The Kremlin has attacked Joe Biden’s “personal insults” aimed at Vladimir Putin, claiming his remarks were fuelled by irritation, fatigue and forgetfulness.
In recent days, the US President has labelled Putin a “war criminal” and a “murderous dictator”.
“We hear and see statements that are actually personal insults to President Putin,” a Kremlin spokesman said.
“Given such irritability from Mr Biden, his fatigue and sometimes forgetfulness… fatigue that leads to aggressive statements, we will not make harsh assessments, so as not to cause more aggression.”
Earlier, the Kremlin described Britain’s decision to revoke the broadcast licence of Russian state-backed television channel RT as “madness”.
Follow the latest updates below.
12:13 PM
Pictured: 109 empty prams placed on Lviv’s Rynok Square
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has shared a picture of 109 empty prams placed on Rynok Square in Lviv.
“Thatʼs the number of Ukrainian children mercilessly killed by #Russian troops since the beginning of the full-scale #war“, it tweeted.
12:06 PM
Putin discusses Ukraine with Russian security council
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Moscow’s conflict with Ukraine and its international repercussions with his security council on Friday, the Kremlin said on its website.
Unlike some of the previous meetings with the council, Putin’s video conference was not televised on Friday.
“The current international situation was discussed at the meeting and the exchange of views on the ongoing special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine continued,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“The president informed the participants in great detail about his numerous international telephone calls,” it read.
11:59 AM
Italy investigates Russia’s Kaspersky antivirus software
Italy’s data privacy watchdog said Friday it was investigating the “potential risks” that Russian antivirus software Kaspersky could be used to launch cyberattacks.
It followed what it called “alarms sounded by many Italian and European organisations specialised in computer security” over the potential use of Kaspersky software for hacking assaults in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The watchdog has asked the company to provide details on the number and profile of its Italian customers, and whether users’ personal data is “transferred outside the European Union” to Russia or elsewhere.
Italy’s cybersecurity agency recommended Tuesday that users of Russian software diversify their wares, warning of a potential “technological risk” following the invasion of Ukraine.
11:56 AM
Russia says post-1991 ‘illusions’ about the West are over
Russia has lost any illusions about ever relying on the West and Moscow will never accept a world order dominated by the United States, which is acting like a sheriff seeking to call all the shots in a saloon bar, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Western nations have imposed sweeping sanctions across Russia’s financial and corporate sectors in response to Moscow’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, plunging Russia’s economy into its gravest crisis since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
Mr Lavrov, President Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister since 2004, said the West’s reaction to what Moscow has called a “special military operation” had illustrated that the West was completely dominated by the United States and that the European Union was largely powerless.
“If there was any illusion that we could one day rely on our Western partners, this illusion is no longer there,” Mr Lavrov told Russian state-funded RT in English.
11:36 AM
Zelensky says he spoke with EU president about progress on membership
Had substantial conversation with EC President @vonderleyen.
EC opinion on UA application for #EU membership will be prepared within few months.
UA Government and EC are instructed. Moving to our strategic goal together.— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 18, 2022
11:33 AM
Kyiv says 222 killed in capital since start of war, including 60 civilians
Kyiv city authorities on Friday said 222 people had been killed in the capital since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, including 60 civilians and four children.
A further 889 people have been wounded, including 241 civilians, the Kyiv city administration said in a statement.
11:33 AM
Czech designer makes ‘Zelensky pillows’ to help Ukraine
A Czech designer has come up with a novel way to raise money for Ukrainians suffering from the war in their country – making pillows bearing the portrait of their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who he says has become a sex symbol for some.
Mr Zelensky, tired, unshaven but defiant in his trademark green T-shirt, has become the face of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion, rallying his compatriots from his bunker in Kyiv in daily broadcasts on social media.
“Many people, mostly of the fair sex, see him as some kind of a sex symbol, so I got the idea to make a pillow which would look like he is actually in their bed,” designer Tomas Brinek told Reuters.
11:31 AM
Pictured: Ukrainian policemen carry body away from shelled Kyiv building
11:29 AM
India defends purchases of Russian oil
Indian government officials on Friday defended the continued buying of Russian oil, saying European countries were still purchasing hydrocarbons from Moscow and that high crude prices left New Delhi with little choice.
Indian oil refiners have in recent days reportedly purchased several million barrels of discounted Russian oil even as the West seeks to isolate Moscow economically over its invasion of Ukraine.
But an Indian government official said on Friday that the world’s third-biggest consumer of crude relied on imports for almost 85 percent of its needs, with Russia supplying a “marginal” less than one percent of this.
“Geopolitical developments have posed significant challenges to our energy security. For obvious reasons, we have had to stop sourcing from Iran and Venezuela. Alternative sources have often come at a higher cost,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
11:25 AM
Are you offering to host a Ukrainian refugee? We want to hear from you
With more than 44,000 people offering to host a Ukrainian refugee in their homes within the first five hours of the scheme being launched, we want to know if you are offering to host Ukrainian refugees, why you have chosen to do so and how you are finding the process.
