Up to 90% of Ukrainians will be affected by poverty and extreme economic vulnerability, with the war "setting the country back decades", top official told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
Thursday marks the start of the third week of war in Ukraine, after the invasion launched by Moscow on 24 February.
The fighting has forced more than three million Ukrainians to flee their homes, with thousands of people killed or wounded and widespread damage in the wake of shelling and aerial bombardments.
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Here are the latest key developments to know:
- The first survivors are beginning to emerge from a shelter underneath a Mariupol theatre which was bombed by Russian forces on Wednesday.
- It is still not known if there were any deaths or injuries in the attack, which the city's mayor called a "genocide".
- The Ukrainian city of Chernihiv 'has suffered colossal losses and destruction'.
- An artillery strike on a school and community centre near Kharkiv 'kills 21 people'.
- France, the UK and US have called for a United Nations Security Council meeting on Thursday to discuss Ukraine, ahead of a vote on a Russian resolution demanding protection for Ukrainian civilians in "vulnerable situations".
- Britain is sending more anti-aircraft weapons and military personnel to Poland, as the UK's UN mission says "Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians."
- President Putin has spoken out on television to condemn Russians who don't support his war efforts. "We will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and will simply spit them out," he said.
- Kremlin hits out after Joe Biden calls Vladimir Putin a 'war criminal'
- It's now three weeks since the war began.
UN fears vast majority of Ukrainians might face extreme poverty, economic vulnerability
The UN political chief is calling for an investigation of massive civilian casualties and the destruction of hundreds of residential buildings, schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, and for those responsible to be held accountable.
Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council Thursday that “international humanitarian law is crystal clear” in prohibiting direct attacks on civilians in military operations and ensuring their protection. Yet, she said, many of the daily attacks that are battering Ukrainian cities “are reportedly indiscriminate, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.”
DiCarlo cited the UN human rights office’s latest statistics: 1,900 civilian casualties from the start of the war on 24 February to 15 March, comprising 726 people killed, including 52 children, and 1,174 injured — with the actual number likely much higher.
“Most of these casualties were caused by the use in populated areas of explosive weapons with a wide impact area,” she said.
The UN development agency UNDP projects that if the war continues, 90% of Ukraine’s population could be facing poverty and extreme economic vulnerability, “setting the country — and the region — back decades, and leaving deep social and economic scars,” she said.
US officials evaluating Russian war crimes in Ukraine, Blinken says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says US officials are in the process of evaluating and documenting potential war crimes committed by Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The statement to reporters on Thursday came one day after President Joe Biden called Russian leader Vladimir Putin a "war criminal".
Blinken says he believes the intentional targeting of civilians in Ukraine would amount to a war crime, and that there will be accountability and “massive consequences” for any war crimes determined to have occurred.
A group of 45 countries are working together to investigate possible violations and abuses, after the passage of a resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a commission of inquiry.
There is another probe by the International Criminal Court, an independent body based in the Netherlands.
Russian army kidnaps another local official in Kharkiv region, authorities claim
The Russian army has kidnapped Viktor Tereshchenko, the head of the Velikoburluk community in the Kharkiv region, the area's administration head Oleh Syniehubov said on Thursday.
Tereshchenko was allegedly first summoned to his office and then taken to the local police station. The latest reports from the local outlets claim that he is still being held there.
Refugee train routes delayed by technical issues in Italy and Poland
Major malfunctions in electronic control systems have caused significant delays to Polish and Italian trains.
The technical glitches have halted a number of train routes that are being used to transport Ukrainian refugees to other European countries.
Polish government cybersecurity chief Janusz Cieszynski said an investigation had been launched into the malfunction.
The director of Poland’s PKP PLK railway company said that the sudden outage took place at 04:00 (CET) on Thursday and affected 19 out of Poland’s 33 control centres.
Some scheduled trains were cancelled while other traffic was left standing idly on Poland's 820 kilometres of railroads.
Read the full story here.
Those responsible for war crimes will be held accountable, G7 presidency says
G7 foreign ministers spoke today by video conference on the situation in Ukraine, a statement released by the German foreign ministry said.
The ministers called on Russia to immediately comply with the International Court of Justice's order to stop its hostilities in Ukraine and to withdraw its forces.
They called the siege on the southern port city of Mariupol and other cities as well as the denial of humanitarian aid "unacceptable."
"Ministers stressed that those responsible for war crimes, including the indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians, will be held accountable," the German G7 presidency said in a statement.
