Russia-Ukraine Crisis: NATO estimates 7,000-15,000 Russians killed in a month of fighting

Talks between Ukraine and Russia are confrontational but moving forward, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, as the West plans to announce more sanctions against the Kremlin amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Intense Russian air strikes are turning besieged Mariupol into the "ashes of a dead land", the city council said on Tuesday, as street fighting and bombardments raged in the port city. Stay tuned for updates.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the Swedish and Danish parliaments in the coming days, one month into the Russian invasion of his country, the two assemblies said Wednesday. (AFP)

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) on Wednesday said it had reversed a decision to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutrals at the world championships and was instead imposing a blanket ban. (AFP)

When rallying British MPs Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reaches for Churchill. When addressing the US Congress he invokes Pearl Harbour. When beamed into the Bundestag he conjures the threat of a new wall in Europe. (AFP)

NATO estimates 7,000 to 15,000 Russians have been killed in a month of fighting in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday said he had spoken with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had assured his support forUkraineahead of NATO, G7 and EU summits. (Reuters)

Indian Oil Corp , the country's top refiner, on Wednesday bought 3 million barrels of Russian Urals and 2 million barrels of West African oil through a tender for May loading, trade sources said. (Reuters)

French companies, including carmaker Renault and retailer Auchan must leave the Russian market,Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy told French lawmakers on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Britain's Ministry of Defence on Wednesday called on YouTube to remove videos from its online platform of a hoax call to defence minister Ben Wallace, which they said had been doctored by the Russian state. (Reuters)

Brent oil soared back above $120 on Wednesday, propelled by tight Russian supply fears linked to the Ukraine war.

NATO's Stoltenberg says Belarus continues to enable Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Putin says Russia assets freeze by foreign countries destroyed trust.

Russian climate envoy Anatoly Chubais quits amid Ukraine war and leaves country

Pictures lie amidst the rubble of former teacher Natalia's house which was was hit in a military strike, amid Russia's invasion ofUkraine, in Kyiv,UkraineMarch 23, 2022. Reuters Photo

Ukraine Presidential Adviser says Russia will definitely not wage nuclear war. He also said he sees active phase of war ending before end of April.

Japan PM Kishida says will consider additional humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Kremlin says Polish idea of sending peackeepers to Ukraine would be 'reckless and extremely dangerous', repeats that military operation is 'going according to plan' - Reuters

Kyiv urges West to supply offensive weapons to fight Russia

Ukraine has repeated a call to Western leaders to supply Kyiv with advanced weapons to fight Moscow's slowly advancing troops, one month after their invasion.

"Our armed forces and citizens are holding out with superhuman courage, but we cannot win a war without offensive weapons, without medium-range missiles that can be a means of deterrence," Ukrainian Presidential advisory Andriy Yermak said during a panel discussion late Tuesday.

"In our case, deterrence, not aggression," he added. - AFP.

China says Russia is 'important' G20 member, cannot be expelled by others

Beijing on Wednesday described Russia as an "important member" of the G20 after Washington raised the prospect of excluding Moscow from the group.

China has provided a level of diplomatic protection to Russia, which is increasingly isolated over its invasion of Ukraine, with its economy tied up by sanctions.

"The G20 is the main forum for international economic cooperation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters. "Russia is an important member, and no member has the right to expel another country." - AFP.

A firefighter extinguishes a burning house hit by Russian Grad rockets in Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky district. Credit: AFP Photo

Poland says 45 Russian diplomats are suspected spies

Poland's counter-espionage service ABW has identified 45 Russian diplomats as suspected spies and called on the foreign ministry to expel them, its spokesman said on Wednesday.

"The internal security agency has drawn up a list of 45 people working in Poland under the cover of diplomatic activities," ABW spokesman Stanislaw Zaryn told reporters, accusing the suspects of targeting Poland. - AFP.

Zelenskyy asks Japan to step up sanctions pressure on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Japan on Wednesday to increase sanctions pressure on Russia by introducing a trade embargo on Russian goods.

Addressing the parliament in Tokyo via video link, Zelenskiy thanked Japan for leading the way among Asian countries in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and introducing sanctions. - Reuters

Zelenskyy says fighting is so bad in some areas that people are not able to bury their dead relatives

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks Japanese lawmakers for coming instantly to Ukraine's aid

Russia accuses US of hindering 'tough' talks with Ukraine

Moscow says sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine may lead to NATO-Russia confrontation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said sending peacekeepers to Ukraine may lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and the NATO military alliance.

Poland last week said an international peacekeeping mission should be sent to Ukraine and be given the means to defend itself. - Reuters.

Hungary rejects sanctions on Russian energy shipments - foreign minister

Hungary does not support any sanctions on Russian energy shipments as it would endanger Hungary's energy security, foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday at the United Nations Human Rights Council reiterating Hungary's stance.

