Russia-Ukraine Crisis Highlights: Russian forces pressed their assault on Ukrainian cities Friday, with new missile strikes and shelling on the edges of the capital Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, as world leaders pushed for an investigation of the Kremlin’s repeated attacks on civilian targets, including schools, hospitals and residential areas.
Outside Lviv, black smoke billowed for hours after the early morning strike by several missiles, which the mayor said hit a facility for repairing military aircraft near the city's international airport, also damaging a bus repair facility.
Additionally, more than 700 civilians - including 52 children - have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded three weeks ago, but the "actual number is likely much higher," UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Thursday.
"Most of these casualties were caused by the use in populated areas of explosive weapons with a wide impact area. Hundreds of residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed, as have hospitals and schools," DiCarlo said.
The World Health Organisation has verified 43 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine that have killed 12 people and injured dozens more, including health workers, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the Security Council.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called a special military operation before dawn on February 24, ignoring Western warnings and saying the "neo-Nazis" ruling Ukraine threatened Russia's security. Russia's assault is said to be the biggest on a European state since World War Two and threatens to upend the continent's post-Cold War order.
This live blog session has ended. Stay tuned to MoneyControl for more updates.
Talk peace now or suffer for generations, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy tells Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Saturday for comprehensive peace talks with Moscow to stop its invasion of Ukraine, saying it would otherwise take Russia "several generations" to recover from its losses in the war.
Russian forces have taken heavy losses and their advance has largely stalled since President Vladimir Putin launched the assault on Feb. 24, with long columns of troops that bore down on Kyiv halted in its suburbs.
But they have laid siege to cities, blasting urban areas to rubble, and in recent days have intensified missile attacks on scattered targets in western Ukraine, away from the main battlefields in the north and east.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE |
More than 3.3 million flee Ukraine, 6.5 million internally displaced: AFP
More than 3.3 million refugees have now fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the United Nations said Saturday, while nearly 6.5 million are thought to be internally displaced within the country.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 3,328,692 Ukrainians had left since the war began on February 24, with another 58,030 joining the exodus since Friday's update.
"People continue to flee because they are afraid of bombs, airstrikes and indiscriminate destruction," said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE |
Ukraine calls on China to 'condemn Russian barbarism': AFP
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE |
UK warns against post-Ukraine reset with Putin: AFP
The West must not try to "normalise relations" with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his invasion of Ukraine, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday, calling the crisis a "turning point for the world"
"There are some around the world... who say that we're better off making accommodations with tyranny... I believe they are profoundly wrong," the British leader told his Conservative Party's Spring conference in Blackpool, northwest England.
"To try to renormalise relations with Putin after this, as we did in 2014, would be to make exactly the same mistake again, and that is why Putin must fail.
"This is a turning point for the world and it's a moment of choice. It's a choice between freedom and oppression," he added.
His Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned Saturday that peace talks to end the conflict could be a "smokescreen" for more extreme Russian military manoeuvres.
"I'm very sceptical," Truss told The Times newspaper in an interview.
"What we've seen is an attempt to create space for the Russians to regroup. Their invasion isn't going according to plan.
"I fear the negotiation is yet another attempt to create a diversion and create a smokescreen. I don't think we're yet at a point for negotiation," she added.
Truss echoed comments by British intelligence that Putin could turn to "more and more extreme actions", noting "appalling atrocities already".
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE |
Russia says it used hypersonic Kinzhal missiles to destroy a large weapons depot in Ukraine's western Ivano-Frankivsk region: Reuters
Russia said on Saturday it had used hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles to destroy a large weapons depot in Ukraine's western Ivano-Frankivsk region. Russia's Interfax news agency said it was the first time Russia had deployed the hypersonic Kinzhal system since it sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE |
Dozens dead after military barracks hit in south Ukraine: AFP
Dozens of soldiers were killed after Russian troops struck a Ukrainian military barracks in the southern city of Mykolaiv, witnesses told AFP on Saturday while a rescue operation was underway.
