March 7, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has moved here.

These are excerpts from audio recordings made to a Ukrainian government-run hotline. Mothers and fathers, wives, siblings and others are engaged in a desperate search for their loved ones as Russia’s war with Ukraine extends seemingly without end.

The shaky voices at the end of the line are not calling to search for Ukrainians, however – they are looking for information on Russian soldiers.

In recordings shared exclusively with CNN by the Ukrainian officials operating the hotline, the desperation and uncertainty in the callers’ voices sheds light on how tightly Moscow is controlling communications about the war.

The recordings indicate that many Russian soldiers seemed to not have known what their plans were or why they were being deployed, and bolster reports of Russian soldiers being denied communication with their families.

Videos have appeared online since the invasion began on February 24 showing Ukrainian civilians and soldiers allowing Russian soldiers to call home and speak with their parents.

The hotline, called “Come Back From Ukraine Alive,” was established by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, which has acknowledged that the initiative is both a humanitarian and a propaganda tool.

Read the full story here:

Kristina, a psychologist by training, takes calls from Russians seeking information about their relatives in the Russian Army.

Related article Russian families turn to Ukrainian hotline in desperate search for lost soldiers

Australia is placing further sanctions on Russia targeting senior military officers and state propagandists for “trying to legitimatise Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified invasion with false narratives such as the ‘de-Nazification’ of Ukraine,” said the country’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a statement on Tuesday.

This new round of sanctions will include “targeted financial sanctions on the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and targeted financial sanctions and travel bans against an additional six senior Russian military commanders responsible for implementing naval, ground and air attacks on Ukraine,” the statement said.

It added that Australia will also sanction ten people of “strategic interest to Russia” for their role in “encouraging hostility towards Ukraine” and promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda to legitimize Russia’s invasion.

Addressing Russian media: The Australian government is also working with Facebook, Twitter and Google to suspend content by Russian state media in Australia, said the statement.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by a widespread disinformation campaign,” the statement said, criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to create “a world characterized by lies and disinformation”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Western countries that the war will not stop at Ukraine – and an attack on freedoms there will affect the rest of the world.

During an interview on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir on Monday, Zelensky again highlighted the need to secure Ukraine’s airspace – something he has urged the US and NATO to help do, to no avail.

“We cannot allow Russia to be active there only, because they’re bombing us, they are shelling us, they are sending missiles, helicopters, jet fighters – a lot of things,” Zelensky said. “We don’t control our sky.”

He added that he believes US President Joe Biden “can do more” to stop the war. “I am sure he can and I would like to believe that. He is capable of doing that,” Zelensky said.

The US stance: The US and NATO oppose creating a no-fly zone in Ukraine, warning that such a move could lead to “full-fledged war in Europe.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday countries imposing such a no-fly zone would be considered to be participating in the conflict.

On Monday, the White House said Biden remains firm in his commitment to keep US troops out of the conflict.

Zelensky’s response: The Ukrainian president said missiles were hitting civilian structures including universities and pediatric clinics. If a missile is flying overhead, “I think there is no other answer … they need to be shot down. You have to preserve lives,” he said.

And he warned the war would affect the rest of the world:

“Everyone thinks that we are far away from America or Canada. No, we are in this zone of freedom. And when the limits of rights and freedoms are being violated and stepped on, then you have to protect us. Because we will come first. You will come second. Because the more this beast will eat, he wants more, more, and more.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is increasingly targeting civilians as his military runs into a fiercer-than-expected resistance and more and more refugees head to the border.

Meanwhile, his government has tightened its grip on the media to control what Russians see and think:

What this means for Russia: The country and government have been “authoritarian for a long time, it’s getting worse and worse and worse,” said Beth Sanner, former deputy director of National Intelligence.

Russia is also increasingly cut off from much of the West, with heavy sanctions and a growing number of businesses pulling out from Russia – including Netflix and TikTok.

Putin’s vision: The Russian strongman could be seeking a Russian empire of sorts, according to Fiona Hill, a former White House official and Russia expert.

Putin has been slowly acquiring land since 2008, bringing neighbors under his control and setting the precedent that he can take by force whomever resists, she said, pointing to Putin’s belief in a “Russkiy Mir” or Russian World.

“He’s saying Ukrainians and Russians are one and the same,” Hill said. “This idea of a Russian World means re-gathering all the Russian-speakers in different places that belonged at some point to the Russian tsardom.”

Read more here.

Like much else about the country, Russia’s internet has long straddled East and West.

Russian citizens, unlike their Chinese counterparts, have been able to access US tech platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, though they have been subject to censorship and restrictions — the defining feature of China’s internet model.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has increasingly isolated the country in recent days, could also prove to be the death knell for its presence on the worldwide web.

Facebook blocked: On Friday, as sanctions on Russia tightened and fighting in Ukraine continued to intensify, the Russian government said it had decided to block Facebook, citing the social network’s moves in recent days to impose restrictions on Russia-controlled media outlets.

While Facebook is by no means the largest platform in the country, blocking it may be a symbolic move to indicate that President Vladimir Putin’s government is prepared to go after big global names if they don’t toe the party line. (Instagram and WhatsApp, which are more popular in Russia and also owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, have not yet been blocked). Already, the country’s main telecom agency, Rozkomnadzor, is exerting pressure on Google (GOOGL) over what it terms “false” information, and has reportedly restricted Twitter (TWTR) as well. Other platforms are choosing to halt operations on their own.

Crackdown on information: Being cut off from Russia may not pose an existential threat to Western tech platforms, some of which count their audience in the billions. But these moves have major implications for the ability of Russians to access information and express themselves freely. At a more fundamental level, it could also further accelerate the fracturing of the global internet as we know it.

Read the full story here.

The US State Department said a tweet from Russia’s Embassy in the United Kingdom was a “flat out lie.” 

The tweet, posted Monday, claimed that Russia’s military actions aimed “to stop any war that could take place on Ukrainian territory or that could start from there,” quoting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 

US State Department Spokesman Ned Price responded on Twitter, saying: “This is a flat out lie. Russia’s special military operation is instigating a war in Ukraine. Ukraine does not want a war. #StopTheLies.” 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba “to offer continued support to the people and government of Ukraine and to condemn Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities and mounting civilian deaths,” according to a State Department readout. 

“Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Kuleba discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop Putin’s war of choice,” it said. “The Secretary reiterated the United States’ steadfast solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine, as they continue to resist Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attacks.”

US President Joe Biden is facing bipartisan criticism over the potential for new oil deals with Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Iran to offset the loss of Russian oil.

Asked if it were a good idea to import oil from Venezuela, Sen. Joe Manchin told CNN: “Not for us. Now other countries might be able to, we don’t have to. We can do ours. We can work with our neighbors, we can work with, with Canada and Mexico. A lot of other countries don’t have that opportunity.”

Manchin added: “Venezuela is a rough, tough actor, okay. And so is Iran. Saudis can pick up some slack, this and that and everything but we can do what we got to do.”

Sen. Mark Kelly, who is up for re-election, said of Biden’s indecision on Russian oil imports: “Well, I’m decided on this. I don’t think we should be buying Russian oil and gas.” Asked about getting oil from Venezuela potentially, Kelly said: “There are also opportunities here in the United States to increase production of gas.”

And Sen. Rick Scott, who is the head of the Senate GOP campaign committee, said: “We should stop importing Russian oil period. And we shouldn’t be going to Venezuela. … When are we going to learn that we can’t be relying on these thugs?”

The top three House Republicans also slammed Biden over the potential move and called on the President to instead ramp up domestic oil production — something the GOP has long been pushing for.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said it’s “wrong” for Biden to seek oil from those other countries and argued it’s better for US jobs and national security for Biden to open up American oil and gas. “Why would he continue to fund these people who fund terrorists?” McCarthy said to CNN.

House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik called it “outrageous” that Biden is looking to “dictators around the world” for energy. And House Minority Whip Steve Scalise told reporters “it’s time for President Biden to start looking right here in America for our energy.”

“Don’t replace Russian oil with Iranian oil. Replace it with American oil,” Scalise said. “For some reason, President Biden doesn’t want to look right here underneath his feet.”

Rank-and-file Republicans had equally harsh words for Biden: Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, called it “kind of nuts” and warned it would “empower Venezuela” and “enrich Iran.” And Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida said he was “speechless” and hoped the reports weren’t true.

“I don’t think anybody could be this much of an imbecile. And I say that painfully because it’s too reckless, too stupid, too idiotic, too dangerous for it to be true,” Diaz-Balart said. “This will do nothing, by the way. Venezuelan oil? They’re barely producing right now.”

The UK Ministry of Defence on Monday accused Russian forces of targeting evacuation corridors and killing “several civilians” trying to evacuate the town of Irpin, according to the latest intelligence assessment released publicly by the department since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.

The ministry noted that due to heavy fighting, Irpin has been without heat, water or electricity for several days.

The intelligence assessment also reported that resistance against Russia advancements towards Kyiv has persisted in the nearby towns of Hostomel, Bucha, Vorzel and Irpin.

Ukraine Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya led his remarks to the UN Security Council Monday by likening Russia’s invasion into Ukraine to the way Germany disregarded what he called “the norms of international humanitarian law during hostilities” during World War II.

“Russian troops block numerous attempts of the Ukrainian authorities to evacuate civilians” through evacuation corridors, Kyslytsya said. 

The ambassador said Ukrainians will be able to evacuate through evacuation routes only when Russia fully upholds a cease-fire.

Kyslytsya said it was “appalling” that Russian troops were opening fire on evacuees after both countries had allocated certain roads to be utilized as evacuation corridors. 

As of Sunday, the ambassador said Ukraine’s Ministry of Health reported that 34 hospitals in the country were completely destroyed; the World Health Organization reported that 6 Ukrainian doctors were killed and 11 were wounded as a result of Russian shelling. 

Kyslytsya said that Ukraine’s Ministry of Education has reported more than 211 Ukrainian schools as being damaged or destroyed due to Russian shelling since the beginning of the invasion resulting in thousands of Ukrainian children being deprived from their right to education.

“Russia bears full responsibility for the killing and injuring of innocent people, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and obstacles for their safe departure of Ukrainians and foreign citizens,” the Ambassador said. 

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia responded to Kyslytsya’s comments reiterating that Russian authorities agreed to carry out a ceasefire Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Moscow time, to open up evacuation corridors to evacuate civilians from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy Karkhiv and Mariupol.

“My Ukrainian colleagues said that Ukraine is ready to work in this direction, but let’s see what answer we get to this proposal from the Russian authorities,” Nebenzia said.

CNN’s Liam Reilly and Kiely Westhoff and Pooja Salhorta contributed to this reporting

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer emerged from the House Democratic leadership meeting moments ago.

Asked by CNN when the legislation to ban Russian energy imports could come to the floor and he said, “this week.”

Some background: A powerful, bipartisan group in Congress announced Monday that it would craft legislation suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, and grant the White House the authority to increase tariffs on the two countries, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a significant statement, four top lawmakers – the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee – said they would require the US trade representative to try to suspend Russia’s participation in the World Trade Organization and would provide President Joe Biden the power to restore trade relations subject to certain conditions and congressional disapproval.

They also said they had agreed to strike a deal banning the import of “energy products” from Russia. The letter was signed by Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Richard Neal, Texas GOP Rep. Kevin Brady, Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Republican Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho.

US drivers have never paid this much for gasoline. The price for a gallon of regular gas now stands at $4.14, according to the Oil Price Information Service, the firm that collects and calculates prices for AAA.

That breaks the previous record of $4.11 a gallon, which has stood since July 2008. 

As Russia continues to invade Ukraine, gas prices are rising faster than they have since Hurricane Katrina slammed into oil platforms and refineries along the US Gulf Coast in 2005.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted a video of himself in his office in Kyiv Monday night, the first time he has been seen there since the invasion began on Feb. 24. 

