv as city becomes 'fortress'
• China premier calls Ukraine situation 'disconcerting', urges support for ceasefire talks
• Asia markets down on inflation, Ukraine and China markets sell-off
• Residents in Melitopol rally against Russian occupation
• Half the population had fled; city "has been transformed into a fortress" - Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko
• There has been no let-up in the onslaught on several major cities – Vlodymyr Zelensky

EU dashes Kyiv's hope of EU membership amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

In a video speech, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelesnky, disputed Russian assertions that Ukraine created chemical weapons or weapons of mass devastation.

He also warned that if Russia used such weapons against Ukraine, it would face "the most severe sanctions retaliation." 

The latest satellite images, taken on Thursday (March 10), released by a private US company indicate that a large Russian military convoy, which was last seen northwest of Kyiv, has largely dispersed and redeployed. 

The military convoy that stretched more than 64 kilometres was near Antonov airport, however, Maxar Technologies said that the images show armoured units manoeuvring in and through the surrounding towns close to the airport. Click Here to read full report

US says Ukraine needs surface-to-air missiles, not fighter jets, to fight 'formidable' Russian air force

In a statement on Thursday, the US State Department rejected proposals to send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine via an American base, saying that ground-based weapons would be more effective against Russian invasion.

Moreover, Price noted that Ukraine already has "several squadrons" of its own "fully mission-capable" aircraft and that the United States sending more to Ukraine could aggravate the conflict.

Read full story here

According to a senior US defence official, Russian forces have pushed 5 kilometres closer to Kyiv in the last 24 hours.

Facebook and Instagram have changed their policies to enable "temporary" calls for violence against Russian troops or Putin. 

More than 80,000 people have been evacuated from areas surrounding Kyiv and Sumy over the past two days, the Ukrainian government said.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said: "We have evacuated more than 60,000 people in two days, adding,"some 20,000 people have been evacuated from areas to the northwest of the capital Kyiv."

Earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky had said in a separate Telegram video that some 60,000 people were evacuated from various cities around the country.

27 heads of state and government met as fighting raged for a 15th day in Ukraine. 

The conflict has seen a swell of support in the EU for Ukrainian President Zelensky, but leaders used the talks to reiterate that a speedy track to membership was impossible.

"There is no such thing as a fast track," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said as he arrived for the talks.

Since Russia's belligerence against its pro-EU neighbour, bloc members have approved a total of half a billion euros in defence aid to Ukraine.

US investment bank Goldman Sachs announced it would pull out of Russia.

"Goldman Sachs is winding down its business in Russia in compliance with regulatory and licensing requirements," it said in a statement.

"We are focused on supporting our clients across the globe in managing or closing out pre-existing obligations in the market and ensuring the wellbeing of our people," it added.

Meanwhile, Citigroup said it was "assessing" its options in Russia.

Watch: Ukrainian Girl Sings 'Let It Go' in Bomb Shelter 

The United States and its European allies could impose additional penalties on Russia, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

"The atrocities that they're committing against civilians seem to be intensifying, so it's certainly appropriate for us to be working with our allies to consider further sanctions," Yellen said.

"Russia and Belarus are some of the biggest suppliers of mineral fertilisers. If they continue to create problems for the financing and logistics of the delivery of our goods, then prices will rise and this will affect the final product, food products," Putin said.
 

Amid large scale sanctions on Russia, President Putin said Moscow continues to export oil and gas.

"We are respecting all of our obligations in terms of energy supplies," the Russian president said, adding,"even the gas transportation system in Ukraine is 100 per cent filled as per contracts." 

The Russian president made the remarks during a television meeting with government officials.

Russia announced export ban on more than 200 types of foreign-made products and equipment until the end of the year amid crippling sanctions imposed by the West.

The measure concerns goods and equipment that were previously imported into Russia from abroad. 

In Pics: Tsar bomba: World's most powerful nuclear weapon of mass destruction

 Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said: "The list includes technological, communication and medical equipment, vehicles, agricultural machinery and electrical equipment -- more than 200 types of goods in total."

"The NATO alliance is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what Putin has done. That is very clear to us," US Vice President Kamala Harris said during her meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw. 

Also Read in Pics: Russia's 'barbaric' attack on Ukraine children's hospital

Both leaders condemned Russia's bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine's Mariupol on Wednesday, with Harris calling it "an act of violence -- unprovoked, unjustified".

"We have been witnessing for weeks and certainly just in the last 24 hours atrocities of unimaginable proportion," Harris added. 

