Russia Ukraine War News Updates: Russia says it attacked Ukraine training facility, killed up to 180

Wrap Up: All you need to know

Britain to pursue more options to bolster Ukraine’s self-defence

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday that Britain would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine’s self-defence. Johnson added that Britain will work with its partners, including at Tuesday’s meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force countries in London, to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine’s self-defence.

UK Prime Minister Johnson said Putin’s barbaric actions were testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity

Ukraine president calls on software giants to stop supporting their products in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday called on U.S. software firms Microsoft Corp and Oracle Corp and German business software group SAP to halt support services for their products in Russia. “Stop supporting your products in Russia, stop the war!,” he said on Twitter.

Kremlin says next Russia-Ukraine talks to take place Monday

Talks between Russia and Ukraine are not taking place right now but will continue on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Sunday by the RIA news agency. Peskov made the comments after Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said Ukraine and Russia were actively conducting talks on Sunday, with the situation around the besieged city of Mariupol a particular focus.

Grants for UK-Russian research projects suspended- FT

Britain’s main government funding agency for research at UK universities has suspended grant payments to projects linked to scientists in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. This move by UK Research and Innovation affects about 50 grants for projects at British universities, with a total value running to tens of millions of pounds, the report said.

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Irpin authorities forbid journalists from entering town

Journalists have been forbidden from entering Irpin, a town in Ukraine after an American journalist was killed, said Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn on Sunday. A video journalist from the US, Brent Renaud, best known for producing humanitarian stories from conflict zones, was killed in Irpin outside the city of Kyiv in Ukraine, according to Kyiv police official Andriy Nebytov.

Ukraine says its troops are counter-attacking in two regions

UN says 596 civilians killed since war began

The U.N. human rights office says at least 596 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and at least 1,067 have been injured. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Sunday that 43 of those killed were children, while 57 were injured.

Greek, Turkish leaders seek common ground over Ukraine war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks in Istanbul on Sunday, seeking a rapprochement against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The meeting focused on the benefits of increased cooperation between the two countries” in view of “the evolution of the European security architecture”, the Turkish presidency said in a statement after two hours of talks.

Putin supporters demonstrate in Belgrade

Dozens of cars drove through the Serbian capital of Belgrade on Sunday in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The occupants waved Russian and Serbian flags, honked horns and chanted pro-Putin slogans. Some cars had the letter Z painted on them – a symbol of support for the Russian president. The protest was organized by a small far-right group. Serbia has refused to join international sanctions against its ally Russia despite formally seeking EU membership and voting in favor of the U.N. resolution condemning Moscow’s aggression.

Tens of thousands protest in Berlin against war in Ukraine

Up to 30,000 men, women and children joined an anti-war demonstration in central Berlin on Sunday, with many waving Ukrainian flags or holding banners with slogans opposing the Russian invasion. Gathering near the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of a divided Germany during the Cold War, protesters – including people in wheelchairs and toddlers in pushchairs – walked through the streets of Berlin, at times chanting and singing.

Russian default no longer ‘improbable’, but no trigger for global financial crisis- IMF

Russia may default on its debts in the wake of unprecedented sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, but that would not trigger a global financial crisis, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Sunday. Georgieva told CBS’s “Face the Nation” program that sanctions imposed by the United States and other democracies were already having a “severe” impact on the Russian economy and would trigger a deep recession there this year.

Russians join anti-war protest in Cyprus

Dozens of Russian nationals joined Ukrainians in the coastal resort town of Limassol, home to a sizeable Russian expatriate community, to protest the war in Ukraine. About 50 Russians converged on Limassol’s promenade prior to joining with other protesters Sunday to chant slogans including “Stop the war, stop Putin” and “Russia without Putin.”

Russia says it attacked Ukraine training facility, killed up to 180

Russia said on Sunday it had attacked the Yavoriv training facility in western Ukraine, adding the strike had killed “up to 180 foreign mercenaries” and destroyed a large amount of weapons supplied by outside nations.

US warns China of consequences if it tries to help Russia on sanctions

The United States authorities have notified Beijing of the “consequences” if the PRC tries to help Russia compensate for losses from Western sanctions, said Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser to the President of the United States. “We are closely monitoring the extent to which China actually provides material and economic support to Russia,” Sullivan was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti, RT reported.