11:18 AM
The Klitschkos v the Kremlin
Like Volodymyr Zelensky and their countrymen, Kyiv mayor Vitali and his brother Wladimir refuse to be bullied as they defend their country, write Guy Kelly and Gareth A Davies.
It was the kind of defiant, no-nonsense remark we’ve come to expect from Ukrainian leaders in this war, but it still felt extraordinary.
In Kyiv on Wednesday morning, as the sun rose on a battered and eerily quiet city, its mayor pulled a flak vest over his down jacket and headed out to survey the damage from another ballistic slugfest overnight.
Vitali Klitschko was heavily guarded, of course, but at 6ft 7ins and 18 stone, with a 203cm reach and a world heavyweight boxing record of 45 wins and 41 knockouts from 47 fights, he is more than capable of handling himself.
You can read their full piece here.
11:17 AM
Top ex-Kremlin official quits post after condemning Ukraine war
A former Russian deputy prime minister who spoke out against the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine has quit as chair of a prestigious foundation after a lawmaker accused him of a “national betrayal” and demanded his dismissal.
Arkady Dvorkovich, deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2018, became one of Russia’s most senior establishment figures to question the war when he told US media this week that his thoughts were with Ukrainian civilians.
His comments prompted a senior ruling party lawmaker to demand that he be fired and to accuse him of being part of a “fifth column” undermining Russia.
The 49-year-old had been chairman since 2018 of the Skolkovo Foundation, an innovation and technology hub on the outskirts of Moscow that brands itself as a kind of Russian Silicon Valley.
11:10 AM
Norway boosts military spending by over 300 million euros
Norway on Friday announced it would provide an additional three billion Norwegian kroner (308 million euros) this year to strengthen its military forces in the north near the Russian border.
“Even if a Russian attack on Norway is not likely, we must realise that we have a neighbour to the east that has become more dangerous and more unpredictable,” Norwegian Defence Minister Odd Roger Enoksen told a press conference, referring to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
11:07 AM
Russia demands that Google stop spreading threats against Russians on YouTube
Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday said it had demanded that Alphabet Inc’s Google stop spreading what it labelled as threats against Russian citizens on its YouTube video-sharing platform.
Roskomnadzor said adverts on the platform were threatening the life and health of Russian citizens and that their dissemination was evidence of the US tech giant’s anti-Russian position.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
11:03 AM
Biden due to speak to Xi at 1pm GMT
US President Joe Biden is due to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping at 1pm GMT, seeking to isolate Moscow from the one big power that has yet to condemn its invasion of Ukraine.
We will bring you all the latest developments here on our liveblog.
11:00 AM
Over 197,000 refugees from Ukraine recorded in Germany, interior ministry says
More than 197,000 refugees from Ukraine have been registered in Germany so far, an interior ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
10:58 AM
Putin discusses military operation in Ukraine with Russian security council, RIA says
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine with his security council on Friday, RIA news agency has cited the Kremlin as saying.
10:54 AM
Ukraine says 130 people have been rescued so far from bombed Mariupol theatre
Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova on Friday said 130 people had been rescued so far from the rubble of a theatre hit by an air strike on Wednesday in the besieged eastern city of Mariupol.
In a televised address, Ms Denisova said rescue work was ongoing at the site, where many people were sheltering underground before the building was hit, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
10:53 AM
Watch: Russia targets Lviv, Kyiv and Kharviv with missiles and shells
[embedded content]
10:43 AM
UN refugee agency says fewer Ukrainians fleeing
A UN refugee agency official said on Friday that daily crossings by people fleeing violence in Ukraine have slowed in recent days, saying warmer weather might be a factor.
“We have seen a slowdown, a general slowdown,” said Matthew Saltmarsh via videolink from Poland, adding that warmer weather might be a factor.
However, he warned that any escalation of violence in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv might cause crossings to rise again.
10:42 AM
Bulgaria expels 10 Russian diplomats, Russian news agency says
Bulgaria has decided to expel 10 Russian diplomats after they were accused of allegedly carrying out “activities incompatible with their diplomatic status”, Russia’s TASS news agency cited the Russian ambassador to the country as saying on Friday.
“We take this as an extremely unfriendly act and reserve the right to retaliate,” Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova told TASS.
10:41 AM
Pictured: Refugees continue to flee Ukraine
10:26 AM
Russian finance ministry says it has met coupon payment obligations in full
Russia’s finance ministry on Friday said it had fully met its obligations on paying coupons on dollar-denominated Eurobonds due in 2023 and 2043, and said payment agent Citibank had received the funds.
Russia was due to pay $117 million in coupon payments in what was seen as a test of its willingness and ability to repay international debt after being hit with sanctions over events in Ukraine.