"Half the population of Kyiv has fled since the Russian invasion began," city mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

"From our information, one in two Kyiv residents has left the city," Klitschko said, adding,"a little less than two million people have currently left. However, Kyiv has been transformed into a fortress. Every street, every building, every checkpoint has been fortified."

Watch: People struggle to flee from conflict zones, at least 35,000 evacuated

Polish President Andrzej Duda during his meeting with US vice president Kamala Harris said: "We must save Ukraine. We have to call all hands on deck. Keep unity in NATO. Speak in one voice in EU."

"Can't tolerate such against inhumanity. Shooting rockets at hospitals. This is genocide. As representative of the free world, we stand arm in arm with US," the polish president said.

"We want to improve our security in Poland, so we are buying American equipment for that. I asked the VP Harris to speed up the programme of Abram tanks," President Duda informed.

Amid efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war, Finland President Sauli Niinisto will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Both France's President Macron and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz have spoken to Putin since the start of the invasion.

The Finnish president has long maintained a regular dialogue with the Russian leader and has sometimes been characterised as an "interpreter" between the Kremlin and the West.

Niinisto warned against the dangers of the conflict escalating further, but said "I don't even know yet" what the content of the call will be.

Niinisto repeated his call for Finland to decide "without hesitation but carefully" on the question of whether or not to try to join NATO.
 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Russia of "war crimes" after the attack on a children's hospital in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

"We're seeing how hospitals are being bombed. They are attacking civil society in an indiscriminate manner, therefore clearly violating human rights and more than likely committing war crimes," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

Russian foreign minister said Mariupol hospital was base for Ukraine nationalists

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that a hospital which was attacked in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol had been serving as a military base for nationalists.

"This maternity hospital has long been occupied by the Azov Battalion and other radicals. They drove out the women in labour, nurses and general staff. It was the base of the ultra-radical Azov Battalion," Lavrov said, following talks in Turkey with his Ukrainian counterpart. 

Ukraine and Russia make 'no progress' on a ceasefire at Turkey talks after the Russian invasion at tense talks in Turkey, the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said. 

Kuleba has repeated his vow that the country "will not surrender" following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Turkey. 

Meanwhile, Lavrov said that Russia criticises 'dangerous' arms deliveries to Ukraine. 

The Russian foreign minister also said that the Mariupol hospital was a base for Ukraine nationalists. 

In the latest development, Kremlin will ask the military for information on the Ukraine hospital strike after reports of casualties emerged stating that at least three people were killed, including a young girl. 

Russia and Ukraine diplomats begin talks in Turkey

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday began talks in Turkey in the first such high-level contact since Moscow invaded its neighbour, officials from both sides and their hosts said.

The ministers began talks on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya, joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, a Turkish official told AFP in comments confirmed by the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministries.

Biden to speak to Erdogan at the nack of the Lavrov and Kuleba meetings

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to speak on the phone on Thursday, according to a statement by the Turkish government on Wednesday.

The call will be held at 1530GMT, Turkish media said.

The call is announced amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has drawn international condemnation and led to sanctions against Russia from the US, EU and many other countries.

Report of casualties has emerged as local officials said on Thursday that at least three people were killed, including a young girl, in an attack the previous day on a children's hospital in Mariupol in southern Ukraine.  

"Three people were killed, including a female child, in yesterday's attack on a children's and maternity hospital in Ukraine's besieged Mariupol, according to updated figures this morning," the city council said on its Telegram channel. 

Officials had previously given a toll of 17 injured in the attack. 

Diplomatics talks

The Russian and Ukrainian ministers will be joined at Thursday's meeting by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, with NATO member Turkey keen to maintain strong relations with both sides despite the conflict.

It is the first trip abroad for Lavrov since Russia was isolated by the Western world with biting sanctions that have also targeted President Vladimir Putin's long-serving top diplomat.

However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed in a Facebook video said that his expectations were "limited". 

He said the success of the talks would depend on "what instructions and directives Lavrov is under" from the Kremlin. 

"I am not pinning any great hopes on them, but we will try and get the most out of" the talks with effective preparation, he said. 

What are war crimes and what are the rules of war? 

Click Here to read the report on war crimes. 

US lawmakers have advanced aid totaling almost $14 billion for Ukraine on Wednesday. 

It is a part of a giant blueprint to fund federal agencies and avoid a damaging government shutdown at home.

