The sun is beginning to rise in Ukraine this morning as the country edges closer to its fourth week of war. Here is where the situation currently stands:
- US officials believe Russia has sought military support from China amid claims that the Russian military is running short on certain kinds of armaments, the Financial Times first reported. The developments have led to fears Beijing may undermine the West’s efforts to help Ukraine.
- US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, warned Beijing that it would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
- China responded to reports with a spokesperson for the US embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, telling CNN he had “never heard” of the Russian arms requests, noting that China’s priority was to ensure the situation does not escalate or get out of control.
- The United States will try to persuade China not to supply arms to Russia at a high-level meeting in Rome.
- The Ukrainian military is claiming cases of “mass refusals by Russian servicemen” to partake in the war on Ukraine, according the latest operational report.
- The UK defence ministry claims Russian naval forces are “effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade”, its latest defence intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine reads.
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Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, is reportedly in Ukraine alongside Russian forces, according to footage shared by Chechen television channels and posted to Kadyrov’s Telegram account.
- Negotiations are set to continue between Ukraine and Russia on Monday with officials on both sides offering cautious optimism despite little evidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s position has changed.
- US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron underscored in a call on Sunday their commitment to holding Russia accountable for the invasion of Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.
- British prime minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK government will donate more than 500 mobile generators to Ukraine to help provide power for key buildings such as hospitals, shelters and water treatment plants.
- Russia’s state media and communication regulator, Rozcomnadzor, says Instagram will be banned, claiming the social networking site “calls for violence against Russians” as the reason behind the embargo.
- The CEO of controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI said the Ukraine defence ministry has started to use its services, according to Reuters.
- Ukrainian president Zelenskiy urged Nato to impose a no fly zone after the attack on the military base that brought the fighting close to the Polish border. “If you don’t close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on Nato territory,” he said.
- Russia’s defence ministry admitted responsibility for a rocket attack on the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security, a military base, near the Polish border on Sunday.
For any tips and feedback please contact me through Twitter or at samantha.lock@theguardian.com
The Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson has been widely accused of echoing Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine. According to a report on Sunday, earlier this month the Putin regime in Moscow sent out an instruction to friendly media outlets: use more clips of Carlson.
Mother Jones, a progressive magazine, said it had obtained memos produced by the Russian Department of Information and Telecommunications Support.
One document, it said, was entitled “For Media and Commentators (recommendations for coverage of events as of 03.03)”, or 3 March. The magazine published pictures of the memo, which it said it was given by “a contributor to a national Russian media outlet who asked not to be identified”.
It said the memo included an instruction: “It is essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sharply criticises the actions of the United States [and] Nato, their negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine, [and] the defiantly provocative behaviour from the leadership of the eastern countries and Nato towards the Russian Federation and towards President Putin, personally.”
The exodus of refugees fleeing Ukraine continues in Europe’s biggest refugee crisis this century.
Almost 2.7 million people have fled the war in Ukraine, more than 100,000 of them in the past 24 hours, according to the UN.
Most have fled to Poland. Krakow, the second largest city in Poland, is now struggling with the new arrivals as temporary accommodations and shelters remain full.
Leader of Russia’s Chechnya region posts video from outside Kyiv
Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, is reportedly in Ukraine alongside Russian forces, according to footage shared by Chechen television channels and posted to Kadyrov’s Telegram account.
Kadyrov posted a video on Telegram of himself on Monday in military uniform studying plans around a table with soldiers in a room.
In a message, he said that the video had been taken at Hostomel, an airfield near Kyiv, Agence France-Presse reports.
“The other day we were about 20km from you Kyiv Nazis and now we are even closer,” Kadyrov reportedly wrote as he called on Ukrainian forces to surrender “or you will be finished”.
“We will show you that Russian practice teaches warfare better than foreign theory and the recommendations of military advisers,” he added.
The Chechen television channel Grozny also posted a video on its Telegram channel earlier on Sunday that showed Kadyrov in a darkened room discussing with Chechen troops a military operation they said took place 7km (4.3 miles) from the Ukrainian capital.
The videos could not be independently verified.
Kadyrov and his forces have been accused by international NGOs of serious human rights violations in the tightly controlled Caucasus republic. He is a former rebel turned Kremlin ally who has previously described himself as Putin’s “foot soldier” with a paramilitary force at his command.
Updated
The United States will try to persuade China not to supply arms to Russia at a high-level meeting in Rome which the White House sees as critically important not just for the war in Ukraine but also for the future of the global balance of power.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, will meet his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, in the Italian capital amid reports that Russia has asked China for weapons to bolster its faltering invasion of Ukraine.
Sullivan will point out that the US briefed Beijing on Vladimir Putin’s intentions months ahead of the invasion, but that the Chinese leadership ignored those warnings, mistakenly believing that Putin was bluffing to gain leverage, according to sources familiar with plans for the Rome meeting. Sullivan will also argue that if China supplies weapons to Moscow it will be a further, historic mistake, and a turning point in global politics.
The White House is anxious to prevent the Ukraine war further cementing a division of the world into two opposing blocs.
Interim summary
If you’ve just joined us, here is a quick snap of where the situation in Ukraine currently stands:
- US officials believe Russia has sought military support from China since the start of the invasion amid claims that the Russian military is running short on certain kinds of armaments, the Financial Times first reported. The developments have led to fears Beijing may undermine the West’s efforts to help Ukraine.
- US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, warned Beijing that it would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
- China responded to reports. A spokesperson for the US embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, told CNN he had “never heard” of the Russian arms requests, noting that China’s priority was to ensure the situation does not escalate or get out of control.
- The Ukrainian military is claiming cases of “mass refusals by Russian servicemen” to partake in the war on Ukraine, according the latest operational report.
- The UK defence ministry claims Russian naval forces are “effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade”, its latest defence intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine reads.
- Negotiations are set to continue between Ukraine and Russia on Monday with officials on both sides offering cautious optimism despite little evidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s position has changed.
- US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron underscored in a call on Sunday their commitment to holding Russia accountable for the invasion of Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.
- British prime minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK government will donate more than 500 mobile generators to Ukraine to help provide power for key buildings such as hospitals, shelters and water treatment plants.
- Russia’s state media and communication regulator, Rozcomnadzor, says Instagram will be banned, claiming the social networking site “calls for violence against Russians” as the reason behind the embargo.
- The CEO of controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI said the Ukraine defence ministry has started to use its services, according to Reuters.
- Ukrainian president Zelenskiy urged Nato to impose a no fly zone after the attack on the military base that brought the fighting close to the Polish border. “If you don’t close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on Nato territory,” he said.
Updated
The Australian government has slapped fresh sanctions on Russian oligarchs, including the prominent billionaire Roman Abramovich, who is the London-based owner of Millhouse Capital and the Chelsea Football Club.
Australia on Monday designated 33 individuals, including the chief executive of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, and the chair of Bank Rossiya, Dmitri Lebedev. The move against Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, brings Australia in line with the UK and the US.
Other individuals named by Australia on Monday include: the chair of Rostec and member of the Supreme Council of United Russia, Sergey Chemezov; the founder and largest shareholder of Alfa Group, Mikhail Fridman; the president of Transneft, Nikolai Tokarev; the chair of Sheremetyevo international airport, Alexander Ponomarenko; the chair of VEB, Igor Shuvalov; and the chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev.
Updated
Negotiations are set to continue between Ukraine and Russia on Monday with officials on both sides offering cautious optimism despite little evidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s position has changed.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak confirmed talks will take place with Russia on Monday via video link.
“Again. Negotiations go non-stop in the format of video conferences. Working groups are constantly functioning. A large number of issues require constant attention. On Monday, March 14, a negotiating session will be held to sum up the preliminary results…” Podoliak said in a Twitter post on Sunday.
“Russia is starting to talk constructively,” Podolyak added over Telegram, noting that Russia “is much more sensitive to Ukraine’s position”.
“I think we will reach some concrete results, literally, in a few days.”
Again. Negotiations go non-stop in the format of video conferences. Working groups are constantly functioning. A large number of issues require constant attention. On Monday, March 14, a negotiating session will be held to sum up the preliminary results…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 13, 2022
Updated
The Ukrainian military has just released its daily operational report, claiming cases of “mass refusals by Russian servicemen” to partake in the war on Ukraine.
According to military officials, Russian forces continue to destroy stationary military and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law.
Russia’s launch of short range ballistic ‘Iskander’ missiles from the territory of Belarus continues, the report adds while noting that attempts to capture Mariupol remain unsuccessful.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, discussed during a call on Sunday the diplomatic efforts to stop Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, the state department said in a statement.
“Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Kuleba discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop Putin’s war of choice,” spokesperson Ned Price said.
“The Secretary reiterated the United States’ steadfast solidarity with Ukraine in defence against the Kremlin’s continued brutal aggression.”
