Civilians who have fled Mariupol describe it as a "freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings".
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War in Ukraine enters its 26th day after the invasion was launched by Moscow on 24 February.
The fighting has forced more than ten million Ukrainians to flee their homes, with thousands of people killed or wounded and widespread damage in the wake of shelling and aerial bombardments.
Follow our live updates below.
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Tuesday's key points:
French President Emmanuel Macron held a one-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, but could not reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Ukraine says it has retaken Makariv, a strategically important Kyiv suburb
The besieged city of Mariupol says Russia dropped two heavy bombs on Tuesday.
Civilians who have escaped Mariupol describe the city as "a freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings".
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to consider committing Ukraine not to join NATO in exchange for a ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian armed forces from the country.
Zelenskyy tells Italian MPs the death of 117 children so far in the war is 'the price of procrastination' over Russia
Russian air forces increased their activity, flying over 300 sorties in 24 hours by early Tuesday. However, they are not believed to have established air dominance, Western intelligence sources claim.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, already in prison, has been given a further eight years in jail following a fraud conviction.
Fears Russia could use chemical weapons grow as ground offensive slows
US President Joe Biden has warned that Russian forces might be considering using chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, and a leading expert says that's a "plausible" theory.
"I think a chemical attack... is probably the most plausible because it's also the most deniable. And it also fits in with Russia's modus operandi in the past" Samuel Ramani from RUSI told Euronews.
Read more at our story here:
Emmanuel Macron demands ceasefire in telephone call with Vladimir Putin
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke for an hour on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, without any agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
This was the eighth call between the two leaders since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
"There is currently no agreement but the President remains convinced of the need to continue his efforts" the French presidency said.
"There is no other way out than a ceasefire and Russia's good faith negotiations with Ukraine. The President of the Republic stands alongside Ukraine."
The phone call was initiated by France, and the previous call was held on Friday when Macron express his "extreme concern" about the situation in Mariupol.
On Wednesday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address French deputies and senators to ask for more help against Russia.
'They want to level it to the ground'
Authorities in the besieged city of Mariupol said Russian aircraft dropped two heavy bombs today causing "even greater destruction".
"Once again it is clear the occupiers are not interested in the city of Mariupol, they want to level it to the ground and turn it into ashes."
On Monday, the last European Union diplomat to be evacuated from the city said civilians there are being hit "blindly and indiscriminately".
Manolis Androulakis, Greece’s consul general, said "Mariupol will be on the list of cities in the world that have been completely destroyed by war".
Civilians who managed to escape told Human Rights Watch said men, women and children were sheltering in basements with little or no access to running water, power, heating, medical care, or mobile phone service since the siege began on 2 March 2.
“Mariupol residents have described a freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings,” said Belkis Wille, senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch. “And these are the lucky ones who were able to escape, leaving behind thousands who are cut off from the world in the besieged city.”
New TikTok users exposed to fake news about Russia-Ukraine war
New TikTok users are exposed to misinformation about the war in Ukraine within 40 minutes of signing up, according to a new report.
The study, published by the fact-checking group NewsGuard, suggests that new users searching for information about the conflict, "led to TikTok suggesting multiple videos that contained disinformation in its top 20 results".
Read more in our story here:
Russian court opens criminal case against journalist
A court in Russia opened the first criminal case against a journalist under strict new laws.
The journalist is accused of publishing "false information" about the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine and faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.
The committee in charge of proceedings announced it had opened a criminal case against journalist Alexander Nevzorov, accusing him of "knowingly published false information about a deliberate bombardment of a maternity hospital in Mariupol by the Russian army".
At least three people were killed and 17 others wounded in a Russian attack on the Mariupol maternity hospital earlier this month. One woman and her baby died a few days later. Read more at our story here.
Another Russian luxury yacht seized: this time, in Gibraltar
Authorities in Gibraltar have seized a luxury yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Dimitri Pumpianski.
It comes after a complaint from a creditor, and is linked to British sanctions against Russian interests.
This ship, the Axioma, was sailing under a Maltese flag, and was "the subject of a request for seizure by a large international bank to the Supreme Court of Gibraltar" the government said on Monday.
Gibraltar is a small British enclave on the southern tip of Spain.
