Russia invades Ukraine updates: UN says 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine

Russia invades Ukraine updates: UN says 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine
The New Arab is providing live updates of what's been happening on the ground and additional analysis on the conflict's significance. 
17 min read
25 March, 2022

Some 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion a month ago, the UN has said today.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said 3,725,806 Ukrainians had fled the country - an increase of 50,854 from the previous day's figure. Around 90 percent of them are women and children, it added.

Of those who have left, 2.2 million have fled for neighbouring Poland while more than half a million have made it to Romania. Around 20,000 have gone to Russia.

In total, more than 10 million people - over a quarter of the population in regions under government control before the February 24 invasion - are now thought to have fled their homes, including nearly 6.5 million who are internally displaced.

The New Arab is providing live updates of what's been happening on the ground and additional analysis on the conflict's significance. 

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6:00 PM
The New Arab Staff

The New Arab's live coverage of the latest from the Russian invasion of Ukraine concludes for today.

Here were the key developments on Friday:

Russia puts losses at 1,351

Russia's army has put its official losses in Ukraine to date at 1,351 soldiers, adding it has evacuated more than 400,000 civilians.

Rudskoi meanwhile slammed as a "huge mistake the supplies of arms to Kyiv by Western countries. That prolongs the operation."

Fears over Mariupol theatre death toll

Ukrainian officials in the strategic port city of Mariupol say some 300 people could have died in last week's Russian strike on a theatre where hundreds were sheltering.

"From eyewitnesses, information is emerging that about 300 people died in the Drama Theatre of Mariupol following strikes by a Russian aircraft," Mariupol city council wrote on Telegram.

EU targets future minus Russian gas

The US and EU have announced a task force aimed at reducing Europe's reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

The initiative being unveiled by Biden and EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen will see the US work with partners to strive to supply Europe with an extra 15 billion cubic metres of liquefied natural gas this year.

Join us tomorrow for the latest news and analysis on Ukraine-Russia.

Make sure to follow our TwitterFacebook and Instagram to stay up to date.

4:41 PM
The New Arab Staff

US assesses up to 60% failure rate for some Russian missiles, officials say

The United States assesses that Russia is suffering failure rates as high as 60% for some of the precision-guided missiles it is using to attack Ukraine, three U.S. officials with knowledge of the intelligence told Reuters.

The disclosure could help explain why Russia has failed to achieve what most could consider basic objectives since its invasion a month ago, such as neutralising Ukraine's air force, despite the apparent strength of its military against Ukraine's much smaller armed forces.

The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, did not provide evidence to support the assessment and did not disclose what precisely was driving high Russian missile failure rates.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the figures.

4:21 PM
The New Arab Staff

Russian strikes kill four at Kharkiv medical facility

Russian strikes targeting a medical facility in Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv has killed at least four civilians and wounded several others, Ukrainian officials said.

"This morning, following a bombardment on civilian infrastructure from several rocket launchers, seven civilians were injured, four of them died," police in the eastern city near Russia's border said.

Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov accused Russian forces of "indiscriminate" shelling of his city and said that nearly two-thirds of its 1.5 million residents have had to flee since the war started a month ago.

"These criminal bombings target residential areas, civilians, and infrastructure such as schools," Terekhov told reporters during an improvised briefing in a secret location meant to be safe from bombs.

"It's a war against Kharkiv, against Ukraine, against civilians," he said.

Friday's strikes targeted a medical centre in the Osnovyansky district of the city, police said.

3:49 PM
The New Arab Staff

3.7 million people flee Ukraine: UN

Some 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion a month ago, the UN said Friday.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said 3,725,806 Ukrainians had fled the country - an increase of 50,854 from the previous day's figure.

Around 90 percent of them are women and children, it added.

Of those who have left, 2.2 million have fled for neighbouring Poland while more than half a million have made it to Romania. Around 20,000 have gone to Russia.

Before the crisis sparked a month ago, EU member Poland was home to around 1.5 million Ukrainians.

In total, more than 10 million people - over a quarter of the population in regions under government control before the February 24 invasion - are now thought to have fled their homes, including nearly 6.5 million who are internally displaced.

Ukrainian refugees [Getty]
3:27 PM
The New Arab Staff

France summons Russian envoy over 'unacceptable' tweets

France's foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy in Paris showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States.

"These publications are unacceptable," a ministry spokesperson said after two tweets on Thursday, now deleted.

"We said this clearly to the ambassador today. We are making a great effort to maintain a demanding channel of dialogue with Russia and these actions are completely inappropriate."

In one tweet, labelled "European solidarity in action", a row of kneeling people identified as EU member states can be seen licking the bare buttocks of a sinister-looking Uncle Sam character.

