Sanctions and "aggressive statements" from NATO member states prompted the escalation, claimed Putin.
ADVERTISEMENT
Russia placed its nuclear arsenal -- but also other heavy weapons, such as Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles -- on "special" alert, the highest form of combat readiness for these units.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the ministry of defence to issue the alert on Sunday, citing sanctions and "aggressive statements" from NATO member states.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will buy and deliver weapons and equipment to Ukraine in what she said was "a watershed moment" on Sunday evening.
More sanctions on top of the ones announced by the bloc on Saturday include "a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft" as well as an EU-wide ban of "the Kremlin's media machine", including RT and Sputnik.
Additional sanctions were doled out against the Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who von der Leyen said was "complicit with the vicious attack".
Meanwhile, the office of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement that he agreed to send in a team of negotiators to meet with their Russian counterparts near the border with Belarus after assurances from Minsk.
More than 200 civilians were reported dead in the war in Ukraine, a defence official said, as heavy fighting was reported in the country's second-largest city Kharkiv.
A regional governor later claimed that the city was back under Ukrainian control.
${title}
Live ended
Key points from the Ukraine war on 27 February
The Kremlin has put its nuclear arsenal on alert, with President Vladimir Putin citing sanctions as the reason behind the decision.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to have a Ukrainian delegation hold talks with their Russian counterparts at the country's Belarus border.
In EU's first, the bloc decided to purchase and deliver weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, while also introducing further sanctions banning the likes of RT and Sputnik in Europe.
A regional official said Ukraine had taken back control of Kharkiv after heavy fighting broke out with Russian troops in Ukraine's second-largest city.
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Thursday hits 368,000, says UNHCR.
Air raid sirens are reported to be heard in Kyiv, but the capital remains under Ukrainian control.
More than 200 civilian deaths were reported by Ukrainian officials.
- EU to close its airspace to Russian aircraft, says Ursula von der Leyen.
Russian banks will be removed from the SWIFT international payments system, says EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Aeroflot suspends all flights to Europe 'until further notice'
Russian airline Aeroflot has announced it will suspend all flights to Europe from Monday after the EU closed its entire airspace to all Russian aircraft.
"Due to the airspace restrictions put in place by the European authorities, Aeroflot is suspending its flights to all European destinations from 28 February 2022 until further notice," the company said in a statement released on Sunday evening.
The European Union announced on Sunday that it would close its airspace to all Russian aircraft in retaliation for Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- a measure also taken by several non-EU countries on the continent and Canada.
With many countries having already closed or announced the closure of their airspace, Russian air traffic is facing a vast no-fly zone, forcing flights to take huge detours.
In retaliation, Russia has begun banning aircraft linked to European countries that have announced these decisions in recent days, such as the UK, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Protests against Russian invasion continue across Europe
Thousands took to the streets of Europe on Sunday in to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The largest protests took place in Berlin, with an estimated crowd of 100,000 people turning up on Sunday to express their opposition to the war and demand an end to the violence.
Protesters lined the streets in the German capital holding up banners and waving Ukrainian flags as they called on Russia to stop its invasion of its neighbour.
In Belarus, the protests came despite the authoritarian Belarusian government having sided with Moscow.
The anti-war rallies spanned at least 12 Belarusian cities, and human rights advocates reported that more than 170 people have been arrested.
In the capital Minsk, demonstrators marched in different parts of the city carrying Ukrainian flags. A large pile of flowers kept growing at the building of Ukraine’s Embassy.
In France, hundreds of people protested in Paris and Nice against the invasion, with Ukrainian flags and those of other eastern European nations hoisted high. Russians opposed to the war joined the crowd in Paris.
It was the second day of protests directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin around France, among a string of weekend rallies across Europe.
On the famed Promenade des Anglais in Nice -- a hub for Ukrainians -- hundreds of people chanted slogans against the war Putin is waging and urged NATO nations to protect them from Russian bombs.
Protesters carried Ukrainian, Moldovan, Georgian and Chechen flags and banners denouncing Putin.