"No fewer than 200 soldiers were sleeping in the barracks" when Russian troops struck early Friday, a Ukrainian serviceman on the ground, 22-year-old Maxim, told AFP without providing his last name. "At least 50 bodies have been recovered, but we do not know how many others are in the rubble," he said. Another soldier estimated that the bombing could have killed around 100 people. Authorities have not yet released an official death toll.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE |
Switzerland brands war in Ukraine 'devastating madness': AFP
Russia's war in Ukraine is driven by "devastating madness", and Switzerland is prepared to pay the price for defending freedom and democracy, Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said Saturday.
Switzerland has decided to impose the same sanctions on Russia as the European Union but Cassis insisted Switzerland's neutrality was not at stake.
However, he said Switzerland could not simply stand by in the "confrontation between democracy and barbarism", and was prepared to take an economic hit.
"On February 24, the face of the world changed, and not in a good way. We must valiantly and tirelessly defend freedom and democracy. This has a price. A price that Switzerland is ready to assume", he wrote in Le Temps newspaper.
"This war is driven by a devastating madness which shatters all the principles and values of our civilisation."
While the there was no question of an economic crisis or a downturn for now, Cassis said the conflict would have an impact on the Swiss economy.
He said the country would have to cope with "sustained and significant inflation and rising energy prices", while the Swiss franc currency would remain a safe haven, which will hit exports.
"There is no solution which, with a wave of a magic wand, would save Switzerland from the consequences resulting from the current situation", he added.
Cassis said Switzerland will not send military support to Ukraine but neutrality could not mean indifference.
"Switzerland cannot tolerate this war without reacting," he wrote.
"Russia has massively violated the prohibition of the use of force, a principle anchored in international law. By remaining inactive, Switzerland would have played the game of the aggressor."
The live blog session has concluded. For more news, views and updates, stay tuned with Moneycontrol.com.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | No evidence of Russia escalation in Syria amid Ukraine assault: US general
Russia does not appear to be looking to escalate the conflict in Syria, the leading U.S. general in the Middle East said on Friday, even as Moscow pursues its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian forces have remained in Syria since 2015 when they helped turn the tide in a civil war in favor of PresidentBasharal-Assad.The United States has roughly 900 troops in Syria, sometimes near Russian troops. While the interactions are generally safe and professional, a small number of U.S. troops were wounded in 2020 when a Russian military patrol slammed into their vehicle.
"We have no evidence that the Russians are intent on escalating anything in Syria," U.S. General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon."I don't see any evidence that the temperature is rising, particularly in Syria as a result of what's going on in Ukraine," McKenzie said, adding that the United States was watching it closely. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE |
USofficials have observed an uptick in the use of digital assets to facilitate illicit finance since Russia invaded Ukraine, but the transaction volume is too small to play a big role in helping Moscow evade sweeping sanctions, a senior Treasury official said. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Xi Jinping tells Joe Biden war in Ukraine needs to end as soon as possible: Chinese state media
Chinese President Xi Jinping told his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible, according to Chinese state media. "The top priorities now are to continue dialogue and negotiations, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, cease fighting and end the war as soon as possible," Xi told Biden on a video call.
All parties should jointly support the Russia-Ukraine dialogue and negotiations while the United States and NATO should also conduct talks with Russia to solve the "crux" of the Ukraine crisis and resolve the security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine, Xi said. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | Biden urges Xi to abandon Moscow over Ukraine amid fears for people in bombed theatre
US President Joe Biden sought to prevent Beijing giving new life to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a video call on Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Moscow pressed on with bombardments that have taken the place of military advances.
With Russia trying to regain the initiative in a stalled campaign, three missiles landed at an airport near Lviv, a city where hundreds of thousands thought they had found refuge far from Ukraine's battlefields.
The Russian defence ministry said it was "tightening the noose" around the besieged southern port of Mariupol, where officials said more than 1,000 people may still be trapped in makeshift bomb shelters beneath a destroyed theatre. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | US boycotts conflict diamond meetings chaired by Russia
The United States and Britain are boycotting some Kimberley Process meetings because they are chaired by Russia, in a sign of how geopolitical rifts due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine are affecting international diamond certification efforts.
The Kimberley Process, set up in 2003, is an 85-nation body that certifies rough diamond exports and monitors members' implementation of requirements aimed at stemming the flow of conflict diamonds.