10:17 AM
Poland to propose Ukraine peacekeeping mission at Nato summit, says PM
Poland will formally submit a proposal for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine at the next Nato summit, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday.
Poland’s ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced the idea of a peacekeeping mission during a trip to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday.
10:13 AM
Russian cosmonauts set for Friday launch to International Space Station
Three Russian cosmonauts were due for launch on Friday to the International Space Station (ISS), continuing a two-decade-plus shared Russian-US presence aboard the orbiting outpost despite heightened terrestrial tensions between Moscow and Washington.
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying the new cosmonaut team was set for lift-off at 3:55pm GMT (11:55 am Eastern time) from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to begin a three-hour-plus ride to the space station.
Soyuz commander Oleg Artemyev will lead the team, joined by two spaceflight rookies, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov, on a science mission aboard ISS set to last six and half months.
They will join the station’s current seven-member crew to replace three who are scheduled to fly back to Earth on March 30 – cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov and US Nasa astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
10:11 AM
Pope calls Ukraine war a ‘perverse abuse of power’ for partisan interests
Pope Francis has called the war in Ukraine a “perverse abuse of power” waged for partisan interests which has condemned defenceless people to brutal violence.
Since the war began, the pope has not used the word “Russia” in his condemnations but has used phrases such as “unacceptable armed aggression” to get his point across.
His latest condemnation came in a message to a Catholic Church conference in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
10:08 AM
World Food Programme says supply chains ‘falling apart’ in Ukraine
A World Food Programme (WFP) official said on Friday that food supply chains in Ukraine were collapsing, with a portion of infrastructure destroyed and many grocery stores and warehouses now empty.
Jakob Kern, WFP Emergency Coordinator for the Ukraine crisis, also expressed concern about the situation in “encircled cities” such as Mariupol, saying that supplies were running out and that its convoys had not yet been able to enter the city.
10:08 AM
London to hold vigil in support of Ukraine, mayor says
A march and vigil will be held in London next Saturday, March 26, in honour of Ukraine, Sadiq Khan has said.
“Join the march from Park Lane to Trafalgar Square to show your solidarity,” he said.
“Together we’ll send the message that London stands with Ukraine.”
NEW: Next Saturday thousands of Londoners will come together to show their support for the people of Ukraine.
Join the march from Park Lane to Trafalgar Square to show your solidarity.
Together we’ll send the message that London stands with Ukraine. https://t.co/RcPZujyxLC
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) March 18, 2022
10:04 AM
Ukraine foreign minister says he discussed further Russian sanctions with EU’s Borrell
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday said he had spoken with the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell about a further package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
“We discussed the preparation of the 5th EU sanctions package on Russia. Pressure will keep mounting as long as it is needed to stop Russian barbarism. We also discussed protection and help for Ukrainians who fled from Russian bombs to the EU,” he said on Twitter.
09:51 AM
Scholz urges ceasefire in call with Putin
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a ceasefire in Ukraine during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, a German government spokesperson said.
In their nearly hour-long conversation, Mr Scholz also stressed that the humanitarian situation needed to be improved and progress needed to be made in finding a diplomatic solution as soon as possible, said the spokesperson.
09:45 AM
Kremlin says UK decision to revoke RT’s broadcast licence is ‘madness’
The Kremlin on Friday described Britain’s decision to revoke the broadcast licence of Russian state-backed television channel RT as “madness”.
Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, said in a statement on Friday that RT received funding from the Russian state and was not satisfied that RT could be a responsible broadcaster, revoking its licence with immediate effect.
09:38 AM
Pictured: Ukrainians clear streets following Russian shelling
09:35 AM
Putin tells Scholz that Kyiv is stalling peace talks with Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a phone call on Friday that Kyiv was attempting to stall peace talks with Russia but that Moscow was still keen to continue negotiations.
“It was noted that the Kyiv regime is attempting in every possible way to delay the negotiation process, putting forward more and more unrealistic proposals,” the Kremlin said in a readout of the call.
“Nonetheless the Russian side is ready to continue searching for a solution in line with its well-known principled approaches.”
09:31 AM
Poland to ‘de-Russify’ economy, says PM
Poland will act to ‘de-Russify’ its economy, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday, removing dependence on Russia with plans to build new gas pipelines and subsidise farmers for rising fertiliser prices in order to keep food prices down.
09:22 AM
No such thing as independent western media, Lavrov says
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that there is no such thing as independent western media, adding that “we are not closing the door to the west – they are closing the door”.
He also claimed that the Kremlin’s goal is to remove any threat to Russia on Ukrainian soil.
09:11 AM
Chinese carrier sails through Taiwan Strait hours before Biden-Xi call
China sailed an aircraft carrier through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday, shadowed by a US destroyer, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, just hours before the Chinese and US presidents were due to talk.
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and has over the past two years stepped up its military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims, alarming Taipei and Washington.
