Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Ukraine air defence shot down most Russian missiles

Explosions rocked Ukraine's Lviv, which borders Poland, amid a recent visit by US President Joe Biden and Poland's suggestion to send a NATO peacekeeping force to Ukraine. The war of words between the White House and Kremlin intensified as Biden called Putin a 'butcher' and called for his removal. The Kremlin responded swiftly saying that Russians decide on their leader and it was not for Biden to decide. Stay tuned to DH for live updates.

France says world powers must 'keep talking' with Putin

International powers must keep talking withRussia's President Vladimir Putin until he is ready to end his invasion of Ukraine, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday.

Le Drian told a conference in Doha that Putin had not achieved any of his aims, but that there had to be a ceasefire around the bombarded Ukrainian city of Mariupol before there could be negotiations.

Russia fired record number of missiles, Ukraine’s air defence shot down most of them

Next round of talks between Russia, Ukraine to take place from March 28-30 in Turkey

Heavy smoke rises after rocket strikes in Ukraine's Lviv

Ukrainian forces Sunday continued to make progress along multiple fronts in pushing back the Russian advance on Kyiv, the capital. Most notably, the Ukrainian military said that a large formation of Russian soldiers had fallen back to an area around the now-defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant to regroup after suffering heavy losses.

As President Joe Biden returned to Washington after three days of rallying allies in Europe, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine stepped up his calls for the West to provide planes and tanks and other weapons to help his army defeat Russian aggression.

3.8 million people flee Ukraine: UN

More than 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion a month ago, UN figures showed Sunday, but the flow of refugees has slowed down markedly.

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Macron warned against calling Putin a 'butcher'

“I wouldn’t use terms like that because I’m still in talks with President Putin,” the French President said during an interview. Prior, USPresident Joe Biden called Putin a “butcher,” a “murderous dictator” & “a pure thug.”

People rally against Russian invasion in occupied Kherson Oblast.

According to Suspilne news outlet, people gathered for a peaceful protest in Kakhovka, in Kherson Oblast, holding Ukrainian flags. A rally against Russian occupation also took place in Kherson.

Ukraine is working to remove Russia from the IAEA for 'nuclear terrorism'

UK to provide £3 million to Ukrainians involved in academic research.

Ukrainians involved in academic research will be assisted if they choose to continue their work in Britain. “The UK will also not fund any new collaborative projects with Russia,” the statement read

Japan's three major banks suspend dollar transactions with Russia's Sberbank.

Pope evokes spectre of Ukraine war sparking global conflict

The threat of a global conflict spawned by Russia's invasion of Ukraine should convince everyone that the time has come for humanity to abolish war before it abolishes humanity, Pope Francis said on Sunday.

"More than a month has passed since the invasion of Ukraine, since the start of this cruel and senseless war, which, like every war, is a defeat for everyone, for all of us," he said to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his Sunday blessing.

"We must repudiate war, a place of death where fathers and mothers bury their children, where men kill their brothers without even seeing them, where the powerful decide and the poor die," he said. - Reuters.

How Kyiv changed during the war

Ceasefire and withdrawal of troops from Ukraine are imperative before sanctions on Russia are lifted: UK

Losses of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine

Turkey says Ankara and others must talk to Russia to help end Ukraine war

Turkey and other states must still talk to Russia to help end the war in Ukraine, Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Sunday, adding that Kyiv needed more support to defend itself.

"If everybody burns bridges with Russia then who is going to talk to them at the end of the day," Ibrahim Kalin told the Doha international forum. "Ukrainians need to be supported by every means possible so they can defend themselves ... but the Russian case must be heard, one way or the other." - Reuters.

Ukraine war could lead to food riots in poor countries: WTO

Rocketing global food prices as a result of the war in Ukraine could trigger riots from those going hungry in poor countries, the head of the World Trade Organization has said.

"I think we should be very worried. The impact on food prices and hunger this year and next could be substantial. Food and energy are the two biggest items in the consumption baskets of poor people all over the world," Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said.