In a nine-minute speech, from behind his desk, at the Presidential Palace, Zelensky said “the Ukrainian army holds its positions.” He added that he remains in Kyiv and is “not afraid of anyone.”

The Ukraine Presidential Office released a transcript of his full speech. You can read it below:

Monday. Evening. You know, we used to say: Monday is a hard day. There is a war in the country. So every day is Monday. 

And now we are used to the fact that every day and every night are like that. 

Today is the 12th. 12th evening of our struggle. Our defense. 

We are all on the ground, we are all working. 

Everyone is where they should be. I am in Kyiv. My team is with me. The territorial defense is on the ground. The servicemen are in positions. Our heroes! Doctors, rescuers, transporters, diplomats, journalists… 

Everyone. We are all at war. We all contribute to our victory, which will definitely be achieved. By force of arms and our army. By force of words and our diplomacy. By force of spirit, which the first, the second and each of us have. 

Take a look at our country today. 

Chaplynka, Melitopol, Tokmak, Novotroitske and Kherson. Starobilsk. Everywhere people defended themselves, although they do not have weapons there. But these are our people, and that’s why they have weapons. 

They have courage. Dignity. And hence the ability to go out and say: I’m here, it’s mine, and I won’t give it away. My city. My community. My Ukraine. 

Every Ukrainian man and woman who protested against the invaders yesterday, today and will protest tomorrow are heroes. 

We shout at the invaders together with you. We stand in the squares and streets with you. We are not afraid with you when the invaders open fire and try to drive everyone away. 

YOU do not back down. 

WE do not back down. 

And the one who repeated: “We are one people” - certainly did not expect such a powerful reaction. 

In the south of our country, such a national movement has unfolded, such a powerful manifestation of Ukrainianness that we have never seen in the streets and squares there. And for Russia it is like a nightmare. 

They forgot that we are not afraid of paddy wagons and batons. We are not afraid of tanks and machine guns. When the main thing is on our side, truth. As it is now. 

Mariupol and Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. Odesa and Kyiv. Mykolaiv. Zhytomyr and Korosten. Ovruch. And many other cities. 

We know that hatred that the enemy brought to our cities with shelling and bombing will not remain there. There will be no trace of it. Hatred is not about us. Therefore, there will be no trace of the enemy. We will rebuild everything. We will make our cities destroyed by the invader better than any city in Russia. 

Enerhodar. Chornobyl. And other places where barbarians just don’t understand WHAT they want to capture. WHAT they want to control. Your work, your hard work on critical objects is a real feat. And we see it. We are sincerely grateful for it. 

The Ukrainian army holds positions. Well done! It inflicts extremely painful losses on the enemy. Defends. Counterattacks. If necessary - can take revenge. Necessarily. For every evil. For every rocket and bomb. For each destroyed civilian object. 

Today in Makariv, Kyiv region, they fired at the bread factory. For what? The old bread factory! Think about it - to fire at the bread factory. Who should you be to do that? 

Or to destroy another church - in the Zhytomyr region. The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin built in 1862. 

These are NOT people. 

There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. 

Did it work? Russian tanks worked instead. Russian “Grads”. Russian mines. They even mined the road, which was agreed to transport food and medicine for people and children in Mariupol. 

They even destroy buses that have to take people out. But … At the same time, they are opening a small corridor to the occupied territory. For several dozen people. Not so much to Russia, as to propagandists. Directly to their TV cameras. Like, that’s the one who saves. Just cynicism. Just propaganda. Nothing more. No humanitarian sense. 

The third round of negotiations in Belarus took place today. I would like to say - the third and final. But we are realists. So we will talk. We will insist on negotiations until we find a way to tell our people: this is how we will come to peace. 

Exactly to peace. 

We must realize that every day of struggle, every day of resistance creates better conditions for us. Strong position to guarantee our future. In peace. After this war. 

Apart from the dead people and the destroyed cities, the war leaves destroyed the aspirations that once seemed very important, but now … You don’t even mention them. 

Almost three years ago, as soon as the election took place, we entered this building, this office, and immediately began planning our move. 

I dreamed of moving from Bankova. Together with the government and parliament. To unload the center of Kyiv and in general - to move to a modern, transparent office - as befits a progressive democratic European country. 

Now I will say one thing: I stay here. 

I stay in Kyiv. 

On Bankova Street. 

I’m not hiding. 

And I’m not afraid of anyone. 

As much as it takes to win this Patriotic War of ours. 

Today I signed a decree to present state awards of Ukraine to 96 Ukrainian heroes - our military. 

Including… 

The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of the second degree is awarded to: 

Major Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Sak. Commander of the mechanized battalion who entered the battle with the battalion tactical group of the enemy and won thanks to a rational approach to combat and non-standard tactics. 

Captain Rostyslav Oleksandrovych Sylivakin. Commander of the mechanized battalion, which successfully fought the overwhelming forces of the enemy, liberating Ukrainian towns and villages in the Sumy region. 

The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of the third degree is awarded to: 

Lieutenant Ihor Serhiyovych Lozovyi. Acting as part of the group, he stopped a column of enemy vehicles numbering about 150 units, which was moving in the direction of the Zhytomyr-Kyiv route. Destroyed. 

Lieutenant Vitaliy Viktorovych Poturemets. He showed exemplary courage and composure in the battle, destroying a column of enemy equipment near the city of Kyiv. He was wounded. 

The Order “For Courage” of the third degree is awarded to: 

Master Sergeant, Commander of the Automobile Platoon Valentyn Viktorovych Baryliuk. Thanks to his brave actions and personal determination, the tank unit received fuel in time and left the encirclement, destroying the enemy on the way. 

All 96 of our heroes are like these five! 

Our gratitude to all the military. 

Our gratitude to the Armed Forces of Ukraine! 

Our gratitude is boundless. 

Glory to Ukraine! 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted a video of himself in his office in Kyiv Monday night, the first time he has been seen there since the invasion began on Feb. 24. 

Looking out of the window before closing the curtain, Zelensky opened his video statement, saying:

Apart from a brief outdoor appearance with members of his government soon after the invasion began, this is the first time he has been seen outside of his bunker since the Russian invasion began.  

The Pentagon does believe reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to recruit foreign fighters, specifically from Syria, to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Russian forces are true, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday.

“We do have indications that corroborate that story that in fact they are trying to enlist and recruit foreign fighters, which we find noteworthy that with more than 150,000 troops, a stalled military advance inside Ukraine, particularly in the north, that Mr. Putin has found it necessary to try to recruit foreign fighters for this war of his,” Kirby said when Tapper asked if the story, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was true.

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba has confirmed he plans to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday, March 10.

Kuleba said on Ukrainian television Monday that if Lavrov was ready for a serious substantive conversation, then he was ready as well. Kuleba said he would talk to anyone so that peace could be established.

Russia has proposed a new ceasefire starting 10 a.m. Moscow time, which is 2 a.m. ET Tuesday, which indicates it’s ready to open evacuation corridors from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol, Russian media reports quoting the Russian Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine.

Ukraine has yet to formally agree to the ceasefire proposal. 

“Russia declares a ceasefire from 10 a.m. (Moscow time) on March 8, and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors: from Kyiv and adjacent settlements to the Russian Federation through the territory of the Republic of Belarus to Gomel,” Russian media quotes the statement.  

The Russian statement added that evacuation corridors “will also be open from Chernihiv through the territory of Belarus, from the city of Sumy along two routes to Poltava and to the territory of Russia, from Kharkiv to the territory of Russia or to Lviv, Uzhgorod, Ivano-Frankivsk. Also, a humanitarian corridor will be opened from Mariupol along the two routes to the territory of Russia and Zaporizhie.”

Russia said it is offering to agree on the plan for the evacuation corridors with Ukraine by 3 a.m. ET Moscow time on Tuesday, ahead of the ceasefire starting at 10 a.m. ET local time.

The Pentagon announced Monday another 500 US troops would be deploying to Europe to reinforce NATO’s flank, including, Poland, Romania, Germany and Greece.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby announced the new deployments on Monday, which he said are being positioned to support US forces already in Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The new deployments include KC-135 refueling aircraft from Fairfield Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington, to Greece, along with 150 personnel for refueling support. An air support operations center made up of 40 troops from Fort Stewart, Georgia, are deploying to Poland and Romania. And 300 US personnel are deploying to Germany to make up a modular ammunition ordnance company from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and a support maintenance company out of Fort Stewart. 

What is the latest with the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russian forces continue to see more success in southern Ukraine. They have taken control of Kherson, a town on the coast of the Sea of Azov, and Berdyans’k, another coastal town, Kirby said. The US also believes Russia is in control of the nuclear power plant near the Dnieper River, Kirby said.

“We believe they are very much aimed on taking Mariupol, Mariupol is a violent place to be right now, this is another location for long-range fires and bombardment,” Kirby added.

Russian forces continue to rely more and more on “long-range fires,” including “bombardment, missile strikes, and long-range artillery into city centers,” the Pentagon press secretary said on Monday.

“What we assess is as they continue get frustrated, they continue to rely now more on what we would call long range fires. So this is bombardment, missile strikes, long range artillery into city centers that they aren’t in yet at least not on the ground in any significant number,” Kirby said.

The US does not see Russian forces taking control of Kyiv, the capital. There is “heavy fighting outside” of Kharkiv and “they are still attempting to encircle” the city of Chernihiv in the north, Kirby added.

A large Russian military convoy outside of Kyiv is “still stalled, it is still stuck,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. 

 “We don’t assess over the course of the weekend that it has made any progress,” he added.

 The main purpose of the convoy is mainly “re-supply,” Kirby said. 

US stocks fell sharply on Monday as investors continued to monitor the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

It was the worst day of the year for the Dow and S&P 500. The Nasdaq is now in a bear market as tech stocks were crushed. Energy stocks and utilities were among the few winners following a big spike in crude oil and gas prices. Several defense stocks hit new all-time highs as well. Bed Bath & Beyond surged after Ryan Cohen, the Chewy co-founder who is trying to turn around GameStop, disclosed he purchased a big stake. 

Here’s how the markets closed on Monday:

Note: As stocks settle after the trading day, levels might still change slightly.

Britain has launched the “Ukraine Family Scheme” for Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia to enter the UK, the British Home Office announced on Monday.

“The UK Government’s Ukraine Family Scheme is the first visa scheme in the world to launch since President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” the Home Office tweeted.

“It gives Ukrainian people the freedom and means to support themselves while they are here in the United Kingdom, […] that includes immigration security, the right to work and free access to healthcare, education and housing,” the tweet said.

According to the Home Office, 8,900 applications have been started so far under the scheme, with 300 visas issued till date.

The Home Office said it had “surged staff” and increased the number of appointments at its visa application centers in Rzeszow, Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest, Chisinau and Prague. 

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator outlined three immediate priorities in his speech to the UN Security Council Monday aimed at minimizing what he called the pain and suffering the whole world is watching unfold in Ukraine. 

Martin Griffiths said that the first priority is that parties “must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian homes and infrastructure in their military operations.” 

“This includes allowing safe passage for civilians to leave areas of active hostilities on a voluntary basis, in the direction they choose. All civilians, whether they stay or leave, must be respected and protected,” he said.

He then requested the need for “safe passage for humanitarian supplies into areas of active hostilities.” 

“Civilians in places like Mariupol, Kharkiv, Melitopol, and elsewhere desperately need aid, especially life-saving medical supplies. Many modalities are possible, but it must take place in line with the parties’ obligations under the laws of war,” Griffiths said.

Lastly, in his third point Griffiths said there needs to be a “system of constant communication with parties to the conflict and assurances to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid.” 

Griffiths said he has already conveyed the three points to Ukraine and to the Russian Federation adding that his office has sent representatives to Moscow “to work on better humanitarian civil-military coordination” allowing his team to scale up humanitarian efforts. 