The division risks causing stagnation at the Kimberley Process, undermining efforts to ensure better controls against conflict diamonds. The United States last week banned the import of Russian diamonds as part of sweeping economic sanctions on the country. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | Pope asserts Ukraine right to defense in blasting Russia war
Pope Francis on Friday denounced the “perverse abuse of power” on display in Russia’s war in Ukraine and called for aid to Ukrainians who he said had been attacked in their “identity, history and tradition” and were “defending their land.”
Francis’ comments, in a message to a gathering of European Catholic representatives, marked some of his strongest yet in asserting Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign state and to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. It came just days after Francis told the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, that the concept of a “just war” was obsolete since wars are never justifiable and that pastors must preach peace, not politics.
Those comments, during a video call Wednesday with Kirill, were an indirect jab at the patriarch’s apparent defense of the war. Kirill, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has seemingly justified the invasion by describing it as part of a struggle against sin and pressure from liberal foreigners to hold “gay parades.” He has blamed the West and a fellow Orthodox patriarch for fomenting enmity between Ukraine and Russia and echoed Putin in insisting they are “one people.” (AP)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | Zelenskky says hundreds still trapped under bombed theatre in Mariupol
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said rescue work was ongoing to save hundreds of people still believed to be trapped under the rubble of a bombed theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol.
Earlier, human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova reported 130 survivors had been rescued from the rubble, but said there was still no information on more than 1,000 other people official figures suggest were sheltering there when the bomb fell. Ukraine accuses Russia of carrying out the powerful air strike that destroyed the theatre on Wednesday. Russia has denied bombing the theatre or attacking civilians.
"There are still hundreds of Mariupol residents under the rubble. Despite the shelling, despite all the difficulties, we will continue the rescue work," Zelenskiy said in an online video address. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | At least 816 civilians killed in Ukraine since conflict began, UN says
The U.N. rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday that at least 816 civilians had been killed and 1,333 wounded in Ukraine through to March 17. Most of the casualties were from explosive weapons such as shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes, OHCHR said. The real toll is thought to be considerably higher since OHCHR, which has a large monitoring team in the country, has not yet been able to verify casualty reports from badly-hit cities like Mariupol.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Joe Biden, Xi Jinping talk on US push to get China lined up against Russia
US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping began a phone call Friday in which Biden will pressure his counterpart to join Western pressure against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, warning of "costs" if Beijing goes to the Kremlin's aid. The two leaders started the call, their first since a video summit in November, at 9:03 am (1303 GMT), the White House said.
The high stakes conversation will be a chance for Biden to try and persuade Xi to give up any idea of bailing out Russia from the effects of Western sanctions or even sending military assistance for Russia's onslaught against neighboring Ukraine. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told CNN on Friday that China should get off the fence and join forces with the West against President Vladimir Putin.
China should "understand that their future is with the United States, with Europe, with other developed and developing countries around the world. Their future is not to stand with Vladimir Putin," she said. Biden has successfully marshaled a tight Western alliance against Russia, while giving military support to Ukrainian forces. But Beijing has refused to condemn its fellow authoritarian ally, and Washington fears the Chinese could switch to full financial and military support for Russia, transforming an already explosive transatlantic standoff into a global dispute.
If that happened, not only could Beijing potentially help Putin weather sanctions and continue his war, but Western governments would face the painful decision of how to strike back at the world's second biggest economy, likely prompting turmoil on international markets. The White House was tight-lipped on whether Biden will threaten China with economic sanctions during his call, but some sort of response is on the table. Biden "will make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia's aggression and we will not hesitate to impose costs," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Britain, U.S. warn of satellite communications risks after Ukraine hack
Britain and the United States have warned organisations of the risks associated with using satellite communications following a cyberattack on satellite internet modems as Russia invaded Ukraine. Western intelligence agencies have been investigating the attack which disrupted broadband satellite internet access provided by U.S. telecommunications firm Viasat, Reuters reported last week.
"It's certainly something we're investigating quite actively - more than quite actually," a British official told reporters on Friday. "We've been talking extensively to UK organisations to give them a sense of how we can advise them on that point." The unidentified hackers disabled tens of thousands of modems that communicate with Viasat Inc's KA-SAT satellite, which supplies internet to some customers in Europe, including in Ukraine.
