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Russia-Ukraine crisis live updates | Russian forces edge closer to Kyiv as city becomes ‘fortress’

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its third week, the United States said that Russia could be preparing the ground for using chemical or bological weapons in Ukraine. This statement came in response to Russia’s accusation that Ukraine is running chemical and biological labs with U.S. support.

The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a meeting for today to discuss these claims.

Russia’s offensive on Ukranian cities continued with satellite images showing heavy damage to cities of Kyiv and Mariupol.

The conflict began escalating on February 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed troops in a peacekeeping role.

Here are the latest updates:

India

Operation Ganga: India expresses gratitude to Russia, Ukraine, Red Cross

India on Friday expressed its gratitude to Ukraine, Russia and the Red Cross for helping it evacuate its citizens from various Ukrainian cities in the midst of the ongoing war.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a post on Twitter, specifically mentioned that the evacuation of Indian students from the northeastern city of Sumy was “particularly challenging”.- PTI

New Delhi

IAF flight carrying students evacuated from Ukraine’s Sumy lands in Delhi

An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft from Poland’s Rzeszow carrying students evacuated from northeastern Ukrainian city Sumy landed at the Hindon air base here on Friday afternoon, officials said.

The flight, which was conducted by the IAF using its C-17 military transport plane, landed at the air base here at 12.15 pm.

This is the second of the three flights being operated by India on Friday — one each by Air India, IndiGo and the IAF — from Rzezow to Delhi to bring back 600 students who have recently been evacuated from Sumy.- PTI

Ukraine

Ukraine hopes ‘humanitarian corridor’ from Mariupol will open on Friday – deputy PM

Ukraine hopes a “humanitarian corridor” will be opened successfully for civilians to leave the besieged southern port city of Mariupol on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Efforts to provide safe passage for trapped Mariupol residents to leave have failed repeatedly this week.- Reuters

Ukraine

Russia strikes near airports in west Ukraine

 Local authorities say Russian strikes hit near airports in the western Ukrainian cities of Ivano-Frankiivsk and Lutsk, far from Russia’s main attack targets elsewhere in Ukraine.

The mayor of Ivano-Frankiivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv ordered residents in the neighboring areas to head to shelters after an air raid alert. The mayor of Lutsk also announced an airstrike near the airport. No casualties were immediately reported.

The strikes were far to the west from the main Russian offensive and could indicate new direction of the war.- AP

India

 Students arriving from Sumy, Ukraine at the Hindan air base in Ghaziabad on March 11, 2022.

Students arriving from Sumy, Ukraine at the Hindan air base in Ghaziabad on March 11, 2022.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Romania

U.S. VP Harris heads to Romania as Ukraine invasion fuels refugee crisis

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will head to Romania on Friday and discuss the growing refugee crisis in the region, a day after talks between Ukraine and Russia’s foreign ministers failed to bring any pause in the conflict.

Harris will meet President Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest, her second stop on a three-day trip through eastern Europe. Meanwhile, the United States, together with the Group of Seven nations and the European Union, will move to revoke Russia’s “most favoured nation” status in an effort to pressure it to end the conflict with Ukraine.- Reuters

Volnovakha, Ukraine

Russian-backed separatists capture Ukraine’s Volnovakha – RIA

 Russian-backed separatists have captured the Ukrainian city of Volnovakha north of the besieged Azov Sea port of Mariupol, the RIA news agency quoted Russia’s defence ministry as saying on Friday.

Volnovakha is strategically important as the northern gateway to Mariupol.- Reuters

Dnipro, Ukraine

Air strikes in Ukraine’s Dnipro kill one: emergency services

Three air strikes early on Friday in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least one person, state emergency services said, adding that the strikes were close to a kindergarten and an apartment building.- Reuters

Kyiv, Ukraine

Russian forces edge closer to Kyiv as city becomes ‘fortress’

Russian troops edged closer to Kyiv on Friday, as officials said the Ukrainian capital was being transformed into a “fortress” and President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of again targeting humanitarian corridors.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain holed up in Ukrainian cities, including besieged Mariupol, under a Russian bombing campaign after the first talks between Moscow and Kyiv’s top diplomats ended without any progress.

In the capital, mayor Vitali Klitschko said half the population had fled, adding that the city “has been transformed into a fortress”.

“Every street, every building, every checkpoint has been fortified.”

Russian forces are currently encircling at least four major Ukrainian cities and armoured vehicles have rolled up to Kyiv’s northeastern edge, where suburbs including Irpin and Bucha have endured days of heavy bombardment.- AFP

 Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022.

Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022.
| Photo Credit: AFP

U.S.A.

U.S., allies to revoke ‘most favored nation’ status for Russia

President Joe Biden will announce Friday that, along with the European Union and the Group of Seven countries, the U.S. will move to revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

That’s according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement. The person said each country would have to follow its own national processes. Stripping most favored nation status from Russia would allow the U.S. and allies to impose tariffs on Russian imports, increasing the isolation of the Russian economy in retaliation for the invasion.