"It is poor countries and poor people within poor countries that will suffer the most." - IANS.

Russia trying to split Ukraine in two, Ukraine intelligence chief says

Russia is trying to split Ukraine in two to create a Moscow-controlled region after failing to take over the whole country, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence said on Sunday.

"In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine," Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement, adding that Ukraine would soon launch guerrilla warfare in Russian-occupied territory. - Reuters.

Abandoned animals join Ukraine's war exodus

At the "Home for Rescued Animals" in the city of Lviv, exotic creatures are now sheltered alongside everyday pets -- those left behind in the rush of refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Head of self-proclaimed Luhansk Republic in east Ukraine says it may hold a referendum soon on joining Russia

US has no strategy of regime change in Russia, Blinken says

The United States has no strategy of regime change for Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Sunday after President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power".

"I think the president, the White House, made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else," Blinken said during a visit to Jerusalem.

"As you know, and as you have heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia - or anywhere else, for that matter." - Reuters.

30,000 Ukrainian refugees reach France

Some 30,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in France, with half of them travelling through the country to other places such as Spain, French housing minister Emmanuelle Wargon said Sunday.

Wargon told Franceinfo radio the government was preparing to welcome 100,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

France has been granting temporary European Union stay permits to Ukrainian refugees, which allows them to have access to schools and to work in the country.

Before the war, the Ukrainian community in France numbered 40,000. - Reuters.

War is expected to have a considerable impact on the global economy, says ECB president Lagarde

A Russian self-propelled artillery gun stands destroyed following a battle in the town of Trostyanets, Sumy region. Credit: AFP Photo/General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Russia struck Ukraine's Lviv with cruise missiles

Russia struck military targets in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv with high-precision cruise missiles, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday. - Reuters.

Zelenskyy: Russia sowing a deep hatred among Ukrainians

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy angrily warned Moscow that it is sowing a deep hatred for Russia among his people, as constant artillery barrages and aerial bombings are reducing cities to rubble, killing civilians and driving others into shelters, leaving them to scrounge for food and water to survive.

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Why Telegram became the go-to app for Ukrainians

For weeks, Russia’s military assault on Ukraine has been complemented by full-fledged information warfare. The Kremlin has propagandised Russian state media, and is trying to control the narrative online too.

We’ve seen a bombardment of “imposter content” circulating – including fake news reports and deepfake videos – while Ukranians and the rest of the world have scrambled to find ways to tell the real story of the invasion.

The instant messaging app Telegram has surfaced as one of the most important channels through which to do so. But what is it about Telegram that has millions flocking to it amid the chaos?

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Ukraine deputy PM says two humanitarian corridor agreed for today from Luhansk and Donetsk, includes people leaving Mariupol in private cars

Ukraine insists on security guarantees in peace talks

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyiv insists on a system of security guarantees for Ukraine as one of the key elements of negotiations with Russia, the presidential press service reported.

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Ukraine interior minister adviser says Russia bringing more forces on rotation, may make another attempt at forward advances

Ukraine exports first grain by train to Europe

Traders have exported the first supplies of Ukrainian corn to Europe by train as the country's sea ports remain blocked due to the Russian invasion, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said on Sunday.

Ukraine is a global major grain grower and exporter and almost all its exports have traditionally been shipped from its Black Sea ports. Monthly grain exports exceeded 5 million tonnes before the war.

Traders and agriculture official have said Ukraine, which still has significant volumes of grain in stock, may start exporting by train via its western border. - Reuters.

Ukraine interior minister adviser says Russia beginning to destroy our oil depots and food warehouses

Russia has started destroying Ukrainian fuel and food storage depots, meaning the government will have to disperse the stocks of both in the near future, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said on Sunday. - Reuters.

No staff rotation at Chernobyl for a week: IAEA

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Ukrainian authorities have informed that there has been no staff rotation at the now-defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant due to the takeover of the nearby city of Slavutych by Russian forces.

