The UN refugee agency says more than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion, passing another milestone in an exodus that has led to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.
Catch up on Tuesday's updates as they happened on our blog.
Key events
- More than 3.5 million refugees left Ukraine in last few weeks, UN refugee agency says
- 'We don't have Mariupol anymore': Ukrainian MP unable to contact parents, describes despair at destruction of city
- Zelenskyy prepared to discuss commitment not to join NATO
- Zelenskyy accuses Russia of shelling humanitarian corridor, injuring children
- Zelenskyy says any compromises with Russia would have to go to a referendum
- 3,000 escaped Mariupol on Monday, Ukraine says
- Mariupol's 'heroic defenders' are saving lives in Kyiv and Odesa, Ukraine's Defence Minister says
- Biden warns Putin is preparing to use biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine
- Mariupol almost entirely destroyed, refugees say
- Zelenskyy insists upon meeting with Putin
- Russian forces violently disperse crowd of anti-occupation protesters in Kherson
- Russia warns Biden's 'war criminal' comments threaten relationship with America
- 8,057 evacuated through humanitarian corridors
- Russia increasing air sorties over Ukraine but does not have air superiority yet, US official says
- Yesterday's blog
Live updates
By Kate Ainsworth
That's all for the blog tonight
Thanks for reading throughout the day.
We'll be back tomorrow but until then, you can stay up to date with the latest news online or on the ABC News app.
By Kate Ainsworth
Ten Ukrainian hospitals destroyed since start of war, health minister says
Speaking on national television, he said COVID-19 testing was being carried out only in areas where there was no fighting, and this was complicating efforts to track the disease.
By Kate Ainsworth
Ex-Russian state TV reporter says she quit over Ukraine war
Ms Agalakova resigned from the broadcaster earlier this month and was a former newsreader before becoming the station's correspondent in Paris.
"When I spoke to my bosses, I said I cannot do this work any more," she said in Paris.
She said she believed Russian television was being used to pump out Kremlin propaganda, and that the authorities had for years been stifling independent media.
By Kate Ainsworth
'We are on the brink of survival': Ukrainian president addresses Italian parliament
"For Russian troops, Ukraine is the gates of Europe, where they want to break in, but barbarism must not be allowed to pass," he said.
Mr Zelenskyy has also told Italian parliament Russian forces see Ukraine as a gateway to Europe.
By Kate Ainsworth
By Kate Ainsworth
Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner donates medal to fund for Ukrainian refugees
Earlier this month the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, where Muratov is editor-in-chief, said it would remove material on Russia's military actions in Ukraine from its website because of censorship, in response to threats of criminal prosecution of journalists and citizens who veer from the government's official line.
"Novaya Gazeta and I have decided to donate the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Medal to the Ukrainian Refugee Fund," Mr Muratov said.
"There are already over 10 million refugees. I ask the auction houses to respond and put up for auction this world-famous award."
Mr Muratov said five things needed to be done immediately in the conflict.
"Stop combat fire, exchange prisoners, release the bodies of the dead, provide humanitarian corridors and assistance, and support refugees" he said.
Muratov, who won the award jointly with Maria Ressa of the Philippines, co-founder of news site Rappler, dedicated his Nobel prize last year to six of the newspaper's journalists who had been murdered for their work.
Reporting by Reuters
By Kate Ainsworth
Ukraine urges Russia to let civilians out of Mariupol
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has appealed to Russia to allow humanitarian supplies into the besieged port city of Mariupol and let civilians leave.
"We demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor for civilians," Ms Vereshchuk said on Ukrainian television.
She also said Russia's armed forces were preventing humanitarian supplies reaching residents of the southern city of Kherson.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since it began invading Ukraine on February 24.
Russia has previously tied the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol to the surrender of Ukrainian troops in the city — something Ms Vereshchuk has ruled out.
Reporting by Reuters
By Liam Butterworth
More than 3.5 million refugees left Ukraine in last few weeks, UN refugee agency says
The UN refugee agency says more than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion, passing another milestone in an exodus that has led to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.
UNHCR reported Tuesday that 3.53 million people have left Ukraine, with Poland taking in the lion's share — more than 2.1 million — followed by Romania with more than 540,000 and Moldova with more than 367,000.
Shortly after the invasion on February 24, UNHCR predicted that some 4 million refugees might leave Ukraine, though it has been re-assessing that prediction.
The outflows have been slowing in recent days after peaking at more than 200,000 each on two straight days in early March.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that nearly 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine, suggesting that some if not most of them might to flee abroad if the war continues.
- Reporting by AP
By Liam Butterworth
Ukrainian MP says Russia is seeking support from Belarus in the war
Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun says Russia is now turning to neighbouring country Belarus for support in the war.
"97 per cent of Belarus doesn't want to fight with Ukraine … they aren't willing to fight and aren't combat trained," she told News Channel's Karina Carvalho.
Ms Sovsun is still living in Ukraine and described the terror happening in neighbouring cities like Mariupol.
"It is terrifying … something we only thought we would read in novels from WW2 … people have been trying to get water from the melted snow … they have literally run out of water," she said.