“We have planned, we have mobilized and fundraised and to meet the challenge we face. We have the capacity and the know-how to meet the most urgent needs in Ukraine, if the parties cooperate,” Griffiths said. 

“But make no mistake, we are unable to meet the needs of civilians today. I hope we will not fail them tomorrow,” he said.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “it’s clear Mr. Putin has a plan to destroy and terrorize Ukraine,” adding that the United States is “concerned that the world needs to be prepared for a very long and very difficult road ahead.”

“If the last two weeks have shown us anything, it’s that the Ukrainian people are not going to give up. And many Russian people themselves, including many Russian soldiers, do not want this war,” Thomas-Greenfield said at a UN Security Council meeting.

Thomas-Greenfield added that “Putin is clearly willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of Russian soldiers to achieve his personal ambitions.”

“We have been warning Moscow for weeks that, in the end, Russia will be weaker, not stronger, for launching this war. This is already proving true,” she said. “The question is how much devastation President Putin is willing to wreak for this enormous mistake.” 

In her remarks, Thomas-Greenfield said the US is “outraged by increased reports of Moscow’s attacks harming Ukrainian civilians in its unprovoked and unjustified war against the Ukrainian people,” and expressed increasing concern “about the protection of civilians in this conflict, particularly women and girls who are vulnerable to gender-based violence, LGBTQI Ukrainians, as well as Ukraine’s population of older adults and people with disabilities.”

She said her Polish counterpart told her 100 refugees per minute were crossing from Ukraine into Poland.

“We also call for the protection and care for all vulnerable children, including separated and unaccompanied children and those in institutional care,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding, “Children should never, never be involved in conflict — period.”

“Children should never be involved in conflict. They must be protected,” she repeated.

“As UNICEF has reported, we know already that dozens of children have been killed in Putin’s war. And as we work to confirm cases, we know the actual numbers are actually far greater,” she said. “Young children have also been severely traumatized by the violence and destruction. They’ve witnessed so many things to the point they have stopped speaking. The physical and psychological wounds of this war will be long lasting.”

Thomas-Greenfield described Ukrainian cities “under siege, under relentless Russian shelling.” 

“Hospitals are running out of supplies, food is dwindling, and civilian casualties are mounting, while the most vulnerable groups – those with disabilities, the elderly, children – continue to bear the brunt of suffering. We have seen besiegement before – from Leningrad to Aleppo. These are tragedies of immense proportions,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield called on Moscow to provide a “firm, clear, public, and unequivocal commitment to allow and facilitate immediate, unhindered humanitarian access for humanitarian partners in Ukraine.”

“Very specifically, we call for the Russian Federation to agree to and honor in good faith Ukrainian proposals for time-bound humanitarian safe passage in specific, agreed upon locations. We call for the establishment of a ground-level notification system that will facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian convoys and flights,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

She also called on “Russia to change course, withdraw its forces, deescalate through diplomacy” and said the US supports “Ukraine’s call for a ceasefire.”

“In the meantime, we applaud those doing everything in their power to alleviate the suffering Putin has unleashed on the Ukrainian people,” she said.

She noted the US is “closely coordinating with the Government of Ukraine, neighboring countries, and international organizations, including those within the UN system, to monitor the situation and will work with them to address humanitarian needs both in Ukraine and in the region.”

“Whatever course Russia’s invasion may take, we must do everything – and I stress everything – everything we can do to help the people of Ukraine,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

“Kyiv still stands, and we stand with Kyiv,” she concluded. “We stand with Ukrainians.”

Protesting residents of Chaplynka are the latest Ukrainians to clash with Russian military forces occupying their town, videos from Monday show.

CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the videos.  

Dozens of Russian troops are seen in the videos, set up in a line at an intersection on the eastern side of Chaplynka, more than 300 miles south of Kyiv. Chaplynka is on the southern side of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region and is located deep within Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.

Dozens of protesters are also seen in the videos.    

“Idi domoy,” some in the crowd chant — “go home” in Russian.  
“Idi dodomu,” others in the crowd chant — “go home” in Ukrainian.   

Gunshots are then heard in the video, but no one appears hurt.

The crowd doesn’t budge. “Go home boys, go back home,” someone is heard yelling.    

The main advance towards Kyiv by Russian forces remains “stalled,” a senior US defense official told reporters Monday. The official did not have an update on how far away a large Russian military convoy is from Kyiv’s city center.

“We still believe they’re outside, the main advance is still stalled outside the city,” the official said Monday. “I don’t have a distance today of how far out from Kyiv they are, but we don’t assess that they are, the advance elements are in the city. They do continue to try to make progress.”

The convoy’s progress remained stalled on March 6 as well, an official said. Late last week, it was approximately 25 kilometers (about 16 miles) from the city center of Kyiv.

Even though the main advance has not made progress, “clearly there’s fighting in Kyiv, they continue to bombard it and hit it,” the official added. 

The “vast, vast majority of missile strikes” from Russian forces continues along “three lines,” north down towards Kyiv, “from the south up from Crimea towards Mykolaiv and towards Mariupol,” and “a northeasterly route towards Kharkiv,” the official said. 

“We’ve seen no significant activity in the west of Ukraine,” the official added.

The St. George’s Church in Ukraine’s Zavorychi ​was on fire Monday, videos show, after an alleged Russian military strike. 

In the ​Monday videos ​of the church, the green roof of the blue-walled church was on fire.   

“They have attacked our church; guys don’t go in there,” a man in the video says. “They’ve gone and hit our church.” 

“The Russian world,” another says in another video. “Here is your Russian world!” 

On their website, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church confirmed that the church was on fire, saying that parishioners reported that it had been hit by Russian military strikes. 

The rector of St. George Church archpriest Petro Kotyuk said in a statement posted on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church website that a shell hit the church’s dome and that Russian troops shot at houses.  

Watch:

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US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said Monday that the alliance will not move forward with a no-fly zone in Ukraine as it stands. 

“Our goal right now is to actually stop the war. We don’t want to expand this conflict beyond Ukraine, and so right now, the signal from NATO collectively is that NATO is not prepared to move forward with a no-fly zone,” Smith told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview. 

Smith did, however, say that members of NATO were taking steps to “provide lethal support to Ukraine and assess their security needs in real time.” 

Smith also said that the alliance is taking steps to protect its members. “We will defend every inch of NATO territory. NATO is prepared to do that and is already taking steps to reinforce its eastern flank,” she said.   

The ambassador said that US officials are discussing with the Polish government the potential for Poland to send MiG-29 Soviet-era fighter jets in support of the Ukrainians. “That is a sovereign decision for Poland to take. The US has noted that it is willing to sit down and talk through some of the challenges of that. There are a lot of open-ended questions about the number of Ukrainian pilots that are available, how these jets would actually move from Poland to Ukraine. That’s all being worked right now.”   

When asked about whether the Russians have dominance in the skies, Smith said that Moscow does not have air superiority in Ukraine and that it’s “bad news for President Putin.” 

“They have not taken Kyiv as they planned to do in the first few days of this conflict. President Zelensky is still the president of Ukraine, and what we’ve seen is some of these convoys, the 40-kilometer convoy that everyone has been keeping an eye on, in essence, has gone nowhere,” she said.  

“It tells us a lot about the ability of the Russian military and the challenges, particularly the logistic challenges, that the Russians are facing.” 

“It’s quite astounding actually, their inability to provide their forces with the simple things like meals and fuel,” Smith added.   

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry says it has created a special unit — the International Legion — which has already started to carry out combat missions to counter Russian aggression.

More than 20,000 volunteers and veterans from 52 countries have expressed their desire to join, according to Brigadier General Kyrylo Budanov, commander of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry that will run this legion.

Burdanov expressed his gratitude to the fighters and said they are mostly experienced fighters who have participated in many peacekeeping campaigns around the world.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to make a “historic” address to the British House of Commons on Tuesday at 12 p.m. ET.

Zelensky will address members of parliament via video link – “the first time they have done so in the Chamber,” while formal parliamentary business will be suspended, according to a news release from the House of Commons on Monday. 

Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle granted that request, saying, “Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House.”  

“Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible,” Hoyle added in the statement. 

MPs will be able to watch the speech on screens installed overnight above either side of the Chamber, with over 500 headsets enabling members to hear a simultaneous translation in English, the House of Commons said.   

There will be no questions-and-answers session at the end of the address, it added.  

In a significant statement, four top lawmakers — the leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee — said they would craft a bill that would suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus and provide the White House with authority to increase tariffs on the two countries.

In addition, the agreement — announced by the top Republican on House Ways and Means, Kevin Brady, and the Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal, along with the top Republican on Senate Finance, Mike Crapo, and Finance Chair Ron Wyden — would do the following, according to a statement released by their offices:

Also noting that the lawmakers say in their statement: “We have agreed on a legislative path forward to ban the import of energy products from Russia and to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus.”

US Attorney General Merrick Garland has joined justice ministers from several allied countries to demand that Interpol immediately suspend Russia from accessing its systems, according to Justice Department spokesperson Anthony Coley.   

Coley tweeted Sunday night that Garland, alongside other justice ministers from what’s known as the Five Country Ministerial — the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, called on Interpol and its executive committee “to decide this week on the immediate suspension of Russia’s access to its systems.”

British Home Secretary Priti Patel also tweeted Sunday night, saying, “Russia’s actions are a direct threat to the safety of individuals and to international law enforcement cooperation.”

More background: Interpol, which stands for the International Criminal Police Organization, is a global agency which facilitates police across its 195 member countries to collaborate on criminal investigations. Interpol issues what are known as Red Notices to request the location and arrest of an individual pending their extradition.

If Russia is suspended from Interpol, it would bar the country from continuing to participate and therefore put in requests for Red Notices, but it would not remove Red Notices that are already in the system, said Ted Bromund, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and an expert in Interpol. 

Russia is among a handful of countries that are known as abusers of the system for going after opponents to the government, according to attorneys and experts.

“Generally, (Russia) uses it to harass opposition figures, but these could be businessmen who the regime wants to steal their money, it could be theatre directors who have a rep for producing politically touchy material… Opposition figures covers a lot of ground,” Bromund said, adding that they’ll frequently base the notice on financial crimes.

The mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv claimed Monday that Russian forces are retreating following what he says was an attempted attack on the city’s airport. 

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the Russian military attempted “to attack the airport, and our troops fought with them and they fell back to the border… for 20-25 km.” 

Earlier Monday in a video posted to Telegram, the regional administrator for the Mykolaiv area, Vitali Kim, also claimed the Russians were retreating after they lost two tanks in a “tank battle” at the airport. 

Intense fighting has broken out in Mykolaiv and video which has been authenticated by CNN shows explosions from military strikes and large plumes of smoke around the Ukrainian city located about 250 miles south of Kyiv.

Senkevych said that the city had faced a “rocket attack… about 60 rockets fell on our city, and 61 buildings were… destroyed, and about 40 rockets fell down unexploded. So starting from the morning, we also got an attack by heavy weapons like tanks and heavy weapon machines around the city.” 

The mayor went on to claim that the Russian forces were relying heavily on cluster bombs, which are banned under the Geneva convention. “90% of the rockets sent to our city, that launched to our city, were cluster bombs,” he said. 

“They are illegal, but we have plenty of photos and evidence that they are using illegal weapons now, in the 21st century.” 

Despite the assaults, Senkevych said that Ukrainian forces are “motivated, they want to defend our motherland, our city, and they are really motivated and want to fight to the death.” He said that the city had “a good amount of people and heavy machines.”

“We’re ready to defend our city, and also still we have a corridor to get the support, food etc from Odessa region. This is the only way left for us and we are getting help from our different partners, sister cities and cities from western Ukraine. We’re in need right now of helmets and vests for our territorial defense troops and we are collecting food for long term storage,” the mayor said. 