US NSA Sullivan to meet Chinese officials in Rome to discuss impact of Russia-Ukraine war on global security

Russia says ‘foreign mercenaries’ killed in Ukraine strikes

Russia says strike against Yavoriv facility destroyed up to 180 foreign mercenaries and a large amount of foreign weapons.

Second Ukraine mayor abducted by Russian troops

A Ukraine mayor was abducted by invading Russian forces on Sunday, the second such kidnapping in days, bringing strong condemnation from the European Union. “The army of the Russian Federation captured the mayor of the city of Dniprorudne,” in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast region of southeast Ukraine, the regional administration head Oleksandr Starukh said on Facebook.

‘Russian forces wipe out an entire Ukraine city’

Russian forces have ‘completely destroyed’ the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign – but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow’s rule, Daily Mail reported. Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha “no longer exists” after Moscow’s “war of annihilation” that has left the smouldering remains of the town “in the hands of Russian-backed separatists”.

UK floats PM visit to Saudi as Russia sanctions bite

Britain on Sunday defended lobbying Saudi Arabia to up its oil output as energy sanctions on Russia start inflicting a painful toll, after the Gulf kingdom executed a record number of prisoners. Senior cabinet minister Michael Gove did not deny a report in The Times on Saturday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to visit Riyadh this week.

Ukraine’s Mariupol says city’s last reserves of food and water are running out

Ukraine’s besieged port city of Mariupol is running out of its last reserves of food and water, the city council said on Sunday, adding that Russian forces blockading the city continued to shell non-military targets. “People have been in a difficult situation for 12 days. There is no electricity, water or heating in the city. There is almost no mobile communication. The last reserves of food and water are running out,” it said in an online statement.

City council of Ukraine’s Mariupol says 2,187 of city residents killed since start of Russian invasion

More than 2,100 residents of Ukraine’s besieged port city of Mariupol have been killed since hostilities began, the local authorities said Sunday. “As of today, 2,187 Mariupol residents have died from attacks by Russia,” the city council posted on Telegram. It said around 100 aerial bombs have been dropped on the city. The bombing of a maternity and children’s hospital wounded 17 on Wednesday and prompted international condemnation.

Top Biden and Xi advisers to meet as U.S. concerns grow that China is amplifying Russian disinformation on Ukraine

Strike in Donbas wounds 30

Ukrainian officials accused Russia at the weekend of using phosphorus chemical bombs in the eastern Donbas region, while a separate air strike on a monastery sheltering civilians wounded 30. International law prohibits the use of white phosphorus shells in heavily populated civilian areas but allows them in open spaces to be used as cover for troops.

Pope, in toughest comments yet, calls Ukraine invasion ‘armed aggression’

A sombre Pope Francis on Sunday issued his toughest condemnation yet of the invasion of Ukraine, saying the “unacceptable armed aggression” and “massacre” must stop. The pope has not used the word “Russia” in his condemnations of the war since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on Feb. 24. But the pontiff’s choice of words appear increasingly aimed at rejecting Moscow’s justifications for the invasion.

More than 2.6 million flee Ukraine war: UN

The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since the Russian invasion launched by President Vladimir Putin on February 24 is now nearly 2.7 million, the UN said on Sunday. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said there were 2,698,280 refugees who had fled Ukraine so far, according to its dedicated webpage at around 1100 GMT. The figure was more than 100,700 higher than the last count on Saturday.

Ukrainian General Staff: Russia is bringing fighters from Syria, Serbia, Nagorno-Karabakh to replenish troops in Ukraine

Reported by The Kyiv Independent

U.S., allies will continue to escalate pressure on Russia – Sullivan

Russia’s expansion of attacks to new targets in Ukraine near the Polish border reflects its growing frustration about the pace of the invasion, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday. Sullivan said Washington had no plans to have U.S. military forces operating in Ukraine, but the United States would defend “every inch” of NATO territory, while increasing assistance to Ukrainian fighters, including through provision of anti-aircraft weapons.