Read more here: ⬇️
Thousands across Europe protest over Russia's invasion of Ukraine
euronewsDemonstrators have taken to the streets in cities all across Europe to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and spread an anti-war message. #EuropeNewsUkraine files case against Russia at The Hague's ICJ
Ukraine launched a case against Russia at the United Nations' highest court on Sunday, accusing Moscow of planning genocide and asking the court to intervene to halt the invasion and order Russia to pay reparations.
The case also asks the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, to indicate "provisional measures" ordering Moscow to "immediately suspend the military operations" launched on Thursday.
The case says Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine based on false claims of acts of genocide in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine and now is planning genocidal acts in Ukraine.
Ukraine "emphatically denies that genocide happened in the eastern regions" and says it filed the case "to establish that Russia has no lawful basis to take action in and against Ukraine for the purpose of preventing and punishing any purported genocide," the court said in a statement.
The court will schedule a hearing soon to hear the provisional measures request.
Poland protests FIFA's decision to let Russia play on neutral ground
Poland said on Sunday that FIFA's plan to allow Russia to play international home matches on neutral ground and under a neutral banner was out of the question and reiterated that it would not play Russia in the World Cup play-off.
"We are not interested in participating in this match of appearances [...] The Polish national team will NOT PLAY Russia, no matter what the name of the team is," Cezary Kulesza, president of the Polish FA, immediately reacted on Twitter. Poland was due to play Russia in Moscow on 24 March in a World Cup play-off.
Access to Kyiv blocked but no plans made to evacuate civilians yet, mayor says
There were no plans to evacuate civilians if Russian troops managed to take Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Some protections have already been set in place, however. The city's famously deep subway system turned its stations into bomb shelters, and the mayor introduced a weekend-long curfew that ends at 8 am on Monday.
Klitschko said that nine civilians in Kyiv had been killed so far, including one child.
Russian troops suffered 'some' casualties, Moscow confirms
Some Russian soldiers were killed, and some were wounded in Ukraine, the Russian military said on Sunday -- admitting for the first time that it had suffered casualties since the beginning of the invasion four days ago.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said that "there are dead and wounded among our comrades," without offering any numbers, but adding that Russia's losses were "many times" fewer than those of Ukraine's forces.
It was the first time Russian military officials mentioned casualties on their side.
Ukraine has claimed that its forces killed 3,500 Russian troops.
Konashenkov also said that since the start of the attack Thursday, the Russian military has hit 1,067 Ukrainian military facilities, including 27 command posts and communication centres, 38 air defence missile systems, and 56 radar stations.
Konashenkov's claims and Ukraine's allegations that its forces killed thousands of Russian troops can not be independently verified.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations to meet near Belarusian border
Negotiators from Kyiv and Moscow are poised to meet for talks near Ukraine's border with Belarus, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Ukrainian president's Constitutional Court representative Fedor Venislavsky told the country's parliamentary TV channel Rada that the negotiations are set to begin on Sunday night after the Kyiv delegation changed its route "due to security reasons".
"To ensure the maximum safety of our delegation, they have taken a route that avoids any threat to their lives and that keeps their location unknown," Venislavsky said.
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that a delegation will be sent to meet with Russian diplomats on the Belarusian border as Moscow's forces draw nearer to Kyiv.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations to meet near border with Belarus
euronewsA message from the office of the Ukrainian president said that delegates would be sent to meet the Russian diplomats at the Belarusian border.Ukraine is one of us and we want them in EU, Ursula von der Leyen tells Euronews
Ukraine is "one of us and we want them in the European Union", Ursula von der Leyen has told Euronews.
The interview came after Brussels announced it was sending weapons to Ukraine, banning Russian-backed media in the EU and prohibiting Russian aircraft from the bloc.
But despite backing Ukraine for EU membership, she gave no indication it would be the rapid accession demanded by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.
She told Euronews: "We have a process with Ukraine that is, for example, integrating the Ukrainian market into the single market.
"We have very close cooperation on the energy grid, for example."
"So many topics where we work very closely together and indeed over time, they belong to us. They are one of us and we want them in."
Von der Leyen also said trust in Vladimir Putin is "completely broken and eroded".
Discussing the possibility of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, she said: "Of course, it is important that the Ukrainian side agrees to the peace talks and that conditions are fine for the Ukrainian side."
"In general, it is always better to have peace talks than to have a fight. But the trust in President Putin is completely broken and eroded."