The House of Representatives green-lit around $1.5 trillion in spending through September, less than 48 hours before the Friday-Saturday midnight deadline, when government funding was due to dry up.

However, the spending will need to be rubber-stamped by the Senate before it can pass into law. 

PlayStation and Nintendo are suspending shipments to Russia, the Japanese gaming giants said Thursday. 

The international brands have increasingly halt operations in the country following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. 

Dutch brewer Heineken, Danish beer-maker Carlsberg, and Universal Music Group are some of the latest Western firms to halt operations in Russia over Moscow's "military operations" in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least 35,000 civilians were evacuated from besieged Ukrainian cities on Wednesday.

Zelensky said that three humanitarian corridors had allowed residents to leave the cities of Sumy, Enerhodar and areas around Kyiv. 

US warns Russia may use biological weapons in Ukraine

The United States on Wednesday rejected Russian claims that it supports a bioweapons program in Ukraine, saying the allegations were a sign that Moscow could soon use the weapons themselves.

"The Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

"Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the claims were "preposterous" and noted that "we've also seen Chinese officials echo these conspiracy theories."

"Now that Russia has made these false claims... we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them," she said on Twitter.

IMF board approves $1.4 bn in 'critical' support for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund board on Wednesday approved $1.4 billion in emergency financing for war-torn Ukraine to help the country deal with the "massive humanitarian and economic crisis" caused by the Russian invasion. 

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the package provides "critical financial support" which in turn will catalyze a "large-scale mobilization" of funding needed to "mitigate the economic impacts of the war." 

1,207 civilians dead in Mariupol siege

A total of 1,207 civilians have died during a nine-day siege by Russian forces of Ukraine's port city of Mariupol, its local authorities said Wednesday.

The first nine days of the Russian siege saw "1,207 peaceful Mariupol residents dying", the authorities of the southeastern city on the Azov Sea posted on Telegram.

Asked to confirm the toll, the press service of the presidency said: "We don't have the exact figure. But preliminarily, that's true."

Russian tanks advance towards Kyiv from east

At a deserted service station on the motorway northeast of Kyiv, a Ukrainian officer warns: "Don't go any further. The Russians are over there."

Over the last five days, the Russians have advanced more than 80 kilometres (62 miles) on the northeastern front and are getting close to the Ukrainian capital.

The Ukrainian officer in camouflage points towards the north, where the motorway stretches empty to the horizon between snow-covered fields.  

"The Russian tanks are just over there, two kilometres away," he said, ordering a civilian vehicle to turn round and go back, due to the danger from Russian forces.

"Drive in a zig-zag to avoid their shots," he advises the driver.

Then he returns to his watch, in charge of around a dozen soldiers whose task it is to pass on information on Russian tanks so that the Ukrainian army can bomb them as soon as they move to break through the lines.

The Russian tanks are stationed just a few kilometres away from Kyiv's city limits. 

IAEA lost contact with Chernobyl nuclear data systems

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer transmitting data to the UN's atomic watchdog, the agency said Tuesday, as it voiced concern for staff working under Russian guard at the Ukrainian facility.

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine and seized the defunct plant, site of a 1986 disaster that killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi "indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost", the agency said in a statement.

"The Agency is looking into the status of safeguards monitoring systems in other locations in Ukraine and will provide further information soon," it said

The White House Wednesday slammed the "barbaric" use of force against civilians after an apparent Russian air strike on a children's hospital in Ukraine. 

"It is horrifying to see the type of, the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country," Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters when questioned about the strike. 

Air strike wounds 17 staff at Ukraine children's hospital

A Russian air strike on Wednesday hit a paediatric and maternity hospital in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, injuring at least 17 staff, officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video on Twitter showing massive destruction at the large medical complex, including blown-out windows and internal walls ripped out, which he said  was caused by a "direct strike by Russian troops".

He said that adults and children were "under the wreckage".

"So far there are 17 wounded personnel of the hospital," Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the southeastern Donetsk region, said in a video posted on Facebook. 

"So far no kids were wounded" and there have been "no deaths", he added.

Russia bombed children's hospital in Mariupol, alleges Ukraine

Ukraine alleged on Wednesday that Russia bombed a children's hospital in port city of Mariupol. As per Ukraine, the bombing in the besieged city took place during a supposed ceasefire that was meant to facilitate escape of hundreds thousands of civilions in the city.

Read full story

Oil prices crashed 12 per cent on Wednesday after reports that the United Arab Emirates will call on fellow OPEC members to boost production to ease supply concerns caused by sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.