Irpin's mayor said Ukrainian forces had retaken control of the city as some 170,000 civilians remained trapped in Mariupol without adequate food, water or medicine, according to Ukraine’s foreign ministry. Read about the events as they unfolded on Monday's live blog. All times indicated are Paris time [GMT+1].
This page is no longer being updated. Read more of FRANCE 24's coverage of the War in Ukraine here.
5:30 am Tuesday: Ukrainian and Russian delegations prepare for talks
Ukraine said its top objective at the first face-to-face talks with Russia in over two weeks, due to take place in Turkey on Tuesday, is to secure a ceasefire, although both it and the United States were skeptical of a major breakthrough.
Ahead of the talks, to be held in Istanbul, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and is open to compromise on the fate of the Donbas, the contested region in the country’s east.
1:10 am Tuesday: Russian tactics in Ukraine 'repeat' of Syria war, says Amnesty
Amnesty International on Tuesday slammed "war crimes" in Ukraine, as the civilian toll continues to rise after Russia's invasion, likening the situation to the Syrian war.
"What is happening in Ukraine is a repetition of what we have seen in Syria," Agnes Callamard, secretary general of the global rights watchdog, told AFP.
She was speaking in Johannesburg at the launch of the rights group's annual report on the state of human rights in the world.
"We are beyond indiscriminate attacks. We are in the midst of deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure," she said, accusing Russia of turning humanitarian corridors into "death traps".
"We see the same thing here, just as Russia did in Syria".
12:45 am Tuesday: Ukraine's Zelensky says tougher Russian sanctions needed quickly
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged Western nations to toughen sanctions quickly against Russia, including an oil embargo, to stop Moscow having a free hand to escalate its measures against his country.
In his nightly video address to Ukrainians, a clearly irritated Zelensky said the West had miscalculated last year in delaying sanctions and the invasion had followed.
"A full-scale war has begun. Now there are many hints and warnings that supposedly tougher sanctions, such as an embargo on Russian oil supplies to Europe, will be put in place if Russia uses chemical weapons," Zelensky said, occasionally banging his hands on a table.
"There are simply no words ... We, people who are alive, have to wait. Doesn't everything the Russia military has done to date warrant an oil embargo? Don't phosphorous bombs warrant it? A shelled chemical production facility or a shelled nuclear power plant doesn't warrant it?"
12:30 am Tuesday: Kremlin spokesman: Russia would use nuclear weapons only in case of 'threat to existence of state'
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told PBS in an interview on Monday that Russia would resort to nuclear weapons only in the case of a "threat to the existence" of his country – and not as a result of the current conflict with Ukraine.
"But any outcome of the operation (in Ukraine), of course is not a reason for usage of a nuclear weapon," Peskov said. "We have a security concept that very clearly states that only when there is a threat for existence of the state, in our country, we can use and we will actually use nuclear weapons to eliminate the threat for the existence of our country."
11:10 pm Monday: British intelligence says Russia's Wagner Group deployed to eastern Ukraine
British military intelligence said on Monday the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group, has been deployed to eastern Ukraine.
“They are expected to deploy more than 1,000 mercenaries, including senior leaders of the organisation, to undertake combat operations,” Britain’s Ministry of Defence said.
11:00 pm: Abramovich, Ukraine negotiators suffer suspected poisoning, says report
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators were targets of a suspected poison attack at peace talks earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
Ukrainian officials decline to confirm the incident, advising people to follow "only the official information", and warning about "various conspiracy theories."
Abramovich and the negotiators reportedly developed symptoms including red eyes and peeling skin, though they later recovered.
9:56 pm: Ukraine says 1,099 people evacuated from cities on Monday
A total of 1,099 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on Monday, a senior official said.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office, said in an online post that 586 people had left the besieged the city of Mariupol by car and 513 were evacuated by bus in the Luhansk region.
9:27 pm: Biden says 'moral outrage' behind Putin comment, not policy change
US President Joe Biden said Monday his remark in Warsaw that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be removed from power reflected his own moral outrage, not an administration policy shift.
"I wasn’t then nor am I now articulating a policy change. I was expressing moral outrage that I felt and I make no apologies," he said, noting that he had just visited with families displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Biden added that he was "not walking anything back" by clarifying the remark. Asked whether the remark would spur a negative response from Putin, Biden said, "I don’t care what he thinks. ... He’s going to do what he’s going to do."
7:37 pm: Ukraine says it has 'proof' banned weapons used in Odesa, Kherson
Ukraine has proof Russian forces have used banned cluster bombs in two southern regions of the country, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said Monday.
Cluster bombs spread dozens of tiny explosive charges across an area, some of which may not immediately explode and in effect become anti-personnel mines that pose a threat to civilians long after a conflict ends.