In a statement, the UN nuclear watchdog said it was informed on Saturday that the city, where a large number of the plant's staffers live, was seized by the Russian troops, making it difficult for the workers to regularly rotate and return to their homes. - IANS.

Ukraine asks Red Cross not to open office in Russia's Rostov-on-Don

Ukraine has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross not to open a planned office in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, saying it would legitimise Moscow's "humanitarian corridors" and the abduction and forced deportation of Ukranians.

The head of the ICRC said on Thursday after his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that agreement between the Russian and Ukrainian armies was needed before civilians could be evacuated properly from war-torn Ukraine. - Reuters.

Russian forces took control of a town where staff working at the Chernobyl nuclear site live and briefly detained the mayor, sparking protests, Ukrainian officials said Saturday.

"I have been released. Everything is fine, as far as it is possible under occupation," Yuri Fomichev, mayor of Slavutych, told AFP by phone, after officials in the Ukraine capital Kyiv announced earlier he had been detained.

Earlier, the military administration of the Kyiv region, which covers Slavutych, announced that Russian troops had entered the town and occupied the municipal hospital.

They also said that the mayor had been detained.

Stock markets are likely to witness volatility this week amid monthly derivatives expiry, ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and high crude oil prices, analysts said.

Geopolitical tensions and supply-side concerns would continue to dominate investor sentiment, they added.

"This week, we will have March month F&O expiry that may provide a direction to this range-bound market. Global equity markets are also rebounding and showing some signs of stabilization, however, there are still uncertainties about the Russia-Ukraine issue that may continue to cause volatility in global markets.

As he capped a four-day trip to Europe, a blend of emotive scenes with refugees and standing among other world leaders in grand settings, Biden said of Putin: “For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.”

President Joe Biden delivered a forceful and highly personal condemnation of Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday, summoning a call for liberal democracy and a durable resolve among Western nations in the face of a brutal autocrat.

It was a dramatic escalation in rhetoric — Biden had earlier called Putin a “butcher” — that the White House found itself quickly walking back.

Before Biden could even board Air Force One to begin the flight back to Washington, aides were clarifying that he wasn't calling for an immediate change in government in Moscow.

Russian rockets struck the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday while President Joe Biden visited neighbouring Poland, a reminder that Moscow is willing to strike anywhere in Ukraine despite its claim to be focusing its offensive on the country's ea

The back-to-back airstrikes shook the city that has become a haven for an estimated 200,000 people who have had to flee their hometowns.

Lviv had been largely spared since the invasion began, although missiles struck an aircraft repair facility near the main airport a week ago.

US President Joe Biden on Saturday castigated Vladimir Putin over the month-old war in Ukraine, bluntly calling the Russian leader "a butcher" who "cannot remain in power"

In an impassioned speech from the Royal Castle in Warsaw, delivered after meeting top Ukrainian ministers in Poland and earlier conferring with NATO and EU allies on the conflict, Biden plainly warned Russia: "Don't even think about moving on one single inch of NATO territory."

Although the White House moved quickly to temper Biden's unprecedented comments on Putin -- insisting the US leader is not seeking "regime change" in Russia and was referring to Putin's influence over neighbours in the region -- the Kremlin made its displeasure clear.

Latest developments on Russia-Ukraine crisis

1. President Joe Biden calls his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power" after meeting top Ukrainian ministers for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

2. More than 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion a month ago, the UN says. The UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, says 3,772,599 Ukrainians have fled the country -- an increase of 46,793 from the previous day's figure. Around 90 percent of them are women and children. The UN estimates that another 6.5 million people are displaced in Ukraine.

3. In his latest video address, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterates a call for planes while urging allies to supply Ukraine with more weapons. "We need more ammunition. We need it to protect not only Ukraine but other Eastern European countries that Russia threatened to invade," he says. "What is NATO is doing? Is it being run by Russia? What are they waiting for? It's been 31 days. We are only asking for one percent of what NATO has, nothing more."

4. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says UK sanctions against Russia could be lifted if Moscow commits to a full ceasefire and withdraws its troops. Truss says the Kremlin must also agree to "no further aggression" towards Ukraine for the British sanctions imposed on hundreds of people and entities to remain eased. "Sanctions should only come off with a full ceasefire and withdrawal, but also commitments that there will be no further aggression," Truss tells the Sunday Telegraph.

5. At least five people are wounded in two barrages of strikes that damage infrastructure including a fuel storage facility in a rare attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Mayor Andriy Sadovy says the fuel storage facility caught fire after the first strikes, while the second round inflicted "considerable damage" to a defence facility in a residential area.

6. Russian forces take control of a town where staff working at the Chernobyl nuclear site live and briefly detain the mayor, sparking protests, Ukrainian officials say.

"I have been released. Everything is fine, as far as it is possible under occupation," Yuri Fomichev, mayor of Slavutych, tells AFP by phone, but later reports the death of three civilians.

7. Ukraine says its forces have recaptured the northeast town of Trostianets, near the Russian border, one of the first towns taken in the Russian invasion. Its defence ministry publishes images showing Ukrainian soldiers and civilians among heavily damaged buildings, and what appeared to be abandoned Russian military equipment along with a signpost to the town.

8. The mayor of Ukraine's capital Kyiv cancels a curfew announced just hours earlier for the next day. "New information from the military command: the Kyiv curfew will not enter into force tomorrow," mayor Vitali Klitschko announces on Telegram.

9. Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu reappears on television after a two-week absence from view prompted questions from journalists.

No dates accompany the images on state television, but Shoigu refers to a finance ministry meeting that took place on Friday.

10 Russia's "bragging" about its nuclear weapons is fuelling a dangerous arms race, Zelensky tells the Doha Forum.

"They are bragging that they can destroy with nuclear weapons not only a certain country but the entire planet," Zelensky says in a live video message to the forum.

Ukraine's leader calls on Qatar to increase production of natural gas to counter Russian threats to use energy as a weapon.

11. Russia denies it is planning to call up reservists, denouncing what it claims are "false" summons to Russian men by Kyiv's security services.

"The Russian defence ministry is not summoning and does not plan to summon any reservists to the military commissariats," spokesman Igor Konashenkov says in a statement.

12. Russia's oligarchs can continue to do business in Turkey so long as they respect national and international law, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says.

Turkey has described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "unacceptable" and has offered its services as a mediator to help end the war, but has not joined the sanctions imposed by the United States and EU member states.

US to provide $100 million in new security assistance to Ukraine

The money is intended to enhance the capacity of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs to provide border security, sustain law enforcement functions, and safeguard critical governmental infrastructure.

(The Kyiv Independent)

'Not for Biden to decide, we decide our own President,' says Kremlin spokesperson on Biden's comments

The Kremlin dismissed a remark by US President Joe Biden on Saturday that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," saying it was up to Russians to choose their own president.Asked about Biden's comment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: "That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians."

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Bulletproof vests and helmets will be equated with humanitarian aid, says Ukraine

The resolution was adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. This solution greatly simplifies the supply of equipment to Ukraine because now you only need to fill out one document for import.

(NEXTA)

Impossible to save Mariupol without additional tanks, says Zelenskyy

“Ukraine cannot shoot down Russian missiles with shotguns and machine guns,” the president said during his latest address.

He said that Ukraine is waiting too long for the required weapons. “Who is leading the Euro-Atlantic community? Is it still Moscow through intimidation?” Zelenskyy said.

(The Kyiv Independent)

Russia sanctions could be eased with peace, guarantees: UK's Truss

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Saturday that UK sanctions againstRussiaover its invasion of Ukraine could be lifted if Moscow committed to a full ceasefire and withdrew its troops.

In a wide-ranging newspaper interview, Truss said the Kremlin must also agree to "no further aggression" towards Ukraine for the British sanctions imposed on hundreds of people and entities to remain eased.