Late on Thursday, the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a joint statement which warned of the "possible threats to U.S. and international satellite communication (SATCOM) networks" in the wake of the attack.
SATCOM network providers and customers should increase their security and report any malicious activity given the "current geopolitical situation", the statement said. French government cybersecurity organisation ANSSI and Ukrainian intelligence are assessing whether the remote sabotage was the work of Russian-state backed hackers preparing the battlefield by attempting to sever communications, Reuters reported.
Russian troops have taken heavy losses while blasting residential areas in Ukraine to rubble, sending more than 3 million refugees fleeing. Moscow denies it is targeting civilians in what it calls a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour. The digital blitz on the satellite service began on Feb. 24 between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., the day Russian forces launched their invasion. "Were it to be ultimately attributed to Russia, it would very much fit within what we expect them to do, which is use their cyber capabilities to support, ultimately, their military campaign," the British official said.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Over 3.25 million have fled Ukraine, most to Poland
More than 3.25 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the United Nations said Friday, with more than two million crossing the Polish border. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 3,270,662 people had joined the exodus since the war began on February 24, or another 100,765 since Thursday's update. "We have seen a general slowdown" in flow since the early days of the conflict, said UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh.
As for people still within Ukraine who have left their homes, "It's safe to assume the number is considerably higher than two million", he said. However, "the pace and magnitude of the internal displacement and refugee exodus from Ukraine, as well as resulting humanitarian needs, will only increase if the situation deteriorates." Some 90 percent of those who have fled are women and children, he added. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are eligible for military call-up and cannot leave.
The UN's International Organization for Migration said that as of Wednesday, 162,000 third-country nationals had fled the country. The UNHCR initially estimated that up to four million people could leave Ukraine, but last week admitted that figure might well be revised upwards.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Baltic countries expel 10 Russian diplomats: Official
Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Friday announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, following in the steps of Bulgaria. "Latvia expels three Russian Embassy employees in connection with activities that are contrary to their diplomatic status and taking into account ongoing Russian aggression in #Ukraine. The decision has been coordinated with #Lithuania and #Estonia," Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted. Estonia has also expelled three diplomats and Lithuania four, according to their foreign ministries.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Russia tells Google to stop spreading threats against Russians on YouTube
Russia on Friday demanded that Alphabet Inc's Google stop spreading what it labelled as threats against Russian citizens on its YouTube video-sharing platform, a move that could presage an outright block of the service on Russian territory. Google representatives in Russia did not immediately respond to a request for comment by email. Google representatives outside Russia also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The regulator, Roskomnadzor, said adverts on the platform were calling for the communications systems of Russia and Belarus' railway networks to be suspended and that their dissemination was evidence of the U.S. tech giant's anti-Russian position. "The actions of YouTube's administration are of a terrorist nature and threaten the life and health of Russian citizens," the regulator said.
"Roskomnadzor categorically opposes such advertising campaigns and demands that Google stop broadcasting anti-Russia videos as soon as possible." It was the latest salvo in sharply escalating tensions between Moscow and foreign tech firms over Ukraine. YouTube, which has blocked Russian state-funded media globally, is under heavy pressure from Russia's communications regulator and politicians.
Outraged that Meta Platforms was allowing social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as "Death to the Russian invaders", Moscow has blocked Instagram this week, having already stopped Facebook access for what it said were restrictions on Russian media. In early March, Ukraine's "IT army" of volunteer hackers announced a new set of targets, which included the railway network in Belarus. Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, has served as a staging post for Russian forces entering Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Ukraine will not give up EU bid as compromise to Russia, says Ukrainian official
Ukraine will not abandon its bid to join the European Union to reach a compromise with Russia as part of an agreement to end the war, the deputy chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday. "I will be categorical, this is absolutely unacceptable. It is our choice, the application for EU membership has been submitted and now it is being put into practice," deputy chief of staff Andrii Sybiha said. Speaking on national television, Sybiha said negotiations with Russia were ongoing but difficult.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Vladimir Putin discusses Ukraine with Russian security council
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Moscow's conflict with Ukraine and its international repercussions with his security council on Friday, the Kremlin said on its website. Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called a special operation to degrade its neighbour's military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.