Serbia to reduce number of flights to Moscow after criticism

AirSerbia will go back to one flight a day to Moscow, the Serbian president said, following criticism that the country’s national carrier is busting a European Union-wide ban on flights to Russia and profiting from the war in Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion started over two weeks ago, AirSerbia has doubled the number of flights to the Russian capital and introduced larger aircraft to increase the number of seats for what has become its most profitable destination.

Ukraine negotiator says Russia is being more constructive

Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on Sunday said he thought progress could be made at talks with Russia in the coming days as the Russian side had become more constructive. “We will not concede in principle on any positions. Russia now understands this. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively. I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days,” he said in a video posted online.

US journalist shot dead in Ukraine: medic, witnesses

According to Andriy Nebytov, the head of the Kyiv Oblast police, video journalist Brent Renaud was killed on March 13 in Irpin, a satellite city outside of Kyiv. Two other journalists were wounded and hospitalized: The Kyiv Independent

1,935 tonnes of aid delivered to Ukraine: Russian Embassy in India

The Russian Embassy in India on Sunday said that at least 1,935 tonnes of humanitarian cargo has already been delivered to Ukraine in 237 humanitarian actions including 22 actions in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv region, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics out of which 264 tonnes of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

Fourth round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks may be held on March 14-15: The Kyiv Independent

Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, announced the news. Delegations from Ukraine and Russia have met three times but with no significant results.

Austria faces slowdown but not recession due to Ukraine war – FinMin

Austria faces an economic slowdown due to the war in Ukraine but should not slip into recession, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner said on Sunday. “I don’t think there will be a recession. But more subdued growth than we expected a few weeks ago – we expected … growth of more than 5% for the coming year – those growth figures will probably not quite hold,” he told broadcaster ORF.

Ukraine negotiator says he thinks there could be results from Russia talks in the coming days

More than 250 detained in Ukraine protests across Russia

Russia detained more than 250 people for protesting Moscow’s “military operation” in Ukraine Sunday, as the conflict continues for a third week. OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during protests, said police had detained 268 people during demonstrations in 23 Russian cities.

Moscow accused of phosporous gas attacks in Donbas

A senior Ukrainian police officer has accused Russian forces of launching phosphorous bomb attacks in the eastern region of Lugansk. International law prohibits the use of white phosphorous shells in heavily populated civilian areas, but allows them in open spaces to be used as cover for troops.

Sanctions have frozen around $300 bln of Russian reserves, FinMin says

Foreign sanctions have frozen around $300 billion out of $640 billion that Russia had in its gold and forex reserves, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in an interview with state TV aired on Sunday. Siluanov said the West was putting pressure on China to limit its trade with Russia and in order to hamper Moscow’s access to the part of state reserves that Russia holds in the Chinese yuan.

Turkey asks Russia to help evacuate Turkish citizens out of Mariupol

Turkey has asked Russia to help evacuate Turkish citizens stranded in the besieged city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, Ankara’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters on Sunday. “As we have spoken with him (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov), we asked for this support for the evacuation of our citizens from Mariupol,” Cavusoglu said.

NATO Secretary General suspects Russia of plans to use chemical weapons

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, responding to allegations that the United States sponsored biological laboratories in Ukraine, has said that Russia may be the one planning chemical attacks. Stoltenberg told German newspaper Welt that the accusations are false and stressed that the alliance must be vigilant, since Russia itself may be planning operations with chemical weapons. He added that this would be a war crime.

UK to provide 350 pounds to families welcoming Ukrainian refugees into homes

The UK government on Sunday announced to provide 350 pounds (USD 456) per month allowance to families who welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war zone into their homes. UK Housing Secretary Michael Gove said during television interviews that he expects thousands of refugees to be able to benefit from additional schemes, which will include 10,000 pounds (USD 13,000) per head grants for local councils to meet the additional needs of those fleeing the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov: Lithuania will become Putin’s next target if Russia wins the war against Ukraine.

Reported by The Kyiv Independent

Turkey hopes Russia will not take negative stance in Iran nuclear talks

Turkey hopes Russia will not take a negative stance during talks to revive a 2015 Iran nuclear deal after a last-minute demand by Moscow forced talks to pause, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday. Negotiators have reached the final stages of discussions to restore the deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, long seen by the West as a cover for developing atomic bombs.

