The Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv at 10am Moscow time (7am UK) on Monday, the Interfax news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry as saying.
The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron and in view of the current situation in those cities, it said.
Russian forces pummelled Ukrainian cities from the air, land and sea on Monday, with warnings they were preparing for an assault on the capital Kyiv, as terrified civilians failed for a second day to escape besieged Mariupol.
“It’s murder, deliberate murder,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raged in an address.
“We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war on our land. There will be no quiet place on this Earth except the grave.”
He said Russia had announced new shelling for Monday of defence targets in Ukrainian cities and denounced what he branded the “silence” of Western governments failing to speak out.
Follow the latest updates below.
07:58 AM
Still room for further sanctions against Russia: France
France and Europe still have margin for manoeuvre to implement further sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said.
“Yes there are margins for manoeuvre. All options are on the table,” Mr Le Maire told BFM television and RMC Radio.
07:50 AM
Europe minister defends support for refugees
Europe minister James Cleverly has defended Britain’s record on welcoming Ukrainian refugees, saying a new scheme had only just launched following criticism that it was far too restrictive.
“We have processes in place whereby people with family here in the UK and indeed those without family in the UK can come to the UK,” he said.
“I would remind you that the process has only just started and the vast majority of people are physically still in the countries neighbouring Ukraine.”
On Sunday, it was revealed the government had only issued “around 50” visas to refugees to date, far short of those in Europe. Poland has welcomed over 1 million Ukrainian refugees in the first 10 days of the conflict.
07:38 AM
China says friendship with Russia is ‘rock solid’
China’s friendship with Russia is “rock solid” and the prospects for cooperation are very broad, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.
Cooperation between the two countries brings benefits and well-being to the two peoples, he told his annual news conference on the sidelines of China’s annual meeting of parliament.
Mr Wang called for a focus on a long-term stability for the region and that outside actors must stop interfering in Sino-Russian relations.
Mr Wang also announced China’s Red Cross will provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine as he reiterated a call for talks to continue.
China is “willing to work with the international community to carry out necessary mediation”.
07:32 AM
The current state of the Russian invasion
07:22 AM
Ukrainians rally to defend Irpin
07:10 AM
Latest MoD update
06:59 AM
Russians using Smerch rocket system to attack Mykolaiv
Vadym Denysenko, advisor to interior minister of Ukraine, says Russian forces used powerful Smerch rocket launchers to shell the city, according to local media.
The city saw fires at residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Vadym Denysenko, advisor to interior minister of Ukraine, said Russian forces used Smerch heavy multiple rocket launchers to shell the city.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 7, 2022
06:34 AM
Iran says Russian demand at nuclear talks ‘not constructive’
Iranian officials said Russia’s demands at talks on Iran’s nuclear deal in Vienna are “not constructive”, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.
Russia’s “interference” was aimed at securing its own interests, the agency cited unidentified Iranian officials as saying.
Russia has demanded a US guarantee that the sanctions it faces over the Ukraine conflict would not hurt its trade with Iran. The demand could be a stumbling block in the talks.
By postponing the revival of the agreement between Iran and the Western powers, and delaying Iran’s return to the oil market, Russia was seeking to raise crude prices and increase its own energy revenue, the news agency said, without citing a source for that assessment.
06:07 AM
South Korea to cut transactions with Russia’s central bank
South Korea on Monday toughened its financial sanctions against Russia by banning transactions with Russia’s central bank.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said it has decided to immobilise any assets held by the Russian central bank in the won and to sever transactions with Russia’s central bank, following similar moves by the United States and the European Union.
The new penalties on Russia follows Seoul’s March 1 decision to ban transactions with seven major Russian banks and their affiliates, including Sberbank.
South Korea’s finance ministry will release details including the scope of further sanctions later on Monday, which “will be in line with US financial sanctions,” a finance ministry official said.
Details of any Russian central bank assets held in won cannot be disclosed without the holder’s consent, the official said.
05:54 AM
Zelensky says attack is ‘murder, deliberate murder’
A civilian disaster is growing in Ukraine as attempts to evacuate residents of besieged port city Mariupol failed for a second day, with President Volodymyr Zelensky denouncing “murder” as he warned of more shelling to come on Monday.