They also "reiterated the need for increased international assistance to Ukraine's neighbouring countries, which have seen an unprecedented influx of refugees." More than three million Ukrainians have fled the country since the beginning of the war, according to the UN refugee agency.
The G7 is a group of the world's largest advanced economies and wealthiest liberal democracies and includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Hearing-impaired Ukrainians fleeing the war find help in Romania
As the war in Ukraine rages on, these Ukrainian refugees have found safety in a shelter in Romania. While they may not hear the war, they are living it.
Euronews Romania discovered entire communities of hearing-impaired Ukrainians that fled the war and entered Romania via the Siret border point. For them, the danger came unannounced, without sirens, without the sound of explosions.
At the border, Romanian volunteers, some deaf themselves, are working tirelessly to help them.
Read the full story.
Ukraine wants security guarantees from Turkey as part of any Russian peace deal
Ukraine wants Turkey to be among countries offering security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal with Russia to end the war, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announces after meeting Turkey's foreign minister.
"Turkey is a respected country which is a factor of stability in the Black Sea region," he said.
(AFP)
US President Joe Biden to speak with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Russia war
President Joe Biden will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday in an effort to maintain dialogue between the two countries.
"The two Leaders will discuss managing the competition between our two countries as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a statement.
British defence secretary contacted by 'Ukrainian PM imposter'
The British defence secretary Ben Wallace said "an attempt was made by an imposter claiming to be Ukrainian PM" to speak with him.
"He posed several misleading questions and after becoming suspicious I terminated the call," Wallace wrote on Twitter.
Wallace blamed Russian disinformation for the attempt, stating that it would not distract from "Russia’s human rights abuses and illegal invasion of Ukraine".
350,000 residents sheltering in Mariupol, death toll still unknown for theatre bombing
More than 350,000 Mariupol residents continue to shelter from Russian bombing, which has destroyed about 80% of the city, Mariupol's city council said.
Around 30,000 people have left the city in private vehicles, the city council added.
Yesterday, a theatre where hundreds of people were sheltering was bombed, but the death toll is still unknown, it added in a statement posted to Telegram.
US earmarks $180M for Baltic NATO allies
Estonia’s defence ministry says the United States has earmarked $180 million in military assistance to the Baltic NATO members of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The ministry said on Thursday that a budget package approved by the U.S. Congress represents an increase of more than $10 million from last year in security assistance to the three former Soviet republics which all border Russia and have assisted Ukraine with arms and material help after the start of Moscow’s invasion.
“The United States has demonstrated clear initiative in the current security crisis, both in supporting its NATO Allies in the East, as well as Ukraine, and in bringing the actions of Russia to the attention of the international community,” Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet said.
“The decision by Congress shows that the United States is committed to the defence of our region and clearly understands that the defence of their own country is connected with the Baltic countries,” Laanet said.
(AP)
Strike on school and community centre 'kills 21'
Twenty-one people have been killed by Russian artillery that destroyed a school and a community centre in Merefa, near the northeast city of Kharkiv, officials said.
Merefa Mayor Veniamin Sitov said the attack occurred just before dawn on Thursday.
The Kharkiv region has seen heavy bombardment as stalled Russian forces try to advance in the area.
'Colossal losses and destruction' in Chernihiv
The northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has experienced “colossal losses and destruction” amid heavy bombardment from Russian artillery and air strikes, governor Viacheslav Chaus said Thursday.
Chaus told Ukrainian TV that the bodies of 53 people “killed by the Russian aggressor from the ground or from the air” had been delivered to city morgues over the past 24 hours.
The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday 10 people were killed in Chernihiv while standing in line for bread. Russia has denied involvement.
Chaus said civilians were hiding in basements and shelters without access to utilities in the city of 280,000 people.
“The city has never known such nightmarish, colossal losses and destruction,” he said.
Chernihiv, which is close to the borders with Belarus and Russia, was among the first Ukrainian cities to come under attack from Russian forces when the invasion began three weeks ago.
Ukraine's defence minister in weapons plea to MEPs
Ukraine is multiplying its diplomatic efforts to get military help.
The country's defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, connected with the European Parliament on Thursday and asked for more lethal weapons to face the Russian invasion.
He is convinced his country will win the war but said Kyiv needs more support.
"Despite the tactic of terror, we will win," said Reznikov. "The question is only the price that the Ukrainian people will pay because the purpose of the terror is to seed fear. We don't have fear. And I call upon you: get rid of this fear as well."
European Space Agency suspends Mars mission cooperation with Russia
The European Space Agency ESA says it's suspending cooperation with Russian space agency Roscosmos on a planned mission to Mars.