Asked by journalists about the use of such munitions by Russians in their bombardments of the Ukrainian capital since the invasion began over a month ago, Venediktova said she didn't have concrete proof but that investigations were under way.
"But ... we have proof of the utilisation of cluster bombs in the Odesa region and in the Kherson area," she said. Pressure groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said they have collected proof of use of cluster bombs in areas where civilians were present in Ukraine.
6:00 pm: Ukrainian forces retake control of town of Irpin, officials say
Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had retaken full control of the town, one of the hotspots of battles with Russian troops near the capital Kyiv.
"We have good news today – Irpin has been liberated," Markushyn said in a video post on Telegram. "We understand that there will be more attacks on our town and we will defend it courageously."
In televised remarks late on Monday, Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky confirmed that Ukrainian forces had "liberated" the Kyiv suburb of Irpin.
"In fact, this is now happening in parallel: the armed forces are advancing, the police are advancing, and immediately a sweep is going on completely through the streets ... Therefore, the city has now been liberated, but it is still dangerous to be there, " Monastyrsky said.
FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reports from Ukraine's capital
Despite reports that Ukrainian forces had retaken the city, Irpin’s mayor said it is not yet safe to return. "Ukrainian officials still believe that there are Russian combattants in Irpin and that's why there is likely to still be some fighting in the streets,” says Cragg, reporting from Kyiv.
5:52 pm: UN seeking 'humanitarian ceasefire' in Ukraine: Guterres
UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday the global body is seeking a humanitarian ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, as the civilian toll continues to rise a month after Moscow's invasion of its neighbor.
Guterres told reporters he had asked UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths "immediately to explore with the parties involved the possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine".
5:51 pm: At least 5,000 dead in Mariupol since start of Russian invasion, Ukrainian official says
At least 5,000 people have died in the besieged port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion last month, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP Monday.
"About 5,000 people were buried, but the burials stopped 10 days ago because of continued shelling," Tetyana Lomakina, a presidential adviser now in charge of humanitarian corridors, told AFP by phone, adding that as many as 10,000 people may have died.
4:48 pm: Kyiv mayor says more than 100 war deaths in city, including 4 children
There have been more than 100 deaths in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv since Russia's invasion of its neighbour, the city's mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Monday.
In an address to city councillors of Florence, which is twinned with Kyiv, Klitschko said more than 20 corpses could not be identified and four of the victims were children, while another 16 injured children are in the hospital.
4:32 pm: Ukraine puts € 515 billion price tag on Russian war damage
The Ukrainian government estimated on Monday the economic losses from the Russian invasion, which has been underway for just over one month, at nearly $565 billion (€515 billion).
Ukraine’s economy minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said on Facebook that the estimate includes immediate damage plus expected losses in trade and economic activity.
"It should be noted that every day the numbers change and unfortunately they are increasing," said Svyrydenko, who is also a deputy prime minister.
Damage to public and private property -- with Russian forces resorting to fierce bombardments that have levelled some cities as their invasion has stalled -- was the biggest element.
Svyrydenko estimatedgross domestic product in 2022 would be down by $112 billion (€102 billion), which would be a drop of more than 55 percent of Ukraine's economic activity last year.
3:59 pm: Russia to limit entry for 'unfriendly' states, says Lavrov
Russia said on Monday it was preparing to restrict entry into Russia for nationals of "unfriendly" countries, which include Britain, all EU states and the United States.
"A draft presidential decree is being developed on retaliatory visa measures in response to the 'unfriendly' actions of a number of foreign states," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in televised remarks.
"This act will introduce a number of restrictions on entry into Russia," he added without elaborating.
After the West piled unprecedented sanctions on Moscow following Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine, Russia expanded the list of what it calls "unfriendly" countries.
They now include the United States, Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, all EU member states and several others.
2:09 pm: Top Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta suspends publication
Russia's top independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose chief editor was last year awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, said Monday it was suspending publication until the end of Moscow's military action in Ukraine.
"We have received another warning from Roskomnadzor," the newspaper said, referring to Russia's media regulator. "We are suspending publication of the newspaper on our website, on social media and in print – until the end of the 'special operation in Ukraine'".
12:59 pm: Nearly 3.9 million people flee Ukraine, UN says
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said 3,862,797 Ukrainians had fled the country -- an increase of 41,748 from Sunday's figures.
Around 90 percent of them are women and children, it added.
Of those who have left, 2.2 million have fled for neighbouring Poland, while more than half a million have made it to Romania. Nearly 300,000 have gone to Russia.
Ukraine's refugee crisis is Europe's worst since World War II.