New shelling and attacks have sent soaring numbers of refugees fleeing, sometimes under fire, as the death toll mounts.
Russian forces stepped up their shelling of Ukrainian cities in the centre, north and south of the country late on Sunday, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said.
“The latest wave of missile strikes came as darkness fell,” he said on Ukrainian television.
He said the areas that came under heavy shelling include the outskirts of Kyiv, Chernihiv in the north, Mykolaiv in the south, and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.
05:33 AM
Russia has announced ceasefire in Kyiv and other cities, Russian media reports
Russia’s Defense Ministry has announced a ceasefire in Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Sumy from 10am local time with a view to open humanitarian corridors, according to Lenta.ru
05:08 AM
Invasion could scupper Southeast Asia’s tourism comeback
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have far-reaching consequences in Southeast Asia, scuppering the long-awaited reopening of the tourism industry that millions of families depend on, writes Nicola Smith
The region was hoping for a much-needed economic boost over the next few months as it slowly reopens its borders after two year of pandemic curbs decimated the tourism sector.
But a large inflow of Russian tourists would be necessary for a strong recovery, especially as the travel of Chinese citizens is severely curtailed, and sanctions against Russia and airspace restrictions are likely to have a huge impact.
Industry analysts have predicted popular resorts like Bali, Indonesia, and Phuket, Thailand, could be the worst affected.
Phuket was one of the first places to reopen under special travel bubble rules and 51,000 of 278,000 tourists who visited between November and February were Russian.
In Bali, Russians in the early stages of the pandemic had already overtaken Australians as the largest group of visitors.
04:53 AM
Apparent scenes from the city of Mikolayiv on Monday morning
04:47 AM
Oil prices soar and shares drop amid fears of further bans on Russia
Oil prices soared and shares sank in hectic trading on Monday as the risk of a US and European ban on Russian products and delays in Iranian talks triggered what was shaping up as a major stagflationary shock for world markets.
The euro extended its slide, hitting parity against the safe haven Swiss franc, and commodities of all kinds were on the rise as the Russian-Ukraine conflict showed no sign of cooling.
Having surged more than 10pc in wild early action, Brent was last quoted $7.90 higher at $126.01, while US crude rose $6.67 to $122.35.
That jump will act as a tax on consumers and the potential blow to global economic growth saw S&P 500 stock futures drop 1.5pc, while Nasdaq futures shed 1.9pc.
US 10-year bond yields also dropped to their lowest since early January. EUROSTOXX 50 futures dived 3pc and FTSE futures 2.5pc. Japan’s Nikkei sank 3.2pc, while MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 1.6pc. Chinese blue chips shed 0.8pc amid a sea of red across Asian markets.
Having climbed 21pc last week, Brent crude was further energised by the risk of a ban of Russian oil by the United States and Europe.
04:40 AM
Pictured: People fleeing war-torn Ukraine arrive in Berlin on a train from Poland
04:32 AM
Invasion a ‘moment of choice for China’, says Australian PM
Australia’s prime minister called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “a moment of choice for China” Monday, urging Beijing to end its tacit political and economic support for the war.
Scott Morrison pressed China to shape the actions of its Russian ally and prove that Beijing is committed to global peace and the principle of sovereignty.
“No country would have a greater impact right now on Russia’s violent aggression towards Ukraine than China,” Mr Morrison told the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based foreign policy think tank.
“The crisis that now grips Europe heralds a moment of choice for China,” he said.
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met in Beijing days before the war in Ukraine began, pledging friendship with “no limits”.
Since then, China has avoided direct criticism of the war, expressed sympathy for Russia’s justifications and refused to join Western sanctions.
Mr Morrison accused Beijing of throwing Russia “an economic lifeline” by relaxing trade restrictions on the import of Russian wheat.
04:09 AM
New Zealand ramps up sanctions on Russia
Russians will be prevented from moving their assets to New Zealand and from sailing their super yachts into its waters once the country passes a new raft of sanctions this week.
“A Bill of this nature has never been brought before our Parliament, but with Russia vetoing UN sanctions we must act ourselves to support Ukraine and our partners in opposition to this invasion,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
“When we first responded to Russia’s invasion by issuing targeted travel bans, prohibiting exports to the military and suspending bilateral foreign ministry consultations we said no options were off the table.