The number of fatalities and injuries continue to rise each day and she said the hospital system was becoming overwhelmed.
"The doctors say they don't know how to deal with all the wounded and the wounds are terrifying… some [people] missing feet and arms," she said.
But Ms Sovsun said the Ukrainians have not given up hope and are fighting back for their country.
"Four weeks in Russia is no closer than they were in the first week … in some areas they have actually been pushed back," she said.
By Liam Butterworth
Mayor of city containing Ukraine's major international airport urges civilians to leave if they can
The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Boryspil, which is close to Kyiv's main international airport, has advised civilians to leave if they can because of fighting nearby.
Mayor Volodymyr Borysenko said in a video address that there was fighting in the Kyiv region where Boryspil is located.
"There is no need to be in the city now as there is already fighting going on in the area around it. I call on the civilian population to be smart, reach out to our call centre and leave town as soon as an opportunity arises," he said.
By Liam Butterworth
Where's Putin's exit point for the war?
More from Dana Lewis on the conflict in Ukraine.
He says the fighting has to stop eventually, but peace talks will only be successful when both sides find a way to exit the conflict.
"The Israeli talks seemed to be gaining the most traction [but] the two sides are so far apart," he says.
"In the end there's only one guy to push the launch button and that's Vladimir Putin. Eventually it has to stop. The fighting has to stop. But is Putin prepared to back down right now? Back down with what? He has to say somehow he won or he's finished, he has to say there's victory. Where is the victory in this?
"He's become a war criminal, according to so many European leaders and US President Joe Biden. So what does he withdraw with? This land bridge down through from the Donbas, down the coast of the sea, past Mariupol, which is why you see this frantic, unending pulverising battle for Mariupol, to linking it to the Crimea. Does he withdraw with a land bridge or some kind of separatist region in the Donbas that is annexed and joins Russia? After all of this? I can't see Putin settling for that.
"And so that means a hard, grinding, relentless war in Ukraine that can go on for months and we've seen the damage just in weeks. I don't think the Russian army can sustain it. It is falling apart and it doesn't have supplies. They are said to be running out of food on the edge of Kyiv within a few days. A very difficult situation."
By Liam Butterworth
By Liam Butterworth
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny's further imprisonment part of Putin's bid to 'keep power at any cost'
Former Russia correspondent Dana Lewis has just appeared on ABC News to discuss the second guilty verdict against opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Kremlin critic was today found guilty of charges of fraud and contempt of court and Russian prosecutors are seeking to move Navalny to a maximum security penal colony for 13 years.
Navalny is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions.
Lewis says the verdict relates to Russian President Vladimir Putin's struggle to retain power.
"Alexei Navalny, as you remember, was poisoned with Novichok nerve agent which is not supposed to exist in Russia, because it's a signatory to a number of agreements not to produce or store chemical or biological weapons. And I think, again, Navalny has really called in to question the ruling elite in Russia — that inner circle of President Putin and President Putin himself — with all his anti-corruption investigations," he says.
"So that's why this case is important and then just seems to pale in comparison and get lost in the dust right now with all of this horrific brutal assault in Ukraine. But it's important because in many ways it was the beginning two years ago of President Putin clamping down on now just about everything. So you go to protest in the street in Russia and you'll be arrested. If you [protest on] Facebook or Instagram, you'll be banned, saying you're an enemy of the state.
"So Navalny was the beginning of all of that. And his sentencing probably isn't going to receive a lot of headlines today. But I think he's [Navalny] in a fight probably for his life now, because as they add the years to his sentence, so he'll probably get another 13, 14 years today, he'll be serving 15 years. They'll move him to a harsher penal colony and the people around him feel that Navalny could die in prison."
By Liam Butterworth
'Conflict has told me you need to have your family close to you': Former Mariupol resident's relief after mother escapes besieged city
Former Mariupol resident Elena Bachurina has spoken of her relief at hearing her mother is on her way to safety, out of the devastated city.
Ms Bachurina, who now lives in London and helped her brother flee Kyiv, spoke to her mother today for just a minute.
"She was very excited to hear me," she told RN Drive's Andy Park.
"I'm not sure really how she is feeling because I believe being under constant bombardment for 19 days is devastating for everyone."
She also spoke of her sadness that the city she grew up in has been left devastated by the Russian attack.
"There is no city," she said.
"It's a city the size of Adelaide that doesn't exist anymore, there is no city."
Ms Bachurina said it was heartbreaking to watch the news everyday and to see "such cruelty", but she said she had received so much support which had helped her.
"I've lived the darkest moments, but at the same time some of the brightest moments because I've had received so much support and love that makes you believe in humanity," she said.
When asked what she would say to her mother once they were reunited she said she would never let her go far away from her again.
"Conflict has told me you need to have your family close to you," she said.
By Liam Butterworth
Calls for EU to include energy sector in ramp up of sanctions
Calls are growing for Western nations to ramp up sanctions against Russia, with a particular focus on the energy sector.
The European Union is considering an oil embargo, following similar moves by Australia, the US and UK.
