Live blog: Russian air strikes turn Mariupol port city into "ashes"

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Russian air strikes turn Mariupol port city into "ashes"

Intense Russian air strikes have hit the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and street fighting raged, a day after it rejected Moscow's demand to surrender, Ukrainian officials said.

The city council said the bombardments were turning Mariupol into the "ashes of a dead land."

Russia's RIA news agency said Russian forces and units of Russian-backed separatists had taken about half of the city, citing a separatist leader.

The governor of Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said street fighting was taking place there and civilians as well as Ukrainian troops were coming under Russian fire. 

UN chief says 'absurd war' in Ukraine has no winners, time to end conflict

The "absurd war" in Ukraine has no winners and it is time to end the conflict, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.

Speaking at a news briefing, the UN chief said 10 million Ukrainians have been forced from their homes and are on the move due to the offensive launched by Russia one month ago and added "the war is going nowhere, fast."

"This war is unwinnable. Sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield to the peace table. This is inevitable," Guterres said.

Biden to announce new sanctions on Russia

US President Joe Biden will announce new US and allied sanctions on Russia in response to its ongoing attack against Ukraine, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

Biden will depart for Brussels and participate in a series of meetings beginning March 24, including a NATO summit and European Council meeting, to discuss ongoing western concerns about Russian attack against Ukraine.

As the conflict nears its one-month mark, Sullivan offered a somber assessment.

"There will be hard days ahead in Ukraine, hardest for the Ukrainian troops on the frontlines and the civilians under Russian bombardment... This war will not end easily or rapidly," he added.

Germany remains reluctant to ban energy imports from Russia

Germany reiterated its opposition to energy sanctions on Russia, warning that it could have negative consequences for European economies. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said European countries should carefully asses the suggested measures.

Scholz underlined that not only Germany, but also many other EU countries still need to buy their gas, oil and coal from Russia, as they have no other alternatives in the short term.

Pentagon: Signs of Ukrainian forces 'going after' Russians

Ukraine forces have reversed the battlefield momentum against invading Russians in some areas to reclaim ground in recent days, the Pentagon said.

The Ukrainians are "in places and at times going on an offensive," particularly in the south of the country, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby told CNN.

"They are going after Russians and pushing them out of places where the Russians have been in the past," he said, particularly in Mykolaiv.

"We have seen this now increase over the last few days."

France's TotalEnergies to quit Russian oil supply contracts

French oil major TotalEnergies said it would not renew its Russian gasoil and crude oil supply contracts for its German refinery, but would source gasoil from Saudi Arabia and crude via Poland instead.

The firm, with stakes in several Russian projects, has come under criticism after it stopped short of joining rivals Shell and BP in planning to divest oil and gas assets in Russia.

European sanctions and Russian laws controlling foreign investment prevents TotalEnergies from finding a non-Russian buyer for its assets, it said. 

Russia warns Novaya Gazeta over 'foreign agent' tag

Russia's state communications regulator issued a formal warning to Novaya Gazeta in a move that could allow authorities to shut down Russia's top independent newspaper.

Roskomnadzor said Novaya Gazeta, whose editor Dmitry Muratov was last year awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, failed to mark a non-governmental organisation mentioned in one of its stories as a "foreign agent" in accordance with Russian legislation.

"Roskomnadzor issued an official written warning to the editorial offices and the founder of the Novaya Gazeta publication about the inadmissibility of violating the legislation of the Russian Federation," the watchdog said in a statement carried by the country's news agencies.

Ukrainian military: Russian army’s human, material losses continue to soar

Nearly one month into the Russian attack in Ukraine, the human and material losses of the Russian army continue to soar, the Ukrainian military claimed.

Since the day Russia launched the attack, the Russian army, in addition to 15,300 troops, has lost 509 tanks, 1,556 armored personnel carriers, 252 artillery systems, 80 multiple launch rocket sy stems, 1,000 vehicles of various types, and 45 anti-aircraft warfare systems, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement on Facebook.

Russians also lost 99 aircraft, 123 helicopters, 35 operational and tactical UAVs, and 15 special equipment units, the statement added.

Ukraine’s figures for Russian soldiers killed are higher than estimates such as those of the US government.