The source, who was not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the carrier Shandong sailed close to the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen, which sits directly opposite the Chinese city of Xiamen.
“Around 10:30 a.m. the CV-17 appeared around 30 nautical miles to the southwest of Kinmen, and was photographed by a passenger on a civilian flight,” the source said, referring to the Shandong’s official service number.
The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, shadowed the carrier, which did not have aircraft on its deck and sailed north through the strait, the source added.
09:08 AM
Russia’s illusions about the West are over, Lavrov says
Russia has lost all illusions about relying on the West and Moscow will never accept a view of the world dominated by a United States that wants to act like a global sheriff, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
09:06 AM
Watch: Ukrainian soldier plays national anthem on violin
???????? State Anthem of Ukraine
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, this melody has been heard everywhere, from the shelters and bomb-damaged cities in Ukraine to the stages of major concert halls and arenas all over the world.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/YHMCDuhKd0
— MFA of Ukraine ???????? (@MFA_Ukraine) March 18, 2022
09:00 AM
Germany’s Baerbock warns supply shortfall from Ukraine war will be severe
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that supply shortfalls due to the war in Ukraine will be severe and could lead to further conflicts in already vulnerable countries.
She underscored that Germany needed to maintain contact with authoritarian regimes even if they don’t share its values and not to stay quiet on issues due to economic or energy interests.
Ms Baerbock, who was presenting a new national security strategy on Friday, added that a new China strategy would be in the works in the coming months.
08:53 AM
Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mykolaiv remain encircled, MoD says
The Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mykolaiv remain encircled, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said.
In an intelligence update posted on Twitter, the MoD said that Russian forces have made minimal progress this week.
It added: “The UN now states that the number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine has already surpassed 3.2 million. This number will continue to rise as a result of ongoing Russian aggression.”
08:47 AM
US envoy offers home to Ukrainians
The US ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, has offered to host Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war in his residence until they find permanent housing in Japan.
Long refugee-shy, Japan is preparing to take in Ukrainian evacuees, with 47 having arrived since the outbreak of the war.
“We would like to do our part, too, by assisting the evacuees until they are able to move into more permanent housing,” Mr Emanuel, the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, said in a statement.
08:46 AM
Over two million refugees have entered Poland from Ukraine, boarder guard says
Over two million refugees have entered Poland from Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the country’s boarder guard has said.
“Today, March 18 at 0900 (local time) the number of refugees from Ukraine exceeded 2 million. Mainly women and children,” the border guard wrote on Twitter.
08:40 AM
Ukraine says at least three killed in shelling of eastern cities on Friday morning
Ukraine’s state emergency service said a multi-storey teaching building was shelled on Friday morning in the eastern city of Kharkiv, killing one person, wounding 11 and trapping one person in the rubble.
Shells also hit the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Friday, killing two people and wounding six, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in an online post.
08:31 AM
RT says British media regulator is just a tool of the government
Russia’s state-funded RT television channel said on Friday that Britain’s media regulator had unfairly revoked its broadcasting license due to the conflict in Ukraine and accused it of being “nothing but a tool of” the British government.
Britain’s media regulator said it had revoked Russian-backed television channel RT’s licence to broadcast in the UK with immediate effect after a probe into the impartiality of its coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ofcom has shown the UK public, and the regulatory community internationally, that despite a well-constructed facade of independence, it is nothing more than a tool of government, bending to its media-suppressing will,” Anna Belkina, RT’s deputy editor in chief, told Reuters.
“By ignoring RT’s completely clean record of four consecutive years and stating purely political reasons tied directly to the situation in Ukraine and yet completely unassociated to RT’s operations, structure, management or editorial output, Ofcom has falsely judged RT to not be ‘fit and proper’ and in doing so robbed the UK public of access to information.”
08:25 AM
Putin barred from German pub where he used to drink as a young KGB officer
Vladimir Putin has been barred from the German pub where he used to drink as a young KGB officer, Justin Huggler reports.
The Am Thor pub in Dresden used to play up its association with the Russian leader. For many years it had a a shrine to him in the pub, and it even named its small beer glasses “Putin mugs”.
Not any more. Today a picture of Putin with a red line through his face sits alongside Ukrainian flags on the beer pumps.
“I’ve banned him for life,” Joachim Müller, the landlord, told Germany’s Bild newspaper. “I used to think he was quiet, reserved, matter-of-fact.
“Now he’s a war criminal. If he ever turns up here again at some point, he can turn on his heel and stare at the door from outside.”
08:21 AM
What is the latest on the war in Ukraine?
Good morning. Here are the five key developments in the Ukraine war today.
1. More bombs fall as Ukrainians struggle to stay alive
As Russian forces pressed their assault on Ukraine, world leaders called for an investigation into the Kremlin’s repeated attacks on civilian targets, including air strikes on schools, hospitals and residential areas that led one official to lament that his city had never seen such “nightmarish, colossal losses”.