EU diplomats say a Russian chemical weapons attack in Ukraine, or a heavy bombardment of its capital Kyiv, could be a trigger for a possible fifth round of sanctions.
But Maria Shagina, a member of the Geneva International Sanctions Network, says more needs to be done to ramp up pressure on Russia's economy.
"This is the elephant in the room that if sanctions were to be ramped up, the energy sector would need to be included and we heard that discussions about European oil ban finally opened up and that could be included," she says.
By Liam Butterworth
Biden says Russia is considering using chemical, biological weapons in Ukraine
US President Joe Biden says the US believes that Vladimir Putin is considering using chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Mr Biden said the Russian leader's own false claims that Ukraine had such weapons, and that the US had them in Europe, were a clue to Mr Putin's mindset.
"Now he's talking about new false flags he's setting up, including asserting that we in America have biological as well as chemical weapons in Europe. Simply not true," Mr Biden said at a business event.
"They are also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That's a clear sign he's considering using both of those."
The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Reporting by Reuters
By Liam Butterworth
'We don't have Mariupol anymore': Ukrainian MP unable to contact parents, describes despair at destruction of city
Dmytro Gurin, a Ukrainian MP with ties to Mariupol, has no idea where his parents are, or if they've even made it to safety.
Mr Gurin told PM's Nick Grimm that Russia's military had destroyed the city and that Vladimir Putin would not stop there.
"Now the city is almost destroyed, totally," he said.
"Thirty per cent of all buildings in Mariupol are totally destroyed … 50 per cent are damaged and need to be repaired. So we don't have Mariupol anymore — we have to build this city from scratch."
He said he had no idea where his parents were, and had been unable to make contact with them, but hoped they had managed to escape.
"All of us are hoping that their relatives will escape from Mariupol. It's not necessarily about me, it's about the hundreds of thousands of people who have relatives in Mariupol and hundreds of thousands of Mariupol people who are caught in this mousetrap," he said.
He said this wasn't a war, but mass murder.
"What's going on in Mariupol has nothing to do with war, it's bombing civilians and killing civilians," he said.
"The Russian army has an order to kill everybody who's trying to escape Mariupol."
He said nothing would be left of the city once Russia had finished with it.
When asked if tougher sanctions would help, Mr Gurin said the West didn't understand World War III had already started.
'I understand why people don't want to think about, it's hard to believe in this, but it's already started and 86 per cent of Russian population agree with the war … and 75 per cent of the Russian population are OK with war with Poland, so they won't stop.
"The only difference now is when you join this war, this WWIII, the only difference is which territory you will fight [in] — Ukrainian territory or in territory of NATO countries."
By Liam Butterworth
Superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire docks in Turkey, skirting EU countries
A superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in the Turkish tourist resort of Marmaris on Tuesday, a port source said, a day after another of his yachts arrived in nearby Bodrum, also in the county's south-west.
The Eclipse, which is one of the world's biggest at 162.5 metres long and sails under a Bermuda flag, arrived in Marmaris after cruising south-east of the Greek islands of Crete and Rhodes, according to Marine Traffic data.
The data also showed the superyacht Solaris remained moored in Bodrum, some 80 kilometres away, having skirted the waters of European Union countries that have sanctioned the oligarch over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
There was no indication that Abramovich was aboard either of the vessels. He was among several wealthy Russians added last week to a European Union blacklist, and EU governments have acted in recent days to seize yachts and other luxury assets from them.
The Eclipse is reported to have two helipads, nine decks, a swimming pool and built-in missile defences.
World governments are seeking to isolate President Vladimir Putin and his allies over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation".
Last week, Abramovich flew to Moscow from Istanbul in his private jet. According to flight-tracking data it was a second trip by a jet linked to Abramovich between the Turkish city and the Russian capital in three days.
A spokesperson for Abramovich didn't immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
The 140-metre (460-foot) yacht Solaris, which also sails under a Bermuda flag, according to Marine Traffic, docked in Bodrum on Monday afternoon, just over a week after it left Montenegro's Adriatic resort town of Tivat on March 13.
- Reporting by Reuters
By Liam Butterworth
Russia tells academics not to travel to conferences abroad in 2022, says not in 'national interest'
Russia has told its academics to avoid scientific conferences abroad this year, the science and higher education ministry said on Monday, as Moscow finds itself increasingly isolated over its military campaign in Ukraine.
The ministry said it had also decided to suspend the indexation of work by Russian scholars in international databases until the end of the year.
"We are not calling for abandoning publications in Web of Science and Scopus [academic resources]," Minister Valery Falkov said in a statement.
"Russia must remain on the frontier of global science. But we need to act in accordance with our national interests."
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 in what it called a special operation to degrade its southern neighbour's military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.
Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance, and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its troops.
Russia in recent years has tried to reduce its dependency on Western technology for its economic and industrial needs. But meagre resources and bureaucratic red tape have often hampered scientific development in the country.
Russian scientists who regularly exchange information with their foreign counterparts face scrutiny from the authorities. Several have been charged with treason after being accused of allegedly handing sensitive material to foreigners.
- Reporting by Reuters