"It is not Hungary's fault that natural gas and oil from Russia plays a big role in the energy supply of Hungary, Central Europe and all of Europe," Szijjarto said in a speech broadcast on his Facebook page.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says talks with Ukraine are difficult, Kyiv is constantly changing its position

People wait inside an evacuee bus after fleeing from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. Credit: Reuters photo

Vladimir Putin's offensive in Ukraine 'stuck', says German chancellor Olaf Scholz

Hungary foreign minister Péter Szijjártó says we must avoid war spreading beyond Ukraine's border

This handout picture released on March 23, 2022 by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service shows rescuers disposing artillery and rocket ammunitions in Kharkiv. Credit: AFP Photo

Russians destroyed Chernihiv bridge, region's governor says

Russian forces bombed and destroyed a bridge in the encircled city of Chernihiv, the region's governor, Viacheslav Chaus, said.

The destroyed bridge had been used for evacuating civilians and delivering humanitarian aid. It crossed the Desna River and connected the city to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.

Chernihiv authorities said Tuesday that the encircled city has no water or electricity and called the situation there a humanitarian disaster.

Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kyiv on Wednesday morning, and heavy artillery fire could be heard from the northwest, where Russian forces have sought to encircle and take the capital's suburbs. - AP.

Putin ally says the United States is trying to destroy Russia

One of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's closest allies said on Wednesday that the United States aimed to humiliate, divide and ultimately destroy Russia, and vowed the country would never allow that to happen.

Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, said such a plan - if ever achieved - could have catastrophic results for the world.

"Russia will never allow such a development," he said in a message posted on Telegram. - Reuters.

Nine humanitarian corridors agreed for Wednesday - Ukrainian deputy PM

An agreement has been reached to try to evacuate civilians trapped in Ukrainian towns and cities through nine "humanitarian corridors" on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Signalling no agreement had been reached with Russia to establish a safe corridor form the heart of Mariupol, she said people wishing to leave the besieged port city would find transport in nearby Berdyansk. - Reuters.

Russia's Lavrov to meet Red Cross chief in Moscow for Ukraine discussions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, in Moscow in Thursday, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Maurer will be in Moscow for talks on the Ukraine conflict, an ICRC spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"The agenda of the meeting envisages discussion of the key areas of the ICRC's work in the field of humanitarian response," the foreign ministry said in a statement. - Reuters.

Local ceasefire agreed for Ukraine's Luhansk region

The governor of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine said agreement had been reached on a local ceasefire to evacuate civilians trapped by fighting.

Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on the Telegram messaging app that the ceasefire would come into force at 9 am. - Reuters.

Ukraine's tuberculosis progress 'stopped in one day'

As Ukraine struggles to cope with the immediate casualties of Russia's invasion, there are fears the war will also ruin the country's progress in its fight against tuberculosis.

Ukraine has long struggled with tuberculosis, which was the world's biggest infectious killer before the emergence of Covid-19 and spreads in a similar manner.

Despite being diagnosable and normally easily treatable, the disease kills 1.5 million people a year globally and infects more than 10 million, according to the World Health Organization.

Ukraine records around 30,000 new cases annually and has one of the world's highest rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis, which represented 29 percent of the country's new tuberculosis patients in 2018, according to WHO figures. - AFP.

Ukraine prosecutor's office says 121 children killed in war

The war in Ukraine has killed 121 children so far, the office of the prosecutor general said on Wednesday in a message on the Telegram app, adding that the number of wounded children stood at 167.

Reuters could not immediately verify the details.

UN taking up 3 resolutions on Ukraine humanitarian crisis

The United Nations will face three resolutions Wednesday on the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine after Russia decided to call for a vote on its Security Council resolution that makes no mention of its attack on its smaller neighbour.

The General Assembly is scheduled to start considering two rival resolutions Wednesday morning — one supported by Ukraine and Western nations that makes clear Russia is responsible for the escalating humanitarian crisis and the other sponsored by South Africa that doesn't mention Russia.

The Security Council will vote on the third resolution, which is sponsored by Russia and widely criticized for not referring to its invasion of Ukraine. - AP.

India's Nayara energy buys 1.8 mn barrels of Russian oil from trader Trafigura - Reuters

Russia's ambassador in Indonesia says Putin plans to attend G20 summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to attend a G20 summit being hosted by Indonesia later this year, Russia's ambassador in Jakarta said on Wednesday, following calls by some members for the country to be barred from the group.

"Not only G20, many organisations are trying to expel Russia....the reaction of the West is absolutely disproportional," ambassador Lyudmila Vorobyova told a news conference on Wednesday. The United States and its Western allies are assessing whether Russia should remain within the Group of Twenty (G20) grouping of major economies following its invasion of Ukraine, sources involved in the discussions told Reuters. - Reuters.