2. Russia claims separatists ‘tightening the noose’ around Mariupol
Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday that separatists in eastern Ukraine – with help from Russia’s armed forces – were “tightening the noose” around the city of Mariupol, Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency reported.
3. Russia ‘recruiting volunteers from Syrian army and Hezbollah’
Russia has recruited 1,000 volunteers from the Syrian army and Hezbollah as it attempts to make up for losses of personnel, Ukraine’s military said in a daily update.
4. Moscow planning lightning advance to claim victory
Military experts have warned that Russia is planning a lightning advance upwards from southern Ukraine to link with other battalions to encircle Volodymyr Zelensky’s army and claim it has won the war.
5. Vladimir Putin vows to ‘purify’ Russia of traitors
One of Moscow’s most senior military commanders was arrested after Vladimir Putin promised to “purify” Russia of traitors in a sign of “real discord” in the Kremlin over the war, according to a British minister.
08:15 AM
Fighting happening in Mariupol city centre, Russian ministry claims
Russian troops and their separatist allies are fighting in the centre of Mariupol, a strategic port city in the southeast of Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry has said.
“In Mariupol, units of the Donetsk People’s Republic, with the support of the Russian armed forces, are squeezing the encirclement and fighting against nationalists in the city centre,” the ministry claimed in Moscow.
08:08 AM
Ofcom revokes Russian-backed television channel RT’s licence
Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, said on Friday it has revoked Russian-backed television channel RT’s licence to broadcast in the UK with immediate effect.
“We do not consider RT to be fit and proper to hold a UK licence and cannot be satisfied that it can be a responsible broadcaster,” Ofcom said on Twitter.
We have revoked RT’s licence to broadcast in the UK with immediate effect.
We do not consider RT to be fit and proper to hold a UK licence and cannot be satisfied that it can be a responsible broadcaster.
Read about our decision ⬇️https://t.co/LWKtMxaCQm pic.twitter.com/2BBTyqrHXo
— Ofcom (@Ofcom) March 18, 2022
07:59 AM
Ukraine should not be pressured into making land concessions, minister says
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has said Ukraine should not be pressured into making territorial concessions to Russia to end the conflict.
Mr Heappey said the West may have a role to play in brokering a peace deal but it was up to the Ukrainians to decide what terms they could accept.
“This can’t go indefinitely,” he told Sky News.
“If the West has a role to play alongside others beyond the region in brokering that peace and offering something the Ukrainians and the Russians can live with, that’s fine.
“What I absolutely don’t think we should do – and I have heard some around the West suggest this – is somehow Ukraine should be pressured to give up the Donbas or to give up its claim on Crimea.
07:55 AM
France says sanctions starting to have impact on Russia
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Friday sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia in reaction to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine were starting to have a “real impact”.
“We hope these sanctions will force Vladimir Putin to change his plans,” Mr Attal told BFM TV.
Earlier this week, European Union member states agreed on a fourth package of sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
07:53 AM
Pictured: Smoke fills sky above Lviv following Russian attack
07:39 AM
Japan imposes more sanctions on Russian officials
Japan has said that it will impose sanctions on 15 Russian individuals and nine organisations, including defence officials and the state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
The sanctions, which include the freezing of assets, are the latest in a series of measures by Japan following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Japan has now put sanctions on 76 individuals, seven banks and 12 other organisations in Russia, according to the finance ministry.
The government said on Friday Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and several military equipment makers including United Aircraft Corp, which manufactures fighter jets, would be sanctioned.
07:36 AM
Russia claims separatists ‘tightening the noose’ around Mariupol
Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday that separatists in eastern Ukraine with help from Russia’s armed forces were “tightening the noose” around the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The defence ministry added that fighting was ongoing in the centre of Mariupol.
07:34 AM
One killed and four wounded after parts of missile fall in northern Kyiv
One person was killed and four wounded after parts of a Russian missile fell on a residential building in the northern part of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday morning, emergencies services said.
The services said in a statement that 12 people were rescued and 98 were evacuated from the five-storey building.
07:33 AM
The latest pictures from Ukraine
07:24 AM
Russian and Belarusian athletes to be excluded from Diamond League
The Diamond League of track and field competitions has banned Russian Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA) and Belarusian athletes from its events “for the foreseeable future”, organisers said, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this month, World Athletics banned the two countries’ athletes, support staff and officials from all events for the foreseeable future, and said the sanction included Russian athletes who had the ANA status in 2022.
“The Wanda Diamond League meetings accepted the recommendation of the board that Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA) and Belarus athletes be excluded from all Diamond League meetings for the foreseeable future,” organisers said.
“This recommendation… reflects the practical and logistical issues meetings may face if ANA athletes from Russia and athletes from Belarus were to be invited to compete.
07:23 AM
Ukraine hopes nine humanitarian corridors will operate on Friday
Ukraine hopes to evacuate civilians on Friday through nine humanitarian corridors from cities and towns on the front line of fighting with Russian forces, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said.