He told Amanpour that Russian soldiers were lying when captured by Ukrainian forces. “Every time we catch them alive, they say that they didn’t know where they go, they were on training, they crossed the border, and then they found out in Mykolaiv that they were far from Russia. But it’s a lie. Because from Mykolaiv to Crimea is about 500km.” 

“They should know where they are, they are gathering near Kherson, and they spread around our city and they are trying to attack our city,” he said. 

European Union ambassadors agreed on Monday to examine bids by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to join the EU, starting the lengthy process towards accession. 

In a tweet Monday, the French Presidency of the EU said that the 27 Permanent Representatives of European Countries had, “agreed to invite the European Commission to present an opinion on each of the applications for EU membership submitted by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.”

About the process: This starts a process that could takes years to complete before the three former Soviet countries are considered candidate countries to join the EU.

Countries wishing to become part of the European Union must meet strict “accession criteria,” which involves complex social, legal and political reforms and are “essential conditions all candidate countries must satisfy to become a member state,” according to EU rules.

The EU’s “capacity to absorb new members,” is also part of the consideration for allowing new countries to join the bloc.

Meanwhile, European Council President Charles Michel said in a tweet earlier Monday that Ukraine’s membership bid will be discussed in the “coming days.”

The Russian Ruble has plunged even further against the US dollar, hitting record lows, as talk grows over possible sanctions against Russian energy.

The US dollar/Russian Ruble is currently trading at around 155, meaning $1 is worth 155 rubles. 

Before the conflict with Ukraine began, it would normally trade between 70 to 80 rubles to the dollar. On Monday’s lows, the Russian ruble has lost 90% of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of the year.

The ruble has plunged as the West brings in tough economic sanctions and the Russian government introduced capital controls to try and stop the flow of money out of Russia. 

Russian forces are “increasing bombardments” of major Ukrainian cities including Kharkiv, Kyiv and Chernihiv, as well as Mykolaiv and Mariupol in the south, a senior US defense official told reporters on Monday. 

“We’ve certainly have noticed increases in what we call long-range fires, bombardments, rocket attacks, artillery, as well as missile strikes, and we do assess that these strikes are hitting civilian targets, infrastructure, residential areas,” the official said.

It’s “not clear” if the Russians are hitting civilian targets deliberately or if they are the “result of imprecision,” but “clearly it’s happening,” the official said.

“It’s happening on a greater rate and a greater scale, and all the more evidence of the reckless nature with which the Russians are propagating this invasion,” the official added.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered additional troops and US military assets to be deployed to different parts of Europe amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine to further support the US’s NATO allies, a senior US defense official told reporters on Monday. 

The Defense Department will send a total of 500 troops in this new deployment, the official said. The deployment will include sending KC-135 refueling aircraft to Greece, but the official could not say how many aircrafts would be sent or where in the US they will be coming from. 

An air support operation center will be deployed to Poland and Romania, and an ordinance company and a maintenance company will be sent to Germany, the official said.

The ordinance and maintenance companies will provide “additional logistic support to the first armored brigade combat team, third infantry division” in Germany which is already deployed there, the official said.

“It’s only 500, small units, enablers, we said at the get-go of deploying forces that we would not rule out additional forces to include enablers, and these units are very much in support of forces that were already sent forward,” the official said.

With these additional deployments, the US now has about 100,000 US military personnel either on rotational or permanent orders stationed in Europe right now, the official said.  

The decision to send these troops and military assets were “based on conversations that the secretary had with the chairman and with Gen. (Tod) Wolters,” the commander of US European command, “that these additional enablers would be useful for the forces that are already” in Europe, the official said.

The additional deployment “were already kind of queued up to go, and again fully in support of our efforts to help defend NATO airspace if needed,” the official added.

UN Human Rights officials say just more than 1,200 civilian casualties have been recorded in the Ukraine, with 406 people killed, noting it is difficult to identify the actual number of deaths and injuries, a UN spokesman said Monday. 

The World Health Organization says that there have been nine attacks affecting health facilities, health care workers and ambulances since Feb. 24, according to Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesperson. 

Earlier Monday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported the 406 civilians killed, but also acknowledged that the real figures are likely “considerably higher.”

More from Dujarric: Dujarric also said that in a phone call between the secretary general and the minister of defense of the Russian Federation, it was confirmed a team from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had arrived in Moscow.

The United Nations continues to call for safe unimpeded sustained access to all conflict areas.

At 3 p.m. ET Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, and the UNICEF’S Executive Director, Catherine Russell will brief the Security Council on the situation in Ukraine.

Hungary has offered foreign students whose studies were disrupted as Russia invades Ukraine an opportunity to continue their education at Hungarian universities, authorities have said.

“Hungary is offering foreign students who escaped #UkraineRussianWar (India, Nigeria, other African countries) to continue their studies at Hungarian universities,” tweeted Dr. Attila Demkó, the head of Hungary’s Centre for Geopolitics.

“All third-country refugees (mostly Africans) were accepted without problems and repatriated if they wished so,” Demkó added in his Sunday tweet.

Some Nigerian evacuees from Ukraine have said they are relieved to be back home even though they anticipate a return to the eastern European country currently repelling Russian troops.

“I’m glad I’m safe but I’m sad that my education was cut short,” said 27-year-old Oru Dominic Gabriel, who was one of many Nigerians evacuated from Romania on Friday, where they had fled to escape the war in Ukraine.

More than 400 Nigerian citizens fleeing the war in Ukraine were flown home over the weekend in chartered flights provided by the Nigerian government, according to the government agency Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).

The first batch of returnees arrived in the capital Abuja early Friday from Romania, according to NIDCOM. The second batch of evacuees arrived from Poland later Friday, while the third batch landed in Abuja close to midnight Friday from Hungary, NIDCOM said in a series of tweets.

The returnees were handed a stipend of $100 by the foreign ministry officials upon arrival in Abuja, Gabriel told CNN on Monday. He was in the final year of his medical studies at Ukraine’s Ternopil National Medical University.

He told CNN about his intention to return to the war-torn country.

“I’d go back [to Ukraine] to complete my education. I was just two months away from completing my classes. Ukraine is home to me,” Gabriel said.

Adetomiwa Adeniyi, another returnee and final year medical student at the Ternopil University, told CNN that returning to Ukraine was the hope of many returnees.

However, he is considering study opportunities elsewhere given the uncertainty of the war in Ukraine.

“I’m still looking at transfer alternatives both home and abroad. I had just four months left to complete my studies and finding somewhere with the same tuition bracket [as Ukraine] is almost impossible. Even private universities here [in Nigeria] are more expensive,” Adeniyi said. “War is always protracted, not to talk of the fallout period for rebuilding … So, it’s a whole basket of uncertainty, but at least we’re alive.”

Hundreds of international students, many of them Nigerians, remain trapped in their hostels in Sumy, in northeast Ukraine, surrounded by Russian troops and amid explosions and gunfire.

Nigeria’s foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama told CNN on Thursday that his office was aware of the plight of the stranded students, and that arrangements were being made for their evacuation.

Russia has committed “nearly 100%” of the combat power that had been staged on the border of Ukraine and in Belarus, according to a senior US defense official.

Russia has also launched more than 625 missiles against Ukraine, according the official.

The official said that while the airspace over Ukraine is still contested, the US assesses that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has “the vast majority of his fixed-wing aircraft” available, as well as surface-to-air weapons to defend Ukrainian airspace.

Coordinated energy sanctions against Moscow, including a ban on Russian oil, are still “very much on the table,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday.  

Speaking during a news conference alongside his Dutch and Canadian counterparts in London, Johnson said it was the “right thing” to move away from Russian hydrocarbons.  

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the United States is “now talking to our European allies and partners to look at a coordinated way” to ban Russian oil. 

Responding to a question as to whether Blinken was wrong in his remarks, Johnson replied, “No, I don’t think Tony Blinken was wrong.”  

“In the sense that we’re all together now moving very, very fast and seeing that something that perhaps three or four weeks ago we would never have considered is now very much on the table,” Johnson continued.  

Countries need to consider how to move away from Russian hydrocarbons “as fast as possible,” Johnson added.  

“We’re going to work together on making sure that we all have the substitutes and the supplies that we need,” Johnson continued.  

Russia will “try again” to discuss evacuation routes with Ukraine during talks on Monday, according to Russia’s chief negotiator for the discussions.

Speaking on his way into the third round of talks in Belarus, Vladimir Medinsky said the two sides will discuss “the same issues, political settlements, international humanitarian issues and military settlement” as last week’s talks. 

“We will try again” to discuss evacuation routes with the Ukrainian side, Medinsky said, lamenting their failure to come about last week. 

On Monday, the Russian defense ministry announced in a statement that it will open evacuation corridors from 2 a.m. ET from the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol. 

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Iryna Vereshchuk responded to the statement, demanding that Russia “accept options for our routes, as well as to establish a ceasefire, which we will agree on.”

According to state-owned television Russia 24, the talks are now underway. The first two rounds of negotiations did not yield tangible results. 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley met with the Romanian Chief of Defense Staff General Daniel Petrescu during a visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Monday, according to a readout from Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler.

“The military leaders discussed Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and NATO’s response, including the deployed and rotational U.S. military forces in Romania working with NATO Allies and partners to deter Russian aggression and assure NATO,” the readout said.

Milley also met with defense leaders from Latvia and Estonia on March 6, according to separate readouts. In Latvia, Milley met with Latvia’s Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks and Commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces Lieutenant General Leonids Kalnins during a visit to the Joint Headquarters of the Latvian National Armed Forces, the readout said.

The military leaders discussed the “ongoing invasion of Ukraine” in their meetings, including “the deployed US military forces in Latvia working with NATO allies and partners to deter Russian aggression,” the readout said.

In Estonia, Milley met with Estonia’s Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Martin Herem during a visit to Ämari Air Base, a separate readout said. The two leaders also discussed the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and “NATO’s response,” the readout said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Europe cannot secure its energy supplies without imports from Russia. 

Energy was deliberately left out of previous rounds of sanctions, Scholz said in a news release Monday, adding Russia energy is of “essential importance” to the general, daily lives of its citizens. 

Meanwhile, Hungary’s finance minister Mihaly Varga said his government would not support any sanctions on Russian energy.

In a Facebook video posted Monday, he spoke of the substantial damage existing sanctions on Russia have had on its economy.

Remember: The EU relies on Russia for 40% of its gas needs and about 27% of oil imports. 

When asked about the potential for sanctions on Russia energy in a news conference Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said options that were unthinkable three weeks ago, are now “very much on the table.”

“We have to consider how we can all move away as fast as possible from dependence, reliance on Russian hydrocarbons, Russian oil and gas. Everybody is doing that. Everybody is on the same journey. Some countries will find it faster and easier than others,” he added.  

On Sunday, US Secretary State Antony Blinken told CNN that the US is working with its allies in Europe to look into the possibility of banning Russian oil imports in an effort to further punish the country. 

The fallout of an import ban on Russian oil would have limited impact in the US given Russia represents less than 2% of its overall oil imports. 

Intense fighting in Mykolaiv is continuing on Monday, as video shows new explosions from military strikes and large plumes of smoke around the Ukrainian city located about 250 miles south of Kyiv.

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos. 

In one of the videos, taken in the Korabelnyi district — the southern-most neighborhood in Mykolaiv — explosions from military strikes are seen over a residential area. In recent days, fire fights between the Ukrainian and Russian militaries have centered around the military base on the southeastern side of the city.

In a video posted to Telegram, the regional administrator for the Mykolaiv area, Vitali Kim, claimed the Russians were retreating after they lost two tanks in a “tank battle” at the airport. Kim also said some of the Russian forces had been evacuated from the area by helicopter. CNN has been unable to verify Kim’s claims, and he did not offer any evidence to support them.

Another video shows a dark plume of smoke rising from the northern neighborhood of Solyani.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced new sanctions on 10 individuals “complicit” in Russia’s “unjustified invasion” of Ukraine.  