“Today we take the next step in our response to increase sanctions, in line with the actions of our partners.
“This Bill is specific to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and will allow new sanctions to be applied as approved by the Foreign Minister.”
03:38 AM
Russian troops fire missile strike near village in Odesa Oblast, reports the Kyiv Independent
Russian troops have launched a missile strike near the village of Tuzla in Odesa Oblast, the Kyiv Independent reports.
The attack targeted key infrastructure but no one is thought to have been killed or injured, said Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson of the Operational Headquarters of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.
03:23 AM
Flight carrying alleged spies leaves New York for Moscow
A flight carrying Russian government personnel expelled by the United States on suspicion of spying has left New York for Moscow. Their plane departed around 7.30pm local time and is due to arrive in Moscow at 2.32pm local time.
In late February the US expelled 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations over national security concerns.
A spokesperson for the US Mission to the United Nations alleged they were “engaging in espionage activities” that threaten national security,
03:08 AM
Ukraine and Russia to face off at World Court over genocide claim
Ukraine will ask the United Nations’ top court on Monday to issue an emergency ruling requiring Russia to stop its invasion, arguing that Moscow’s justification for the attack is based on a faulty interpretation of genocide law.
Although the court’s rulings are binding and countries generally follow them, it has no direct means of enforcing them.
President Vladimir Putin has said Russia’s “special military action” is needed “to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide” – meaning those whose first or only language is Russian – in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s suit argues that the claim of genocide is untrue, and in any case does not provide legal justification for invasion.
The case it has lodged at the World Court, officially known as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), centres on the interpretation of a 1948 treaty on the prevention of genocide, signed by both countries. The treaty names the ICJ as the forum for resolving disputes between signatories.
02:55 AM
Staff at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant under Russian command
Russian forces that seized Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have now placed staff running the facility under their command and restricted communications with the outside world, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Sunday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was “extremely concerned” about developments at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, citing information from Ukraine’s nuclear regulator.
“Ukraine reports that any action of plant management – including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units – requires prior approval by the Russian commander,” the IAEA said in a statement.
“In a second serious development, Ukraine has reported that the Russian forces at the site have switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through the normal channels of communication,” it added.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had seized control of Zaporizhzhia on Friday after setting an adjacent training facility on fire. Russia’s defence ministry blamed the attack on Ukrainian saboteurs, calling it a “monstrous provocation”.
02:35 AM
Fighting stopped 200,000 people from evacuating Mariupol
Fighting stopped about 200,000 people from evacuating the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol for a second day in a row, as Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press ahead with his invasion unless Kyiv surrendered.
Most people trapped in the port city are sleeping underground to escape more than six days of near-constant shelling by encircling Russian forces that has cut off food, water, power and heating supplies, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
In a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Mr Putin told Mr Erdogan he was ready for dialogue to end the fighting but that any attempt to draw out talks would fail, according to the Kremlin.
02:18 AM
KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers to pull out of Russia
Two of the Big Four accounting firms KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on Sunday said they will no longer have a member firm in Russia due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The auditing and consultancy giant KPMG said its Russia and Belarus firm will leave the KPMG network, a move that will affect over 4,500 partners and staff in Russia and Belarus.
Separately, PwC agreed PwC Russia will leave its network. The firm has operated in Russia for more than 30 years, and has 3,700 partners and staff there, it said.
“As a result of the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine we have decided that, under the circumstances, PwC should not have a member firm in Russia and consequently PwC Russia will leave the Network,” PwC said.
Sanctions imposed by the UK, EU and the US on Russia are forcing firms globally to consider whether they should continue working with Russian clients who are state-owned.
02:04 AM
Russia drafts Syrians into fighting, WSJ reports
Russia is recruiting Syrians skilled in urban combat to fight in Ukraine as Moscow prepares to push deeper into cities, US officials told the Wall Street Journal.
Russia has been operating inside Syria since 2015, targeting what it says are Islamic State and other terrorists.
An American assessment indicates in recent days it has been recruiting fighters from there, the newspaper reported, but said it was unclear how many fighters have been identified, but some are already in Russia preparing to enter the conflict, according to one official.