07:02 AM
Saudi Arabia extends Ukrainians’ visas on humanitarian grounds, reports state news agency
Saudi Arabia issued a royal directive extending tourist and business visas of Ukrainian citizens without fees or fines for humanitarian considerations, state news agency SPA said on Friday.
The extension will be automatic without the need to visit the migration authorities. (Reporting by Lina Najem; Writing Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
06:53 AM
Lviv airport ‘definitely not’ hit after Russian strikes
Russian forces on Friday struck an area around Lviv’s airport in western Ukraine, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said, as grey smoke streamed across the sky and ambulances and police vehicles raced to the scene.
Writing on messaging app Telegram, Sadovyi said he could not give a precise address of the targeted area “but it’s definitely not an airport.”
A thick pall of grey smoke streamed across clear blue sky over Lviv’s airport in western Ukraine at 7:30 am Friday, an AFP reporter saw.
Armed checkpoints turned motorists back from roads leading to the airport, and a local told AFP he had heard a blast earlier Friday.
Lviv is the largest city in western Ukraine and a popular tourist destination known for its picturesque views.
Located 70 kilometres from the border with Poland, it has largely escaped military strikes from Russian forces in the past.
06:45 AM
Russia imposes no-fly zone over Donbass, Interfax reports
Russia has established a no-fly zone over Ukraine’s Donbass region, according to a separatist official from the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Interfax news agency said on Friday.
06:36 AM
Russia has made ‘minimal progress this week’, says UK MoD
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said in its latest update on Ukraine that Russian forces “have made minimal progress this week”.
“Russian forces have made minimal progress this week,” the MoD tweeted.
“Ukrainian forces around Kyiv and Mykolaiv continue to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled and subject to heavy Russian shelling.
“The UN now states that the number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine has already surpassed 3.2 million. This number will continue to rise as a result of ongoing Russian aggression.”
06:15 AM
Russian missiles hit area near airport in Ukraine’s Lviv, mayor says
Russian missiles struck an area near the airport of Ukraine’s western city of Lviv on Friday, its mayor Andriy Sadovy said, though he added that the airport itself had not been attacked.
Authorities are assessing the situation and will issue updates, he said.
Earlier, television station Ukraine 24 said at least three exposions had been heard in the city.
06:03 AM
More footage from Lviv where explosions were heard on Friday morning
05:48 AM
Burger King owner says Russia operator has ‘refused’ to shut shops
The owner of Burger King has said the operator of its 800 stores in Russia has “refused” to close them.
The president of Restaurant Brands International (RBI), which owns Burger King and has operated its restaurants in Russia for a decade in a joint venture which includes Alexander Kolobov, said the company was attempting to withdraw from the Russian market following the invasion of Ukraine.
RBI president David Shear wrote in an open letter to employees: “We contacted the main operator of the business and demanded the suspension of Burger King restaurant operations in Russia. He has refused to do so.
“We suspended all corporate support for the Russian market, including operations, marketing, and supply chain support in addition to refusing approvals for new investment and expansion.”
05:25 AM
Search for Ukraine theatre bombing survivors as war crime claims mount
Rescue workers searched desperately for any survivors buried beneath the rubble of Mariupol’s bombed-out theatre on Friday, as Russia’s forces pounded residential areas across Ukraine, stoking allegations of war crimes.
Twenty-four hours after Mariupol’s once-gleaming whitewashed theatre was hollowed out by a Russian strike, the number of dead, injured or trapped is still unclear.
Ukraine’s ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said a bombshelter in the building had survived the impact, and some “adults and children” had emerged alive.
“Work is underway to unlock the basement,” she said, amid fears that up to 1,000 people may have been taking refuge underground at the time of the blast.
The attack on a civilian building marked with the words “DETI”, or “children” in Russian, has sparked a wave of international revulsion and heaped pressure on Russia’s few remaining allies – most notably China – to condemn Moscow’s apparent deliberate targeting of civilians.
05:05 AM
Blasts heard in Ukraine’s Lviv
At least three blasts were heard in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday morning, Ukraine 24 television station reported through the Telegram messenger.
It published a short video in which a mushroom-shaped plume of smoke could be seen rising on the horizon.
According to claims on social media, the airport was hit by Russian cruise missiles.
Explosions reported in the Western Ukrainian City of Lviv, Smoke is seen rising from near Lviv International Airport, Ukrainian Sources are claiming that the Airport was hit by Russian Cruise Missiles a few minuets ago.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 18, 2022
04:45 AM
EU seeks energy price-busting strategy amid Ukraine crisis
European states are urgently seeking policies to stem the energy inflation tide amid conflict in Ukraine which has sparked price hikes – notably of oil, which has soared past $100 a barrel.
As companies and consumers alike labour under the strain with food and energy prices soaring to multi-decade highs, governments are pondering what means they have at their disposal to react and lessen the pain.
