Russia-Ukraine conflict: Latest developments

An interior view shows a sports centre destroyed by shelling during Ukraine-Russia conflict in Kharkiv, Ukraine March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Oleksandr Lapshyn

An interior view shows a sports centre destroyed by shelling during Ukraine-Russia conflict in Kharkiv, Ukraine March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Oleksandr Lapshyn

Published Mar 6, 2022

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Kyiv - Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:

Fierce battles

Ukraine's military says it is fighting "fierce battles" with Russian forces on the edge of the southern city of Mykolaiv -- which controls the road to the key Black Sea city of Odessa in the west.

Dozens of civilians are being killed in the battle for Chernihiv in the north, with those who remain living in craters or among the ruins, with AFP witnessing scenes of devastation.

Deadly and indiscriminate

The Russian push on Kyiv is also becoming more deadly and indiscriminate despite Moscow's denials that it is targeting civilian areas, with people fleeing the towns of Bucha and Irpin as they are pounded by air strikes.

Zelensky's plea to US

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky phones President Joe Biden after pressing US lawmakers for an embargo on Russian oil imports, with the White House against a ban for fear of driving up prices as Washington promises more financial aid.

Give us fighters

Zelensky pleads with former Warsaw Pact Eastern European countries to give Ukraine Russian-made warplanes that his pilots are trained to fly after some were promised last week.

Siege ceasefire collapses 

Russia resumes its attack on the besieged Black Sea city of Mariupol after a ceasefire to evacuate civilians breaks down.

Officials inside the city -- which has no water or power -- say they had to postpone the operation in the face of Russian shelling, with Moscow saying Ukraine was blocking people leaving. Doctors Without Borders call the situation "catastrophic".

Visa and Mastercard suspensions

Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard join the growing list of brands refusing to do business with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin: Ukraine could cease to exist

Russian President Vladimir Putin warns Ukraine it may cease to exist as a state if leaders "continue to do what they are doing".

He also says countries imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine will be considered combattants, while equating sanctions with a declaration of a war.

Nearly 1.4 million flee

More than 1.37 million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries since Russia invaded last week, the UN says.

Israeli PM visits Putin

In his first face-to-face with a foreign leader since the invasion, Putin holds talks with Israeli Premier Naftali Bennett, who has not condemned the Kremlin.

Media blackout

A host of international broadcasters, including the BBC and CNN say they will stop reporting from Russia over a new law threatening up to 15 years in jail for "fake news" about its invasion.

Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta says it will also have to stop its reporting of the war.

No ticket out

Russia's flagship airline Aeroflot says it is suspending all its international flights except to Belarus.

More talks planned

One of Ukraine's negotiators says a third round of talks with Russia on ending the fighting will take place on Monday.

'Devastating' economic impacts

The already "serious" global economic impacts of the war in Ukraine would be "all the more devastating" should the conflict escalate, the IMF warns.

AFP