Ukraine retakes key Kiev suburb; battle for Mariupol rages

Ukraine said it retook a strategically important suburb of Kiev, as Russian forces squeezed other areas near the capital and pressed their attack on the embattled southern port of Mariupol.

Explosions and bursts of gunfire shook Kiev, and black smoke rose from a spot in the north. 

Intensified artillery fire could be heard from the northwest, where Russia has sought to encircle and capture several suburban areas of the capital, a crucial target.

Russian forces also continued their siege of Mariupol after the southern port city's defenders refused demands to surrender, with fleeing civilians describing relentless bombardments and corpses lying in the streets. 

Poland pushes call for Russia to be excluded from G20

Poland said it had suggested to US officials that Russia be excluded from the G20 group of major economies as punishment for its attack on Ukraine and that the suggestion had received a "positive response".

Polish Economic Development and Technology Minister Piotr Nowak said the matter had been discussed at meetings held in Washington last week.

"During the meetings with, among others, (US Commerce Secretary) Gina Raimondo, we made a proposal to exclude Russia from the G20, which was met with a positive response and approval, and the matter is to be handed over to President Joe Biden," Nowak told reporters in Warsaw.

Russia adopts bill on jail terms for 'fake' news on state actions abroad

Russian lawmakers approved legislation imposing jail terms of up to 15 years for publishing false information about Russia's actions abroad, as Moscow's military operation in Ukraine approaches one month.

If the false information "caused serious consequences", it is punishable by up 15 years in jail, a release from the State Duma said.

The bill will need the approval of the upper house Federation Council and the signature of President Vladimir Putin before it becomes law.

Ex-Russian state TV reporter: I quit over Ukraine war

Zhanna Agalakova, until her resignation this month a journalist with Russia's state-controlled Channel One broadcaster, said she quit in protest at "the war being waged by Russia in Ukraine".

Agalakova, a former Channel One newsreader who at the time of her resignation was the station's correspondent in Paris, told a news conference in the French capital: "When I spoke to my bosses, I said I cannot do this work any more."

"I left Channel One precisely because the war started."

She said she believed Russian television was being used to pump out Kremlin propaganda, and that the authorities had for years been stifling independent media.

We are on the brink of survival: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the Italian parliament that his country was on the brink of surviving its conflict with Russian forces that he warned wanted to break through to the rest of Europe.

"For Russian troops, Ukraine is the gates of Europe, where they want to break in, but barbarism must not be allowed to pass," he said.

He urged Italy to beef up sanctions against Russia and seize more assets from President Vladimir Putin and his allies as a way of pressuring Moscow into negotiating an end to the conflict.

Netherlands freezes $430 million in Russian assets

The Netherlands has frozen $431.24 million (392 million euros) in Russian assets and transactions as of March 21, the Dutch Finance ministry has said in a letter to parliament.

Kremlin accuses US of state-level 'banditry'

The Kremlin has rejected US warnings that it may be preparing to conduct cyber attacks in response to Western sanctions, and said it did not engage in "banditry".

US President Joe Biden has told businesses to do more to protect themselves against possible cyber attacks by Russia, warning there was "evolving intelligence" that Moscow was exploring options on that front.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "The Russian Federation, unlike many Western countries, including the United States, does not engage in state-level banditry."

Ex-Russian state TV reporter quits over Ukraine conflict

Zhanna Agalakova, until her resignation this month a journalist with Russia's state-controlled Channel One broadcaster, has said she quit in protest at the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

Agalakova, a former Channel One newsreader who at the time of her resignation was the station's correspondent in Paris, told a news conference in the French capital: "When I spoke to my bosses, I said I cannot do this work any more."

She said she believed Russian television was being used to pump out Kremlin propaganda, and that the authorities had for years been stifling independent media.

Ten Ukrainian hospitals destroyed since start of war

Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko has reported that 10 hospitals had been completely destroyed since Russia began its offensive, and others could not be restocked with medicines and supplies because of fighting nearby.

Speaking on national television, he said Covid-19 testing was being carried out only in areas where there was no fighting, and this was complicating efforts to track the disease.

Russian Nobel laureate donates medal for Ukraine refugees

The joint Russian winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, Dmitry Muratov, will donate his medal to help Ukrainian refugees.