Ukrainian defence minister: 'Intimidating Ukrainians is pointless'
Hungary took in at least 66.000 refugees, authorities say
Some 66,000 refugees have entered Hungary from Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion on Thursday, with more than 23,000 entering on Saturday alone, according to the Hungarian police and Hungary’s foreign minister.
Hungary’s government has said it will allow all citizens and legal residents of Ukraine to enter Hungary as refugees, emphasizing that none will be turned away if they can prove legal status in Ukraine.
Refugees arriving from Ukraine to the border town of Zahony will be able to continue their journey with a free “solidarity ticket” to any destination in Hungary, Hungarian state railway company MAV wrote in a statement Sunday.
Speaking from a border station between Zahony and Chop in Ukraine on Sunday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that his government would send 100,000 litres of gasoline and diesel to Ukrainian authorities for use by paramedics, medical institutions and disaster management.
“Hungary has a role to play in humanitarian disaster response and relief,” Szijjarto said.
Some 28 tonnes of food aid has also been sent into Ukraine so far, Szijjarto said, adding that Hungary would provide €1 million in aid to Ukraine on Monday.
EU to buy and deliver weapons to Ukraine in bloc’s first
'Watershed moment': EU to buy and deliver weapons to Ukraine
euronewsIt's the first time the bloc has funded military support for a country under attack.UK PM Johnson condemns 'needless and bloody war'
Spain yet another European country to close airspace to Russian airlines
Spain has announced that it will close its airspace to Russian airlines, following the lead of European countries that have taken similar action in retaliation for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Spain will proceed to close the airspace to Russian airlines," the Spanish ministry of transport said on Twitter, adding that "following the cooperation guidelines set by the European Union, this measure will affect on flights operated by Russian airlines that use Spanish airspace."
Truss: full support for British nationals wanting to join Ukrainian forces
Britain's foreign secretary has said she would "absolutely" support the citizens who choose to go to Ukraine to help fight the Russian"invasion.
“Absolutely, if people want to support that struggle I would support them in doing that," Liz Truss said on Sunday when asked by the BBC whether she would back British people who want to answer the president's call for international volunteers to help defend his country.
“The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe," she added.
Greece joins nations sending military aid to Ukraine
Greece is sending ammunition, assault rifles and missile launchers to Ukraine in response to a request by Ukraine's government.
The military aid was decided at a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and senior defence officials, authorities said on Sunday.
A C-130 plane with the equipment has arrived in Poland, and a second one will arrive later, a Defense Ministry official said.
Two more planes carrying humanitarian aid such as blankets and food have also left Athens International Airport for Poland, the spokesman said.
Kuleba: Russian nuclear arsenal 'pressure' will not make Ukraine surrender
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday that his country would not "capitulate" to Moscow, denouncing the alerting of Russian nuclear deterrents as an attempt at "pressure".
"We will not surrender, we will not capitulate, we will not give up a single centimetre of our territory," Kuleba said at a video press conference.
"What is happening in Ukraine now is real people's war... We are determined to fight back as long as it is needed to defend our land and our people," the foreign minister added on Twitter.
Ukrainian brewery appeals for Molotov cocktail donations
A brewery in western Ukraine has taken steps to help defend the nation against Russian aggression.
The Pravda (Truth) Brewery, a quirky yet business-savvy outfit, have appealed on social media not only for donations to help the Ukrainian Army, but also to make donations for the materials to construct the famous petrol bomb, and if not they are encouraged to the bring ingredients to the brewery themselves.
Separately, pictures have emerged of civil defence units preparing Molotov cocktails in Kyiv.
'I am burning with shame': Protester in Russia slams Ukraine invasion
'I am counting the days to go back', says Kyiv resident who fled to western Ukraine
A Kyiv resident who left her city for western Ukraine told Euronews she was counting the days to get back to the capital.
"I'm not planning to stay very long, I'm planning to be back," Galyna Maistruk told Euronews.
Maistruk, who runs a women's health and family planning organisation, said she was concerned about the country's future as hundreds of thousands flee the country.
"For the future of Ukraine, we need to save our children," she said.