The individuals include former and current senior Russian government officials, oligarchs and supporters of the Russian leadership, Trudeau said, speaking alongside his British and Dutch counterparts in London.  

“The names of these individuals come from a list compiled by jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny. The sanctions put increased pressure on Russia’s leadership including Putin’s inner circle,” Trudeau said.  

The Canadian leader said he hoped the sanctions and “massive tariffs” imposed on Russian and Belarusian imports would punish “Putin where it hurts most in particular financial systems and sanctioning their central bank so far.”

The US is considering supplying critical air defense systems to NATO allies in eastern Europe as anxiety mounts that the Russians could consider launching missiles or aircraft against the alliance’s eastern flank, according to a US official familiar with current administration thinking.

“The US is considering a range of capabilities,” the official said.

There is no specific plan yet, but the idea centers around the concern that Russian missiles or aircraft might deliberately attack targets inside NATO territory at some point if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides those nations are a risk to his invasion because of their support for Ukraine. And because of close proximity of the airspace, there is also concern that air defense be available if there is inadvertent straying into NATO airspace. The establishment of a US Russia so-called deconfliction line was in part to address those worries. But there is a sense an umbrella of air defense is needed.

Because of the defensive nature of these systems, the US will emphasize that the Russians should have no concerns. The most likely systems that could be deployed by the US are likely to be the Patriot and the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system which have successfully been used in the Middle East to help shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. The US estimates that Russia has already fired some 600 missiles since the invasion began.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an additional $230 million (175 million pounds) in aid for Ukraine.

This is the moment for “Ukraine’s friends to create a coalition of humanitarian, economic, and defensive military support to ensure that Putin fails in this catastrophic invasion,” he said Monday, while speaking during a joint news conference with his Dutch and Canadian counterparts in London.

The United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands “stand shoulder to shoulder” against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Johnson added. 

“Our new international Ukraine support group will coordinate the efforts of the international community to provide long term and unwavering assistance now and in the future, and we will be encouraging more countries to join us,” Johnson told the news conference.

In 12 days of Russian invasion into Ukraine, Johnson said it’s clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a “miscalculation” in underestimating Ukraine.

“He has underestimated the Ukrainians and their heroic resistance. He has underestimated their leader and he has underestimated the unity of the West,” Johnson said.

More than 406 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement Monday.

A further 801 civilians have been injured, OHCHR said.

OHCHR acknowledged that the real figures are likely “considerably higher.”

These figures include data collected between 4 a.m. local time on February 24, 2022, when the Russian Federation’s armed attack against Ukraine started, and midnight on March 6, 2022, the OHCHR said.

The Biden administration is weighing the possibility of easing sanctions on Venezuela so that the country can begin producing more oil and selling it on the international market, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The move would be aimed at reducing global dependence on Russian oil amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and at isolating Russia from one of its key allies in South America, the person said.

Biden administration officials, including National Security Council Director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez and US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens, were dispatched to Caracas over the weekend for talks on the issue, the person said, as well as to discuss the American citizens currently detained in the country. The New York Times first reported the officials’ travel to Venezuela. 

Remember: Washington imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil in 2019 and closed its embassy in Caracas after deeming Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s election victory in 2018 to be a sham.  

U Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the US and allies were actively exploring ways to ban Russian oil imports, thereby damaging Russia’s economy even further. The West has been reluctant so far to impose significant sanctions on Russia’s energy sector because of how it might impact the global economy, but are now getting closer to doing so as Europe works to diversify its energy sources. 

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has already criticized the discussions, tweeting over the weekend, “Rather than produce more American oil,” Biden “wants to replace the oil we buy from one murderous dictator with oil from another murderous dictator.”

But the source with knowledge of the talks said that merely increasing American oil production would not make up for the amount lost by cutting off Russia. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that 70% of the additional $350 million in defense support to Ukraine that President Joe Biden authorized in recent weeks “is already in the hands of Ukrainians, being used very effectively against Russian aggression.”

Speaking at a news conference in Latvia, Blinken said he expected $10 billion in emergency aid to be provided by the US Congress “very quickly,” and said such aid will go to “additional security assistance,” “humanitarian assistance for Ukraine both inside Ukraine and outside,” and “to further efforts to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.”

The top US diplomat reiterated that the US believes a no-fly zone has the potential to widen the conflict.

“Our efforts are all in the direction of ending this war as quickly as possible, ending the suffering as quickly as possible. And what we don’t want to do is to widen it, and to widen it to our own countries, to our own territory. The no-fly zone, to be very clear about what that involves is, that means that if Russian planes violate the zone that’s declared, we shoot them down. And that runs the considerable risk of creating a direct conflict between our countries and Russia and thus a wider war, which is in no one’s interest, including the Ukrainian people,” Blinken said.

The third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia has started in Belarus, state media agency Russia 24 announced on air.

The location for this event has not been disclosed. The first round of talks, on February 28, and the second set, on March 3, both took place in Belarus. 

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will meet Thursday in Antalya, Turkey, according to the Russian foreign ministry. This has not yet been confirmed by the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

As Russia’s invasion continues, more companies continue to announce that they’re ceasing to do business with Russia.

On Monday, Italian fashion group Prada and Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan became the latest businesses to pull out.

Prada has suspended operations in Russia, citing Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The Prada group also owns, Miu Miu, Car Shoe, Churches and Marchisi.

Prada’s spokesperson Marta Monaco told CNN, “the Prada Group suspended its retail operations in Russia. Our primary concern is for all colleagues and their families affected by the tragedy in Ukraine, and we will continue to support them.” The statement follows a pledge by Prada and other Italian fashion houses to donate aid to Ukraine. Companies giving support include Armani, Bottega Veneta and Dolce & Gabbana.

Responding to the donation, UNHCR’s representative for Italy, Chiara Cardoletti, said, “We estimate that 12 million people in Ukraine will need help and protection, while more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees could need protection and care in the neighboring countries in the forthcoming months.” Citing the need for immediate assistance, Caedoletti added in her news statement, “Enormous resources are needed and this is why we hope that in the coming hours other companies in the fashion sector, and in other sectors as well, will give their contribution.”

Nissan announced today it is suspended the export of vehicles to Russia. In a news statement released by the company, the Japanese manufacturer added that it “anticipates that production will stop soon at our plant in St. Petersburg.”

The statement stressed Nissan’s commitment and support to assisting with the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine by creating a 2.5 million euros fund (about $2.7 million). “1 million Euros would be donated to the Red Cross and other non-profit organizations to support ongoing emergency activities that provide lifesaving assistance and essential supplies to families and children at this time. Where it can help, the company is also prepared to donate vehicles.”

The company’s CEO, Makoto Uchida, said “We have all been moved by the suffering of so many people and families – including members of our own Nissan family. We have created the Nissan Cares fund to stand by our employees, and to support to the international efforts working around the clock to respond to this immeasurable human tragedy.”

Other car companies that are stopping their business with Russia include: General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

On Sunday, American Express became the latest credit card company to announce it is ending its operations in Russia as its invasion into Ukraine escalates.

The company said in a statement that globally issued American Express cards will no longer work in Russia, and cards issued in Russia won’t work outside the country.

American Express also said it is ending its business operations in Belarus.

“This is in addition to the previous steps we have taken, which include halting our relationships with banks in Russia impacted by the US and international government sanctions,” American Express said in a statement Sunday.

One day earlier, Mastercard said it was suspending its network services in Russia, and Visa also announced it was suspending all operations there.

Social media companies are also restricting access in Russia. In the latest move, TikTok said Sunday it is suspending some features in Russia in light of the country’s new law penalizing misinformation. 

“In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law,” the company tweeted. “Our in-app messaging service will not be affected.”

The company added in a blog post: “We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority.” 

Facebook parent company Meta said that it would block access to Russian news outlets RT and Sputnik across the European Union.

The move comes after receiving “requests from a number of governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state controlled media,” Nick Clegg, the company’s VP of global affairs, wrote in a tweet.

Meta has also said it has applied algorithmic restrictions to Russian state media that should prevent it from surfacing as prominently in users’ feeds.

Twitter has similarly announced plans to “reduce the visibility and amplification” of Russian state media content.

A whole host of more companies are pulling out of Russia. Read more here. 

Russian forces are “100% targeting civilians” along evacuation routes in Ukraine, said Oleksandr Markushyn, the mayor of Irpin, a suburb that lies northwest of Kyiv, which was hit by a Russian military strike on Sunday.

“These are not an army, these are animals,” the mayor told CNN. “They’re killing civilians. They’re shelling out our city, our residential buildings, and ambulances. They’re firing on ambulances. This is just a monstrosity.”

On Sunday, two mortar or artillery shells hit a checkpoint the suburb, killing a family with two children and several other civilians trying to flee the Russian invasion, according to the mayor.

“A group of people were being led to evacuate, and within 50 meters, I saw a mortar ordinance blew up and killed two children, tore them in two in front of my very eyes, plus their parents. They were killed in a matter of seconds,” he said Monday.

The checkpoint has been the site of intense shelling by the Russian military in recent days, Ukrainian authorities have said.

On the first day of the Irpin evacuation effort, Russian forces shelled the train and on the second day they blew up the rail track, injuring three people, Markushyn said, maintaining that Russian forces are “targeting these routes” and “trying to intimidate” the population of Irpin.

Kyiv police said Monday a further 2,000 people have been evacuated from Irpin.

The UK is no longer able to provide in-person consular assistance to British people in Ukraine, according to Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

“The UK Government retains a diplomatic presence in Ukraine, but we can no longer provide consular assistance in person due to the deteriorating security situation,” the FCDO said in updated travel advice published Monday. 

British nationals needing consular assistance have now been instructed to call a 24-hour helpline or avail full consular services in countries neighboring Ukraine.

British nationals have also been advised to “remain vigilant” if they decide to remain in Ukraine throughout potential combat operations and to keep their departure plans under constant review.  

United States’ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley went last week to an undisclosed airfield near the Ukrainian border that has become a hub for shipping weapons, a senior Defense Department official said, seeing firsthand the multinational effort to get weapons into Ukraine amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

While at the airfield, Milley met with troops and personnel and examined the shipment activity, the official said Friday. The site has become a beehive of activity in recent days, going from a handful of flights each day to as many as 17 — the field’s maximum capacity.

The airport’s location remains a secret to protect the shipments of weapons, including anti-armor missiles, into Ukraine. The Russian military has not targeted these shipments once they enter Ukraine, the official said, but there is some concern Russia could begin targeting the deliveries as its assault advances.

The US and other NATO members have so far sent Ukraine 17,000 anti-tank missiles and 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles, a senior US official told CNN.

Since even before Russia’s invasion began late last month, the skies above Europe have been filled with military cargo aircraft of the US and others, particularly C-17s, the backbone of the US airlift fleet. The flights have been repositioning troops along NATO’s eastern flank, but also moving weapons to the transfer points where they can be delivered to Ukraine. The pace of the flights has only increased.

Since Russia’s invasion began, 14 countries have sent security assistance to Ukraine, the official said, some of whom had rarely sent such substantial equipment before.

The “vast majority” of a $350 million US security assistance package has already been delivered to Ukraine, according to the official, only one week after it was officially approved by the White House.

Once in possession of the weapons, the Ukrainians have used them to slow and stall Russian assaults in different parts of Ukraine.

Read the full report here.

The human toll of the invasion of Ukraine continues to mount as Russian forces upped their bombardment of civilian areas and infrastructure over the weekend.

As conditions worsened in a number of key Ukrainian cities, the United Nations said more than 1.5 million people have fled the country so far.

Here’s the latest:

Ukraine’s request for European Union membership will be discussed in the “coming days,” European Council President Charles Michel said in a tweet Monday.