In another, two doctors in white coats and hats bearing American and EU insignia can be seen injecting a zombified "Europe" figure with syringes marked "Russophobia", "Neo-Nazism", "Sanctions" as well as "Cancel Culture" and "Covid".

The drawings, which drew outrage online immediately after their appearance, come at a time when French President Emmanuel Macron is holding regular phone calls with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a bid to find a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine.

"We didn't think the Russian embassy could stoop any lower... but yes it can!" one French Twitter user commented on Thursday in reaction to the cartoons.

Emmanuel Macron [Getty]
2:37 PM
The New Arab Staff

Neutral Swiss adopts more EU sanctions against Russia

Neutral Switzerland had adopted more European Union sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine, the cabinet said today, keeping the country in line with EU measures it has decided to embrace in a departure from its traditional neutrality.

The decision means the export of goods and related services for the Russian energy sector is now prohibited, the government said.

"Also prohibited is the participation in businesses active in the energy sector and the provision of loans or other financial resources to such businesses," it added.

Under the measures that take effect at 2200 GMT, imports of iron and steel goods from Russia or originating in Russia are banned, as is the export of luxury goods and maritime navigation goods to Russia.

In the financial sector, transactions with certain state-owned companies and the provision of credit rating services are prohibited.

"This means that all measures contained in the EU's fourth package of sanctions have been implemented," the government said.

It added it had decided not to implement the EU measure of March 1 blocking Russian media outlets Sputnik and Russia Today.

"Despite the fact that these outlets are used to spread targeted propaganda and disinformation by the Russian Federation, the Federal Council is of the opinion that it is more effective to counter untrue and harmful statements with facts instead of preventing them from being broadcast," it said.

2:16 PM
The New Arab Staff

Ukraine says Russia talks 'very difficult'

Ukraine has said that talks with Moscow were "very difficult" and vowed not to back down on its demands, more than a month into Russia's invasion.

"The negotiation process is very difficult," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"The Ukrainian delegation has taken a strong position and does not relinquish its demands. We insist, first of all, on a ceasefire, security guarantees, and territorial integrity of Ukraine," he added.

He also said there had been "no consensus" on key points with Russia.

"In particular, the Ukrainian language is and will be the only one state language in Ukraine."

He was speaking after Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Kyiv and Moscow appeared to have reached an agreement on four key negotiating points, including the language issue.

While Kuleba said this was not true, he said Ukraine "is sincerely grateful" to Turkey "for their political and humanitarian assistance, as well as diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine".

Moscow has for years alleged that Russian speakers in Ukraine are discriminated against and has stated this as a key reason for sending troops to the country.

1:53 PM
The New Arab Staff

Finland suspends its rail link between Russia and the EU

Finland's national railway operator says it will suspend services between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg in Russia on Monday, closing the rail link between Russia and the European Union.

VR, the operator, said it had been told by the Finnish state it was no longer appropriate to run the service, known as the Allegro, in light of sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

"So we are suspending traffic for the time being," Topi Simola, VR's head of passenger traffic, said in a statement.

Russian Railways said in a short statement they were aware of the Finnish decision due to sanctions.

Trains from Russia to Finland's capital Helsinki have been packed with Russians in recent weeks as some used it to leave the country urgently and mutual airspace closures cut off flight connections between Russia and the EU.

1:25 PM
The New Arab Staff

Biden in Poland to see US troops, Ukraine refugees

President Joe Biden will hear directly from US troops stationed near Poland’s border with Ukraine today.

Biden planned to meet with members of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, who are serving alongside Polish troops.

He arrived on Friday afternoon at the airport in Rzeszow, the largest city in southeastern Poland, where some US troops are based about an hour's drive from the Ukrainian border.

He will be in Warsaw on Saturday for talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda and others. 

The European Union says some 3.5 million Ukrainians - half of them children - have fled the country, with more than 2.2 million ending up in Poland.

The US Congress this month approved spending more than $13 billion on humanitarian and military assistance for Ukraine. The administration has begun allocating those funds.

Joe Biden [Getty]
12:53 PM
The New Arab Staff

US general: Ukraine resistance highlights need to prepare

Ukraine's stiff resistance to the Russian invasion, which has turned Moscow's advance into a grinding war of attrition, has underscored the importance to American allies of the need to be prepared for any eventuality, the top US Army commander in the Pacific has said.

Gen. Charles Flynn told The Associated Press that the events in Europe highlight the need for regular training exercises with partners, like the one that just concluded between the Royal Thai Army and the US Army.

“The will of the Ukrainian army, the will of their government, the will of the resistance is a contributing factor to what's unfolded,” said Flynn, who was in Thailand for the end of the exercise and for talks with military commanders as part of a trip meeting counterparts throughout the region.