Muratov, editor of Russia's leading opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, said that he and the newspaper had decided to donate the gold medal to a fund to help Ukrainian refugees.

He was awarded the 2021 prize alongside Maria Ressa of the Philippines for their efforts "to safeguard freedom of expression".

Five dead in Russian strikes in east Ukraine: Kiev

Five people have been killed and more than a dozen wounded in Russian strikes on a war-scared town in eastern Ukraine on Monday, an official in Kiev reported.

"In the Donetsk region, Avdiivka was fired on by artillery and aircraft, the city was razed to the ground. Five civilians were killed and 19 were injured," Ukraine's ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova, said in a statement.

Kremlin reportedly wants more 'substantial' talks on Ukraine

The Kremlin has said it would like the negotiations with Kiev aimed at ending Russia's military action in Ukraine to have more substance.

"There is some kind of process happening. We would like more active and substantial (talks)," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

He added that Russia did not intend to make public its detailed demands to Ukraine.

500,000 refugees from Ukraine have mental health issues: WHO

About half a million refugees from Ukraine who have fled to Poland need support for mental health disorders, and 30,000 have severe mental health problems, according to the World Health Organisation.

Refugees arriving in Poland are suffering from a range of health problems, including diarrhea and dehydration, but the main need is for support due to trauma, Paloma Cuchi, WHO representative in Poland, told a briefing in Geneva.

Kremlin: Chess federation should stay out of politics, overturn ban

The Kremlin has called on the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to stay out of politics and demanded it annul Monday's decision to ban Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin from competition for six months over his stance on Ukraine.

The 32-year-old Karjakin, who challenged Magnus Carlsen for the world title in 2016, has defended his country's actions on social media in recent weeks, drawing intense criticism from the chess world.

Russian newspaper that published military death toll in Ukraine reportedly hacked

Russia's mass-market Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper has reported that it was hacked and a false story on Russian military deaths in Ukraine was posted on its site, the newspaper's Kremlin correspondent has said.

Alexander Gamov, the journalist, said the story - which said nearly 10,000 Russian troops had been killed - was fake and was deleted after a few minutes.

Gamov provided the explanation for the story, which was picked up by some Western media, on the Kremlin's daily conference call after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was unable to comment on the incident.

Russian forces largely stalled in place: UK

Russian forces have not managed to take over the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol despite weeks of bombardment and days of street fighting, Britain’s defence ministry says.

In an update posted on social media, UK officials say that “despite heavy fighting, Ukrainian forces continue to repulse Russian attempts to occupy” the city.

It says Russian forces have made “limited progress” elsewhere in Ukraine in the last day, and remain “largely stalled in place.”

More than 3.5M people have fled Ukraine

The number of Ukrainians fleeing abroad have reached 3,528,346, the United Nations' Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

More than 2 million had crossed the border into Poland.

Ukraine urges Russia to let supplies into Mariupol and to let civilians leave

Ukraine has made a new appeal to Russia to allow humanitarian supplies into the besieged southern city of Mariupol and to let civilians leave.

"We demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor for civilians," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Ukrainian television.

Vereshchuk also said Russia's armed forces were preventing humanitarian supplies reaching residents of the southern city of Kherson. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.

Mayor urges people to flee Ukrainian city close to international airport

The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Boryspil, which is close to the Boryspil International Airport, has advised civilians to leave the city if they can because of fighting nearby.

Mayor Volodymyr Borysenko said in a video address that there was fighting in the Kiev region where Boryspil is located.

"There is no need to be in the city now as there is already fighting going on in the area around it. I call on the civilian population to be smart, reach out to our call centre and leave town as soon as an opportunity arises," he said.

Russia says 78 of its aircraft have been seized abroad

78 Russian aircrafts have been seized abroad according to Russia's transport ministry, the Interfax news agency reported, but Russian airlines have registered almost 800 planes in Russia.

The transport ministry said Russia was guided by Iran's experience of how to service aircraft in a similar situation. 