Israel or Turkey could mediate talks with Russia: Ukraine

Ukraine is working with Israel and Turkey as mediators to finalise a location and framework for peace negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Sunday. “When it is worked out, there will be a meeting. I think it won’t take long for us to get there,” he said on national television.

Ukraine War Live Updates: Toll in military base attack jumps to 35

At least 35 people were killed and 134 wounded in a Russian air strike on a large Ukrainian military training ground near the Polish border on Sunday, regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said in a statement.

India temporarily moves embassy out of Ukraine to Poland

“In view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, it has been decided that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine will be temporarily relocated in Poland. The situation will be reassessed in the light of further developments,” a press statement issued by External Affairs Ministry read.

UK wants to use sanctioned oligarch properties for refugees

Britain is looking at whether it can use properties owned by sanctioned individuals in the country for humanitarian purposes, housing minister Michael Gove said on Sunday. “I want to explore an option which would allow us to use the homes and properties of sanctioned individuals for as long as they are sanctioned for humanitarian and other purposes,” Gove told BBC Television, when asked if the homes of sanctioned oligarchs could be used to house Ukrainian refugees.”There is quite a high legal bar to cross and we’re not talking about permanent confiscation but we are saying, ‘you’re sanctioned, you’re supporting Putin, this home is here, you have no right to use or profit from it’ and … if we can use it in order to help others let’s do that.”

85 children killed since invasion: Ukraine

The office of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General says a total of 85 children have been killed since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. More than 100 more have been wounded, the office said. Officials also said that bombings and shelling have damaged 369 educational facilities in the country, 57 of which have been completely destroyed.

Russia-Ukraine News Live Updates: One killed after bus full of Ukrainian refugees overturns

A bus carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned on a major highway in northern Italy at dawn on Sunday, killing one person, Italian firefighters said.Italian state radio said there were several injured in the accident on the A14 autostrada near Forli’, a town in the Emilia-Romagna region in northeastern Italy. It said the rest of those aboard were safely evacuated. The bus landed on its side on a grassy slope just beyond a highway guardrail and near a farm field. Firefighters used two cranes in an operation to set the bus upright and remove it.

UK urges firms to leave Russia

British finance minister Rishi Sunak called on more British companies on Sunday to wind down their existing investments in Russia and said new investments should be halted. “While I recognise it may be challenging to wind down existing investments, I believe there is no argument for new investment in the Russian economy,” Sunak said in a video message on Twitter. “I am urging asset owners and managers to think very carefully about any investment that would in any sense support Putin and his regime.” Several major British firms have announced their intentions to sell their interests in Russia and Sunak said companies doing so would have the full support of the government.

179 students reach Jharkhand from crisis-hit Ukraine

As many as 179 students who were trapped in war-torn Ukraine, have reached Jharkhand, State Migrant Control Room officials said on Sunday. Of the 179 students, 34 were from Ranchi district followed by East Singhbhum (26), Dhanbad (18), Godda (15), Palamu (14), Hazaribag (13) and Bokaro (10).

Bring mortal remains of Naveen home, PM tells officials

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday directed the authorities to make all possible efforts to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, who died in Kharkiv, Ukraine during Russian shelling on March 1.

Nearly 400,000 Ukrainians entered Romania since invasion began

“Since February 24, 397,542 citizens of Ukraine have entered Romania at the national level,” the police said in a statement. Over the past day, 16,676 Ukrainians entered Romania, the statement read.

Poland warns Russia against using WMDs

Polish president Duda said if Putin uses any weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine than it will be a game changer and NATO will have to think seriously what to do

Operation Ganga

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security to review India’s security preparedness and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. “The prime minister was also briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of neighbouring countries, from Ukraine,” an official statement said.

Nine killed, 57 wounded in Russian air strike on military base: Ukraine

The military training facility, the biggest in the western part of the country and traditionally the site of joint drills with NATO, is located less than 25 km (15 miles) from the Polish border. Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the facility, adding that some were intercepted before they hit.

Bus carrying dozens of Ukrainians overturns in Italy, one dead, several injured

Ukraine says foreign instructors present at Lviv military base attacked by Russia, reports AFP

Russia’s war idles some European mills as energy costs soar