Spoke with Foreign Minister @DmytroKuleba about our steadfast support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and ongoing efforts to stop Putin’s war of choice. #UnitedWithUkraine
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 14, 2022
The UK defence ministry has just released its latest defence intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, claiming Russian naval forces are “effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade”.
The report reads:
Russian naval forces have established a distant blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade.
Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine.
Russia has already conducted one amphibious landing in the Sea of Azov and could look to conduct further such operations in the coming weeks.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 13 March 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 13, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/cz8Q0vnsA5
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/o28zuSsk3K
Updated
US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron underscored in a call on Sunday their commitment to holding Russia accountable for the invasion of Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.
“They reviewed recent diplomatic engagements and underscored their commitment to hold Russia accountable for its actions and to support the government and people of Ukraine,” according to a White House readout of the call.
Today, @POTUS spoke with President Emmanuel Macron to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine. They reviewed recent diplomatic engagements and underscored their commitment to hold Russia accountable for its actions and support the government and people of Ukraine.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 14, 2022
Updated
Russia to ban Instagram over 'calls for violence against Russians'
Russia’s state media and communication regulator, Rozcomnadzor, says Instagram will be banned, citing the social networking site “calls for violence against Russians” as the reason behind the embargo.
An email from Rozcomnadzor and shared with the Guardian reads:
Due to the fact that the management of Instagram social network allowed calls for violence only against Russians - despite the international law and for the first time in history - the Prosecutor General’s Office made a decision to ban this social network in Russia.
Calls for violence against people of a certain nationality or citizenship constitute a crime characterised as ‘genocide’ which is prohibited by the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, developed following the review of the entire evidence base against Nazi criminals collected over the course of Nuremberg trials.”
Rozcomnadzor claims the decision is also in part to “ensure the mental health of our citizens” particularly of children and adolescents and to “protect them from bullying and insults online”.
The email adds that a “transition period” will be allocated for users to inform their friends and followers and to “transfer your photo and video materials from your accounts to other resources” including Russian social networks.
“Instagram will stop working on the territory of Russia at 00.00 on March 14,” it adds, while encouraging Russians to transition to Russia’s “own competitive internet platforms” such as VK and Odnoklassniki.
“We hope that your transition onto those internet environments will go quickly, and you will open new opportunities for communication and doing business for yourselves,” the emails adds.
Reports are already coming in that Instagram is no longer available in Russia with many Russian celebrities and influencers opening Telegram and VK accounts.
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are using city subways as bomb shelters in order to evade Russian shelling.
Families sit with their belongings and food in improvised shelters.
British prime minister Boris Johnson has announced that the government will donate more than 500 mobile generators to Ukraine to help provide power for key buildings such as hospitals, shelters and water treatment plants.
The UK government has set up a new Ukraine electricity network support taskforce, including many of the leading power suppliers. They will provide the generators from their stocks, with many expected to be delivered via neighbouring countries. In total, they should provide enough power for 20,000 homes or equivalent buildings.
The prime minister said: “We are seeing the tragic consequences in Ukraine from [Vladimir] Putin’s grave mistake every day, and we will continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine’s resistance against this illegal invasion through economic, diplomatic and humanitarian measures, as well as providing defensive military equipment.
“We will now be sending generators to ease the difficulties caused by the current power outages and help keep vital services running so the people of Ukraine can continue to defend their country.”
Updated
US security advisor warns Beijing it would face consequences if it helped Moscow
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday, told CNN on Sunday that Washington believed China was aware that Russia was planning some action in Ukraine before the invasion took place, although Beijing may not have understood the full extent of what was planned.
He warned Beijing that it would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine, according to a Reuters report.
Sullivan told NBC television on Sunday:
We will ensure that neither China, nor anyone else, can compensate Russia for these losses.
In terms of the specific means of doing that, again, I’m not going to lay all of that out in public, but we will communicate that privately to China, as we have already done and will continue to do.”
Sullivan plans in his meeting with Yang to make Washington’s concerns clear while mapping out the consequences and growing isolation China would face globally if it increases its support of Russia, one US official said, without providing details.
The security adviser also told CNN that Washington was watching closely to see to what extent Beijing provided economic or material support to Russia, and would impose consequences if that occurred. Sullivan told the outlet:
We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them.
We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world.”
Beijing, a key trading partner of Russia, has refused to call Russia’s actions an invasion, although Chinese President Xi Jinping last week did call for “maximum restraint” in Ukraine after a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Xi also expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains, amid growing signs that Western sanctions are limiting China’s ability to buy Russian oil.
However, Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-backed Chinese Global Times newspaper, said on Twitter: “If Sullivan thinks he can persuade China to participate in sanctions against Russia, he will be disappointed.”
Trade made up about 46% of Russia’s economy in 2020, much of that with China, its biggest export destination, according to Reuters.
China responds to claim Russia asked Beijing for military support
China has responded to reports that Russia sought military equipment and other support from Beijing.
The Chinese embassy in the US said the priority was to ensure the situation does not escalate or get out of control.
“The current situation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting,” spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement as reported by Reuters. He added: “We support and encourage all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis.”
China’s US embassy spokesperson also reportedly said “I’ve never heard of that,” when asked about the request for military equipment from Russia.
The Financial Times earlier reported that US officials believe Russia has sought military support from China since the start of the invasion and that the White House fears Beijing may undermine the West’s efforts to help Ukraine.
Another person told the FT that the US was “preparing to warn allies about the situation amid some indications that China may be preparing to help Russia”.
“Other US officials have also said there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry as the war in Ukraine approaches the start of its third week,” the FT report said.
Updated
Hello it’s Samantha Lock with you as my colleague Johana Bhuiyan signs off for the day.
We have some more detail surrounding the Russian government’s announcement to restrict access to Instagram.
An email sent to Russian citizens earlier today announced the closure, alleging Meta - the parent company - was enabling genocide against ethnic Russians, according to a copy of the email as seen by the Guardian.
Another email reportedly instructed Russians to download local internet browsers.
Access to Instagram in Russia currently appears to be restricted across multiple providers.
Today so far
- Russia would pay ‘severe price’ for chemical weapons attack, the US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
- Russia’s defence ministry admitted responsibility for the rocket attack on the International Centre for Peacekeeping & Security, a military base, near Lviv on Sunday.
- The death toll from the attack rose to 35 people. Boris Johnson called Russia’s actions barbaric and said it was a test of all of humanity. US secretary of state Antony Blinken condemned the attack, saying the brutality must stop.
- Russia has asked China for military equipment since the start of the invasion, the Financial Times reported. The request has sparked fear in the White House that Beijing may aid Russia and undermine the West’s efforts in Ukraine. China’s US Embassy spokesperson said they hadn’t hear about that request and that “the current situation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting.”
- The CEO of controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI said the Ukraine defense ministry has started to use its services, according to Reuters. Ukraine’s defense ministry was given free access to Clearview AI -- a controversial facial recognition software that scrapes images from social media and other platforms -- to use during the war.
- President Zelenskiy urges Nato to impose no fly zone after the attack on the military base that brought the fighting close to the Polish border. “If you don’t close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on Nato territory,” he said.
President Zelenskiy urges Nato to implement no fly zone
The day after 35 people were killed in a Russian missile attack on a military base in western Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Nato to impose a no-fly zone in a video statement, AFP is reporting.
“If you don’t close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on Nato territory,” he said.
The attack on the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre base brought the fighting close to the Polish border.
Updated
Senator Mitt Romney said former Hawaii House representative Tulsi Gabbard is spreading “treasonous lies.” Video clips of Gabbard talking about biological and chemical weapons that may be in Ukraine on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight have been shared by Russian state-backed media in an effort to defend Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.
Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 13, 2022
#Russia's state TV showcases clips of Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard, helping to perpetuate the myth of dangerous "bio-weapons" in Ukraine. This conspiracy theory is being spread by Russia's state TV with special zeal.#TuckyoRose pic.twitter.com/csMPrb0ncF
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) March 12, 2022
Twenty-one Ukrainian children have arrived in the UK and will receive cancer treatment for free, according to the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
The children were brought to the UK with the help of Polish authorities and clinicians, the release said. “Hospitals in Poland have taken in many children needing healthcare who have arrived from Ukraine. With more children crossing the border requiring immediate treatment, the UK has responded to Poland’s call for support from international partners to provide additional care,” the agency said in its press release.
“I am proud that the UK is offering lifesaving medical care to these Ukrainian children, who have been forced out of their home country by the Russian invasion while undergoing medical treatment,” health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said.
New video footage provided to BuzzFeed News by US and UK foreign fighters in Yavoriv shows the Russian missile attack on the western Ukraine military base that killed 35 people.