According to a report by Deir Ezzor24, Russia has offered the fighters between $200 and $300 “to go to Ukraine and operate as guards” for six months at a time.
01:46 AM
A map of the territory temporarily occupied by the Russians, according Ukraine’s communications agency
This map, created by Nathan Roser from ASPI Cyber Policy, displays the most up-to-date and accurate information about the territory temporarily occupied by the Russians. The occupiers do not control the territory, they temporarily control the roads and some settlements #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/fm0hFJJkqE
— SSSCIP Ukraine (@dsszzi) March 6, 2022
01:32 AM
Latest UK Defence Intelligence update
01:26 AM
Anonymous has reportedly hacked into Russian channels
The hacking group Anonymous has reportedly hacked into the Russian streaming services and TV channels to broadcast footage of the war in Ukraine.
Social media users and local media said streaming services Wink and Ivi and live TV channels Russia 24, Channel One, Moscow 24 were hijacked with scenes from the conflict.
01:12 AM
‘Catastrophic’ situation in Kyiv suburbs
[embedded content]
Russian forces stepped up their shelling of Ukrainian cities in the centre, north and south of the country late on Sunday, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said.
“The latest wave of missile strikes came as darkness fell,” he said on Ukrainian television.
He said the areas that came under heavy shelling include the outskirts of Kyiv, Chernihiv in the north, Mykolaiv in the south, and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.
Kharkiv officials said the shelling damaged the television tower and heavy artillery was hitting residential areas.
In Chernihiv officials said all regions of the city were coming under missile attack.
Mr Arestovich described a “catastrophic” situation in the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, where efforts to evacuate residents on Sunday failed. He said the Government was doing all it could to resume evacuations.
Evacuations also failed in Mariupol in the south and Volnovakha in the east because of the shelling.
01:10 AM
Russia accused of war crimes by deliberately attacking civilians
Now in its 12th day, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen more than 1.5 million people flee the country in what the UN has called Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War.
Washington cited “very credible reports” that Russia had committed war crimes by deliberately attacking civilians.
01:06 AM
Russia loses two of the Big Four accounting firms
Two of the so-called Big Four accounting firms are pulling out of Russia over its war in Ukraine.
KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers both said on Sunday that they would end their relationships with their Russia-based member firms. KPMG said it was also pulling out of Belarus.
KPMG International said it would be “incredibly difficult” to have its Russia and Belarus firms leave the network. KPMG has more than 4,500 employees in the two countries.
PricewaterhouseCoopers said it has 3,700 employees at its PwC Russia firm and is working on an “orderly transition” for the business.
The two other Big Four companies – Deloitte and Ernst & Young – didn’t immediately return requests for comment on Sunday.
01:05 AM
20,000 people from 52 countries volunteer to fight Russians
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said more than 20,000 people from 52 countries had already volunteered to fight in Ukraine, where they will serve in a newly created international legion. He did not say how many of the foreign volunteers have arrived in Ukraine.
“The whole world today is on Ukraine’s side not only in words but in deeds,” Mr Kuleba said on Ukrainian television on Sunday night.
He did not name the home countries of the volunteers, saying that some of them forbid their citizens from fighting for other countries.
Mr Kuleba also urged Ukrainians living in other countries to begin a campaign to push for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union.
01:01 AM
Today’s top stories
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Boris Johnson has condemned Vladimir Putin as “barbaric” after civilians attempting to flee the invasion of Ukraine were killed by Russian shells
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America should put the Chinese flag on US military aircraft and then “bomb the s—‘ out of Russia”, Donald Trump has told Republican donors
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Poland could provide Ukraine with fighter jets in a deal being negotiated with the United States, as Kyiv begs the West for enough support to prevent Russia from gaining air superiority in its invasion
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Britain has so far granted only “around 50” visas to fleeing Ukrainians under a scheme to help refugees who already have family based in the UK, the Home Office has said
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Russian commanders are now in control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, an “extremely concerned” UN watchdog has warned
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Angry Russian mothers have accused Vladimir Putin of deploying their sons as “cannon fodder” in his invasion of Ukraine, according to video footage of a confrontation with a regional governor that emerged on a day when police in Russia detained 4,500 anti-war protesters