The ExoMars rover mission would have launched in September from Russia's Baikonur space port in Kazakhstan. The rover would have drilled into the planet and collected samples.
"As an intergovernmental organisation mandated to develop and implement space programmes in full respect with European values, we deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine" ESA said in a statement.
Survivors begin to emerge from bombed Mariupol theatre
Survivors are beginning to emerge from a bombed theatre in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Thursday afternoon, nearly 24 hours after the building was hit by a Russian airstrike.
Officials say there were "more than a thousand" civilians inside the building at the time of the attack, sheltering there after fleeing their own homes amid fierce fighting in the southern city.
However Ukraine's ombudswoman Ludmyla Denisova wrote on Telegram that the building "withstood the impact of a high-powered air bomb and protected the lives of people hiding inside the bomb shelter."
Read the latest details in our story here:
Ukraine urges the EU to consider Vladimir Putin a 'war criminal'
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has called on the EU to consider Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" and urged the Europeans to step up weapons deliveries to help Kyiv fight Moscow's forces.
"It's not just a war. It's state terror. The regular army of the aggressor is conscientiously annihilating the civilian population," Reznikov told the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
"I call on all members of the European Parliament to recognize that Putin is a war criminal, as has been done in the United State," he said.
US President Joe Biden sparked fury in the Kremlin on Wednesday by calling the Russian president a "war criminal" for his forces' bombardment of Ukrainian towns.
Reznikov updated MEPs on the fierce fighting around the southern port city of Mariupol, and the bombing of a theatre where authorities say "more than a thousand" civilians were sheltering. Reznikov said more than 400 schools, 110 hospitals and 1,000 housing blocks across Ukraine were destroyed in the three weeks since Vladimir Putin launched the invasion.
UN will provide helmets and bullet-proof vests to journalists in Ukraine
UNESCO will provide a first batch of 125 helmets and bulletproof vests with the "press" logo so that the "maximum possible number of journalists operating in Ukraine have this vital equipment."
The UN organization made the announcement on Thursday as part of measures to urgently protect journalists covering the war.
Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on 24th February five journalists - three Ukrainians, a Franco-Irish citizen and an American - have been killed.
"Every day, journalists and all media professionals risk their lives in Ukraine to inform the local population and the whole world of the reality of this war" said Audrey Azoulay, director general of Unesco, in a press release.
“Thousands of journalists work in the field in Ukraine, often without the necessary protective equipment or training" UNESCO said.
Azoulay said that previous experience in war zones have proven that having quality protective equipment can save the lives of journalists.
Joe Biden to talk with Xi Jinping about Ukraine
US President Joe Biden will have a phone call on Friday with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, to talk about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This is to "keep the channels of communication open between the United States and the People's Republic of China," said US spokesperson Jen Psaki in a statement.
The two leaders will discuss "competition" between Washington and Beijing "as well as Russia's war against Ukraine and other issues of common concern," she said.
The United States recently expressed "deep concern" about China's "alignment with Russia" stance on the war in Ukraine, after a meeting in Rome between US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Party's top diplomat.
China has refrained from calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine.
But Beijing's professed "boundless friendship" is being tested by the war in Ukraine, with President Xi Jinping's regime seemingly taken aback by Ukrainian resistance to the Russian offensive and the strength of Western sanctions.
UK to send missile defence system to Poland
Britain's defence secretary says his country will deploy a missile defense system to NATO ally Poland in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking during a visit to Warsaw on Thursday, Ben Wallace said the UK is sending the Sky Sabre medium-range anti-air missile system to Poland with about 100 personnel. He said the move is “to make sure that we stand alongside Poland in protecting her airspace from any further aggression from Russia.”
The decision comes days after Russian missiles struck a military base in Yavoriv, Ukraine, just a few miles from the border with Poland.
The British promise of military support also comes as nearly 2 million of the more than 3 million refugees to flee Ukraine have arrived in Poland.
“As a NATO ally and a very old ally, it is very right that Britain stands by Poland as Poland carries much of the burden of the consequence of this war and stands tall and brave to stand up to the threats from Russia,” Wallace said.
French foreign minister: 'Russia pretends to negotiate'
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has accused Russia of "pretending to negotiate" a ceasefire in Ukraine, while continuing to "make weapons speak."
Le Drian compared the situation in Ukraine to Russian tactics in Aleppo, Syria, and Grozny, Chechnya, of "indiscriminate bombardments, so-called humanitarian corridors designed to then accuse the adversary of not respecting them and talks with no other objective than to pretend to negotiate" the diplomat said in an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien.