“The EU stands firmly by Ukraine’s side in efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering inflicted by Russia’s aggression and ensure nuclear safety,” Michel added. “The EU’s solidarity, friendship and unprecedented assistance for Ukraine are unwavering.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also tweeted about his call with Michel.

“Discussed the threat to nuclear facilities, shelling of civilian and critical infrastructure. We have to stop this. Raised the issue of Ukraine’s membership in the EU. The people of Ukraine deserve this. Stop Russia.”

Officials from the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) held a meeting in Moscow with representatives from the United Nations to discuss the situation in Ukraine Monday. 

“The formula of interaction for solving humanitarian problems on the territory of Ukraine, in the DPR and in the LPR was discussed,” a statement from the Russian MOD said without providing further details.

It comes after Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a phone call, the MOD said.

Guterres tweeted Sunday, “It is absolutely essential to establish a pause in the fighting in Ukraine to allow for the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy, as well as all other places caught in conflict, and to ensure life-saving humanitarian supplies can move in for those who remain.”

The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine will meet in Turkey on Thursday, according to the Turkish foreign minister.

In a televised statement, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said he will also be attending the meeting in Antalya between Sergei Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba.

“Upon President Erdogan’s initiatives and our intensive diplomatic efforts, Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine have decided to meet with my participation on the margins of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum,” Çavuşoğlu tweeted.

CNN has contacted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry for confirmation. Çavuşoğlu said both Lavrov and Kuleba confirmed their participation.

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum is an annual event, and before Russia invaded Ukraine, the list of attendees included NATO chief Jans Stoltenberg and the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

The Ukrainian government has slammed Russia’s unilateral announcement of evacuation routes for civilians trying to escape the conflict.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk described the Russian proposal as unacceptable, particularly as all but one of the corridors leads to Russia or close ally Belarus.

Meanwhile, an official with one humanitarian organization described the announcement as “cynical as well as impractical, without any preparation.” 

The Russian proposal on Monday appears not to have been worked out in consultation with any international organization, such as the United Nations or International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Russian state news agency TASS did say that these organizations had been notified – but the routes announced are unlikely to be seen as practical by many. 

All but one of the corridors leaves civilians in an uncertain future in Russia or Belarus, while several of the routes would pass through areas of active conflict. TASS said that once in Russia, civilians would be moved by “air, rail and road transport to selected destinations or temporary accommodation points.”

The announcement also seems to have been framed as an ultimatum to the Ukrainian authorities, just as another round of talks is due to get underway.

“We demand from the Ukrainian side to strictly fulfill all the conditions for the creation of humanitarian corridors in the listed directions and to ensure an organized withdrawal of civilians and foreign citizens,” the announcement said, according to TASS.

Monday’s announcement followed two failed attempts over the weekend to open a corridor from the besieged port of Mariupol, which the ICRC tried to facilitate.

Skepticism towards the routes has grown after evacuations of civilians were paused within hours on both Saturday and Sunday, with Russian forces accused of violating an agreed ceasefire.

Speaking with BBC Radio 4’s Today, Dominik Stillhart, director of operations for the ICRC, said problems remained in confirming the details of any ceasefire agreement.

Stillhart said the challenge was to get the two parties to an agreement that is “concrete, actionable and precise.”

He added that so far there had only been agreements “in principle”, which had immediately broken down because they lacked precision, regarding routes and who can use them.

Illustrating his point, he said some ICRC staff had tried to get out of Mariupol along an agreed route on Sunday, but soon realized “the road indicated to them was actually mined.”

Read the full report here.

The European Union is preparing further sanctions on Russia due to “the Kremlin’s recklessness towards citizens (including) women, children (and) men,” the European Commission President said Monday.

Speaking in Brussels ahead of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Ursula von der Leyen said: “We are going to discuss, of course, the situation in Ukraine, the atrocious war led by Putin.” The two leaders will also discuss the a “new enforcement package,” she added.

“We had three packages of hard-hitting sanctions already, but now we have to make sure that there are no loopholes and that the effect of the sanctions is maximized,” von der Leyen said.

She added: “The sanctions in place are really biting. We see the downward turbulences in the Russian economy.”

Von der Leyen, also said the EU has to “get rid of the dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal,” and will present proposals tomorrow on ways the bloc can diversify its energy supply away from Russia.

Zelensky demands more sanctions: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a new video statement Monday demanding a tougher package of international sanctions on Russia.

“If the invasion is continuing and Russia didn’t abandon its plans against Ukraine, it means a new sanctions package is needed. New sanctions, new sanctions steps against war and for peace.”

“In particular, the rejection of oil and petroleum products from Russia. This can be called an embargo. Or just morality – when you refuse to give money to a terrorist,” he said.

Russia is mounting resources to “encircle” the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said in a Facebook post Sunday.

“The Russian occupation forces command is shifting its focus to the South, trying to deprive Ukraine of access to the Black and Azov Seas, which, in their opinion, will create conditions for economic suppression of the Ukrainian Resistance,” the post from Danilov read.

“The enemy does not give up hopes to seize Kyiv and mounts resources to encircle Dnipro,” it continued, adding that Russia’s plan was to “encircle the major cities, exsanguinate the Ukrainian Armed Forces and create a situation of humanitarian catastrophe for civilians.”

The European Union “needs to prepare for five million” refugees from Ukraine, the EU’s high representative Josep Borrell told journalists on Monday ahead of a meeting of European foreign ministers in Montpellier, France.

“We need to be prepared to receive five million people. We know that with the Syrian crisis in the 2015-16 years, which was the migrant crisis in Europe, we were talking about 1.5 million people; now it’s going to be much more,” said Borrell.

Borrell said the EU must mobilize not just humanitarian aid, but also the bloc’s resources to support the EU countries bordering Ukraine set to receive refugees.

Some background: On Sunday, the UN refugee agency commissioner Filippo Grandi said more than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine had crossed into neighboring countries in 10 days, describing the situation as “the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.”

Video geolocated by CNN on Monday shows Russian tanks taking up positions in a densely-populated area just west of Kyiv.

The 17-second clip was apparently filmed by a resident in an apartment block in the district of Irpin, a site where Russian forces fired towards the capital on Sunday and Monday, killing several civilians.

The video shows at least five Russian tanks and their crews within a few yards of tall apartment blocks.

In the besieged city of Mariupol, living conditions have badly deteriorated and civilians are unable to leave safely.

On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said thousands of civilians remain trapped in the southeastern city and accused Russian forces of breaching an agreement to pause fire to allow safe passage out.

“The situation in Mariupol is desperate,” Mirella Hodeib, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told CNN.

“People are now in their 10th day without water, without electricity, living in shelters, shelters are packed. The essentials are missing, a lot of healthcare needs as well.

“People need to have a safe passage to leave Mariupol and any other location where hostilities are active.”

According to Hodeib, the ICRC is “willing to facilitate” such a passage and is speaking to both Ukraine and Russia in a bid to safely evacuate civilians.  

“Safe passage is mandatory under international humanitarian law and both parties would need to agree on providing safe passage to civilians leaving those areas,” she said.

The third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia is scheduled to get underway Monday at 4 p.m. Ukraine time (9 a.m. ET), Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.

Russian state news agency TASS reported Sunday that Russian negotiator Leonid Slutsky had also confirmed that the talks would take place on March 7. 

The location for this event has not been disclosed. The first round of talks, on February 28, and the second set, on March 3, both took place in Belarus. 

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will meet Thursday in Antalya, Turkey, according to the Russian foreign ministry. This has not yet been confirmed by the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

NATO is looking at further expanding its presence in Eastern Europe with more permanent positions being considered in the Baltic countries, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Monday.

“We’re continuing to do that now including with the deployment of additional forces, including American forces here to Lithuania, F-35 fighters, various pieces of important equipment, all of which is being deployed here (and) deployed to the other states in the Baltics,” Blinken said at a news conference in the Lithuanian capital city Vilnius.

Speaking alongside Lithuanian Foreign Minister Garbrielius Landsbergis, Blinken continued: “At the same time, we’re continuously reviewing within NATO our defense posture, including looking at questions of extending the deployment of forces, looking at questions of more permanent deployments.

“All of that is under regular review and we’re engaged with NATO allies in doing just that.”

He reiterated the US and allies’ commitment to NATO’s Article 5, which deems an attack on one country is an attack on all.

“If there is any aggression anywhere, on NATO territory on NATO countries, we the United States, all of our allies and partners will take action to defend every inch of NATO territory. It’s as clear and direct as that,” he said.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Beijing is closely watching the events in Ukraine to evaluate its strategy towards Taiwan.

“When we watch the events in Ukraine evolving … we are also watching very carefully what China may do to Taiwan,” Wu said during a news conference on Monday.

“I’m sure the Chinese leaders [are] also watching and try[ing] to come up with their own conclusions.”

Some background: Some analysts have pointed to parallels between Russia’s designs on Ukraine and fears over the future of Taiwan – a self-governing island democracy that China’s Communist Party claims as its own and has not ruled out taking by force.

Wu was speaking at a press conference about additional steps that Taiwan is taking to help Ukraine, when CNN’s Will Ripley asked if he is concerned the crisis in Ukraine makes it more or less likely for China to make a similar move.

In his response, Wu said the world has seen an “expansion of authoritarianism,” pointing to the joint declaration issued by China and Russia last month.

“President Xi Jinping has also spoken about the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, including building up militarily around China,” Wu said.

He refrained from making any predictions while Russia’s invasion is still “unfolding” but noted that democracies around the world have come together to support both Ukraine and Taiwan. “I’m sure that will be a factor for the Chinese to take into their calculus,” he added.

Read more:

Related article Analysis: Russia's attack on Ukraine reveals fault lines in Asia

Fears are mounting for civilians trapped in the besieged southern Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, as the onslaught from Russian forces continues.

One man, who escaped from Volnovakha two days ago, told CNN about the conditions in parts of the city, where he spent days hiding in a basement.

“People are there for 11 days now. Some got out, but around 450 are still there,” he told CNN, adding that he has had no communication with the people since he left, and they are still there as far as he knows.

Food and water are very limited, he warned, and the basement only gets fresh air when there is no shelling – which is rare.

“It stinks a lot all the time. Children are vomiting. There is no place to lie down so people sleep sitting,” he told CNN.

The United States and other NATO members have so far sent Ukraine 17,000 antitank missiles and 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles, a senior US official told CNN.

Even before Russia’s invasion began February 24, the skies above Europe have been filled with military cargo aircraft of the US and others, particularly C-17s, the backbone of the US airlift fleet. The flights have been repositioning troops along NATO’s eastern flank, but also moving weapons to the transfer points where they can be delivered to Ukraine. And the pace of the flights has only increased.

Once Russia’s invasion began, 14 countries have sent security assistance to Ukraine, some of whom had rarely sent such substantial equipment before, a senior Defense Department official previously told CNN

The “vast majority” of a $350 million US security assistance package has already been delivered to Ukraine, according to the official, only one week after it was officially approved by the White House.

Read more:

Related article At a secret airfield in Eastern Europe, a multinational effort to send weapons to Ukraine proceeds at high speed | CNN Politics

There has been heavy fighting early on Monday in a broad area from the north to the west of Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials and social media content.

Russian forces appear to have gone on the offensive in several areas to push towards the Ukrainian capital.

Multiple reports speak of heavy fire in all four districts on Monday as civilians continue to flee the fighting.

“We are doing everything in the capital to support the city, to create a reserve of food, medicines, essential goods. We distribute and provide aid to those who need it the most today. Humanitarian aid was also sent to Chernihiv [a city north of Kyiv],” Klitschko added.

“We are trying to deliver it to Bucha and Hostomel. We are forming humanitarian cargoes for some other cities. The capital is preparing for defense. I ask all Kyiv residents to keep calm, to stay at home, or – in case of alarm – in shelters.”