⚡️EXCLUSIVE: We met and interviewed US and UK foreign fighters in Yavoriv who gave @BuzzFeedNews the below video of the Russian missile attack on a NATO military training center today that killed 35 people & injured 134 more. Read my story, with @Kiehart: https://t.co/aw4N8FJuO6 pic.twitter.com/Yga0S6gcsH
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 13, 2022
US secretary of state Antony Blinken condemns recent Russian attack
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US condemns Russia’s attack on the International Center of Peacekeeping and Security. The attack brought the fighting close to the Polish border and resulted in the death of 35 people.
We condemn the Russian Federation’s missile attack on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv, close to Ukraine’s border with Poland. The brutality must stop.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 13, 2022
“The attack so close to a NATO member-country raised the spectre that the alliance could be drawn into the fight and was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries and threatened to rewrite the current global security order,” the AP wrote.
Updated
Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, said he travelled to Ukraine to visit Chechen troops attacking Kyiv, according to Reuters. Reuters could not independently verify whether he actually travelled to the region.
Kadyrov is a close ally of Vladimir Putin and has previously described himself as Putin’s “foot soldier”. He has been accused of human rights abuses by the US and the European Union, which he denies.
“Chechen television channel Grozny posted a video on its Telegram social media channel earlier on Sunday that showed Kadyrov in a darkened room discussing with Chechen troops a military operation they said took place 7 km (4.3 miles) from the Ukrainian capital,” Reuters reported. “The post did not make clear where or when the meeting had taken place.”
Updated
Access to Instagram in Russia appears to be restricted across multiple providers. The government notified users earlier today that the service will cease to be available following Meta’s, the parent company of Instagram, decision to allow users in Ukraine to post anti-Russian messages such as “death to the Russian invaders.”
⚠️ Confirmed: Real-time network data show #Instagram is now restricted in #Russia across multiple providers; the popular social network has been banned by internet regulator Roskomnadzor after similar measures taken against Twitter and Facebook
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) March 13, 2022
📰 Report: https://t.co/1JIs5peFeO pic.twitter.com/ICunkqkhXF
“An email message from the state communications regulator told users to move their photos and videos from Instagram before it was shut down, and encouraged them to switch to Russia’s own “competitive internet platforms”, according to CNN.
Updated
More than 5,550 people were evacuated from cities on the frontline, deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video statement.
They were evacuated through nine humanitarian corridors and 3,950 were evacuated from towns and cities in the Kyiv region, according to Reuters.
Updated
Software company Oracle says it was the first of those requested to stop all of its operations in Russia in response to a tweet from President Zelenskiy urging the company, as well as Microsoft and SAP, to cease supporting all products in Russia.
Oracle has ended all operations in the Russian Federation.
— Oracle (@Oracle) March 13, 2022
Access to support has been cut off and software updates and patches are no longer available for download. Oracle has suspended all consulting and advanced customer support services. (2/4)
Oracle has suspended all Russian partners and their subsidiaries within the Oracle Partner Network doing business in Russia or outside of Russia.
— Oracle (@Oracle) March 13, 2022
Oracle products and services are currently not authorized for export, re-export, transfer to, or use in Russia; and (3/4)
Updated
In response to reports that Russia is seeking military equipment and other support from China, the Chinese embassy in the US said the priority right now is to ensure the situation does not escalate or get out of control, according to Reuters.
“The current situation in Ukraine is indeed disconcerting,” spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement.
Reuters is also reporting that China’s US embassy spokesperson said “I’ve never heard of that,” when asked about the request for military equipment from Russia.
The Financial Times reported that US officials say Russia has sought military support from China since the start of the invasion and that the White House fears Beijing may undermine the West’s efforts to help Ukraine.
Updated
Ukraine is working with controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI
Ukraine’s defense ministry was given free access to Clearview AI -- a controversial facial recognition software that scrapes images from social media and other platforms -- to use during the war, Reuters is reporting. Clearview AI sent a letter to Ukraine offering its services to help “uncover Russian assailants, combat misinformation and identify the dead” once the invasion began. It’s unclear what the defense ministry is using the software for but Clearview chief executive said he expected other Ukrainian agencies to begin using the service in the coming days.
Clearview AI has come under fire for breaches of data privacy all around the world. Italy fined the company €20 million for violating EU consumer privacy laws and ordered the company to delete all its data on Italy’s residents. The UK Information Commissioner Office also ordered the company to stop processing all user data in November and France issued a similar order in December.
Updated
Russia has asked China for military equipment since the start of the invasion
US officials say Russia has requested military equipment from China since the start of the invasion, according to the Financial Times. This has sparked fears in the White House that China may decide to help Russia and undermine western efforts to aid Ukraine.
Another person told the FT that the US was “preparing to warn allies about the situation amid some indications that China may be preparing to help Russia”.
“Other US officials have also said there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry as the war in Ukraine approaches the start of its third week,” the FT report said.
Updated
Boris Johnson said Vladimir Putin’s “barbaric actions” were a test of “all of humanity” and that the UK would continue to stand behind Ukraine, during his call with President Zelenskiy on Sunday, according to PA.
“The leaders condemned the murders of Brent Renaud and countless innocent Ukrainians, and the abduction of the mayors of Dniprorudne and Melitopol,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“The prime minister outlined the support the UK continues to deliver to Ukraine. He said the UK would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine’s self-defence, working with partners including at Tuesday’s meeting of the joint expeditionary force in London.”
Updated
Power has been restored to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Ukraine’s national energy company Ukrenergo announced on its Telegram channel, according to CNN.
The plant’s electrical system was damaged during a 9 March Russian attack.
“Ukrainian specialists … completed repair works on the 330kV line … and resumed power supply to the Chernobyl NPP and town of Slavutych,” Ukrenergo posted on its Telegram channel.
Updated
Zelenskiy calls on software companies to stop supporting its products in Russia
Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Microsoft, Oracle and SAP to stop supporting their contracts and products in Russia on Sunday. Microsoft has stopped accepting new clients in Russia but Zelenskiy said moves like this were half measures, and presented it as a black-and-white decision. Microsoft, SAP and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Now can be no 'half' decisions or 'halftones'! There is only black and white, good or evil! You are either for peace or support the bloody Russian aggressor to kill Ukrainian children and women. @Microsoft @Oracle @SAP, stop supporting your products in Russia, stop the war!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 13, 2022
Updated
Zelenskiy says he spoke with Boris Johnson and Czech PM
President Zelenskiy said he thanked Boris Johnson and the Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, in a phone call on Sunday morning.
Held talks with 🇬🇧 PM @BorisJohnson and 🇨🇿 PM @P_Fiala. Talked about 🇺🇦 people's struggle against Russian aggression, about Russia's criminal attacks on civilians. Thanked the partners for their important support. We appreciate it. #StopRussia
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 13, 2022
Fiala said the situation in Ukraine is complicated but that support and deliveries of humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine would continue, according to a translation of his tweet.
Musel jsem na chvili odejít z porady s hejtmany, abych mohl telefonicky hovořit s prezidentem @ZelenskyyUa.
— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) March 13, 2022
Aktuální situace na Ukrajině je velmi složitá. Ujistil jsem ho, že dodávky humanitární i vojenské pomoci z České republiky na Ukrajinu budou pokračovat i nadále.
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited wounded soldiers in a hospital today. Video footage posted to Twitter and his official Telegram channel appear to show he awarded them state honours.
President Zelensky walked to a hospital today to visit wounded Ukrainian soldiers and award them with state honors for their sacrifices. pic.twitter.com/LI0JScdkX7
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 13, 2022
He posted about the visit on his official Telegram channel.
CNN-Ukrainian President #Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on his official Telegram channel that he visited wounded soldiers in hospital. The leader did not specify where or when exactly the visit took place. #VolodymyrZelensky #Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa
— Jaqueline Hurtado (@HurtadoCNN) March 13, 2022
Updated
Ukraine’s besieged port city of Mariupol faces “a worst-case scenario” if the warring parties do not urgently reach a “concrete humanitarian agreement”, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Sunday.
“The ICRC stands ready to act as a neutral intermediary to facilitate dialogue on such humanitarian issues,” it said in a statement.
The Azov Sea port city of about half a million people has been under siege since early this month.
More than 2,100 residents have been killed since hostilities began, the local authorities said on Sunday.
Ukraine and aid agencies say Mariupol faces a “humanitarian catastrophe”, lacking water or heating and running out of food.
“Time is running out for the hundreds of thousands trapped by the fighting,” the ICRC said. “History will look back at what is now happening in Mariupol with horror if no agreement is reached by the sides as quickly as possible.”
ICRC president Peter Maurer called on all parties involved in the fighting to “place humanitarian imperatives first”.
The ICRC said people in Mariupol, including its own staff, were “sheltering in unheated basements, risking their lives to make short runs outside for food and water.”