Pakistan PM suggests Islamic countries consider mediating in Russia-Ukraine conflict

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has suggested that Islamic countries should discuss how to mediate and bring about a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"May I suggest that OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) during its discussion with foreign ministers, we should think about how ... we can mediate, how we can bring about the ceasefire," Khan told an OIC conference in Islamabad.

Russian attempt to capture Kiev is 'suicide' : Ukrainian official

One of Russia's main priorities is to take control of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, but trying to do so is "suicide", Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has said in a televised interview.

He added that active hostilities between Ukraine and Russia could end within 2-3 weeks.

Japan summons Russian envoy after halt to peace treaty talks

Japan's vice foreign minister has summoned Russia's ambassador, the foreign ministry said, a day after Moscow's decision to halt peace treaty talks with Tokyo following sanctions imposed by Japan over Ukraine.

Abramovich's superyacht docks along southwestern Türkiye

A luxury yacht linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has been moored in the scenic Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris on the Turkish Riviera.

According to information from the Marmaris Municipality, the 162-metre (531-foot) superyacht Eclipse - equipped with a mini-submarine, helipads, and a swimming pool - will dock at Marmaris for a week and then refuel.

Russian oligarchs subject to sanctions by Western countries as well as yachts linked to them were recently seized, denied fuelling, or even attacked amid Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Ukraine forces recapture key Kiev suburb

Ukrainian forces have retook a strategically important suburb of the capital, as troops forced Russian forces out of the Kiev suburb of Makariv after a fierce battle, Ukraine's Defence Ministry has said.

The regained territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake control of a key highway and block Russian troops from surrounding Kiev from the northwest.

The ministry also said that their forces were still defending crucial port city of Mariupol and had destroyed a Russian patrol boat and electronic warfare complex.

No new agreements on corridors to evacuate civilians - Kiev

Ukraine has reportedly focused its efforts to evacuate civilians from besieged towns and cities on the city of Mariupol, but a new agreement with Russia to allow safe passage for trapped residents has not been announced.

"We are focusing on evacuations from Mariupol," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

She listed a number of places from where buses would try to evacuate civilians but Mariupol was not among them. She also made no mention of any new agreements with Russia on establishing "humanitarian corridors" to evacuate civilians.

Russia's Gazprom says it continues gas exports to Europe

Russian energy giant Gazprom has said it was continuing to supply gas to Europe via Ukraine in line with requests from European consumers.

The company said requests stood at 108 million cubic metres for March 22, up from 104.7 million cubic metres for March 21.

58,000 people fleeing Ukraine have taken shelter in Türkiye

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian incursion have taken shelter in Türkiye, the world’s top refugee-hosting country, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

Speaking during a live broadcast on TV NET, Soylu said 58,000 Ukrainians had arrived in Türkiye since the start of the conflict and his country had never discriminated against refugees based on their country of origin or ethnicity.

He noted that Türkiye hosts some 3.75 million Syrian refugees and the government’s perspective on the issue of migration was different than that of Europe’sw

Greece does not expect Ukraine crisis to derail economy ‘at the moment’

Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras has said he did not "at the moment" expect the Ukraine crisis to derail Greek economic growth while speaking at a banking conference in Athens.

The Greek economy is forecast to grow by around 4.5 percent to 5 percent this year.

Zelenskyy: Ukraine ready to discuss deal with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is prepared to discuss a commitment from Ukraine not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine's security.

"It's a compromise for everyone: for the West, which doesn’t know what to do with us with regard to NATO, for Ukraine, which wants security guarantees, and for Russia, which doesn't want further NATO expansion," Zelenskyy said late on Monday in an interview with Ukrainian television channels.

Zelenskyy said that Kiev will be ready to discuss the status of Crimea and the eastern Donbass region held by Russian-backed separatists after a ceasefire and steps toward providing security guarantees.

Japan protests Russia move to drop peace talks over Ukraine

Japan has said it "strongly protests" Russia's decision to abandon talks on a World War II peace treaty because of Tokyo's strong response to the Russian assault of Ukraine.

"The latest situation occurred as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and Russia's attempt to shift the issue to Japan-Russia relations is extremely unjustified and absolutely unacceptable," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in parliament.

Japan "strongly protests," he added, condemning Russia for its actions to "unilaterally change the status quo by force."

For live updates from Monday (March 21), click here