Russia-Ukraine Crisis: 'Israel decided to save Jews... it's time to back Ukraine,' says Zelenskyy

Amid discussions on India's stance and the US threatening China against supporting Russia, the aggressors continued to shell and bomb Ukraine. Reports of forced evacuation of Ukrainians to Russia sparked international outrage. Meanwhile, France seized Russian assets while Germany signed a pact with Qatar to fulfil its energy needs and reduce dependence on Russian imports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke to Israeli lawmakers, urging them to back Ukraine. Stay tuned to DH for live updates.

China envoy says Beijing not sending arms to Russia at present

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

There will be consequences for China if it decides to provide substantial military or financial support to Russia: US Ambassador to UN

There will be consequences for China if it decides to provide substantial military or financial support to the Russians that allow them to escape sanctions, a top American diplomat warned on Sunday.

In a call with China’s President Xi Jinping on Saturday, US President Joe Biden “detailed the implications and consequences” if Beijing were to provide “material support toRussia” in its attacks against Ukraine, the White House has said.

US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told CNN in an interview that Biden was clear about his discussion with Xi, in which he made “our position very well-known that there will be consequences if China decides to provide substantial military or financial support to the Russians that allow them to avoid the sanctions.”

Zelenskyy says 'time for Israel to make its choice' and back Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday urged Israel to abandon its effort to maintain neutrality followingRussia's invasion, saying the time had come for the Jewish state to firmly back his country.

"Ukraine made the choice to save Jews 80 years ago," Zelenskyy said in an address to Israeli lawmakers which at several points compared Russian aggression to the Holocaust.

"Now it's time for Israel to make its choice."

'Ukraine cannot compromise on territorial integrity,' says Zelenskyy

"Ukraine cannot compromise on its territorial integrity," President Zelenskyy told CNN. He said that Ukrainians won’t accept any deal involving the loss of territory or sovereignty. “There are compromises for which we cannot be ready as an independent state,” said Zelenskyy.

(The Kyiv Independent)

Ukrainian journalist released from Russian captivity

Oleh Baturin, a journalist from Russian-occupied Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, went missing on March 12. “I was beaten, humiliated, threatened. They said they would kill me. They wanted to break me,” said Baturin.

(The Kyiv Independent)

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

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

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

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

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

Many of Mariupol's 400,000 residents have been trapped for more than two weeks asRussiaseeks to take control of the city.

Zelenskyy ready for negotiations

"If there is just one percent chance for us to stop this war, I think that we need to take this chance... to have the possibility of negotiating, the possibility of talking to Putin," Zelenskyy said. "If these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third world war." (AFP)

Flow of Ukrainian refugees testing limits of central Europe's capacity

Officials in Central Europe voiced concern on Sunday that they were reaching capacity to comfortably house some of the nearly 3.5 million refugees who have fled Ukraine sinceRussia's invasion and are now camped in temporary accommodation.

Most of the Ukrainians have arrived at border points in Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, data compiled by the UNrefugee agency shows, putting pressure on the European Union countries now attempting to shelter them.

Turkey says Russia, Ukraine 'close to agreement'

Turkey on Sunday saidRussiaand Ukraine made progress on their negotiations to halt the invasion and the two warring sides were close to an agreement. "Of course, it is not an easy thing to come to terms with while the war is going on, while civilians are killed, but we would like to say that momentum is still gained," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in live comments from the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

"We see that the parties are close to an agreement."

Germany clinches Qatar energy deal to reduce Russian dependence

Germany and Qatar have reached a long-term energy partnership, a German official said on Sunday, as Europe's biggest economy seeks to become less dependent on Russian energy sources.

Russiais the largest supplier of gas to Germany and German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has launched several initiatives to lessen Germany's energy dependence onRussiasince it invaded its neighbour Ukraine.