Unlike some of the previous meetings with the council, Putin's video conference was not televised on Friday. "The current international situation was discussed at the meeting and the exchange of views on the ongoing special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine continued," the Kremlin said in a statement. "The president informed the participants in great detail about his numerous international telephone calls," it read.
Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a phone call earlier on Friday that Kyiv was attempting to stall peace talks with Russia but that Moscow was still keen to continue negotiations. Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance to Russia's invasion and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces. Earlier, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said comments by U.S. President Joe Biden, in which he labelled Putin a "war criminal" and a "murderous dictator", were "personal insults" that appeared to have been fuelled by irritation, fatigue and forgetfulness.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Ukraine president to address Japan parliament next Wednesday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to deliver an online speech to Japan's parliament at around 6 p.m. Japan time (0900 GMT) on March 23, public broadcaster NHK said on Friday.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Ukraine president says he expects progress on EU membership bid within months
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he spoke with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Friday and Ukraine expects progress to be made on its application to join the European Union in the coming months. "Had substantial conversation with EC President," Zelenskiy said on Twitter. "EC opinion on UA (Ukraine) application for #EU membership will be prepared within few months. UA Government and EC are instructed. Moving to our strategic goal together."
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates
| The Embassy of India in Kyiv, Ukraine, issues an advisory for all Indian nationals in Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Russian official who spoke out against 'war' leaves post
Former Kremlin aide and ex-deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich on Friday stepped down as chair of the Skolkovo Foundation after becoming a rare official voice of dissent against Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine. Established in 2010, the Skolkovo Foundation has aimed to diversify the country's economy from oil and gas, foster start-ups and build a Russian version of Silicon Valley outside Moscow.
"Arkady Dvorkovich decided to terminate the powers of chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation and focus on the development of educational projects," Skolkovo said in a statement Friday. Dvorkovich, 49, is a veteran Russian government official. He had been chair of the foundation since 2018 and also served as a Kremlin aide and deputy prime minister. He did not say why he was leaving but praised the foundation for facilitating the development of a "huge number of successful start-ups". "Skolkovo has always been at the forefront of innovation in Russia, and today, I am sure, it will make every effort to build our country's own competitive economy," he said.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Bulgaria expels 10 Russian diplomats
Bulgaria's foreign ministry on Friday announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats for breaching international conventions on diplomatic ties. The formulation used by the ministry is often used to designate espionage. Sofia expelled two Russian diplomats earlier this month for similar reasons.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Kyiv says 222 killed in capital since start of war, including 60 civilians
Kyiv city authorities on Friday said 222 people had been killed in the capital since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, including 60 civilians and four children. A further 889 people have been wounded, including 241 civilians, the Kyiv city administration said in a statement.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Ukraine says 130 people have been rescued so far from bombed Mariupol theatre
Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova on Friday said 130 people had been rescued so far from the rubble of a theatre hit by an air strike on Wednesday in the besieged eastern city of Mariupol. In a televised address, Denisova said rescue work was ongoing at the site, where many people were sheltering underground before the building was hit, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | U.N. refugee agency says fewer Ukrainians fleeing
A U.N. refugee agency official said on Friday that daily crossings by people fleeing violence in Ukraine have slowed in recent days, saying warmer weather might be a factor. "We have seen a slowdown, a general slowdown," said Matthew Saltmarsh via videolink from Poland, adding that warmer weather might be a factor. However, he warned that any escalation of violence in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv might cause crossings to rise again.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Kremlin calls Joe Biden irritable and forgetful, says he insulted Vladimir Putin
The Kremlin on Friday called comments by U.S. President Joe Biden about his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "personal insults" and said Biden's remarks appeared to have been fuelled by irritation, fatigue and forgetfulness. Biden has labelled Putin a "war criminal" and a "murderous dictator" in recent days after the Russian leader last month sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what he called a special operation to degrade its military capabilities and root out people he called dangerous nationalists.