11:56 am: Russian invasion has cost Ukraine more than $560 billion, Kyiv’s economy minister says
Russia's war on Ukraine has so far cost Ukraine $564.9 billion in terms of damage to infrastructure, lost economic growth and other factors, Kyiv’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Monday.
In an online post, she said the fighting had damaged or destroyed 8,000 kilometres (4,970 miles) of roads and 10 million square metres of housing.
11:52 am: Ukraine says Russian forces once again on the offensive northwest and east of Kyiv
FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reports from Ukraine's capital.
11:22 am: Kremlin says Russia-Ukraine peace talks may begin Tuesday
The Kremlin said on Monday that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine could get underway in Turkey on Tuesday, and said it was important that the talks be held face-to-face despite scant progress in negotiations so far.
Turkey had earlier said the talks could begin as early as Monday, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that was unlikely as the negotiators would only be arriving in Turkey on Monday.
10:52 am: Cambodia's Hun Sen condemns Russian invasion of Ukraine, calls for immediate ceasefire
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Monday and echoed calls for an immediate ceasefire made by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which Cambodia currently chairs.
Hun Sen invoked Cambodia's own history of occupation by Vietnam and cast doubt on Russia's ability to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
"I still stand in solidarity with Ukrainian people against the invasion," he said on the sidelines of a hospital inauguration event.
10:01 am: Ukraine won’t open evacuation corridors due to possible Russian ‘provocations’
Ukraine has no plans to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from besieged cities on Monday because of intelligence reports warning of possible Russian "provocations" along the routes, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Vadym Boichenko, the mayor of Mariupol, said about 160,000 civilians were trapped in the port city without power. Twenty-six buses were waiting to evacuate civilians but Russian forces had not agreed to give them safe passage, he said.
"The Russian Federation is playing with us," Boichenko said.
9:23 am: Turkey among countries that could become ‘guarantors’ of Ukraine’s security, Kyiv says
Turkey is among countries that could offer Kyiv security guarantees as part of any deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said on Monday.
"Turkey is among those countries that could become guarantors of our security in the future," Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, said ahead of peace talks scheduled between Kyiv and Moscow in Turkey.
Kyiv has said it wants legally binding security guarantees that would offer Ukraine protection in the event of a future attack.
8:12 am: Position of Russian forces in Ukraine has not moved significantly since Sunday morning, UK says
The disposition of Russian forces in Ukraine during the last 24 hours has seen no significant change, British military intelligence said on Monday. However, Russia has gained more ground in the south, in the vicinity of Mariupol, as it fights to capture the port, the defence ministry added.
8:04 am: Theft of aid, human trafficking pose problems amid refugee influx on Polish border
Theft of humanitarian supplies and human trafficking threaten the situation for refugees who cross into Poland from Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Ellen Gainsford reports.
6:30 am: Talks in Turkey, ‘catastrophic’ situation in Mariupol: Here’s what you need to know
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will resume face-to-face peace talks as soon as Monday, probing whether a near-stalemate in fighting has forced Moscow to temper its demands.
President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the new negotiations, saying he hoped they would bring peace “without delay”, and lamented a month-long Russian invasion that has already killed thousands and devastated numerous Ukrainian cities.
The new talks are set to start in Turkey on either Monday or Tuesday, with Zelensky desperate to halt the bombardment of cities like Mariupol, where officials said the situation is “catastrophic”.
About 170,000 civilians remain trapped in Mariupol without adequate food, water or medicine, as the southern port city is being turned “into dust” by Russian shelling, according to Ukraine’s foreign ministry.
While #Mariupol [is] besieged and bombed, people fight to survive. The humanitarian situation in the city is catastrophic. #Russian Armed Forces is turning the city into dust.
Save Mariupol!#closeUAskyNOW#StandWithUkraine #StopRussianAgression pic.twitter.com/wI21IhKdRn
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) March 28, 2022
France, Greece and Turkey are hoping to launch a “humanitarian operation” to evacuate civilians within days, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought an OK from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Several previous rounds of peace talks have failed to halt the fighting or overcome fundamental disagreements about Kyiv’s alignment with the West and Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory.
But with Russia’s much-larger military humbled by fierce Ukrainian resistance and forced to abandon efforts to capture Kyiv, there is renewed hope for talks.
“Our goal is obvious—peace and the restoration of normal life in our native state as soon as possible,” Zelensky said in a late-night video message that also set out his negotiating red lines.
“Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory,” he said.
Zelensky has indicated he is “carefully” considering a Russian demand of Ukrainian “neutrality”.
“This point of the negotiations is understandable to me and it is being discussed, it is being carefully studied,” Zelensky said during an interview with several independent Russian news organisations on Sunday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