France freezes assets, amounting to 22 billion euros, of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation: Ministry of Economy

Front lines frozen, Russia does not have enough troops to advance, says Ukraine presidential adviser

Ten million have fled their homes in Ukraine: UN

Ten million people have now fled their homes in Ukraine due toRussia's "devastating" war, the United Nations refugees chief said Sunday.

"The war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million have fled either displaced inside the country, or as refugees abroad," the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Twitter.

Volodymir Zelenskyy signs a decree on unified broadcasting for all Ukrainian TV channels under martial law

Russian elite considering to overthrow Putin, claims Ukraine

Ukraine’s military intelligence claim that Russia’s elites scheme to overthrow Putin to restore economic ties with Western countries. Aleksandr Bortnikov, head of FSB security agency, is allegedly being considered as Putin’s successor, according to Ukraine's intelligence.

(The Kyiv Independent)

56 dead in Russian tank attack in Luhansk

The death toll reaches 56 in a Russian tank attack at the nursing home in Luhansk Oblast on March 11. Russians moved 15 survivors to a facility on the occupied territories. Ukrainians still can't reach the site of the attack, according to Serhiy Hayday, the governor of Luhansk Oblast.

(The Kyiv Independent)

Pope denounces Russia war

Pope Francis denounced Russia’s “repugnant” war in Ukraine as “cruel and sacrilegious inhumanity.” In some of his strongest words yet since Russia’s invasion, Francis said every day brings more atrocities in what is a “senseless massacre.”

Around 40K fled Mariupol in past week

Over 39,000 people flee besieged Mariupol in the past week, without a ceasefire announced. More than 8,000 private cars left Mariupol heading to Zaporizhzhia amid continuous attacks by Russian forces, Mariupol city council said.

(The Kyiv Independent)

Zelenskyy to address Israel's lawmakers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has emphasised his Judaism in seeking to rally Jewish and Israeli support for his country during the Russian invasion, was due to address Israel's parliament on Sunday.

In an international tour via videoconference, Zelensky has spoken to several foreign legislatures since the invasion launched on February 24, including the United States Congress, Britain's House of Commons and Germany's Bundestag.

Ukraine bans Belarus-made medicines

The Ministry of Health of Ukrainehas banned the sale and use of medicines produced in Belarus, according tothe website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.

(NEXTA)

Ukraine claims Russia is planning to use minors in war

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukrainereports that Russiais preparing to use minors in the war against Ukraine.

(NEXTA)

UK urges China to condemn Ukraine invasion

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday urged China to join Western nations in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"As time goes on, and as the number of Russian atrocities mounts up, I think it becomes steadily more difficult and politically embarrassing for people either actively or passively to condone Putin's invasion," he told the Sunday Times.

Boris Johnson under fire for Ukraine, Brexit comparisons

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson found himself under fire on Sunday, including from his own MPs, after saying that Brexit showed that Britons shared the same "instinct" for freedom as Ukrainians.

In a speech to his Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, northern England, on Saturday, Johnson said it was "the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom every time."

He cited the Brexit referendum in June 2016 as a "famous recent example".

"When the British people voted for Brexit in such large, large numbers, I don't believe it was because they were remotely hostile to foreigners. It's because they wanted to be free to do things differently and for this country to be able to run itself," he said.

At least 5 dead in Russian shelling of Kharkiv

Kharkiv say at least five civilians have been killed in the latest Russian shelling.

Regional police in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, said the victims of the Russian artillery attack early Sunday included a 9-year-old boy.

Kharkiv has been besieged by Russian forces since the start of the invasion and has come under a relentless barrage.

Market buildings damaged by shelling in Chernihiv

These photos show market buildings and residential buildings damaged by shelling, asRussia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Chernihiv, Ukraine.

(Reuters Photos)

Ukraine sees high risk of attack from Belarus on western Volyn region: Presidential office

Ukraine sees a high risk of an attack on western Ukraine's Volyn region being launched from Belarus, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said on Sunday, citing the military.

The Russian invasion has mostly focused on northern, southern and eastern areas of Ukraine, though missiles also hit the Yavoriv military base last week, close to the Polish border.