Her organisation has worked since 2014 to offer humanitarian help in the Donbas. She called for more medical supplies, saying many people don't have the ability to leave cities under attack.
"We need medications. We need medications not only for maternity, but this is a priority because we need to save our young generation, our population. We need medication for children. We need medication for paediatric health. And we also need medication for ageing people," she said.
Zelenskyy's office: Ukraine to meet for talks with Russia
"Alexander Lukashenka took responsibility for the fact that all aircraft, helicopters, rockets deployed on the Belarusian territory will remain on the ground for the duration of the visit, negotiations and return of the Ukrainian delegation."
Russian president puts nuclear missiles 'on special regime'
France closes its airspace to Russian civilian traffic
The French government will close its airspace "to all Russian aircraft and airlines" from Sunday evening, the Minister of Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari announced on Twitter.
France is following in the footsteps of many other European countries that have taken similar action in retaliation for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, against which "Europe responds with total unity", the minister said.
The country's largest carrier, Air France, also announced it is cancelling all of flights to Russia, while also diverting its routes on other flights away from Russian airspace, the company's spokesperson said on Sunday.
Polish activist says 'national mobilisation' of volunteers working to help Ukrainian refugees
Volunteers bring blankets, food and water to the border and return to Warsaw and other areas of Poland with refugees.
"(The volunteering is at) a scale that I've never seen. I think it's thousands and thousands of people... this is a national mobilisation," Lempart told Euronews.
She said that basically 80% of her organisation's work was dedicated to the crisis now, including housing Ukrainian families in their offices in Warsaw.
More than 360,000 people have fled Ukraine in the three days since Russia began its invasion, the UN refugee agency said.
"Ukrainian soldiers are fighting for all of us. I know the West doesn't believe that, and I know the West doesn't care. But this is the fight for European values," she added.
Ukraine submits application against Russia to ICJ
Ukraine submitted an application against Russia to the International Court of Justice after reporting more than 200 civilian casualties.
"Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week," said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a tweet.
Putin says Ukraine isn't "seizing the opportunity" for talks
"The Russian delegation is in the Belarusian city of Gomel and is ready to negotiate with the representatives of Kyiv," Putin told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a phone call, according to a Kremlin statement.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said talks should take place in a country that has not played a role in the invasion of Ukraine.
Regional governor claims Kharkiv back under Ukrainian control
Oleh Synegubov claimed the Ukrainian armed forces had pushed back Russians and said the city was under Ukrainian control.
Germany commits €100 billion to new armed forces fund
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that Germany is committing €100 billion euros to a special fund for its armed forces, AP reports.
The move would raise the country's defence spending to above 2 per cent of GDP, a target set by NATO.
“It’s clear we need to invest significantly more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy,” Scholz told a special session of the Bundestag in Berlin Sunday morning.
More than 200 Ukrainian civilians killed so far in conflict, official says
Denisova said the Russian military had hit civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools, a bus and residential buildings.
At least 47 civilians are in hospitals in Mariupol, including 17 in critical condition, she added.
"There is no norm of international humanitarian law left that the Russian Federation has not violated during its invasion of Ukraine," she said.
Dramatic images show distress as Russia continues its assault
Dramatic images of suffering are emerging from Ukraine as Russia's invasion of the country continued on Sunday.
Disbelief and devastation are etched on faces as Ukrainians survey the damage of Russian airstrikes.
Ukraine war creates 368,000 refugees in just over three days
The war in Ukraine has sparked 368,000 refugees to leave the country since Russia's invasion began on Thursday.
The latest figures were released by the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) on Sunday morning.
It said 45,200 refugees had arrived into Poland in the last 15 hours.
UNHCR spokesman Chris Melzer said there were queues of 14 kilometres at the Poland-Ukraine border and waiting times of 40 hours.
Denmark to support EU-wide ban of Russian airlines from bloc's airspace
Germany, Italy, Belgium Luxembourg and Poland were among the latest countries to close their airspace to Russian airlines.
Here's a list of countries that have done the same.
German chancellor open to talks with Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday he was open to talks with Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine, while waving the threat of new Western sanctions against Moscow, AFP reported.