Russia-Ukraine talks continued on Wednesday, with Moscow saying they some sort of neutral status for Ukraine was up for discussion. However this concept of Swedish or Austrian-style neutrality proposed by Moscow was rejected by the Ukrainian side.
Lithuania joins calls for Ukraine no-fly zone
Lithuania's parliament has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, joining countries including Estonia and Slovenia in the appeal.
The resolution said a no-fly zone would allow United Nations peacekeepers to ensure the security of humanitarian corridors and the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and nuclear waste storage facilities.
Although Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia are all members of NATO, the military alliance has categorically ruled out any role in setting up and policing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect against Russian airstrikes.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said “this can become even worse if NATO (takes) actions that actually turned this into a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia.”
Prime Minister Janez Jansa of Slovenia has publicly called for a no-fly zone and Estonia’s Parliament also has urged its 29 NATO partners to consider the same.
'I knew it was the last lunch': One refugee's final day in Kyiv
The day before Russia invaded Ukraine, Iryna Zemlyana made herself a nice breakfast, went to her favourite restaurant and saw her closest friends.
She went to her office to get important documents and to the dentist to find out what to do about her braces during the war. Her dentist laughed when she asked if there was a plan.
But 34-year-old Zemlyana, who has been training journalists to brave tough war conditions for eight years during the war in Ukraine's east, wanted to be prepared and knew the conflict would break out soon.
"I just really knew that it was the last day of peace," she said. "I asked my very good friend to have lunch with me. And we went to my favourite restaurant and I ate my favourite dishes and I just knew that it was the last lunch."
Read the full story here.
Mariupol's mayor calls theatre bombing 'genocide'
"The only word to describe what has happened today is genocide, said Mariupol's mayor, Vadim Boychenko, who described the "horror" after a Russian bomb hit the city's Drama Theatre.
Local officials said "more than a thousand" civilians had been sheltering there after their own homes were destroyed in the fighting.
Further Russian airstrikes on Mariupol, Zelenskyy's office says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office says Russia carried out further airstrikes on the besieged port city of Mariupol early on Thursday morning.
Zelenskyy’s office did not report casualties for the latest strikes. They come amid rescue efforts in the city after a theatre where hundreds had been sheltering was destroyed Wednesday in what Ukrainian authorities say was a Russian airstrike.
“People are escaping from Mariupol by themselves using their own transport,” Zelenskyy’s office said, adding the “risk of death remains high” because of Russian forces previously firing on civilians.
(AP)
Global economic growth could be more than 1 percentage point lower this year due to Ukraine war, OECD warns
Global economic growth could be more than 1 percentage point lower this year, due to the Ukraine war, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) warned on Thursday.
Inflation is also likely to be higher than it would have been if the war had not broken out. It could be 2 percentage points higher in the euro area and nearly 2.5% higher globally.
"With Russia supplying around 16% of the world’s natural gas and 11% of oil, energy prices have jumped alarmingly," the OECD said. Gas spot prices more than 10 times higher than a year ago in Europe.
Kremlin rejects court order to suspend its offensive in Ukraine
The Kremlin on Thursday rejected the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's highest court, to immediately suspend its invasion of Ukraine.
"We will not be able to take this decision into account," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
He said that both Russia and Ukraine had to agree in order to implement the decision.
The ICJ had ordered Russia in a 13-2 decision on Wednesday to immediately suspend hostilities in Ukraine.
"The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the special military operations it commenced on 24 February 2022," the court's president, US judge Joan E. Donoghue, said.
Grim wait for casualty figures as authorities fear hundreds trapped in Mariupol theatre
Ukrainian authorities fear hundreds of civilians might be trapped in the rubble of a Mariupol theatre which was hit by a Russian airstrike on Wednesday afternoon.
Local officials said "more than a thousand" civilians had been sheltering there after their own homes were destroyed in the fighting.
A photo released by Mariupol's city council showed an entire section of the large, 3-story theater had collapsed.
At least as recently as Monday, the pavement in front of and behind the once-elegant theater was marked with huge white letters spelling out “CHILDREN” in Russian, according to images released by the Maxar space technology company.
Rubble had buried the entrance to the shelter inside the theater, and it was not yet known how many people were killed or injured, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional administration, said on Telegram.
Russian airstrikes also hit a municipal swimming pool complex in Mariupol where civilians, including women and children, had been sheltering, Kyrylenko said. “Now there are pregnant women and women with children under the rubble there,” he wrote, thought the number of casualties was not immediately known.