It added that “a concrete, precise, actionable agreement” was needed without delay so civilians wanting to leave could reach safety, and life-saving aid could reach those who stay.
Updated
More than 140,000 civilians have been evacuated from conflict zones in Ukraine, the country’s deputy prime minister has said, Reuters reports.
Iryna Vereshchuk said a humanitarian convoy once again failed to reach the besieged port city of Mariupol, due to Russian shelling.
“The column has stayed in [the Russian-occupied city of] Berdiansk, and will tomorrow again attempt to reach Mariupol,” she said in an interview on national television on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s armed forces are launching counter-attacks against Russian troops in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region and eastern Kharkiv region, the interior ministry official Vadym Denysenko is reported to have said.
When asked about the possibility of Russian troops blockading Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, Denysenko said: “There is no blockade at the moment, and it is not foreseen for the near future.”
Reuters was not able to verify the statement about the counter-attacks.
Updated
More from Reuters on Russia’s statement on the attack on the Yavoriv training facility near the Polish border.
The defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told a briefing that Russia had used high-precision long-range weapons to strike Yavoriv and a separate facility in the village of Starichi. He claimed both bases were being used to train foreign mercenaries and store weapons.
“As a result of the strike, up to 180 foreign mercenaries and a large amount of foreign weapons were destroyed,” he said.
The attack came one day after Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Moscow considered convoys of western arms shipments to Ukraine to be legitimate targets.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the statements.
Updated
Russia’s defence ministry has admitted responsibility for the rocket attack on the International Centre for Peacekeeping & Security, a military base, near Lviv on Sunday.
It said the facility in Yavoriv was being used to store military equipment delivered from foreign nations, according to Reuters. A spokesperson said it killed up to 180 “foreign mercenaries” and destroyed a “large amount” of weapons.
The defence ministry said it would continue attacks against foreign mercenaries.
Updated
Our complete guide to the invasion of Ukraine so far has been updated after Sunday morning’s rocket attack in Yavoriv.
It includes a history of Russian troop movements and key daily events since the invasion on 24 February, and the historical context of relations between the two states.
Russia would pay 'severe price' for chemical weapons attack – US
The US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Russia will pay a “severe price” if it uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.
He told US TV network CBS’s Face the Nation that any attack on Nato would trigger a full response by the alliance – and that they were looking at the potential threat of a chemical weapons attack.
Sullivan added that they were in direct contact with Moscow to warn against any move.
He said: “The use of weapons of mass destruction would be a shocking additional line that [Russian president Vladimir] Putin is crossing in terms of his assault on international law and international norms.”
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Thousands protest in support of Ukraine in Berlin
Crowds have gathered in Berlin in support of Ukraine, marching through the centre of the city in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
The landmark was a symbol of German division during the cold war when the country was split into its separate East and West countries. Post-unification it was seen as representing peace and freedom.
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A total of 2,187 people in the port city of Mariupol have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine, the city council has confirmed.
The city is besieged by Russian forces, and food and water are now running scarce. The BBC reported that some residents are draining radiators to get water to survive. A support convoy is two hours away, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.
It has seen fierce shelling, including of a maternity hospital which was completely destroyed. Nobody was killed in the attack, but 17 were wounded.
An online statement, its city council said: “In (the last) 24 hours, there were at least 22 bombings of the civilian city. Over 100 bombs have been thrown on Mariupol already.”
Updated
Summary
Here’s a round-up of today’s latest events as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, where at least 35 people were killed in a rocket attack near Lviv.
- A Russian air strike has killed at least 35 people and wounded 134 at a military base in Yavoriv, 50km west of Lviv and less than 10 miles from the Polish border. The attack happened hours after the Kremlin had warned that western supply lines into the embattled country were “legitimate targets”.
- Brent Renaud, an award-winning US film-maker whose work has appeared in the New York Times and other outlets, has been killed by Russian forces in town of Irpin, outside Kyiv. Juan Arredondo, a US photographer, was wounded and is in hospital.
- The Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is running out of its last reserves of food and water, according to its local authority. Earlier on Sunday, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a supply convoy was only two hours away from the city, where 400,000 people are currently stuck.
- Kyiv has a two-week supply of food in case of a blockade, its local authority has reported.
- Ukrainian and Russian delegates from peace talks have sounded positive, ahead of more negotiations in the next few days. Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said talks had become more constructive. Leonid Slutsky, a Russian delegate said there had been significant progress and they hoped to soon arrive at a “joint position”, Reuters reports.
- Senior Christian figures have called for fighting to stop in Ukraine and for the fighting to end. Pope Francis said Ukrainians are being massacred and called for the invasion to stop. “In the name of God, let the cry of the suffering people be heard, and let the bombings and attacks stop. In the name of God, I ask you, stop this massacre.”
- Meanwhile the Orthodox world’s spiritual leader Bartholomew I has called for a ceasefire in Ukraine while praising the nation’s “powerful resistance” against invading Russian forces.
- More than 14,000 people in 112 cities have been arrested in Russia for anti-war protests since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, according to an independent human rights body in the country.
- Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman has claimed Russia used banned phosphorus munitions in an attack overnight in Popasna in eastern Ukraine, which would constitute a war crime.
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India is temporarily relocating its embassy in Ukraine to Poland, its government confirmed.
- The mayor of a city in southern Ukraine is the latest to have been kidnapped by Russian forces, according to Ukraine’s foreign minister. Dymtro Kuleba said that Yevhen Matveyev from Dniprorudne has been “abducted” by Russian forces.
- Nine people were killed in airstrikes on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. The city is seen as key in any future assault on the port of Odesa, further down the Black Sea coast.
- Polish president Andrzej Duda says he fears Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons, and if so it would be a “gamechanger” in the conflict.
- The UK has now issued more than 3,000 visas to Ukrainian refugees, with the government believing the final number who could end up in Britain could be in the tens of thousands, according to government minister Michael Gove.
- The UK chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has said there is no case for new investments in Russia. In a statement issued alongside a video on Sunday morning, he urged companies to “think very carefully” about their holdings.
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Updated
Mariupol running out of food and water, local authority says
The Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is running out of its last reserves of food and water, according to its local authority on Sunday.
Efforts are under way by the Ukrainian government to provide humanitarian relief to the city, which is currently circled by Russian forces who continue to shell the city – including civilian targets.
The city council said: “People have been in a difficult situation for 12 days. There is no electricity, water or heating in the city. There is almost no mobile communication. The last reserves of food and water are running out.”
Earlier on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a supply convoy was only two hours away from the city, where 400,000 people are currently stuck.
Updated
More on the news first reported at 11.57am. A woman was killed when a bus carrying Ukrainian refugees overturned on a motorway in Italy on Sunday morning.
The 32-year-old and her two children, aged 10 and five, were among 22 people onboard escaping the war in Ukraine, according to reports in the Italian press.
The bus was making its way from Ukraine to Pescara, a port city in Abruzzo, when it skidded and overturned on a grassy slope beside the A14 motorway at about 6.30am.
The woman died at the scene and her children were taking to Bufalini hospital with bruises. They have been hospitalised as doctors give them psychological support.
The full story from Angela Giuffrida in Rome is here:
Updated
US journalist and film-maker Brent Renaud killed by Russian forces in Irpin
Brent Renaud, an award-winning US film-maker whose work has appeared in the New York Times and other outlets, has been killed by Russian forces in the flashpoint town of Irpin, outside Kyiv. Juan Arredondo, a US photographer, was wounded.
Renaud, 51, was hit in the neck and died after coming under Russian fire while working in Irpin on Sunday, according to local police officials and multiple Ukrainian sources.
Jane Ferguson, a reporter for PBS Newshour who was nearby when Renaud was killed, tweeted: “Just left roadside spot near Irpin where body of American journalist Brent Renaud lay under a blanket. Ukrainian medics could do nothing to help him by that stage. Outraged Ukrainian police officer: “Tell America, tell the world, what they did to a journalist.”
Just left roadside spot near Irpin where body of American journalist Brent Renaud lay under a blanket. Ukranian medics could do nothing to help him by that stage. Outraged Ukranian police officer: “Tell America, tell the world, what they did to a journalist.”
— Jane Ferguson (@JaneFerguson5) March 13, 2022
Clifford Levy, the deputy managing editor of the New York Times issued a statement on Twitter clarifying that Renaud was not on assignment for the paper, contrary to earlier reports.
This news was reported earlier in this blog without Brent Renaud’s name while the Guardian confirmed the details.
Updated
Protests have continued in Kherson, eastern Ukraine, which is currently occupied by Russian forces.
It comes amid reports that Russia is planning to stage a sham referendum. If so, it could create another breakaway region, like those in Donetsk and Luhansk, and install a Russian-backed administration.