12:34 PM
The New Arab Staff

Russia says first phase of Ukraine operation mostly complete, focus now on Donbass

Russia's defence ministry says that the first phase of its military operation in Ukraine was "mostly complete" and that it would focus on completely "liberating" eastern Ukraine's Donbass region.

The announcement appeared to indicate that Russia may be switching to more limited goals after running into fierce Ukrainian resistance in the first month of the war

Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying that Russian-backed separatists now controlled 93% of Ukraine's Luhansk region and 54% of the Donetsk region - the two areas that jointly make up the Donbass.

The ministry said it did not rule out storming Ukrainian cities that had been blockaded and that Russia would react immediately to any attempt to close the airspace over Ukraine - something Kyiv has asked NATO to do, but NATO has resisted.

12:18 PM
The New Arab Staff

Russian army says 1,351 soldiers killed in Ukraine

The Russian army has updated its losses in Ukraine to 1,351 soldiers, while saying that it had evacuated more than 400,000 civilians and condemning Western supplies of weapons to Kyiv.

At a Moscow briefing, senior military officials gave the first update on Russian deaths in weeks, adding that 3,825 soldiers had been wounded.

A senior defence ministry official, Mikhail Mizintsev, said 419,736 civilians had been evacuated to Russia from the separatist eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, as well as the rest of Ukraine.

Of these, more than 88,000 were children, he added, while 9,000 were foreigners.

"Russia will continue to open and provide humanitarian corridors in all directions," Mizintsev said.

A senior representative of the General Staff, Sergei Rudskoi, said: "We consider a huge mistake the supplies of arms to Kyiv by Western countries.

"This prolongs the conflict, increases the number of victims and will not be able to influence the outcome of the operation," Rudskoi added.

11:47 AM
The New Arab Staff

Ukraine says it has repulsed first Russian attack on Chernobyl workers' town

Ukraine has said its troops had repulsed the first attack by Russian troops closing in on the town of Slavutych, where workers at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant live.

Slavutych sits just outside the so-called exclusion zone around Chernobyl - the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster - where Ukrainian staff have continued to work even after the territory was seized by Russian forces soon after the start of their invasion.

Kyiv region administration said on Friday Russian troops had drawn closer to Slavutych, which is about 120 km (75 miles) from the capital, and suggested it was effectively cut off.

"Slavutych is completely isolated. The enemy is 1.5 km (one mile) from the town," it said in an online statement.

Soon after the statement was issued, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said Ukrainian troops had repulsed a first attack on the town, without giving further details.

Chernobyl [Getty]
11:35 AM
The New Arab Staff

Russia warns of bankruptcies globally if countries refuse to pay roubles for gas 

Russia's foreign ministry has warned of global bankruptcies should countries refuse to pay for its gas exports in roubles, the RIA news agency reported.

The ministry also said a Russian exit from the World Trade Organization (WTO) would be counter-productive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Gazprom to accept payment in roubles for its natural gas exports to Europe and the gas behemoth has four days left to work out how to move over billions of dollars in sales, the Kremlin said.

11:15 AM
The New Arab Staff

Russia claims it has taken 93% of territory of Ukraine's Luhansk region -TASS

Russia's defence ministry said has said it has "liberated" 93% of the territory of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, one of two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

The ministry earlier said that the main targets of the first phase of what Russia calls its "special operation" in Ukraine had been completed.

10:56 AM
The New Arab Staff

Russian ambassador sues Italian daily over Putin article

The Russian ambassador to Italy, Sergey Razov, has said today he was suing Italian newspaper La Stampa over an article that had raised the possibility of killing President Vladimir Putin.

"Needless to say that this goes against the rules of journalism and morality," Razov told reporters in front of the prosecutor's office in Rome after he had deposited the suit.

On March 22 La Stampa published an analysis headlined "If killing the tyrant is the only option".

The piece said if all other options failed to halt the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the only solution would be for someone to kill the president.

Vladimir Putin [Getty]
10:35 AM
The New Arab Staff

Russia denies breaching international law with phosphorus bombs

Russia has said it had "never" violated international legislation after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of using phosphorus bombs in his country.

"Russia has never violated international conventions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referring any further questions to the defence ministry.

10:17 AM
The New Arab & agencies

300 feared dead in Russian strike on Mariupol theatre: city hall

Ukrainian officials in the strategic port city of Mariupol have said today that they feared 300 people could have died in last week's Russian strike on a theatre where hundreds were sheltering.

"From eyewitnesses, information is emerging that about 300 people died in the Drama Theatre of Mariupol following strikes by a Russian aircraft," Mariupol city hall wrote on Telegram.