Russia's ambassador in Indonesia says G20 is not a forum to discuss or solve crisis in Ukraine

Ukraine says Russia seized relief workers in Mariupol convoy

Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of seizing 15 rescue workers and drivers from a humanitarian convoy trying to get desperately needed food and other supplies into the bloodied port city of Mariupol, which also came under naval attack after weeks of air and land strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimated that 100,000 civilians remained in Mariupol, scene of some of the war's worst devastation, as Russia presses a nearly month-old offensive by bombarding cities and towns. Those made it out described a shattered city.

“They bombed us for the past 20 days,” said 39-year-old Viktoria Totsen, who fled into Poland. “During the last five days, the planes were flying over us every five seconds and dropped bombs everywhere — on residential buildings, kindergartens, art schools, everywhere.” - AP.

Vietnam Airlines to suspend regular flights to Russia from March 25

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will temporarily suspend regular flights from Hanoi to Moscow starting from March 25 until further notice, the state run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported on Wednesday.

The suspension was to review procedures, requirements and regulations related to flight operations in Russia, VNA reported. The two countries have close ties dating back to the Soviet era and Vietnam has not so far condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. - Reuters.

Ukraine says 'confrontational' Russia talks moving forward as West plans more sanctions

Talks between Ukraine and Russia are confrontational but moving forward, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, as the West plans to announce more sanctions against the Kremlin amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Intense Russian air strikes are turning besieged Mariupol into the "ashes of a dead land", the city council said on Tuesday, as street fighting and bombardments raged in the port city.

Hundreds of thousands are believed to be trapped inside buildings, with no access to food, water, power or heat. Both civilians and Ukrainian troops were coming under Russian fire, said regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. - Reuters.

Biden Europe trip seeks to reinforce West unity

President Joe Biden is seeking to reinforce Western unity at a series of summits in Europe this week where new sanctions will be announced against Russia over its war in Ukraine, a top US official said Tuesday.

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Can't be 'business as usual' for Russia at G20: US

The US and its allies would consult whether Russia should remain within the G20 grouping of major economies after its invasion of Ukraine, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said, underlining that it "cannot be business as usual" for Moscow.

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Ordinary Ukrainians do their bit to support war effort

Using whatever resources they can lay their hands on, they are just some of those trying to do their bit to support the Ukrainian forces who have so far frustrated the Russian push towards Odessa, Ukraine's major port on the Black Sea.

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Russians destroy Chernobyl laboratory

Russian military forces have destroyed a new laboratory at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that among other things works to improve management of radioactive waste, the Ukrainian state agency responsible for the Chernobyl exclusion zone said Tuesday.

The Russian military seized the decommissioned plant at the beginning of the war. The exclusion zone is the contaminated area around the plant, site of the world's worst nuclear meltdown in 1986. - AP

It cannot be business as usual for Russia in international institutions like G-20: US

The US and its allies would consult whether Russia should remain within the G-20 grouping of major economies after its invasion of Ukraine, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said, underlining that it "cannot be business as usual" for Moscow.

“We believe that it cannot be business as usual for Russia in international institutions and in the international community,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference when asked about Russia’s membership of G-20.

“But as for particular institutions and particular decisions, we'd like to consult with our Allies, consult with our partners in those institutions before making any further pronouncements,” Sullivan said. - PTI.

Russia to use nuclear power under 'existential threat'

Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an "existential threat," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International Tuesday.

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Biden heads to Europe to bolster West's unity, toughen Russia sanctions

President Joe Biden leaves Wednesday for Europe on a mission to bolster Western unity, ramp up unprecedented sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and attempt to upset the post-Cold War balance of power.

The conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin is redefining Biden's 14-month old presidency as he pivots from domestic woes to leading the transatlantic alliance in the most serious crisis in Europe for decades.

After four years of Donald Trump, who treated European nations as economic competitors and scorned the traditional US role as senior partner in NATO, Biden has put the accent on unity. At back-to-back summits in Brussels on Thursday, he'll be pushing for more.

Ukraine thwarts Russian advances; fight rages for Mariupol

Ukrainian forces fought off continuing Russian efforts to occupy Mariupol and claimed to have retaken a strategic suburb of Kyiv on Tuesday, mounting a defense so dogged that it is stoking fears Russia's Vladimir Putin will escalate the war to new heights.“Putin's back is against the wall,” said US President Joe Biden, who is heading to Europe this week to meet with allies. “And the more his back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ.”Biden reiterated accusations that Putin is considering resorting to using chemical or biological weapons, though Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has seen no evidence to suggest that such an escalation is imminent.