Kherson today, 12:30 EET
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) March 13, 2022
Several thousand Kherson residents went to the peaceful rally in a temporarily occupied city on March 13.–Suspilne Kherson https://t.co/asRsgnq4Cd pic.twitter.com/ZAHwAESPLx
Russian-occupied Kherson now. There is no the word "fear" in Ukraine - only Freedom. pic.twitter.com/gfzwuJwlSz
— Stanislav Aseyev (@AseyevStanislav) March 13, 2022
Delegates from both sides of peace talks say there has been progress
Delegates from both sides of peace talks have sounded positive, ahead of more negotiations in the next few days.
Ukrainian negotiator and presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said talks had become more constructive.
“We will not concede in principle on any positions. Russia now understands this. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively. I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days,” he said in a video posted online.
Leonid Slutsky, a Russian delegate said there had been significant progress and they hoped to soon arrive at a “joint position”, Reuters reports.
The state-owned RIA news agency said he was comparing the state of talks now with those when they first started, saying there had been “substantial progress”.
“According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing,” Slutsky said. It was not clear what the scope of any such documents might be.
Three rounds of talks between the two sides in Belarus, most recently last Monday, had focused mainly on humanitarian issues and led to the limited opening of some corridors for civilians to escape fighting.
This comes a day after the French and German presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz said Vladimir Putin did not show a willingness to end the war during a call on Saturday.
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Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman has claimed Russia used banned phosphorus munitions in an attack overnight in Popasna in eastern Ukraine.
Luidmila Denisova shared a photograph purporting to the alleged attack, Reuters reports, but did not say if Ukraine had any concrete evidence.
“The bombing of a civilian city by the Russian attackers with these weapons is a war crime and a crime against humanity according to the Rome convention,” she said in an online statement
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A US journalist who has previously worked for the New York Times has been killed near Kyiv, the region’s head of police has confirmed.
Two journalists were attacked near Irpin when Russian forces opened fire.
One has been killed, with the injured journalist he was travelling with taken to hospital for treatment.
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A steady hand was needed in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, earlier on Sunday as an unexploded bomb was removed from the window of a house.
A huge bomb is pulled out of the window of an apartment building in #Chernihiv. pic.twitter.com/PFv7w6DQU8
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 13, 2022
The Orthodox world’s spiritual leader Bartholomew I has called for a ceasefire in Ukraine while praising the nation’s “powerful resistance” against invading Russian forces.
Making a rare political intervention during a mass attended by the visiting Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the ecumenical patriarch appealed for the violence and bloodshed to end.
Orthodox Christianity is the main religion in Ukraine, split between various strands.
“We are watching the drama of the Ukrainian people and admire its powerful resistance against the invader,” Bartholomew said in unscripted comments from the pulpit. “We appeal for an immediate ceasefire … the war has to end. The United Nations charter explicitly forbids the use of violence in international relations and binds all the organisation’s members to resolve their differences with peaceful means ... an unjust war is happening in the heart of Europe, human blood is being shed, children and women are being killed and towns and villages destroyed. Our thoughts are with our brothers.”
He then thanked Mitsotakis for the assistance Athens has sent to Ukraine which incudes shipments of Kalashnikov rifles and other weapons.
This is not the first time that Bartholomew has sided with Ukraine.
As head of eastern Orthodox Christians, the spiritual leader took the unprecedented step in early 2019 of officially recognising the Orthodox church of Ukraine, granting it the status of autocephaly or self-governorship within the communion of Orthodox churches.
The move, which rendered it independent from the Russian Orthodox Church, caused uproar in Moscow, which subsequently broke ties with the ecumenical patriarchate.
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More than 14,000 people in 112 cities have been arrested in Russia for anti-war protests since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, according to an independent human rights body in the country.
OVD-Info, a monitoring site, said that at least 359 people in 28 cities have been detained since 24 February – but says the real figure could be higher.
Более 14 000 задержаний в связи с антивоенными акциями произошло с начала войны в Украине. За сегодня задержали уже более 170 человек. Списки задержанных — на сайте ОВД-Инфо: https://t.co/oW7sTkuf1N pic.twitter.com/gT4QSG6xxm
— ОВД-Инфо (@OvdInfo) March 13, 2022
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Nearly 125,000 evacuated via Ukrainian humanitarian corridors
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said almost 125,000 people have been evacuated from conflict zones through humanitarian corridors.
In a video address on Sunday he said that the priority was Mariupol, where 400,000 people are trapped and water and food has run out.
He said a humanitarian supply convoy was only 80km (50 miles) away from the port city, and could arrive within two hours.
Another $31.5m (£24.16m) of military aid will be sent from the Czech Republic to Ukraine, the Czech defence minister said on Sunday.
Jana Černochová told TV that more aid would be provided, but did not give any further details citing security concerns.
It comes as Russia has been left feeling the impact of sanctions. The country’s finance minister Anton Siluanov said it had taken $300bn (£230bn) out of its gold and forex reserves that total $640bn, according to Reuters.
Siluanov told Russian state TV that pressure was being put on China to limit its trade with Russia, and in turn affect the reserves Russia holds in Chinese yuan.
Updated
A bus carrying dozens of Ukrainians has overturned in Italy, killing one woman.
About 50 people were on board, with one woman killed and several left injured according to fire fighters and police.
Reuters reports that the bus left the road between Cesena and Rimini on the north east coast of Italy. It was heading to the coastal city of Pescara, Reuters reports.
Updated
Western intelligence believes that Vladimir Putin’s personality has changed dramatically over the past five years, with the 69-year-old Russian leader displaying increasing and obvious paranoia about his health.
But while the shift in character is marked, intelligence sources say, there is an underlying mystery about what could be the cause – with possible explanations ranging from cancer, Parkinson’s disease, the onset of dementia or the use of steroids for treatment of another condition.
“The big tell that Putin is concerned about his health is that he is so obviously worried about coronavirus,” an intelligence source said, citing his insistence on sitting at a distance from foreign leaders such as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, or some of his own key figures, such as defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
He only met China’s president, Xi Jinping, last month after elaborate coronavirus precautions were taken on both sides.
“Coverage of Russia is pretty good from both a human and signals intelligence perspective,” a western source added. “But there is a grey spot when it comes to Putin’s personal health. What we know is that there has been an identifiable change in his decision making in the past five years.”
Speculation about Putin’s long-term health is widespread amongst Russia experts in the West’s intelligence agencies.
Similar claims were reported in the Mail on Sunday over the weekend, but ultimately there is no firm evidence to back up any of the theories circulating. Putin is believed to have had three Covid vaccine treatments. One western source said he had taken the Pfizer vaccine, although the president himself said in June last year that he had received Russian Sputnik jabs.
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India is temporarily relocating its embassy in Ukraine to Poland, its government confirmed on Sunday.
Its ministry for external affairs said it was in light of recent attacks in the western part of the country and a deteriorating security situation.
“The situation will be reassessed in the light of further developments,” it added.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s government said it had helped evacuate about 20,000 Indian students from areas of the country under attack – but some were still stuck.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy according to an Indian government source speaking to Reuters.
Pope Francis: 'stop this massacre'
The Pope has said Ukrainians are being massacred and called for the invasion to stop, in his Sunday address at the Vatican.
Pope Francis told thousands gathered at St Peter’s Square for his Sunday blessing: “In the name of God, let the cry of the suffering people be heard, and let the bombings and attacks stop.
“In the name of God, I ask you, stop this massacre.”
He also called the invasion “unacceptable armed aggression”. The 85-year-old added that bombings of children’s hospitals and civilian targets are “barbaric” and have “no valid strategic reason”.
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About 1 million people are without gas and heating in Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion, according to the country’s gas transmission system provider.
GTSOU said its workers were out trying to fix damage caused by shelling and get supplies back up and running.
Shelling has damaged infrastructure in Donetsk, Luhansk and Mykolaiv. Engineers were stopped from getting to a gas distribution centre in Bashtanka because of ongoing fighting. One centre in Prybuzke was shut down because of damage to equipment.
Last night brought several damages to gas infrastructure in the Luhansk and Mykolaiv regions. Our repair crews run a race with new destructions and do their utmost to restore gas supply to people in 🇺🇦. https://t.co/fkORiynGvC pic.twitter.com/fdezSG3cTJ
— Gas TSO of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@GasTSOua) March 13, 2022
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Ukraine is working with Israel and Turkey as potential mediators in peace talks.
A location and a framework for discussions is being finalised for negotiations with Russia, said Ukrainian presidential advisor and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak.
“When it is worked out, there will be a meeting. I think it won’t take long for us to get there,” he told national television according to Reuters.
Updated
Turkey’s foreign minister said he hoped progress could be made on evacuating Turks stuck in a mosque in Mariupol.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the mosque had been shelled where more than 80 adults and children have taken refuge.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said there had not been any damage, and that buses were waiting to evacuate them. He added that he had sought help from his Russian counterpart.