The mayor of Hostomel, Yuriy Prylypko, was killed while “handing out bread to the hungry and medicine to the sick, comforting the desperate,” according to the town’s Facebook page. Two others with him were also killed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and oligarch Arkady Rotenberg have been removed from all their positions at the International Judo Federation (IJF), the sport’s governing body said in a statement on Sunday.

The decision comes after the IJF announced it had suspended Putin’s role of honorary president last month due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The IJF is one of a number of governing bodies to strip Putin of honorary sporting titles since the outbreak of the war.

World Taekwondo stripped Putin of his honorary black belt conferred in November 2013, while the International Swimming Federation (FINA) withdrew the FINA Order previously awarded to the Russian president in October 2014.

Rotenberg, meanwhile, had been a member of the IJF’s executive committee as development manager since 2013.

Russian troops continued an assault towards the strategic port city of Mykolaiv Monday morning, with officials warning residents to stay in their shelters.

Regional governor Vitali Kim, said in a Telegram message: “We are going on the offensive. The enemy entered our airport.”

The warning of an assault came hours after Mykolaiv Mayor Oleg Senkevich said the city had been hit by Russian missiles at dawn.

The mayor warned civilians not to touch unexploded ordnance. CNN saw Sunday evidence that cluster munitions had landed near civilian areas.

One person had been killed and three injured in the shelling, an official at one Mykolaiv hospital told CNN.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone on Monday to discuss the need to evacuate Indian students from Ukraine.

“The Prime Minister thanked Ukrainian authorities for their facilitation in evacuating more than 20,000 Indian citizens from Ukraine. He expressed deep concern for the safety and security of Indian students remaining in Ukraine and emphasized the need for their quick and safe evacuation,” a press release issued by Modi’s office read.

The call, which was the second phone call between the two leaders since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, comes amid the Indian government’s efforts to evacuate at least 700 students who are stranded in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, which is close to the border with Russia.

During the call, Modi called for an “immediate cessation of violence” and noted that “India has always stood for a peaceful resolution of issues and direct dialogue between the two parties,” according to the release.

In a tweet on Monday, Zelensky said that India was committed to “direct peaceful dialogue at the highest level.”

China’s top diplomat has indicated that Beijing is willing to “mediate” between Russia and Ukraine for the first time since Moscow launched an invasion against its neighbor.

“China is ready to continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace talks and work with the international community to conduct necessary mediation, when necessary,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at his annual press conference on the sidelines of the country’s legislative session.

Wang offered no further details on what such a role might entail, or the level of China’s potential involvement. Wang has previously said China supports all constructive international efforts aimed at a political settlement in Ukraine.

In a separate exchange, Wang reiterated that the friendship between Russia and China is “as firm as a rock” and represents “one of the most crucial bilateral relations in the world.”

“The development of China-Russia relations has a clear historical logic and strong internal driving force. The friendship between the two peoples is as firm as a rock and the prospects for bilateral cooperation are bright,” Wang said when asked by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti if the pressure from international sanctions being imposed on Moscow would impact Russia-China relations. 

“No matter how dangerous the international situation may be, China and Russia will maintain strategic focus and promote comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era,”  Wang continued in response to the question, adding that both nations “oppose a return to the Cold War mentality.” 

In a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, Wang urged the United States, NATO, and Europe to engage in “equal dialogue” with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine.

Some background: China has so far avoided calling Russia’s military activity in Ukraine an “invasion,” instead reiterating that the conflict stems from a “complicated history and reality” and pointing to NATO’s eastward expansion as the root cause for Moscow’s invasion – a key Russian talking point – according to statements and remarks from Chinese officials.

Read more:

Related article Analysis: Russia's attack on Ukraine reveals fault lines in Asia

European markets have opened sharply lower after oil prices surged to the highest level in 13 years. In the opening minutes of trade the German Dax fell more than 3% and the French CAC 40 is down nearly 3%. The UK FTSE 100 was around 0.5% lower. 

The sell-off follows big losses in Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index sank as much as 5% in morning trading. It was last down 3.4%, on track to log its worst daily drop in seven months. Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 3.6%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.5%. China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1%.

On the US market, Dow futures fell 450 points, or 1.3%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were down 1.6% and 2% respectively.

The latest turmoil came as US crude futures surged more than 7% to trade at $124.17 a barrel, the highest level since August 2008. Brent crude also rose to the highest level since 2008, up 8% to $127.66 a barrel.

Oil prices soared further after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday in an interview with CNN that the United States is working with its allies in Europe to look into the possibility of banning Russian oil imports in an effort to further punish the country.

At least eight people have died as a result of Russian bombardments of residential areas in the northeastern city of Kharkiv over the last 24 hours, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said in a statement Monday. 

The Emergency Service said a bombing that took place around 7:15 p.m. local time Sunday (12:15 p.m. ET) “completely or partially demolished” multi-story residential buildings, administrative buildings, medical institutions, educational institutions and dorms.

There were also large-scale fires in 21 buildings in the central part of the city, the Emergency Service said. 

About 200 people were rescued and evacuated by rescuers during the fires. Authorities are still gathering information about additional possible victims. 

New images released by Ukrainian authorities show the extent of damage in key cities, as Russia steps up its unprovoked assault with standoffs continuing in several locations.

The southern city of Mykolaiv was hit by multiple rockets on Monday morning, said the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Facebook. It posted images along with its statement, with one showing emergency workers and a firetruck outside still-smoking buildings.

Another image showed the inside of the ruined apartment; much of the home had been reduced to rubble, with the outer wall torn open, dust and slabs of broken concrete covering the floor.

The northeast city of Kharkiv also endured shelling and bombing on both Saturday and Sunday night, said the National Police of Ukraine in a Facebook statement. Images show the aftermath, the glow of fires lighting up the darkness at night and similar homes torn apart.

In an exclusive interview with CNN on Sunday, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita urged the international community to step in as Ukrainian refugees leave the country by the thousands.

“We are seeing an extraordinary humanitarian crisis,” said Gavrilita. “Already 230,000 people have crossed the Moldovan border from Ukraine, and about 120,000 have chosen to stay. 96,000 are Ukrainian citizens.”

That figure makes up 4% of Moldova’s entire population of 2.6 million, she added. “Every eighth child in Moldova is now a refugee.”

She “strongly condemned” Russia’ invasion into Ukraine, adding that the Moldovan government was doing its best to support refugees – but their capacity was limited.

“We wouldn’t have been able to deal with this massive inflow if it wasn’t for the extraordinary solidarity of people,” she added. “At least three fourths of the refugees are staying with families. A lot of Ukrainians have friends or relatives in Moldova – but also regular people have just taken in Ukrainian families, and invited them into their homes.”

She urged the European Union to set up corridors to help refugees move toward other countries, warning, “after just 10 days of war, we are at capacity. I think the flow of refugees is higher and faster than even predictions indicated.”

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Monday that intelligence suggests that Russia is seeking to limit Ukraine’s access to independent news. 

“Russia is probably targeting Ukraine’s communications infrastructure in order to reduce Ukrainian citizens’ access to reliable news and information,” the ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“Russia reportedly struck a TV tower in Kharkiv yesterday, suspending broadcasting output. This follows a similar strike on a TV tower in Kyiv on 01 March 2022,” the ministry said. 

“Ukrainian internet access is also highly likely being disrupted as a result of collateral damage from Russian strikes on infrastructure. Over the past week, internet outages have been reported in Mariupol, Sumy, Kyiv and Kharkiv.”

Last week, Russia passed a law criminalizing the publication of news considered false by authorities – further censoring Russian press and limiting dissenting voices.

The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned Russia’s crackdown on media following the invasion of Ukraine, saying the violation of freedom of expression and access of information “cannot be justified under international law even in times of war.”

“These new laws are part of Russia’s ruthless effort to suppress all dissent and make sure the population does not have access to any information that contradicts the Kremlin’s narrative about the invasion of Ukraine,” said Hugh Williamson, HRW’s Europe and Central Asia director, in the statement.

“The Kremlin is wiping out all options for dissent to ensure that brave anti-war protesters do not return to the streets,” he added. “When President Putin goes after such a fundamental right – the cornerstone of democracy – with such totalitarian tactics, he is dispensing with any pretense that his government has any respect for rule of law, human rights, or democracy.”

Censoring the media: Russian authorities have restricted access to news publications including BBC Russia, Radio Liberty and Latvia-based Meduza, state-run RIA Novosti reported on Friday. The media outlets have been added to a list of publications “containing appeals for mass riots, extremism, and participation in illegal mass rallies,” it said.

On Friday, lawmakers approved a law criminalizing the spread of “fake” information that discredits the Russian armed forces or calls for sanctions against the country, state media agencies reported. Lawbreakers face fines of up to 1.5 million rubles ($13,877).

The crackdown has forced some outlets to shut up shop and their journalists to leave the country.

Anti-war protests: At least 4,640 people were detained in Russia on Sunday for participating in anti-war rallies across the country, according to an independent human rights monitoring group tracking detentions. 

Stocks are tumbling Monday as oil prices are soaring to the highest level in 13 years, raising fears about a further spike in inflation that could damage the global economy.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index sank as much as 5% in morning trading. It was last down 3.4%, on track to log its worst daily drop in seven months. Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 3.6%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.5%. China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1%.

On the US market, Dow futures fell 450 points, or 1.3%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were down 1.6% and 2% respectively.

Oil prices surge: The latest turmoil came as US crude futures surged more than 7% to trade at $124.17 a barrel, the highest level since August 2008. Brent crude also rose to the highest level since 2008, up 8% to $127.66 a barrel.

Oil prices soared further after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday in an interview with CNN that the United States is working with its allies in Europe to look into the possibility of banning Russian oil imports in an effort to further punish the country.

“In the event of any implementation [of the ban], the move will further exacerbate the supply-demand imbalance in an already tight oil market,” wrote Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist for IG Group.

“Elevated oil prices may pose a threat to firms’ margins and consumer spending outlook, at a time where the Fed will face greater pressure of having to overcorrect with quicker and larger rate hikes in light of inflationary pressures,” he added.

The Russian Defense Ministry claims it will stop firing at 10 a.m. local time Monday (2 a.m ET) to allow civilians to flee their homes in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol, despite repeatedly breaching previous agreements.

In a statement Monday, the ministry said the decision comes “at the personal request” of French President Emmanuel Macron, and that the relevant details had been communicated to international bodies including the United Nations.

Civilians killed during evacuation: On Sunday, a Russian military strike hit an evacuation crossing point in a Kyiv suburb, killing a family with two children and several other civilians fleeing their homes, according to the city’s mayor.

Two mortar or artillery shells hit the checkpoint in the suburb of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said. International media filming at the checkpoint reported that a shell landed as a stream of civilians was coming through.

Another attempt at ceasefire: A first effort of ceasing fire and opening evacuation routes in Mariupol and Volnovakha failed on Saturday, with Ukrainian authorities putting evacuations on hold citing repeated Russian violations of the ceasefire.

Russia claimed its forces had resumed their offensive in Mariupol and Volnovakha due to “unwillingness of the Ukrainian side.”

A second attempt was dashed within hours Sunday, with Ukrainian authorities saying Russian forces were regrouping their forces and resuming heavy shelling of Mariupol.

Monday marks the third attempt.

Young children are among the 1.5 million people who have fled Ukraine since the war began – and some are forced to make the journey alone.

One video shows a young boy past the border in Poland, walking ahead of a group of adults. Apparently alone, he sobs as he walks, wrapped in a coat and carrying only a plastic bag of belongings. He looks impossibly small on the sidewalk, standing separate from other evacuating families.

The majority of refugees have fled into Poland, with others crossing into Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania.

Watch the moment:

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01:01 - Source: cnn

Millions of lives could be destroyed to slake Vladimir Putin’s Cold War obsession.

Less than three weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world is looking on in horror at the human tragedy, appalling destruction and worldwide reverberations sparked by one man’s orders.