A satellite image of the Mariupol theatre from Monday appeared to show the word "children" written in large letters, in Russian, at the front and back of the building.
War in Ukraine: German economic growth halved for 2022
The war in Ukraine will significantly hamper Germany's economic recovery and halve the expected GDP growth in 2022 to 2.1%, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy IfW on Thursday.
Germany's GDP could be cut by "some 90 billion euros this year and next year" and "delay the return to pre-Covid levels" in the biggest EU economy until the second half of the year, economists say, predicting growth of 4% this year so far.
IfW is the first institution to publish an updated economic forecast for Germany since the Russian invasion which began on 24 February.
"Without the strong post-pandemic growth spurt, the European economy would contract this year" said Stefan Kooths, deputy director of the IfW.
Germany is indeed benefiting from "strong catch-up effects" linked to the lifting of most health restrictions" he added.
"The war is weighing on the economy through increased uncertainty, new tensions in supply chains and a further rise in the prices of raw materials."
Ukraine war: Zelenskyy invokes WWII and Berlin Wall in speech to German MPs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed MPs in the German parliament on Thursday morning, calling for more help from Europe to stop the Russian invasion of his country.
Speaking via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskyy invoked images of WWII, the Berlin Wall and even former US President John F. Kennedy in a powerful speech.
Read more at our story here:
One person killed in aftermath of Kyiv missile attack
At least one person was killed and three others wounded on Thursday morning, in the aftermath of a missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Emergency services say an incoming missile was shot down, and the debris caused damage and a fire at an apartment building.
The incident happened around 5am local time.
"According to preliminary information, thirty people were evacuated, among them three were injured. One person died" emergency services say.
Reports from the scene say all the windows of the Soviet-built fifteen-storey building were blown out, and several neighboring buildings were also damaged.
President Zelenskyy gives live address to German parliament
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is giving a live address to the German parliament at 9am CET on Thursday morning.
In the last week he's addressed the British and Canadian parliaments, and US Congress.
Watch his speech live here:
Russian forces free mayor in prisoner exchange
Russian forces freed the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in exchange for nine of their captured conscripts, an official from Ukraine’s presidential office said Wednesday.
Kyiv accused the Russians of kidnapping Mayor Ivan Fedorov about a week ago. Surveillance video showed him being marched out of city hall apparently surrounded by Russian soldiers.
Residents of Melitopol, a city in southeast currently under Russian control, have been protesting to demand his release.
Daria Zarivna, spokeswoman of the head of Ukraine’s president’s office, said on Wednesday morning that Mayor Fedorov has been released from captivity, and Russia “got nine of its captive soldiers, born in 2002-2003, practically children, conscripts Russia’s Defense Ministry said weren’t there.”
Moscow initially denied sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, but later the Russian military admitted that some conscripts have been involved in the offensive, and that some had been captured by Ukrainian forces.
President Zelenskyy: 'My heart breaks' after Mariupol theatre bombing
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has used his nightly video address to call for more sanctions on Russia, and says "my heart breaks" after Russian forces bombed a theatre in the southern city of Mariupol where authorities say "more than a thousand" civilians were sheltering.
Read more in our story here:
Belgium begins to cope with influx of Ukrainian refugees
Following weeks of disorder and disorganisation, Belgium is finally starting to cope with the massive influx of refugees from Ukraine, setting up a new, much larger registration centre.
Read our full story, and watch the video here:
Panama-registered ship sunk after Russian missile attack in Black Sea
Panama's Maritime Authority says a Panamanian-flagged merchant ship was sunk by Russian missile fire in the Black Sea, while two other ships were damaged.
The authority's administrator Noriel Arauz said Wednesday the crews are safe and sound.
"We know that three boats (flagged as Panamanian) were victims of Russian missile attacks" Arauz told reporters.
One of these ships "sunk, and two are staying afloat but have suffered material damage" he added.
Around 8,000 vessels, some 17%, of the world's merchant fleet are registered in Panama and authorities say a dozen ships are currently stuck in the Black Sea, blocked from leaving by Russia's navy.
Moscow denies bombing Mariupol theatre and pool
Russia's Ministry of Defence says it is not responsible for Tuesday attacks on a theatre and swimming pool facility in the besieged southern Ukraine city of Mariupol.
Local authorities say more than a thousand civilians were sheltering in the buildings at the time of a Russian Air Force bombing with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy saying the theatre is destroyed, and "the number of dead is not yet known."
"The world must finally admit that Russia has become a terrorist state" Zelenskyy said.
Russia blames the right-wing Ukrainian Azov Brigade for the attacks.