Death toll in air attack on military base near Lviv rises to 35
The governor of Lviv said that 35 people are now confirmed dead after the rocket attack on the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre base on Sunday morning.
In an update, Maksym Kozytskyy said the death toll had risen from nine to 35, and that 134 were injured after the airstrikes on the facility in Yavoriv.
Two large explosions were seen on Sunday at the base in Yavoriv, a garrison city just 12km from the Polish border. The rocket attack took place at 5.45am. Kozytskyi, said Russian forces fired more than 30 cruise missiles at the Yavoriv base
The facility has previously hosted foreign military trainers from the UK, US and other countries but it is not clear that any were at the base. Ukraine held most of its drills with Nato countries there before the invasion with the last major exercises in September.
Read more:
Medics move a wounded soldier, following an attack on the Yavoriv military base, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at a hospital in Yavoriv, Ukraine, March 13, 2022. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
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Nine people were killed in airstrikes on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Sunday.
Reuters reports that regional governor Vitaliy Kim gave the death toll in an online statement.
The city is seen as key in any future assault on the port of Odesa, further down the Black Sea coast.
The UK’s Minstry of Defence said on Sunday that Russian forces advancing from Crimea were looking to circumvent Mykolayiv as they move towards Odesa.
Updated
The mayor of a city in southern Ukraine is the latest to have been kidnapped by Russian forces, according to Ukraine’s foreign minister.
Dymtro Kuleba said that Yevhen Matveyev has been “abducted” by Russian forces.
This comes after the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fyodorov was arrested by Russian forces on Friday, with the city seeing intense fighting in recent days.
Today, Russian war criminals abducted another democratically elected Ukrainian mayor, head of Dniprorudne Yevhen Matveyev. Getting zero local support, invaders turn to terror. I call on all states & international organizations to stop Russian terror against Ukraine and democracy. pic.twitter.com/jEPTBTLikY
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 13, 2022
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Gove adds that he wants to look at using the homes and properties of individuals who are under sanctions for humanitarian and other purposes.
“We are saying you are sanctioned, you are supporting Putin, you have no right to use your home or profit from it, while you are not using or profiting from it, if we can use it to help others, let’s do that.”
Gove says they’re not talking about permanent measures. Raworth points out that people can still live in their home if they are under sanctions, they just can’t sell it.
He responds: “We want to make sure we can go further. In my view, it is the case that if your wealth and your influence is being deployed to support or provide comfort to Putin given what he’s doing, you have to bear the consequences.
“We’ve moved as rapidly as we possibly can. If we can use those assets for as long as someone is sanctioned, then we should.”
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Kyiv has a two-week supply of food in case of a blockade, its local authority has reported.
“The city has prepared for possible actions in the event of a blockade. The 2 million Kyiv residents who have not left their homes will not be without support if the situation worsens,” it said in an online statement, according to Reuters.
Reports of the death toll in the airstrike attack on a Ukrainian air base in near Lviv appear to conflict. Some sources on the ground in Yavoriv said it could be as high as 20.
However, the Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy says nine have been killed with 57 injured. We have updated our blog entry at 8.19 and blog headline to reflect this.
Updated
A rocket attack on a Ukrainian military base is a “significant escalation”, according to a UK government minister.
Michael Gove, who appeared on Sky News earlier on and is now speaking to BBC One’s Sophie Raworth said: “We know that Vladimir Putin has no moral limits when it comes to the actions he’s willing to take and he’s pushing the boundaries in military terms.
“We’ve already seen the abuse of humanitarian corridors. The Russians say on the one hand they are allowed to leave but when they seek to leave they are then killed and bombed.”
A Ukrainian MP has said countries such as France and Germany have not gone far enough with sanctions against Russia.
Lesia Vasylenko told Sky News: “They are not doing nearly as much as they could be doing.
“The same goes for the purchase of Russian oil and gas – Germany made the decision yesterday to stop with the purchases of oil and coal, but gas still remains a big one.
“Every penny that goes into the Russian economy goes to finance the Russian army, which essentially is committing genocide of the Ukrainian people by massacring civilians every single day.”
Updated
Firms should think carefully Russia investments – UK chancellor
The UK chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has said there is no case for new investments in Russia.
In a statement issued alongside a video on Sunday morning, he welcomed the news that firms including BP and Shell were due to reduce or sell their holdings in Russia, in recent days.
He urged companies to “think very carefully”.
Sunak added that the government supports those who will make similar decisions, but did not go into detail about what that support was.
I am urging firms to think very carefully about their investments in Russia and how they may aid the Putin regime.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) March 13, 2022
I also want to make it clear that there is no case for new investment in Russia. https://t.co/jcFL95aLqfpic.twitter.com/6mLd7C2kDM
He said: “I welcome commitments already made by a number of firms to divest from Russian assets – and I want to make it crystal clear that the government supports further signals of intent.
“I am urging firms to think very carefully about their investments in Russia and how they may aid the Putin regime – and I am also clear that there is no case for new investment in Russia.
“We must collectively go further in our mission to inflict maximum economic pain – and to stop further bloodshed.”
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Duda says that transferring MiG-29 jets to Ukraine is not possible, and thinks that having a no-fly zone could be the start of world war three.
He tells BBC’s Sophie Raworth: “Due to allied responsibility, because of that we can’t transfer [the planes], because we believe our allies could make a grudge against us and it could place Nato in a difficult situation.
“Transferring planes, or trying to defend the skies over the Ukraine against Russian combat aircraft, well this is a decision which is a strictly military one and a serious one, because it means that Nato jets will have to be sent into Ukrainian airspace and there would be a confrontation between NATO aircraft and Russian aircraft, and it means the opening of a third world war.
Duda said he does fear Russia turning its attentions to a potential invasion of Poland, if it succeeds in Ukraine. He said he believed that Nato allies would defend them if it happened. He quotes Poland’s former president, Lech Kaczyński, who said “Today is Georgia, tomorrow it might be Ukraine, then the Baltic states an after that a time may come for Poland” after Russia invaded Georgia in 2008.
“We do not want to be in the Russian sphere of influence, we dragged ourselves out of it, and we don’t want to go back there.
“I was born in a state not fully sovereign, or free. When someone talks about Russian socialism or communism, a shiver goes down my spine. Never again do we want to have Soviet soldiers here, do we want a Russian sphere of influence here. It would be contrary to our laws and this is destroying us as a nation. This is a destruction of our traditions.”
This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows Russian paratroopers taking control of an undisclosed airfield in Ukraine, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. Photograph: Russian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images
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Polish president says it would be a 'gamechanger' for Nato if Putin uses weapons of mass destruction
Polish president Andrez Duda is now appearing on the BBC, on Sunday Morning with Sophie Raworth.
He believes Russia could use chemical weapons as Vladimir Putin is in “a very difficult situation”.
“Actually, politically, he has already lost his war and internally he is not winning it,” he added.
He says that if Putin uses weapons of mass destruction it would be a “gamechanger”.
“For sure the North Atlantic alliance [Nato], will have to sit at that table and really have to think seriously about what to do, because then it starts to be dangerous, not only for Europe, or our region, but the whole world.”
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Starmer says that the government should go “further and faster” with sanctions against people connected to the Putin regime, and should offer more humanitarian aid.
He told Sky News: “They should have been in place before this invasion started. The Russia Report two years ago set out these problems, the economic crime bill was talked about a year ago and is only now coming on to the statute book.
“On humanitarian aid, on refugees, I think the Home Office has got it completely wrong. Everybody knows they’ve got it completely wrong, and we need to see change.”
Opposition leader Keir Starmer says the current scheme for accepting refugees into the UK is “too slow, too narrow and too mean” and the government should learn from the refugee crisis in Afghanistan last year.
“What would comfort me more is to hear from Michael Gove that there’s plans for support that’s needed on arrivals,” he told Sophy Ridge on Sky News.
Starmer said there should be no cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees able to come to the UK.
He added: “What I saw in the summer was you need language experts, experts with traumatised family, experts to help them contact their family back in the country, help sorting out schooling quickly, and housing providers. That was all done in the summer. I’d like the reassurance knowing that was in place.”
Starmer calls for emergency protection visas, that can be dealt with on route as they travel to the UK. “The likelihood of an invasion of the Ukraine was known weeks ago, the Home Office have been too slow, far too mean in relation to this. Frankly, the last few weeks have been an embarrassment for the United Kingdom in terms of how it has dealt with refugees.”
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UK has issued more than 3,000 visas to Ukrainians
The UK has issued more than 3,000 visas to Ukrainian families through its refuges scheme, a government minister has said.
Secretary of state for levelling up, Michael Gove, told Sophy Ridge on Sky News that the number was up from 1,000 on Thursday.