"We hear and see statements that are actually personal insults to President Putin," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "Given such irritability from Mr Biden, his fatigue and sometimes forgetfulness...fatigue that leads to aggressive statements, we will not make harsh assessments, so as not to cause more aggression." Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance against Russian forces and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow in an effort to force it to withdraw.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Poland to propose Ukraine peacekeeping mission at NATO summit, says PM Mateusz Morawiecki
Poland will formally submit a proposal for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine at the next NATO summit, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday. Poland's ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced the idea of a peacekeeping mission during a trip to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Vladimir Putin tells Olaf Scholz that Kyiv is stalling peace talks with Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a phone call on Friday that Kyiv was attempting to stall peace talks with Russia but that Moscow was still keen to continue negotiations. "It was noted that the Kyiv regime is attempting in every possible way to delay the negotiation process, putting forward more and more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin said in a readout of the call. "Nonetheless the Russian side is ready to continue searching for a solution in line with its well-known principled approaches."
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Norway prepares for up to 100,000 Ukraine refugees, PM Jonas Gahr Stoere says
Norway believes the country will receive around 30,000 Ukrainian refugees this year but is preparing for a situation in which up to 100,000 may arrive as more people flee the Russian invasion, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told parliament on Friday. If arrivals in Norway were to approach the highest of those forecasts, the nation of 5.4 million people would have to house refugees in sports arenas, warehouses and even tents, he added.
"That's not the most probable outcome but we must have plans and be prepared because it could happen," Stoere said. Some 3.2 million people have fled Ukraine in the last three weeks, almost all to Poland and other neighbouring countries, United Nations data shows. Around 2,000 refugees have so far arrived in Norway and the government on Thursday said it will soon receive an additional 5,250 people, including 2,500 who have fled to Moldova and 550 people in need of medical care. Norway, which shares a border with Russia, plans to boost spending this year on defence and security by 3.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($398 million) due to the Ukraine war, Stoere said.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of stalling talks: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Ukrainian authorities of stalling talks, but added that Moscow was ready to search for solutions as he spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "It was noted that the Kyiv regime is trying in every possible way to stall negotiations, putting forward more and more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin said after the phone call. "Nevertheless, the Russian side is ready to continue to search for solutions in line with its well-known principled approaches."
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | Missiles strike Lviv as Joe Biden pressures Xi Jinping to abandon Moscow
Russia fired missiles at an airport near Lviv on Friday, a city where hundreds of thousands of refugees are sheltering far from Ukraine's battlefields, as Moscow tries to regain the initiative in its stalled campaign against Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden was due to talk with Chinese president Xi Jinping later on Friday, in an attempt to starve Russia's war machine by isolating Moscow from the one big power that has yet to condemn its assault.
More than three weeks since President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion to subdue what he calls an artificial state undeserving of nationhood, Ukraine's elected government is still standing and Russian forces have not captured a single big city. Russian troops have taken heavy losses while blasting residential areas to rubble, sending more than 3 million refugees fleeing. Moscow denies it is targeting civilians in what it calls a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour.