The policy arsenal includes trimming energy taxes and prices, along with targeted state support with some economies across the continent suffering a heavier burden than others.
The European Commission said at the start of this month it could extend a suspension on rules on budgetary rigour through to next year as several EU states urged a common response to the war’s financial fallout, on the heels of that wrought by the pandemic.
04:35 AM
Russia has recruited 1,000 volunteers from Syrian army and Hezbollah, says Ukraine armed forces
Russia has recruited 1,000 volunteers from the Syrian army and Hezbollah as it looks to make up for losses of personnel, said Ukraine’s military in a daily update.
“According to available information, the Russian occupiers have already picked up close 1,000 volunteers from the so-called army of Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah.”
“The main requirement for foreign fighters is the experience of fighting in the city.”
The update adds that Russian forces continue to partially blockade the city of Chernihiv and carry out artillery shelling of the city.
“In the Slobozhansky direction, in order to resume offensive operations on the cities of Sumy and Kharkiv, the occupiers are trying to replenish stocks of ammunition and fuel and oil and are forced to use the accumulated human reserves prematurely. In the direction of the city of Izyum, the enemy is trying to resume offensive operations.”
04:16 AM
Pictured: Ukrainian firefighters extinguish a blaze at a warehouse after a bombing in Kyiv
04:10 AM
Ukraine brings down seven Russian aircraft on Thursday
Ukraine’s air defense forces destroyed 14 aerial units on Thursday, including seven aircraft, according to local media.
“According to Ukraine’s Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ukraine’s air defense destroyed seven aircraft, one helicopter, three UAVs, and three cruise missiles,” reported the Kyiv Independent.
⚡️Ukraine’s Air Force: Fourteen Russian aerial units destroyed on March 17.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ukraine’s air defense destroyed seven aircraft, one helicopter, three UAVs, and three cruise missiles.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 18, 2022
04:00 AM
China will face ‘cost’s if it helps Russia, says Biden
US President Joe Biden will warn his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday that he will face “costs” if Beijing rescues fellow authoritarian ally Russia from intense Western sanctions aimed at punishing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The two leaders’ 9:00 am (1pm UK time) scheduled phone call will be a chance to air differences as the United States spearheads an unprecedented pressure campaign on Russia, placing China in a geopolitical bind.
It’s “an opportunity for President Biden to assess where President Xi stands,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Biden has successfully marshalled a tight Western alliance against Russia, while giving military support to Ukrainian forces.
But Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow, and Washington fears the Chinese could switch to full financial and even military support for Russia, transforming an already explosive transatlantic standoff into a global dispute.
The White House was tight-lipped on whether Biden will threaten China with sanctions during his call, but some sort of response is on the table.
03:38 AM
Australia sanctions Russian billionaires with mining industry links
Australia imposed sanctions on Friday on two Russian oligarchs with links to its mining industry, one of them a billionaire with an investment connection to Rio Tinto’s Gladstone alumina refinery joint venture.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia was working in close cooperation with international partners to increase sanctions pressure on oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.
“Australia has now added two billionaires with links to business interests in Australia, Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg,” Ms Payne said in a statement.
The measures are in addition to curbs on 41 oligarchs and immediate family members who already face targeted financial sanctions and travel bans, she said.
Ms Payne said the government welcomed Australian companies taking a principled stand with moves to cut ties with Russia “in protest of Moscow’s illegal, indefensible war against Ukraine”.
03:32 AM
12 killed in health care attacks so far, says WHO
The World Health Organization says it has verified 43 attacks on health care, with 12 people killed and 34 injured.
“WHO has verified 43 attacks on health care, with 12 people killed and 34 injured, including #healthworkers. In any conflict, attacks on health care are a violation of international humanitarian law”-@DrTedros #NotATarget
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 17, 2022
03:21 AM
One person dead in warehouse fire in Kyiv
One person died after a warehouse caught fire as a result of Russian shelling in the Sviatoshynksy district of Kyiv, the country’s communications agency tweeted at midnight local time on Thursday.
03:01 AM
More than 321,000 Ukrainians have crossed into Maldova
More than 321,000 Ukrainians have crossed into Maldova since the start of the war, said the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicu Popescu.
“Many transited our country but more than 104,000 refugees are still in Moldova, including more than 48,942 minors.”
Update on the #refugee situation in the Republic of #Moldova: since the beginning of the war, more than 321,000 #Ukrainians crossed the border with #Moldova. Many transited our country but more than 104,000 refugees are still in Moldova, including more than 48,942 minors.
— Nicu Popescu (@nicupopescu) March 17, 2022
02:49 AM
Biden to speak with China’s Xi on Friday
US President Joe Biden will speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at 9 am Eastern time (1pm UK time ) on Friday.
“This is part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the (People’s Republic of China),” according to a statement from the White House.
“The two leaders will discuss managing the competition between the two countries as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern.”