"We will not refuse to discuss with Russia. Even in this extreme situation, it is the duty of diplomacy to keep the channels of discussion open," he told an extraordinary session of the Bundestag. He warned, however, that the West "reserves the right to impose" new sanctions on Moscow after two packages adopted in a few days.
Ukrainians estimate 4,300 Russian troops killed over past three days
Ukrainian forces also downed 27 aircraft, 26 helicopters, and 146 tanks, said Hanna Maliar, deputy minister of defence.
Putin suspended from International Judo Federation
Russia President Vladimir Putin has been suspended as honorary president of the International Judo Federation.
"In light of the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of Mr Vladimir Putin’s status as Honorary President and Ambassador of the International Judo Federation," a short statement on the federation's website read.
Heavy fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops in Kharkiv, UK intelligence report says
'Difficult night' in Ukraine after civilian buildings hit by Russian strikes, Zelenskyy says
"They (the Russians) are showing their real face. This is terror," he said in a video posted to social media.
"They lied that they would not touch our civilians but from the first hours of invasion Russian army is hitting the civilian infrastructure," he added, claiming they were targeting residential buildings and schools.
Ukraine's leader rejects Belarus for peace talks
Zelenskyy named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as alternative venues, AP reported.
The Kremlin meanwhile said their delegation had arrived in Belarus for talks as Ukrainian officials said a cruise missile was fired from Belarus towards Kyiv.
Russian delegation in Belarus for talks, Kremlin says
The Kremlin says a Russian delegation has arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials, AP reports.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delegation includes military officials and diplomats. “The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,” Peskov said.
Ukrainian armed forces shoot down cruise missile aimed for capital, official says
Valery Zaluzhnyy said the missile was fired from Belarus.
Street fighting in Kharkiv after Russian troops enter city
Russian units surround two cities in southern Ukraine, state media reports
The Russians also took control of an airfield near Kherson, they said.
Shelling in Sumy region kills 7-year-old, official says
He said that six people were killed and 55 were injured due to shelling in Okhtyrka on Saturday.
"In some places there are destroyed gas pipelines, but the gas leak has been stopped," Zkyvytskyy added in a Facebook post.
A woman killed after residential building hit by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukrainian internal affairs ministry says
About 60 people were hiding in the basement of the building and none of them were injured, they added.
Ukrainian defence minister praises war effort, says without this Europe won't be safe
"Where are all those who promised to capture Kyiv in 72 hours?" Reznikov asked in a long Facebook post.
"There are still many challenges ahead. But we are not the only ones who believe in our victory now," he said.
"Without this army and our people, Europe will never be safe. Without us, Europe simply will not exist," he added.
Kyiv remains under Ukrainian control, official says
"The situation in Kyiv is calm. The capital is completely controlled by the Ukrainian army and defence," Povoroznyk wrote on social media.
He added that there were several clashes overnight.
Kharkiv residents urged not to leave shelters after Russian troops enter city
He warned residents not to leave shelters.
Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city located in the northeast of the country.
Russia closes airspace to planes from several EU countries
Russia is closing its airspace to planes from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Slovenia, a move that comes as Moscow’s ties with the West plunge to new lows over its invasion of Ukraine, AP reports.
Russia’s state aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, announced early on Sunday that the measure was taken in retaliation for the four nations closing their airspace for Russian planes.
Elon Musk deploys SpaceX's Starlink Internet satellites over Ukraine
SpaceX's Starlink satellites have now been deployed over Ukraine with more on the way, according to the company's billionaire CEO Elon Musk, after a call for help from the country's vice prime minister on Saturday.
Mykhailo Fedorov, who is also Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, tweeted Musk requesting that SpaceX switch on its Starlink broadband satellites to supplement the country's Internet services which have been disrupted during Russia's ongoing invasion.
Read the full story here.
Russian forces blow up gas pipeline, Ukrainian president's office says
The Ukrainian president’s office said Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.
The State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection warned that the explosion, which it said looked like a mushroom cloud, could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised residents to cover their windows with damp cloth or gauze and to drink plenty of fluids, AP reports.
EU imposes new sanctions, blocking Russian banks from Swift
Russian banks will be removed from the SWIFT international payments system, says EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
She said the move would "stop them from operating worldwide and effectively block Russian exports and imports".
Read the full story here.