Ukraine’s fate starkly underlines that even 20 years into the 21st century, and despite the world’s vows to learn from history, a lone autocrat who has ruthlessly fashioned a political system to eliminate dissent and reality itself has the power to cause unfathomable human loss and misery.

Putin’s apparent willingness to bombard Ukraine into submission and clearly gratuitous targeting of the innocent civilians he insisted are Russian kin mean the humanitarian disaster is likely only just beginning.

More than 1.5 million refugees have already fled the country, according to the United Nations. Millions more will likely follow – as family lives, jobs and communities are shattered. That’s without the thousands of civilians sure to die in a prolonged Russian blitzkrieg.

If harrowing video of Ukraine was in black and white, it would be easy to mistake it for historic newsreel of World War II, the last time such scenes of devastation and cruelty were inflicted by one sovereign nation on another in Europe.

And it all flows from the mind of a Russian President apparently motivated by his own historic scars as a KGB officer in East Germany when the Berlin Wall fell. Putin, seeking to redraw the post-Cold War map of Europe, has now engineered the counterpoint to those joyous scenes three decades later in his relentless bombardments designed to revive Russia as a super power.

Read the full analysis:

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the head of Russia's Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, a big business lobby group, at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 2, 2022. (Photo by Mikhail Klimentyev / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Analysis: Putin is wreaking carnage in Ukraine and no one can stop him

New Zealand’s government is working to pass a bill that will allow the country to further sanction Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in a news conference Monday.

What’s in the bill: The bill will allow the government to target individuals, companies, services, and assets of those associated with the invasion, including those of oligarchs, Ardern said.

It will also prevent those who are sanctioned from moving assets into New Zealand, including superyachts, ships and aircrafts, and will prevent them from entering New Zealand waters or airspace, Ardern said.

She added that these measures may be extended to other states “complicit with Russia’s illegal actions,” such as Belarus.

Ardern said the bill will be introduced into Parliament on Wednesday, with hopes of it passing by the end of the day. 

“A Bill of this nature has never been brought before our Parliament, but with Russia vetoing UN sanctions we must act ourselves to support Ukraine and our partners in opposition to this invasion,” Ardern said, according to a government statement. 

The bill only applies to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and will allow new sanctions to be applied as approved by the Foreign Minister, it added. 

Travel ban: On Monday, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade also published a travel ban list of over 100 individuals associated with Russia’s invasion, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The measure was previously announced on February 24, and is expected to further expand in coming weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “believes he is like the czars,” the imperial dynasty that ruled Russia for centuries, said a US expert who worked in the former Obama administration.

“Putin has certainly used the Russian Orthodox Church in order to serve his goals,” said Anna Makanju, former director for Russia at the US National Security Council, on Sunday.

Some history: The Russian Orthodox Church had historically served as a pillar of legitimacy and support for the Romanov czars. When communist radicals swept to power during the Bolshevik revolution, they targeted the Russian Orthodox Church and tore down churches that had been place of worship for the czars.

But in the nearly 26 years since the Soviet Union’s collapse, the role of the Church has transformed, and is now actively promoted by the Kremlin as a defining characteristic of Russian identity.

President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent of the atheist Soviet Union, now embraces his Orthodox Christianity. The Russian leader is often shown on national television broadcasts attending church services and paying respect to the church leadership.

Putin’s push: As Putin steps up his assault on Ukraine, some international observers have commented that he may “trying to rebuild the USSR,” said Makanju, referring to the Soviet Union which lasted from 1922 to 1991.

“I think that’s not quite right – he’s trying to take it back to 1889,” she said.

Back then, “czars thought they were essentially ordained by God to rule Russia,” she added. “I actually believe Putin believes he is like the czars, potentially called by God in order to control and restore the glory of the Russian empire.”

As the war drags into its third week, the destruction and death toll is mounting. If you’re just reading in now, here are the latest Russia-Ukraine developments:

Evacuating residents killed: A Russian military strike hit an evacuation crossing point in a Kyiv suburb Sunday, killing a family with two children and several other civilians trying to flee the Russian invasion, according to the city’s mayor.

Two mortar or artillery shells hit the checkpoint in the suburb of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said, which has been the site of intense shelling by the Russian military in recent days.

Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said eight civilians have been killed across the district, and international media filming at the checkpoint reported that a shell landed as a stream of civilians was coming through.

A fiery Zelensky: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of planning “deliberate murder” in the shelling of Ukrainian territory. Speaking in a Facebook video on Sunday, Zelensky added that “God will not forgive” on “Forgiveness Sunday.” 

Zelensky said he has not heard from any allies on Sunday.

“And I have not heard a reaction from any world leader today,” he said. “From no Western politician. There are no reactions to this announcement. Think about the sense of impunity of the occupiers: they announce the atrocities that are planned. Why?”

Nuclear fears: French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine, according to a Kremlin readout of the call.

Macron also spoke with Zelensky afterward, reiterating “the absolute necessity to avoid any attack on the integrity of Ukrainian civil nuclear facilities.”  

Russia steps up its assault: Russia has fired a total of 600 missiles since the invasion of Ukraine began, a senior US defense official said, and Russia has committed approximately 95% of its amassed combat power inside Ukraine. 

The US has observed ongoing fighting in Kherson and Mykolaiv on Monday, the official said, and Russian forces are still trying to encircle Kyiv, Khakhiv and Chernihiv, as well as Mariupol.  

Anti-war protests: At least 4,640 people were detained in Russia on Sunday for participating in anti-war rallies across the country, according to an independent human rights monitoring group tracking detentions. 

Protesters in St. Petersburg, Russia were violently beaten by police, videos posted to social media show. CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos, which were taken on Sunday evening.

Businesses withdraw: Netflix said Sunday that it will stop selling and providing its streaming video service in Russia for the time being. Major Hollywood studios have also postponed new movie releases in the country. Earlier Sunday, TikTok and American Express also suspended service inside Russia.  

Russia has fired a total of 600 missiles since its invasion of Ukraine began, a senior US defense official said Sunday, and it has committed approximately 95% of its amassed combat power inside Ukraine.

The US observed ongoing fighting in Kherson and Mykolaiv on Sunday and Russian forces are still trying to encircle Kyiv, Khakhiv, Chernihiv, and Mariupol, according to the official.

But the advances have been met with strong Ukrainian resistance, slowing the Russian assault. 

Meanwhile, the massive Russian convoy north of Kyiv that spans some 40 miles of road remains stalled, but there is no update on how far it is from Kyiv. Late last week, it was approximately 16 miles (25 kilometers) from Kyiv’s city center.

The skies above Kyiv remain contested, and both Ukrainians and Russians retain a significant majority of their air combat power.

“We believe the Ukrainian people in most parts of the country still have means of communication, access to internet and the media,” the official added. 

The official also said the US has not observed an amphibious assault near Odessa and they do not assess one is imminent.

The official could not confirm reports of Russians firing on protestors in Kyiv or violations of the ceasefire agreement to allow for humanitarian corridors. The official also could not corroborate reports the Russians are calling up reserves.

Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Sunday called for the transfer of fighter jets to Poland after a plea from Ukrainian President Zelensky for Western countries to send fighter aircraft into his country.

“I strongly urged the Secretary of State yesterday to complete this transaction. You know, the Ukrainians can fly Russian MiGs. But then Poland wants a back order, and that may be possibly F-16s,” McCaul, who is in Poland, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

“We’re not going to put our troops in there, but you know what we can help the Ukrainian people win this war … I think the will of the Ukrainian people will basically beat the will of the Russian troops. The Russian troops are not into this. But the Ukrainians are. And if we can arm them to defend themselves, that’s how we beat the Russians.”

A White House spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Saturday that the US is working with Poland on the possibility of Poland providing fighter jets to Ukraine along with consulting with other allies.

More on this: Following a Zoom call with Ukrainian leader President Volodymyr Zelensky, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer called on the Biden administration to facilitate the transfer of “desperately-needed” aircraft to Ukraine. 

At a Sunday press briefing, Schumer stressed that Zelensky is in short supply of aircraft and that several Eastern European countries have Soviet-made jets which the Ukrainian Air Force pilots know how to operate. 

“Today I’m announcing the push for the U.S. administration to explore all feasible options to transfer these desperately needed aircraft to Ukraine,” Schumer said. “We are asking our administration to do everything they can to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern Europe to Ukraine.” 

American Express is the latest credit card company to announce it is ending its operations in Russia as its invasion into Ukraine escalates.

On Sunday, the company said in a statement that globally issued American Express cards will no longer work in Russia, and cards issued in Russia won’t work outside the country.

American Express also said it is ending its business operations in Belarus.

“This is in addition to the previous steps we have taken, which include halting our relationships with banks in Russia impacted by the US and international government sanctions,” American Express said in a statement Sunday.

Mastercard said Saturday it was suspending its network services in Russia, and Visa also announced Saturday it was suspending all operations there.

TikTok said Sunday it is suspending some features in Russia in light of the country’s new law penalizing misinformation. 

“In light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law,” the company tweeted. “Our in-app messaging service will not be affected.”

The company added in a blog post: “We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority.”

Eight civilians were killed in the midst of an evacuation in Irpin — a district west of Kyiv that saw intense shelling on Sunday — the mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushyn, said in a statement on Telegram Sunday. 

Markushyn said Russians opened fire during an evacuation across a bridge. 

Video from the scene showed civilians moving through the checkpoint before an explosion occurred at a crossroads that appeared to be caused by a shell or mortar. 

“Irpin is at war, Irpin has not surrendered,” Markushyn said. “Part of Irpin was indeed captured by Russian invaders, but part of Irpin is fighting and not surrendering.” 

Markushyn said another evacuation would begin tomorrow morning. 

Anti-war protesters in St. Petersburg, Russia were violently beaten by police Sunday, videos posted to social media show. 

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos, which were taken on Sunday evening.

In the clips, protesters are seen walking along Nevsky Avenue in central St. Petersburg. Outside of the Kazan Cathedral, a violent interaction between protesters and police was captured on two of the videos. 

One of the videos posted to social media shows a police officer attempting to detain an individual in the street. When one protester walks up to try to engage in the situation, another police officer appears and shoves that person on the ground.  

Another video, published by Russian news outlet SOTA Vision, shows police attempting to detain a woman on the ground.

In both videos, more protesters walk up and engage the police. Screaming is heard, and the video published by SOTA Vision shows police punching the man shoved on the ground. 

In the video posted to social media, it later shows police successfully detaining the woman on the ground while also holding back protesters. Then, a police wagon shows up. 

CNN has contacted St. Petersburg police to ask about the nature of the arrest and did not receive an immediate response. 

Thousands detained: On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs told Russian state news outlet TASS that around 1,500 people “took part in an uncoordinated rally” in St. Petersburg Sunday, and around 750 were detained. 

At least 4,640 people were detained in Russia on Sunday in connection with anti-war rallies across the country, according to OVD-Info, an independent human rights monitoring group tracking detentions. More than 13,000 people have been arrested in Russia over anti-war demonstrations since the invasion, the group calculated.

At least 4,640 people were detained during protests in Russia on Sunday, OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group that tracks detentions in Russia, reports.

People have been detained in 147 cities, according to OVD-Info. Since the invasion, more than 13,000 people have been arrested in Russia in anti-war demonstrations, OVD-Info calculates.

CNN cannot independently verify these numbers.

Russian state news agency TASS cited the Russian Interior Ministry, which said it arrested 3,500 people “who took part in unauthorized public events” on Sunday. 

“The units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, ensured law and order in places where unauthorized public events were held in a number of constituent entities of the Russian Federation,” Irina Volk, the official representative of the Russian Interior Ministry said, TASS reported.

Some of the cities where arrests were made included Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The detainees were “taken to the territorial police departments for investigation,” Volk said, adding “the issue of bringing them to justice is being decided.”