It was not immediately clear whether Ukraine saw the threat of an attack on Volyn from Russian forces or the Belarusian military, which has so far not publicly committed troops to supporting Russia. (Reuters)

Turkey says Russia and Ukraine getting closer to agreement on 'critical' issues

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Hurriyet daily on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine were getting closer to an agreement on "critical" issues and have nearly agreed on some subjects.

Cavusoglu also said that he was hopeful for a ceasefire if the sides don't take a step back from the progress they have made towards an agreement. (Reuters)

Russia strikes Ukraine with cruise missiles from Black Sea and Caspian Sea

Russia struck Ukraine with cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and launched hypersonic missiles from Crimean airspace, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday.

Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russia had carried out strikes against Ukraine's military infrastructure on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from the waters of the Black Sea against the Nizhyn plant that repairs Ukrainian armoured vehicles damaged in the fighting," he said. (Reuters)

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

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

Ukrainian privately-owned media channels have hitherto continued to operate since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The decree announcement, made on the presidential website, did not specify how quickly the new measure would come into force. (AFP)

Ukraine says seven humanitarian corridors will open on Sunday

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said seven humanitarian corridors would open on Sunday to enable civilians to leave frontline areas.

Ukraine has evacuated a total of 190,000 people from such areas since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, Vereshchuk said on Saturday, though Ukraine and Russia blame each other for hobbling the process. (Reuters)

The UN human rights office said at least 847 civilians had been killed and 1,399 wounded inUkraineas of Friday. The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said that112childrenhave been killed. (AP Photo)

Local authorities say Russia's military bombed a school in besieged Mariupol where about 400 people had sought refuge, reports AP.

Zelenskyy suspends parties with Russian links

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered to suspend activities of 11 political parties with links to Russia.

The largest of them is the Opposition Platform for Life, which has 44 out of 450 seats in the country's parliament.

The party is led by Viktor Medvedchuk, who has friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter. (AP)

Putin not willing to meet Zelensky, says Turkey

Turkey, which is trying hard to bring Moscow and Kiev to the negotiating table in an effort to end the ongoing war, has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is still not willing to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking to local media outlets, Ibrahim Kalin, a government spokesman in Ankara, said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed a meeting between the leaders of the two warring nations in Turkey in an effort to end the ongoing war, reports Ukrayinska Pravda. (IANS)

112 children have been killed in Ukraine so far

(Reuters Photo)

Ukraine conflict opens diplomatic and energy opportunities for Qatar

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

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

One of Europe's biggest steel works damaged in Ukraine's Mariupol

One of Europe's biggest iron and steelworks, Azovstal, has been badly damaged as Russian forces lay siege to the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, officials said Sunday.

"One of the biggest metallurgic plants in #Europe destroyed. The economic losses for #Ukraine are huge. The environment is devastated," tweeted Ukrainian lawmaker Lesia Vasylenko.

Vasylenko posted a video of explosions on an industrial site, with thick columns of grey and black smoke rising from the buildings. (AFP)

Medical staff rest in a basement used as a bomb shelter at the Ohmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv,Ukraine. (AP Photo)

Mariupol residents forced to evacuate to Russia

Authorities in Mariupol have claimed that Russian forces were forcing civilians of the besieged Ukrainian city to evacuate to Russia, while some were also being asked to move to remote areas.

In a statement on Saturday, the Mariupol City Council said the Russian forces took residents of the Left Bank district, as well as citizens, mostly women and children, who were hiding in a shelter under the building of a sports club, Ukrayinska Pravda reported. (IANS)

A volunteer knits camouflage nets forUkraine's Armed Forces at a church, as Russia's invasion ofUkrainecontinues, in Ivano-Frankivsk,Ukraine. (Reuters Photo)

Ukraine's Mariupol says Russia forcefully deported thousands of its people

The city council of Ukraine's Mariupol said Russian forces forcefully deported several thousand people from the besieged city last week, after Russia had spoken of "refugees" arriving from the strategic port.