Gibraltar allowed the Axioma to enter port - a move which otherwise would not have been allowed under the terms of British sanctions - "in the interests of creditors who have lodged a complaint against the ship" Gibraltar authorities added without giving more details.
"The ship is now seized by the Admiralty Marshal" - the judge in charge of maritime affairs - "until further notice".
Dimitri Pumpianski is the boss of pipeline company TMK, and is also the subject of sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia's elite, or those who have close connections to Vladimir Putin.
Gibraltar's First Minister Fabian Picardo is visiting London this week and met with Britain's Foreign Minister Liz Truss on Tuesday. Afterwards Truss tweeted that she welcomed the seizure of the super yacht.
'People don't even have water there'
Exhausted Mariupol survivors continued to arrive by train in the western city of Lviv on Tuesday.
“In one compartment there were 10 or eleven people, with others in the corridor, but when you’re going to safety it doesn’t matter,” said one woman, Julia Krytska, who made it out with her husband and son. Her hands were shaking.
They were lucky to get out after volunteers found them in the besieged city, she said. “There’s no connection with the world," she said. “We couldn’t ask for help.”
The people of Mariupol don’t have a chance to be heard, she said. “They are in need of help. People don’t even have water there,” Krytska said.
Serbia will not join Western 'hysteria' against Russia
A senior Serbian official says Belgrade will never impose sanctions or join the Western “hysteria” against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Serbia’s Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said Tuesday: “Serbia will never be part of the anti-Russian hysteria in which the property of Russian citizens and the property of the Russian Federation is stolen, just as we will not ban Russian media.”
The Balkan country is a staunch ally of Russia, though it has condemned its invasion of Ukraine.
Serbia is seeking membership of the European Union, but it is one of the few countries in Europe that has refused to join international sanctions against the Kremlin.
More than 3.5 million have now fled Ukraine - UNHCR
The UN refugee agency says more than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, passing another milestone in an exodus that has led to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.
UNHCR reported Tuesday that 3.56 million people have left Ukraine, with Poland taking in the lion’s share — more than 2.1 million — followed by Romania with more than 540,000 and Moldova with more than 367,000.
Shortly after the invasion on 24 February, UNHCR predicted that some 4 million refugees might leave Ukraine, though it has been re-assessing that prediction. The outflows have been slowing in recent days after peaking at more than 200,000 each on two straight days in early March.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that nearly 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine, suggesting that some if not most of them might to flee abroad if the war continues.
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, says it has confirmed 62 attacks on health care assets in Ukraine since the conflict began and through last Friday. The attacks caused 15 deaths and 37 injuries. The assets include hospitals and medical facilities, transport of medical supplies, warehouses, and health care workers.
'Italy wants Ukraine in the EU'
"We want a roadmap to get Ukraine closer to Europe," said Italy PM Mario Draghi, responding to an address by Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We will need huge institutional reforms.
"To President Zelenskyy, I want to say Italy is close to Ukraine in this process, Italy wants Ukraine in the EU."
'Ukraine has the right to be safe'
When horror and violence seem to have overwhelmed everything, this is the time that we must defend human rights and democratic values," continued Italy's PM Draghi.
"The people who are fleeing the war must be welcomed.
"Faced against the massacres and genocide, we must support the resistance.
"Faced against the growing isolation of President [Vladimir] Putin, we need to show the international community is unified
"Ukraine had the right to be safe."
'Italy on the frontline of support for Ukraine'
"Today Ukraine is not only defending itself but is defending our peace, our freedom, our security, defending the multilateral order which we’ve constructed with so much difficulty after World War II," said Italy's prime minister Mario Draghi.
"Solidarity of Italians to Ukrainians has been huge.
"Italians have opened wide their doors to Ukrainian refugees with a sense their pride of our country.
"We will keep doing this thanks to the incessant work and professionalism of our regions, our civil protections and our volunteers.
"In front of these uncivilised manners, Italy doesn’t want to turn its head. The government and parliament of Italy are on the frontline of support for Ukraine, it will offer financial help, and has answered requests for support and assistance against the Russian invasion."
Italy PM Mario Draghi responds to Zelenskyy
"We want to thank President Zelenskyy for his extraordinary testimony and statement to this parliament," said Draghi.
"Since the beginning of the war, Italy has admired the courage and determination, the sense of motherland of Zelenskyy and Ukraine
"The arrogance of the Russian government has clashed with the dignity of your people.