From Tuesday, the majority of people from Ukraine will no longer need to apply for visas, they will just need Ukrainian passports.
Gove estimates that modelling shows tens of thousands could come from Ukraine, far fewer than the 1.5 million in Poland and France expecting 50,000 to 100,000.
“We want to make sure that every available bed that we have in this country, every available home that can be made available to people fleeing persecution is mobilised,” he said. “We know that there are a large number of people in this country generous hearted and in a position to provide homes, and businesses and charities as well. We are saying we will act with you.
“We will not only provide a payment, but make sure they have a chance for work, and get support from the NHS, from education and other services that they need.”
People will be able to register an interest from Monday. Gove does not say whether he, like leader of the Labour party Keir Starmer, will be looking to take in refugees himself.
At least nine killed in airstrike on military base near Lviv
A rocket attack on a military base near Lviv has killed at least nine people, according to the area’s governor, with fears that more may have died.
Maksym Kozytskyy had said that nine people had been killed in airstrikes on the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre military base with 57 wounded.
The Guardian’s Luke Harding, who is in Yavoriv where the base is, has spoken to an emergency worker who said the death toll could be as high as 20.
Two large explosions were seen on Sunday at the base in Yavoriv, a garrison city just 12km from the Polish border. The rocket attack took place at 5.45am.
“My windows shook. The whole house vibrated. It was dark. The sky lit up with two explosions,” said Stepan Chuma, 27, an emergency worker, who hurried to the scene with his colleagues.
He said 20 people were confirmed dead. Nineteen ambulances with sirens blaring were seen driving from the direction of the base, a witness said, according to Reuters.
A further seven ambulances were seen driving towards the facility
According to Reuters, earlier on Sunday Kozytskyy said Russia fired 30 rockets at the complex.
Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said foreign military instructors work at the facility, but it was unclear whether any were present when the attack happened.
Updated
Ukraine’s minister of defence, Oleksii Reznikov, has called Russia’s missile strikes on the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security a “terrorist attack”.
Reznikov added that “foreign instructors” work at the military base.
“This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!” he said.
russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping&Security near Lviv.Foreign instructors work here.Information about the victims is being clarified.This is new terrorist attack on peace&security near the EU-NATO border.Action must be taken to stop this.Close the sky!
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) March 13, 2022
Summary
If you’ve just joined us it is 10am in Ukraine as the country continues in its third week of war against Russia.
- Russian airstrikes hit the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre (IPSC) in the Yavoriv district, about 50km south-west of Lviv and about 25km from the border with Poland just before 6am on Sunday. The IPSC is a large military base that includes a training centre for soldiers, predominantly for peacekeeping missions. Preliminary reports indicate Russian forces launched eight missiles.
- The attack on the military base so close to the border with Poland follows a warning on Saturday from Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, that western shipments to Ukraine were “legitimate targets” for attack.
- The Ukrainian military has just released its daily operational report this morning, claiming Russian forces are continuing to use civilian infrastructure for military needs, placing units and equipment at high-risk objects and carrying out shelling on civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.
- Ukraine says its forces have claimed more than 12,000 Russian personnel as well as 374 tanks, 1,226 armoured combat machines and 140 artillery systems.
- Britain’s defence ministry said Russian forces are attempting to surround Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south.
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed Russia is trying to create new “pseudo-republics” in Ukraine to break the country apart, but noted Russian forces have neither the strength nor the spirit to conquer Ukraine.
- The Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied south-eastern Ukrainian city Melitopol following the alleged abduction of elected mayor Ivan Fedorov on Friday afternoon.
For a more detailed run-down you can read our earlier summary here.
Updated
The cyber hacking group Anonymous has published a message specifically designed to reach Russian citizens, allegedly urging Russians to rise up against Putin and remove him from power.
According to a translation offered by various commentators over Twitter, the clip in part reportedly says:
You are being trapped behind an iron curtain of propaganda, with your government attempting to keep you from being a part of the international conversation, out of fear for what you might find out.
The regime of Vladimir Putin has been carrying out war crimes with his recent invasion of Ukraine, which has caused a massive refugee crisis and countless deaths.
It is a terrible situation that you have been put in, but your only option to prevent the impending economic collapse and potential world war is to take actions to resist the war and the regime of Vladimir Putin.
Putin has put the Russian population up as a sacrifice. At this point, the most peaceful way that this conflict could end would be for the people of Russia to rise up against Putin and remove him from power.”
#Anonymous message to Russian citizens pic.twitter.com/K448qkA8f3
— Anonymous (@LatestAnonPress) March 13, 2022
The Ukrainian military has just released its daily operational report this morning, claiming Russian forces are continuing to use civilian infrastructure for military needs, placing units and equipment at high-risk objects and carrying out shelling on civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.
“The moral and psychological condition of enemy troops that participated in battles with the armed forces of Ukraine continues to deteriorate, desertion and refusal to comply with orders are increasing,” the report reads.
The military also claims a large number of wounded are undergoing treatment but a shortage of blood supplies is hindering surgical operations.
“The reserves accumulated for the citizens of the Republic of Belarus are being taken - about 2/3 of the reserve has been redirected to the needs of Russian soldiers,” the report adds.
The Ukrainian military says its forces have claimed more than 12,000 Russian personnel as well as 374 tanks, 1,226 armoured combat machines and 140 artillery systems.
The losses are reported to be from 24 February to 13 March, according to an update published by the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces just after 9am local time.
Russia is 'paying a high price for each advance', UK defence ministry says
Russian forces are attempting to surround Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, Britain’s defence ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry said in an intelligence update this morning:
Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south.
Russian forces advancing from Crimea are attempting to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odesa.”
The ministry notes that Russia is “paying a high price for each advance” as the Ukrainian armed forces continues to offer staunch resistance across the country.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 13 March 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 13, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/eTyMwvnz4V
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/FLC100EJAr
Updated
Echoing Zelenskiy’s earlier fears that Russia is trying to create new “pseudo-republics” in Ukraine to break the country apart, the Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied south-eastern Ukrainian city Melitopol following the alleged abduction of elected mayor Ivan Fedorov on Friday afternoon.
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, earlier said Fedorov had been kidnapped and detained by a group of 10 armed men from the Russian forces. The Ukrainian foreign ministry called Fedorov’s detention an “abduction” and a “war crime.”
Melitopol’s newly installed mayor is believed to be Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, according to a statement on the Zaporozhye regional administration website, as reported by Ukrainian media, CNN and the BBC.
Danilchenko was reportedly introduced as the acting mayor on local TV where she made a televised statement saying her “main task is to take all necessary steps to get the city back to normal.”
She claimed there were people still in Melitopol who would try to destabilise “the situation and provoke a reaction of bad behaviour.”
“I ask you to keep your wits about you and not to give in to these provocations,” Danilchenko said. “I appeal to the deputies, elected by the people, on all levels. Since you were elected by the people, it is your duty to care about the well-being of your citizens.”
“This committee will be tasked with administrative responsibilities on the territory of Melitopol and the Melitopol region,” she added.
Russia is trying to create new 'pseudo-republics' in Ukraine, Zelenskiy says
In case you missed his earlier address, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed Russia is trying to create new “pseudo-republics” in Ukraine to break the country apart, but noted Russian forces have neither the strength nor the spirit to conquer Ukraine.
Posting a video to his social media accounts late Saturday evening, Zelenskiy called on Ukraine’s regions, including Kherson, which was captured by Russian forces, not to repeat the experience of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Zelenskiy said:
The occupiers on the territory of the Kherson region are trying to repeat the sad experience of the formation of pseudo-republics.
They are blackmailing local leaders, putting pressure on deputies, looking for someone to bribe.”
City council members in Kherson, a southern city of 290,000, on Saturday rejected plans for a new pseudo-republic, Zelenskiy added.
The Russian invaders cannot conquer us. They do not have such strength. They do not have such spirit. They are holding only on violence. Only on terror. Only on weapons, which they have a lot.
But the invaders have no natural basis for normal life. So that people can feel happy and dream. They are organically incapable of making life normal! Wherever Russia has come to a foreign land, dreams are impossible.
I keep reiterating to our allies and friends abroad; they have to keep doing more for our country, for Ukrainians and Ukraine. Because it is not only for Ukraine, but it is for all of Europe.”
The International Peacekeeping and Security Centre, near Yavoriv, which was hit early on Sunday has long been eyed with suspicion by the Kremlin, with Russian media suggesting in the past it is a secret Nato base in Ukraine.
The reality is that the base had been massively improved in recent times by an international military effort including the US, Canadian, British, Polish and Lithuanian service members who had been helping train the Ukrainian military.
More on the situation unfolding this morning from Guardian reporter Luke Harding who brings us the latest developments from Yavoriv.
Russia escalated its war in Ukraine with a strike on a major military base this morning in western Ukraine.