Mr. Biden’s move comes as bipartisan pressure has been building in Washington to revoke what is formally known as “permanent normal trade relations” with Russia.- AP

Russia

Russia demands that U.S. stop Meta’s ‘extremist activities’

 Russia’s embassy in the United States demanded on Friday that Washington stop the “extremist activities” of Facebook owner Meta Platforms, which has temporarily lifted a ban on calls for violence against the Russian military and leadership.

“Meta’s aggressive and criminal policy leading to incitement of hatred and hostility towards Russians is outrageous,” the Russian embassy said in a statement. “The company’s actions are yet another evidence of the information war without rules declared on our country.”- Reuters

U.S.A.

U.S. Senate gives final approval to Ukraine aid, huge budget bill

 A $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies easily won final congressional approval Thursday, hitching a ride on a government-wide spending bill that’s five months late but loaded with political prizes for both parties.

“We promised the Ukrainian people they would not go at it alone in their fight against Putin,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said just before the vote. “And once we pass this funding in a short while, we will keep that promise.”

The House passed the compromise bill easily Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s signature was certain.- AP

U.S.A.

Biden to call for an end of normal trade relations with Russia, increased tariffs on Russian imports

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will call for an end of normal trade relations with Russia and clear the way for increased tariffs on Russian imports, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.

China

Premier Li offers China’s help for ‘grave’ Ukraine situation

China’s premier on Friday called the situation in Ukraine “grave” and offered Beijing’s help in playing a “positive role” for peace while continuing to refuse to criticize Russia.

Li Keqiang told reporters at an annual news conference that “we support and encourage all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis.”

“The pressing task now is to prevent tension from escalating or even getting out of control,” Li said.- AP

Mariupol, Ukraine

 A Ukrainian serviceman takes a photograph of a damaged church after shelling in a residential district in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 10, 2022.

A Ukrainian serviceman takes a photograph of a damaged church after shelling in a residential district in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 10, 2022.
| Photo Credit: AP

Mariupol

Russians keep pressure on Mariupol; massive convoy breaks up

Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city of Mariupol on Thursday, while satellite photos showed that a massive convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions.

International condemnation escalated over an airstrike in Mariupol a day earlier that killed three people at a maternity hospital. Western and Ukrainian officials called the attack a war crime. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian refusal to permit evacuations from the port city amounted to “outright terror.”

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that 40-mile (64-kilometer) convoy of vehicles, tanks and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, the company said. Armored units were seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported, with towed howitzers nearby in position to open fire.- AP

UNSC

UN council to meet on Russian claim of US labs in Ukraine

 The U.N. Security Council scheduled a meeting Friday at Russia’s request to discuss what Moscow claims are “the military biological activities of the U.S. on the territory of Ukraine,” allegations vehemently denied by the Biden administration.

“This is exactly the kind of false flag effort we have warned Russia might initiate to justify a biological or chemical weapons attack,” Olivia Dalton, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said late Thursday. “We’re not going to let Russia gaslight the world or use the U.N. Security Council as a venue for promoting their disinformation.“

The Russian request, announced in a tweet Thursday afternoon from its first deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, follows the U.S. rejection of Russian accusations that Ukraine is running chemical and biological labs with U.S. support.- AP

New Delhi

Air India flight carrying students evacuated from Ukrainian city Sumy lands in Delhi

An Air India flight from Poland’s Rzeszow carrying students evacuated from northeastern Ukrainian city Sumy, landed in Delhi on Friday morning, officials said.

The flight had taken off from Rzeszow around 11.30 pm (IST) on Thursday and landed in Delhi at 5.45 am on Friday, they said.

India has sent three flights to Poland to bring back 600 students evacuated from Sumy.

Another flight is expected to land in Delhi around 8.40 am, officials said.- PTI

Brovary, Ukraine

 A destroyed tank sits on a street after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A destroyed tank sits on a street after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
| Photo Credit: Felipe Dana

Facebook

Facebook eases rules to allow violent speech against ‘Russian invaders’

Facebook said Thursday that due to the invasion of Ukraine it has temporarily eased its rules regarding violent speech to allow statements like “death to Russian invaders,” but not credible threats against civilians.

Moscow’s internationally condemned invasion of its neighbor has provoked unprecedented sanctions from Western governments and businesses, but also a surge of online anger.

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders,’” Facebook’s parent company Meta said in a statement.

“We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” it added.- AFP

Russia

Putin says Russia continues all energy exports, including through Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow was continuing to export oil and gas, including through Ukraine, where the Kremlin sent troops spurring a wave of costly Western sanctions.

“We are respecting all of our obligations in terms of energy supplies,” Putin said during a televised government meeting on the sanctions fallout.

Russia

Russia says China refuses to supply aircraft parts after sanctions

China has refused to supply Russian airlines with aircraft parts, an official at Russia’s aviation authority was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday, after Boeing and Airbus halted supply of components.

Russia’s aviation sector is being squeezed by Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, with Russia’s foreign ministry warning this week that the safety of Russian passenger flights was under threat.

U.S.A.

Moscow may engage in false flag chemical and biological attacks in Ukraine: White House

Dismissing Russian claims about the U.S. having chemical and biological weapons labs in Ukraine as “preposterous”, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Russia could be preparing the ground for using such weapons in Ukraine or that it may be setting up a false flag operation using these banned methods of warfare.

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