Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– ‘Powerful bombs’ rock Mariupol –
Two “super powerful bombs” rock Mariupol as Ukrainian authorities make a fresh attempt at rescuing civilians from the besieged southern port city.
More than 200,000 people are trapped in the city described by those who managed to escape as a “freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings”, Human Rights Watch says.
– ‘We will never surrender’ –
The mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko says that if the worst comes to the worst, “we will die, but we will never surrender,” addressing the Council of Europe as Russian troops seek to surround the capital.
Earlier a Ukrainian serviceman was killed in drone strikes on a scientific institute in northwest Kyiv, AFP journalists at the scene say.
Kyiv is under curfew until Wednesday morning.
– Nuclear option –
Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an “existential threat,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says.
Peskov’s comment came as CNN interviewer Christiane Amanpour pushed him on whether he was “convinced or confident” that President Vladimir Putin would not use the nuclear option in the Ukrainian context.
– Russia seeks ‘substantial’ talks –
Russia says it would like its peace talks with Ukraine to be “more substantial” after several rounds of inconclusive negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renews his offer of direct talks with his Russian counterpart Putin.
Zelensky says he is prepared to put the status of Russian-occupied Crimea and two breakaway Moscow-backed regions in eastern Ukraine on the table.
– 12 killed in east Ukraine –
At least 12 people have been killed in strikes across eastern Ukraine, including five at Avdiivka in the Donetsk region on Monday, Ukraine’s ombudswoman, Lyudmyla Denisova says.
– New Western sanctions –
More sanctions against Russia and the tightening of existing measures will be announced Thursday when President Joe Biden meets European allies in Brussels, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says.
Sullivan also says Washington has not seen evidence of any Chinese weapons shipments in recent days to its ally Russia.
– Ukrainian forces on ‘offensive’ –
Ukraine forces have reversed the battlefield momentum against invading Russians in some areas to reclaim ground in recent days, the Pentagon says.
The Ukrainians are “in places and at times going on an offensive,” particularly in the south of the country, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby tells CNN.
– ‘False news’ law –
Alexander Nevzorov becomes the first prominent political reporter and commentator to be probed for spreading “false” information about the Russian army under new legislation introduced after the invasion.
– Bioweapons warning –
Biden warns Russia will pay a “severe price” if it uses chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.
He says Moscow’s claim that the US helped Ukraine develop biological weapons is “a clear sign” Putin is himself considering biological or chemical warfare.
– Russian toll –
Kremlin-allied tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that 9,861 Russian troops have been killed and 16,153 injured in the nearly month-old war, 20 times the official tally. The figures are quickly removed from its website.
– Over 3.5 million flee –
Over 3.5 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia’s invasion, the United Nations says. More than 10 million have been displaced from their homes.
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