Two large explosions were seen at the base in Yavoriv, a garrison city just 20kms from the polish border.
The rocket attack took place at 5.45am.
“My windows shook. The whole house vibrated. It was dark. The sky lit up with two explosions,” Stepan Chuma, 27, an emergency worker said.
Chuma said his colleagues had hurried to the scene, adding: “Many people have been injured.” An explosion was also heard in Lviv, east od the airbase. Unconfirmed reports suggested Ukrainian anti-aircraft defences may have intercepted a Russian missile.
Updated
Russian forces may have also hit an airbase in Ivano-Frankivsk early on Sunday morning, according to the city’s mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv.
“According to preliminary information, this morning’s explosions were from an attack at the airport,” Martsinkiv said, urging those who live close to the airport to relocate in a Facebook post about 7.30 local time.
⚡️Russian forces hit Ivano-Frankivsk airbase early on March 13, according to the city's mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 13, 2022
Martsinkiv reported that the airport was the target of Russian attacks for the second day in row.
He urged those who live close to the airport to relocate.
Russia launches missile attack on Ukrainian military base near Lviv
To provide some more clarity on the attack this morning near Lviv, northwestern Ukraine, here is what we know so far.
Russian airstrikes hit the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre (IPSC) in the Yavoriv district, about 50km south-west of Lviv and about 25km from the border with Poland.
The IPSC is a large military base that includes a training centre for soldiers, predominantly for peacekeeping missions.
According to information released from the Lviv regional military administration and later confirmed by Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, Russian forces launched 8 missiles.
The latest attack indicates that Russia is stepping up its assaults in the west of the country and may be a deliberate attack on incoming western shipments of military and humanitarian aide to Ukraine.
Updated
The attack on the military base so close to the border with Poland follows a warning on Saturday from Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, that western shipments to Ukraine were “legitimate targets” for attack.
Supporters of Ukraine, including the UK, Germany and the United States, have been urgently shipping thousands of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv in response to Moscow’s aggression.
Ryabkov said that Russia had “warned the US that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets”.
Here’s our full story on that from Peter Beaumont in Lviv:
Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, has confirmed the Russian attack on Ukraine’s International Centre for Peace and Security this morning.
Citing information from the Lviv regional military administration, Sadovyi said Russian forces launched 8 missiles, according to preliminary data.
Information regarding the victims is being set up and all details will be announced later, he said in a Facebook post about 7.15am local time.
Sadovyi also urged people to not publish photos and videos from the scene.
Updated
More on the situation unfolding this morning from Guardian reporter Lorenzo Tondo who brings us the latest developments from Lviv.
Large columns of smoke were seen rising from the direction of the a military base in Yavoriv about 50km north-west of Lviv.
Preliminary data indicates that Russians have fired eight missiles around 6am.
Lviv, a magnificent UNESCO world heritage site, 50 miles from the border with Poland and a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Ukrainians, was so far untouched by the bombings.
But its 700,000 residents knew that, at some point, the time would also come for them.
The citizens of Lviv, among the strongest supporters of the country’s separation from the Soviet Union, are well aware that their town, described as the soul of Ukraine and a symbol of Ukrainian nationalism, represents everything the Kremlin despises. This could be the westernmost military attack since the Russian invasion began.
Updated
Ukraine’s centre for international peacekeeping and security in the town of Yavoriv near the Polish border has also reportedly been bombed, according to the Lviv regional military administration.
The agency said eight missiles were fired at the facility according to preliminary information, according to an update on its official Telegram account.
❗❗❗Окупанти здійснили авіаудар по міжнародному центру миротворчості та безпеки.За попередніми даними,вони випустили 8 ракет.
— 🇺🇦Armed Forces (@ArmedForcesUkr) March 13, 2022
Інформація щодо потрепілих встановлюється.
Updated
Amid reports of a Russian strike on Lviv, information from those on the ground indicate the military training ground in Yavoriv - about 16 km (10 miles) from Poland and home to an international training facility - has come under attack.
According to Buzzfeed reporter Christopher Miller, Lviv’s mayor’s office confirmed there was a missile strike on Yavoriv’s military facilities before daybreak.
We will have more on this story as it develops.
Day 18 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine begins with more attacks. Lviv’s mayor’s office confirms to me that there was a missile strike on Yavoriv’s military facilities before daybreak. Yavoriv is a military town 10 miles from Poland and home to an international training facility.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 13, 2022
Reports of explosions heard in Ivano-Frankivsk are also coming in.
The city sits about 130km south-east of Lviv.
⚡️Explosions heard in Ivano-Frankivsk.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 13, 2022
Air raid alerts are on. Residents are asked to head to the nearest shelter.
Explosions heard in Lviv this morning
Reports of explosions heard this morning in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv are filtering in from reporters and witnesses on the ground.
Multiple explosions were heard shortly before 6am local time Sunday on the outskirts of the city near Ukraine’s border with Poland.
Guardian reporter Lorenzo Tondo said residents were woken by air raid sirens for the third night in a row. But Sunday was the first time since the beginning of the invasion the sirens have been followed by explosions.
The Kyiv Independent is reporting that Lviv is under Russian missile attacks and a military ground training 40km (25 miles) from the city was bombed.
A series of photos posted to social media show large columns of smoke purportedly rising from the direction of the Yavoriv military training ground.
The reports indicate that Russia is stepping up its attacks in the west of the country.
Thousands of refugees have so far passed through Lviv en route to neighbouring countries.
⚡️Multiple explosions heard in Lviv and Kherson and reports that Lviv is under Russian missile attacks.#Ukraine #UkraineWar #UkraineUnderAttack #UkraineRussianWar #Ukrainian #Ukriane
— The War Update (@TheWarUpdate) March 13, 2022
Our team heard multiple explosions on the outskirts of the Western city of Lviv just before 6am local time. A local producer told us she heard around 5 explosions and felt the walls of her house shaking. She sheltered in her cellar and is ok.
— Hala Gorani (@HalaGorani) March 13, 2022
Reports of an explosion outside Lviv an hour ago. The target unclear. Sirens in the city now. If confirmed, Russia is stepping up its attacks in the west of the country. Mayor thinks Putin’s goal is whole of #Ukraine
— Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968) March 13, 2022
Updated
Summary
Hello, I’m Samantha Lock and welcome to our rolling coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Here’s a recap of some of the most important developments over the past few hours:
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy claims Russian forces have neither the strength nor the spirit to conquer Ukraine. In his latest video address on Saturday night, Zelenskiy said: “The Russian invaders cannot conquer us. They do not have such strength … They are holding only on violence.”
- Zelenskiy also claimed Russia is trying to create new “pseudo-republics” in Ukraine to break the country apart. He urged capyuted areas not to succumb to Russian “blackmail” and repeat the experience of Donetsk and Luhansk.
- The town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region of Ukraine has been totally destroyed by Russian bombardment, according to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. A local hospital was destroyed, forcing people to gather in the basement as pro-Russian separatists took over the town.
- Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg says Russia may use chemical weapons following its invasion of Ukraine and that such a move would be a war crime. He told a German newspaper that the Kremlin could manipulate false claims of western deployment of such weapons as a pretext for its own use of them.
- France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin by phone on Saturday and urged him to order an immediate ceasefire. But a French official said: “We did not detect a willingness on Putin’s part to end the war.”
- The Ukrainian ministry of defence says Russia’s generals are uncertain about their “strategic objectives” and have been hindered by fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces. The latest intelligence update says the Russians were regrouping and trying to assess the strength of Ukraine’s defences.
- Seven civilians have died after coming under Russian fire while trying to flee fighting near Kyiv. Ukraine initially accused Russia of firing at a convoy of civilian evacuees from the village of Peremoha while they were in a designated humanitarian corridor, but later said it was not such a route.
- Satellite imagery of Mariupol is showing the widespread damage suffered since Russian forces surrounded the city 12 days ago. More than 1,500 civilians have been killed, and humanitarian aid groups say those remaining have not had access to water or medications in days.
- The rate of refugees crossing the Ukrainian border has slowed, but neighbouring countries are still struggling to provide shelter for the estimated 2.6 million who have fled since the Russians invaded last month. About 13,000 refugees were evacuated through humanitarian corridors today.
-
British people who open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion will get £350 a month ($456) under a “cash for accommodation” scheme, as ministers try to make amends for the UK’s chaotic response to the crisis.
- Ukrainian officials informed the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, that Russia was planning to take “full and permanent” control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant – an allegation that Russia denies.
- People have taken to the streets of cities all over the world to protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including in Berlin, Warsaw, London, New York and Los Angeles.
- US president Joe Biden has authorised $200m in weapons and other assistance for Ukraine, the White House has said.
For any tips and feedback please contact me through Twitter or at samantha.lock@theguardian.com
Updated