02:31 AM
In pictures: Ukrainians bear the brunt of cruel war
02:12 AM
Russia accused of dirty tricks as ministers targeted with hoax calls
Russia has been accused of “dirty tricks” after senior Cabinet ministers were targeted with hoax calls from an impostor posing as Ukraine’s prime minister.
A cross-Whitehall security inquiry has been launched after Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, and Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, were targeted.
The alarm was raised by Mr Wallace after he became suspicious during a 10-minute video call on Thursday, with the Defence Secretary publicly accusing Russia of being behind it.
He ordered an investigation into the security breach but there are serious questions about Whitehall security after Ms Patel said the same thing happened to her earlier this week.
Mr Wallace said he became suspicious and terminated the call after “several misleading questions”.
Read the full story here.
01:39 AM
Russia planning lightning advance to encircle Ukrainian army
Russia is planning a lightning advance upwards from southern Ukraine to link with other battalions to encircle Volodymyr Zelensky’s army and claim it has won the war, military experts have warned.
The potentially “critical” strategy envisages the recent massive build-up of Russian navy forces in the Black Sea which appear ready to launch an amphibious assault on the coastal city of Odesa as a feint – a bogus attack preparation designed to distract Ukrainian generals from a secret new tactic.
Instead of attacking Odesa, the strategists believe the Russian military machine will continue to “bypass” nearby Mykolaiv by thrusting northwards before heading east to target the Ukrainian army, most of which remains pinned down near Donetsk and Luhansk closer to the Russian border.
READ MORE: Russia planning lightning advance to encircle Ukrainian army and claim victory
01:10 AM
Patel confirms green light for Ukraine’s orphans to travel to UK
A group of Ukrainian orphans evacuated from their war-torn country by a Scottish charity can travel to the UK, the Home Secretary has confirmed.
Priti Patel said the 48 youngsters, who were taken out of Ukraine and into Poland by the Dnipro Kids organisation, had been given the green light to travel to Britain.
It comes after SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford raised their plight in the House of Commons on Wednesday, saying then that the Home office was the “only obstacle” to bringing them to the safety of the UK.
On Thursday, Ms Patel said: “It is deeply troubling that children from the charity Dnipro Kids have been caught up in Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
“I have been working directly with the Ukrainian Government and asked for their permission to bring these children to the UK.
“I am extremely grateful to the authorities in Ukraine, who have now confirmed to me that the children can come here.”
I’ve been working with the Ukrainian government to help the children from the Dnipro Kids charity and am extremely grateful that we will now be able to bring them to safety in the UK.
No child should be dragged into Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.#StandwithUkraine
????????????????
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) March 17, 2022
She added: “We are working urgently with Poland to ensure the children’s swift arrival to the UK.”
01:02 AM
American soldiers alive, despite Russian ‘fake news’: US military
Three current and former members of the Tennessee National Guard falsely identified in a Russian media report as mercenaries who were killed in Ukraine are in fact alive and well, the Tennessee National Guard said.
A report published in Russia’s Pravda newspaper identified the Americans by name and gave military ranks for each of them, citing information from pro-Russian militia in Ukraine’s Donetsk.
The report offered an intricate explanation for how the three were identified – using items from a backpack “near the remains of one of the militants”, including a Tennessee state flag.
“The Tennessee Guard is aware of the fake news coming out of Russia,” said Tracy O’Grady, a spokesperson for the US National Guard.
The Tennessee Guard said: “They are accounted for, safe, and not, as the article headline erroneously states, US mercenaries killed in Donetsk People’s Republic.”
The National Guard speculated the militia picked the three men while reviewing official imagery associated with a 2018 deployment by Tennessee’s 278th Armoured Cavalry Regiment to Ukraine, suggesting all three had been in Ukraine.
12:21 AM
Adults hosting families with children must undergo ‘enhanced’ checks
All British adults who host Ukrainian refugee families with children will have to undergo “enhanced” security checks, the Government will announce on Friday.
The move follows warnings from charities that “light touch” checks on host families would not be sufficient to protect refugee children living for at least six months in the same house as sponsoring UK adults.
The “enhanced” Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are generally restricted to workers in jobs such as teaching and social services dealing with children and vulnerable adults.
They require the full details of a person’s criminal record.
Ministers say the checks will not delay refugee families coming to the UK because they will not have to be completed until after they arrive.
Read the full story from The Telegraph’s Home Affairs Editor Charles Hymas here.
12:16 AM
150,000 register for UK’s Homes for Ukraine
More than 150,000 people registered their interest in the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme ahead of its launch on Friday, but concerns have been raised about how it will work in practice.
The programme aims to match refugees with individuals, charities and other organisations who can provide accommodation for at least six months, enabling Ukrainians without family ties in Britain to enter the country.
Amid concerns about red tape, safeguarding and resourcing, one major charity warned that the Government was “unleashing chaos” with the scheme and refugees could die before being matched with a sponsor and could safely reach the UK.