"Over the past week, several thousand Mariupol residents were deported onto the Russian territory," the council said in a statement on its Telegram channel late on Saturday. (Reuters)

Russian rocket attack turns Ukrainian marine base to rubble, killing dozens

The headquarters of the 36th Ukrainian Naval Infantry Brigade based in the southern city of Mykolaiv is no more. It is now a pile of rubble, where Saturday rescuers continued to search for bodies of missing marines.

An early morning rocket attack a day earlier destroyed the base’s barracks where an unknown number of marines were sleeping. It killed more than 40 marines, according to a senior Ukrainian military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal sensitive military information.

That number would make it one of the single deadliest attacks on Ukrainian forces since the start of the war three weeks ago. But there are indications that the death toll could be much higher. (International New York Times) (AFP Photo)

Ukrainian refugees rest at a hotel ballroom that has been converted into a makeshift shelter in the town of Suceava, Romania. (AFP Photo)

Australia bans alumina, bauxite exports to Russia

Australia expanded its sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine Sunday, immediately banning all exports of alumina and bauxite while pledging more weapons and humanitarian assistance.

The export ban aims to impact aluminium production in Russia, which relies on Australia for 20 per cent of its alumina. - AFP.

Russia not to initiate reconciliation with West: Lavrov

Russia remains open to cooperation with Western countries, but will not initiate an improvement in the relations with them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.

Read more

Mariupol police officer pleads for help from Biden, Macron

A Ukrainian police officer in Mariupol has warned that the besieged port city has been "wiped off the face of the earth" and pleaded with the presidents of the United States and France to provide his country with a modern air defense system.

Read more

Italy slams 'odious' threats by Russia over sanctions

Italy reacted furiously Saturday to "odious and unacceptable" insults and threats by a senior Russian foreign ministry official attacking sanctions applied against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Alexey Paramonov, head of the Russian foreign ministry's European department, accused Italy of falling victim to "anti-Russian hysteria", in comments to the state-run RIA Novosti agency.

Russia not to initiate reconciliation with West: Lavrov

Russia remains open to cooperation with Western countries, but will not initiate an improvement in the relations with them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.

"Let's see how they will get out of the impasse they have driven themselves into. Their values, the principles of the free market, the inviolability of private property, and the presumption of innocence are all trampled on by themselves," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

US lawmakers visit Poland, urge help for Ukraine military

A bipartisan delegation of USlawmakers visiting Poland said Saturday that the most urgent need in Ukraine's fight against a Russian invasion is to equip and support the country in every way that will help it defend its independence.

The seven-member delegation led by Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Democrat from Massachusetts, has visited reception centers for refugees from Ukraine in eastern Poland. They noted Poland's openness in accepting refugees from Ukraine, including in private homes.

Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

*Ukraine has calledon China to join the West in condemning "Russian barbarism", after the US warned Beijing of consequences if it backed Moscow's attack on the country.

*Russia says it has used hypersonic missiles for the first time in Ukraine to destroy a weapons storage site in the west of the country. Hypersonic missiles travel faster than the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them hard to track and intercept.

*Russian air raids on Mykolaiv were taking place in quick succession Saturday, Vitaly Kim, head of the regional administration, says, a day after a deadly strike on a military barracks in the southern Ukrainian city.

*In a live address to a Swiss rally, President Volodymyr Zelensky blasts firms including Nestle for carrying on business as usual with Russia "even though our children are dying" and tells the country's banks to freeze funds belonging to the Kremlin elite.

*US President Joe Biden laid out to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping the "consequences" of any support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the White House says.

During their first call since the Russian invasion, lasting almost two hours, Xi said that war is "in no one's interest", but he showed no sign of giving in to US pressure to join Western condemnation of the invasion.

*Russia says its forces have broken through the defences of the besieged southern port of Mariupol and are now inside the war-torn city.