Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Eight dead in mall bombing –
At least six people are killed in the bombing of the Retroville shopping centre in northwest Kyiv / © AFP
At least eight people are killed in the bombing of a shopping centre in northwest Kyiv. The 10-storey building is completely destroyed in the blast.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko announces a new curfew for the capital from 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) until Wednesday morning.
– ‘Protesters shot’ –
Ukraine accuses Russian troops of firing on protesters in the southern city of Kherson, which was the first major urban centre to fall into Russian hands.
The foreign minister posts a video showing people carrying flags rushing to help a man bleeding on the ground. Several anti-Russian demonstrations have been held in Kherson since the occupation began.
– Ukraine rejects Russian ultimatum –
Russia gave the besieged city of Mariupol until 5:00 am on March 21 to surrender, warning that Ukrainian soldiers and volunteer fighters who refuse to do so face being court martialled or worse for their “horrible crimes”.
Ukraine rejects the ultimatum, saying the bombed-out port city, where bodies have been piling up on the street, is bolstering Ukraine’s defences. “Today Mariupol is saving Kyiv, Dnipro and Odessa,” Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov argues.
– Warning on US-Russia ties –
Russia summons the US ambassador to Moscow in protest over President Joe Biden’s branding of counterpart Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal”.
“Such statements by the American president, which are not worthy of a high-ranking statesman, have put Russian-American relations on the verge of rupture,” the foreign ministry says.
– Facebook, Instagram banned –
A Russian court bans Facebook and Instagram as “extremist”, continuing a crackdown on social media during the conflict in Ukraine.
The FSB security service argues that Facebook’s parent company Meta is working “against Russia and its armed forces” after Meta said it would allow people to post calls for violence against the invading forces.
– EU accuses Russia of ‘war crime’ –
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell calls Russia’s attack on the port city of Mariupol “a massive war crime” as EU foreign ministers meet to discuss imposing more sanctions on Moscow.
– ‘No euros for occupiers’ –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls on European leaders to cease all trade with Russia.
“No euros for the occupiers. Close all of your ports to them. Don’t export them your goods. Deny energy resources. Push for Russia to leave Ukraine,” he says in a video address.
– Outreach to China –
Ukraine’s Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls on China to play an “important role” in efforts to resolve the conflict.
China, which has so far held off from condemning the Russian invasion, is coming under US pressure to help isolate Moscow. Its ambassador to the US says China is not currently supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine.
– Kremlin warning on oil –
The Kremlin warns the EU against an embargo on Russian oil and gas, saying it would have a direct impact on everyone.
“Such an embargo will have a very serious impact on the world energy market, it will have a very serious negative impact on Europe’s energy balance,” says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
– Japan peace treaty ditched –
Russia says it is abandoning talks with Japan on a formal World War II peace treaty over Tokyo’s condemnation of its military action in Ukraine.
Moscow accuses Tokyo of “striving to cause harm to the interests of our country” and being “openly hostile”.
– Nearly 3.5 million flee country –
Nearly 3.5 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia’s invasion, the United Nations says, of 10 million who have been displaced from their homes.