"This is stopping Russia’s expansionism and is inflicting a high cost to the invaders."
'Don't be a resort for murderers'
"Italian people, you know Ukrainians well," Ukraine's president told Italy's parliament. "Ukrainians are as European as you are. You know who brought the war.
"Almost all of them [Russians] are using Italy for holidays… don’t be a resort for murderers
"Bock their assets. Support more sanctions on Russia, more embargo on trade, including oil… they must feel a price for their invasion.
"There should be no exceptions for sanctions."
'Kyiv on the edge of survival'
More from the address by Ukraine's president in Italy's parliament. You can watch it live here.
"Kyiv has an importance for us like you have an importance for Rome," said Zelenskyy to Italy's parliament. "We’re on the edge of survival. Kyiv has been through harsh wars… it now deserves to live in peace, like Rome deserves to live in peace.
"Bombs are falling every day, happening in Kyiv and towns around Kyiv. Russian troops around Kyiv are killing and torturing, torturing and kidnapping children, stealing and robbing everything.
"Ladies and gentleman, it’s time to do everything to secure peace. Their target is ultimately Europe, control over your politics, this is their target, not just Ukraine.
"Ukraine for Russia is the gateway to Europe, they want to get through the gate."
Italy's parliament hearing from Ukraine's president
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is addressing Italy's parliament. You can watch it live here.
He begins by saying 117 children have now been killed in the conflict.
"This is the price of the procrastination of pressure on Russia to stop this war,” Zelenskyy tells Italy's parliament.
Music stars swap guitars for guns to help Ukraine's war effort
When then-comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared in the music video for Ukrainian band Antytila's 2018 single Lego, no one could have imagined the direction of their next collaboration.
Fast forward four years and Zelenskyy, now Ukraine's president, is in charge of a country at war with its neighbour Russia.
Members of pop-rock group Antytila, meanwhile, have swapped their guitars for guns and are helping to defend the capital Kyiv.
Read the full story here.
Russian court sentences Navalny for fraud
A Russian judge found jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny guilty of fraud, in a case that could send him to prison for another 13 years.
"Navalny committed a scam, the theft of property from others by an organised group," judge Margarita Kotova said, according to an AFP journalist present when the judgment was pronounced on Tuesday.
The trial was held inside the maximum-security prison where the Putin regime's most well-known opponent has been detained for about a year.
He is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for allegedly stealing donations made to his political organisations. Navalny has repeatedly rejected all charges against him.
Belarus withdraws some of its troops from Ukrainian border
A Belarusian paratroopers brigade has been withdrawn from the border area near Brest after completing what the defence ministry said on Tuesday was "the task of securing the areas of the state border".
The number of troops withdrawn is still unclear, but local media have confirmed that a column of APCs and other military vehicles was observed in Brest, temporarily blocking traffic.
WWII death camps survivor killed in Kharkiv bombardment
Germany’s Buchenwald concentration camp memorial says Boris Romanchenko, 96 -- who survived camps at Buchenwald, Peenemuende, Dora and Bergen-Belsen during World War II -- was killed on Friday when his home in Kharkiv was hit by a projectile.
Romanchenko was vice president of the International Buchenwald-Dora Committee.
Russian military ups number of aircraft sorties, mostly for air-to-ground strikes
A senior US defence official says the Russians have increased the number of military aircraft sorties over Ukraine over the past two days, doing as many as 300 in the last 24 hours.
The official said that most of the military flights involve air-to-ground strikes, mainly on stationary targets, and that the Russian aircraft are not spending a lot of time in Ukrainian airspace.
The Ukraine military has continued to use its short and long-range air defence systems and drones to target Russian aircraft.
Ukraine might consider not joining NATO, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday he was prepared to discuss a commitment from Ukraine not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of the country's security.
“It’s a compromise for everyone: for the West, which doesn’t know what to do with us with regard to NATO, for Ukraine, which wants security guarantees, and for Russia, which doesn’t want further NATO expansion,” Zelenskyy said late Monday in an interview with domestic television channels.
He also repeated his call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Unless he meets with Putin, it is impossible to understand whether Russia even wants to stop the war, Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said that Kyiv will be ready to discuss the status of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region held by Russian-backed separatists after a ceasefire and steps toward providing security guarantees.