"Russian forces have made minimal progress this week," Britain's defence ministry said in a daily military intelligence update. "Ukrainian forces around Kyiv and Mykolaiv continue to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled and subject to heavy Russian shelling." At least three blasts were heard near Lviv's airport on Friday morning, with videos on social media showing large explosions and mushroom-shaped plumes of smoke rising.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates | More than two million Ukraine refugees in Poland
Poland's border guards said Friday that more than two million refugees had crossed into the EU member from neighbouring Ukraine since the February 24 Russian invasion. "At 9 am the number of refugees from Ukraine exceeded two million. It is mainly women with children," the guards said on Twitter.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| (IEA) urges governments to implement 'emergency measures' to cut oil demand amid supply fears
The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Friday unveiled a 10-point plan to reduce oil use focused mostly on reducing transportation as Russia's invasion of Ukraine deepens concerns about supply. "Since the majority of oil demand comes from transport, the IEAs 10-Point Plan focuses on how to use less oil getting people and goods from A to B, drawing on concrete measures that have already been put to use in a diverse range of countries and cities," the IEA said in a report. The recommendations could reduce oil demand by 2.7 million barrels a day within four months, the IEA said, with measures including lower speed limits, working from home, car-free days in cities, cheaper public transport and more carpooling.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| Over 2 million Ukrainian refugees have entered Poland, says border guard
Over 2 million refugees have entered Poland from Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, the Polish border guard said on Friday. "Today, March 18 at 0900 (local time) the number of refugees from Ukraine exceeded 2 million. Mainly women and children," the border guard wrote on Twitter. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| Atleast 3 killed in shelling of eastern cities on Friday morning, says Ukraine
Ukraine's state emergency service said a multi-storey teaching building was shelled on Friday morning in the eastern city of Kharkiv, killing one person, wounding 11 and trapping one person in the rubble. Shells also hit the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Friday, killing two people and wounding six, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in an online post. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| Norway prepares for up to 100,000 Ukraine refugees this year, says PM
Norway believes the country will receive around 30,000 Ukrainian refugees this year but is preparing for a situation in which up to 100,000 may arrive as more people flee the Russian invasion, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told parliament on Friday. Some 3.2 million people have fled Ukraine in the last three weeks, almost all to Poland and other neighbouring countries, United Nations data shows. Around 2,000 have so far arrived in Norway.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| French government spokesperson says sanctions starting to have impact on Russia
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Friday sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia in reaction to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine were starting to have a "real impact". "We hope these sanctions will force (Russian President) Vladimir Putin to change his plans," Attal told BFM TV. Earlier this week, European Union member states agreed on a fourth package of sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| One killed, four wounded after parts of missile fall in northern Kyiv
One person was killed and 4 wounded after parts of a Russian missile fell on a residential building in the northern part of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday morning, emergencies services said. The services said in a statement that 12 people were rescued and 98 were evacuated from the 5-storey building.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| Russian troops, separatist allies fight in Mariupol city centre: AFP
Russian troops and their separatist allies were fighting on Friday in the centre of Mariupol, a strategic port city in the southeast of Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said. "In Mariupol, units of the Donetsk People's Republic, with the support of the Russian armed forces, are squeezing the encirclement and fighting against nationalists in the city centre," the ministry said in Moscow.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| Fighting on in Mariupol city centre, says Russian defence ministry: AFP
Fighting on in Mariupol city centre, says Russian defence ministry: AFP reports
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| Ukraine says it stands firm on recognition of 1991 borders
Ukraine's president has not altered his stance that his country's borders must be recognised as the frontiers it had at the time of the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, an aide said on Thursday. The comments by political adviser Oleksiy Arestovych appeared designed to douse any talk of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy allowing border changes to secure a deal with Russia to end its invasion of its neighbour. Ukraine's president has not altered his stance that his country's borders must be recognised as the frontiers it had at the time of the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, an aide said on Thursday. The comments by political adviser Oleksiy Arestovych appeared designed to douse any talk of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy allowing border changes to secure a deal with Russia to end its invasion of its neighbour. Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and Russia has recognised declarations of independence by the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbass area of eastern Ukraine which rose up against Kyiv's rule. Those two regions and Crimea were part of Ukraine when it declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and continue to be recognised by the United Nations as part of Ukraine.Zelenskiy has said repeatedly that he will not compromise on his country's "territorial integrity."
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| India deeply concerned over deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine: Tirumurti
India, which ensured the safe return of about 22,500 of its citizens from Ukraine, also assisted in the evacuation of nationals from 18 other countries, India's top envoy at the UN has said, as he voiced concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the war-torn country. Speaking at the UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine on Thursday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said there was an "urgent need to address the humanitarian needs of the affected population. He underscored that it is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. Read More
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE| Japan imposes more sanctions on Russian officials, 9 firms, and arms exporter
Japan said on Friday it will impose sanctions on 15 Russian individuals and nine organisations, including defence officials and the state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport. The sanctions, which include the freezing of assets, are the latest in a series of measures by Japan following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Japan has now put sanctions on 76 individuals, seven banks and 12 other organisations in Russia, according to the finance ministry. The government said on Friday Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and several military equipment makers including United Aircraft Corp, which manufactures fighter jets, would be sanctioned. Read More
