Russia-Ukraine crisis: Russia claims bombed Ukraine mall was used to store rocket systems

The mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar arrived in Bengaluru and before reaching his home town of Chalaegri on Monday, with the CM, heads of religious institutions and others playing their last respects to the deceased medical student. Russian forces continued to bombard the besieged coastal city of Mariupol on Sunday and were also deporting thousands of residents to Russia against their will, according to city officials and witnesses. While nearly half the population has left the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the first weeks of war, many other residents have chosen to stay. Stay tuned for updates.

Leading Russian chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has been suspended from playing for six months for publicly supporting Russia's invasion ofUkraine, the game's world governing body FIDE announced Monday. (AFP)

Russia claims bombed Ukraine mall was used to store rocket systems.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on China Monday to play an "important role" in efforts to resolve Kyiv's conflict with Moscow.

Russia has decided to withdraw from peace treaty talks with Japan following sanctions imposed by Tokyo overUkraine, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday. (Reuters)

I am confident that by attacking us, Russia will return to 'the wicked 90s', says Zelenskyy

UK summons Russian defence attaché over Ukraine invasion

Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Monday it had summoned the Russian defence attaché for a second time in relation to Moscow's invasion ofUkraineand the conduct of Russia's armed forces. (Reuters)

Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom warned on Monday that radiation levels around the occupied Chernobyl nuclear plant risked rising because its radiation monitoring system and forest fire-fighting service were not working. (Reuters)

Russia's security service urges immediate Meta ban

Russia's FSB national security service asked a court Monday to "immediately" ban US tech giant Meta, accusing it of working against Moscow's interests during its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

The court was considering a request by prosecutors to designate Meta -- the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp -- as an "extremist" organisation and ban it. (AFP)

Nearly 3.5 million Ukrainians flee the country: UN

Nearly 3.5 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia's invasion, the United Nations said Monday, praising neighbouring countries for showing overwhelming compassion towards their "extreme plight".

More than 10 million people -- over a quarter of the population in regions under government control -- are now thought to have fled their homes, including the millions of internally displaced people.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 3,489,644 Ukrainians had fled the country since Russia invaded on February 24 -- a figure up 100,600 on Sunday's update. (AFP) (Reuters Photo)

German exports to Russia increased strongly before Ukraine war

Germany's exports toRussiagrew sharply immediately before the war against Ukraine due to an increase in foreign trade prices, German Federal Statistics Office Destatis said on Monday.

The exports rose 20.3% to 2.4 billion euro ($2.65 billion) in February compared to the same month a year earlier, the statistics office said in a statement. (Reuters)

Russia attacks Zhytomyr Oblast with Grad rocket launchers, 4 people killed: Report

Around 22,500 Indian nationals returned to India from Ukraine between February 1 and March 11, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Monday. (PTI)

Kyiv mayor announces new curfew from late Monday to Wednesday morning

PM Morrison expressed understanding for India's position on Ukraine: FS Shringla on PM Modi's talks with his Australian counterpart

Kremlin says peace talks with Ukraine yet to yield breakthrough

The Kremlin said on Monday that peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv had yet to yield any major breakthroughs and called on countries that can exert influence over Ukraine to use their clout to make Kyiv more constructive at the negotiations.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said significant progress in the talks still had to be made for there to be a basis for a possible meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

European embargo on Russian oil 'will hit everyone': Kremlin to EU

Kremlin warns that European embargo on Russian oil 'will hit everyone'

Despite some progress in ending conflict, big gaps remain: Israeli PM Naftali Bennett

Mortal remains of Naveen Gyanagoudar is being taken out in a procession at Chalageri village in Haveri district

Govt considering measures to reduce medical fees in the state: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the government is considering measures to reduce the fees for medical course in the state and also National Medical Council (NMC) is looking into it, following theUkrainecrisis, aimed at facilitating more students to study here.

He also said that the Centre is considering alternative measures for medical students, who have returned from war-tornUkraine, before completing their course.

In interaction with PM Modi, Australia PM says Russia must be held accountable for tragic loss of lives

Russian troops stalled outside Kyiv, British intelligence says

Russian forces advancing on theUkrainecapital Kyiv from the northeast have stalled, British intelligence said on Monday, asUkrainerejected Russian calls for defenders to lay down their arms in the besieged city of Mariupol.

Russian shells hit houses and a shopping district in Kyiv's Podil district late on Sunday killing at least four people, city authorities said, following a relative lull in the fighting over the weekend.

Bommai, MLAs pay last respects to Naveen

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai paid last respect to mortal remains of Naveen Gyanagoudar at Chalageri in Haveri district on Monday. He was accompanied by Davangere MP G M Siddeshwar, Haveri MP Shikumar Udasi, MLA MP Renukacharya, Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar.

Bombing on Kyiv mall kills six

At least six people were killed in an overnight bombing on a shopping centre in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, an AFP journalist said Monday.

Six bodies were laid out in front of the "Retroville" shopping mall in the northwest of Kyiv, according to the journalist.

Veerashaiva-Lingayat Panchamasali Peeta head Vachanananda Swami offers floral tribute to mortal remains of Naveen Gyanagoudar at Chalageri village in Haveri district

Naveen's father is seen after his son's body arrived in their hometown of Chalageri in Haveri district.

Family pays last respects as Naveen's body brought home to Chalageri in Haveri district

Ammonia leak reported at chemicals plant in Ukraine's Sumy

There is an ammonia leak at a chemicals plant in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy besieged by Russian troops, Sumy regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyy said on Monday.

Zhyvytskyy did not say what had caused the leak reported at 04:30 local time (0800 IST) at the Sumykhimprom plant. He said the area within a five-kilometre radius around the plant was hazardous.

At least four killed by shelling in Kyiv's Podil district: Officials

Shelling hit residential houses and a shopping district in Kyiv's Podil district late on Sunday, killing at least four people, city authorities said.

"According to the information we have at the moment, several homes and one of the shopping centres [were hit]," city mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel.

He said rescue teams were putting out a large fire at the shopping centre, while other details are still to be confirmed. The Kyiv department of the state emergency service said four people had been killed.

Biden to travel to Poland Friday to discuss Ukraine crisis: White House

US President Joe Biden will travel to Poland on Friday to meet with President Andrzej Duda for discussions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the White House said Sunday.

"The President will discuss how the United States, alongside our Allies and partners, is responding to the humanitarian and human rights crisis that Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war on Ukraine has created," the White House said in a statement, adding that Biden's trip will come after a visit to Belgium to meet with leaders from NATO, the G7 and the European Union.

Mortal remains of Karnataka student killed in Ukraine arrives in Bengaluru; CM pays homage

The mortal remains of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, the Karnataka student who was killed during shelling by the Russian forces in Ukraine's Kharkiv city on March 1, has reached the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) in Bengaluru in the wee hours of Monday.

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Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Israel good place for holding talks with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Israel was undertaking many efforts to arrange top-level peace talks between his country and Russia and suggested they might take place in Jerusalem.

Zelenskyy, speaking in his daily video appeal to Ukrainians after addressing Israel's parliament by video link, said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been trying to act as an intermediary between Kyiv and Moscow.

Ukraine says no question of surrendering city of Mariupol - media

There is no question of Ukraine giving up the city of Mariupol and laying down arms, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said early on Monday.

"There can be no question of any surrender, laying down of arms," the Ukrainska Pravda news portal cited Vereshchuk as saying. "We have already informed the Russian side about this."