Mariupol city hall said on Friday that the theatre was destroyed in a "cynical" attack and claimed that Russia knew civilians were taking refuge in the building.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week following the strike that hundreds of people, believed mostly to be women and children, had taken in the building at the time of the attack.

Zelensky says nearly 100,000 people are trapped without food, water or power in the besieged city and enduring fierce shelling by Russian forces.

10:03 AM
The New Arab Staff

Ukraine urges EU to close Russia, Belarus borders to enforce sanctions

Ukraine has called on the European Union to close land, sea and air connections with Russia and Belarus, to tighten a sanctions package the West imposed over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The infrastructure ministry said in a statement it was calling on the bloc to "completely block land and sea connections with Russia and Belarus," as part of proposals to "increase economic pressure" on the countries.

9:42 AM
The New Arab Staff

Russian strikes kill four at Kharkiv medical facility: police

Russian strikes killed four civilians and wounded several others while targeting a medical facility in Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv on Friday, Ukrainian officials have said.

"This morning, following a bombardment on civilian infrastructure from several rocket launchers, seven civilians were injured, four of them died," said police in the eastern city near Russia's border.

The strikes targeted a medical centre in the Osnovyansky district of the city, police said.

It said investigators were working on the site of the strike.

"Police are documenting this crime against the Ukrainian people and are gathering all material evidence to bring the perpetrators to justice," the statement said.

9:25 AM
The New Arab Staff

Russian health regulator says medicine shortage due to spike in demand

Russian healthcare regulator Roszdravnadzor has said medicine shortages were due to "artificially" higher demand and that suppliers were not currently able to replenish stocks on time, the RIA news agency reported.

Russians have rushed to stock up on anti-depressants, sleeping pills and contraceptives among other products since the conflict in Ukraine began, data released on Thursday showed, with people buying a month's worth of medicine in just two weeks.

9:24 AM
The New Arab Staff & Agencies

Russian stocks edge lower in volatile trade, rouble stabilises

Russian stocks edged lower today in a volatile second session of trading after a nearly month-long suspension, while the rouble held on to recent gains, holding near 97 to the dollar.

The benchmark MOEX stock index was down 1.4% at 2,542.6 points at 0729 GMT. They hit a peak of 2,761.17 points on Thursday. The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 2.4% to 832.1 points.

On Thursday, 33 blue chips traded on the Moscow Exchange, with restrictions on trade with foreigners and a ban on short selling.

Commodities stocks had led Thursday's rebound with double-digit growth, but moves were smaller on Friday.

Oil major Rosneft was up 0.5%, while Lukoil was 1.9% lower.

Airline Aeroflot extended its slide lower, dropping around 9.3%.

The rouble was up 0.3% against the dollar at 96.75 .

9:02 AM
The New Arab Staff

Ukraine has re-occupied towns 35km east of Kyiv, UK says

Ukraine has re-occupied towns and defensive positions up to 35 kilometres east of Kyiv, helped by Russian forces falling back on overextended supply lines, Britain's defence ministry has said early today.

8:44 AM
The New Arab Staff

Ukraine makes new effort to evacuate Mariupol civilians

Ukraine hopes some civilians who have been trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol will be able to leave in private cars today, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said.

Repeated attempts to arrange safe passage out of the southern port city, which is surrounded by Russian forces, have failed.

Those who manage to leave Mariupol will find buses awaiting in the nearby city of Berdiansk which will take them to the city of Zaporizhzhia, Vereshchuk said.

"We will do everything in our power so that buses filled with Mariupol residents reach Zaporizhzhia today," she said.

Mariupol, which is normally home to about 400,000 people, has been under heavy bombardment for weeks.

Civilians trapped there have been sheltering in basements with little food, power or running water.

8:25 AM
The New Arab Staff

Russia says destroyed Ukraine's largest military fuel storage site

Russia says it has destroyed the largest remaining military fuel storage site in Ukraine, attacking it with Kalibr cruise missiles.

"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said it was Ukraine's largest remaining military fuel storage facility, supplying troops in the central part of the pro-Western country.

The announcement came on the 29th day of what Moscow has termed a "special military operation" in Ukraine, with thousands killed and more than 10 million displaced.

Since the start of Moscow's military action in Ukraine, Russian troops have destroyed more than 260 drones, over 1,580 tanks and other armoured vehicles and 204 anti-aircraft weapons systems, the ministry said.

While Ukrainian forces have stalled the initial Russian invasion and even launched some successful counterattacks, there are early signs that both sides are digging in for a long and bloody war that neither can easily win.

8:00 AM
The New Arab Staff

Thousands flee city near Ukrainian international airport

About 20,000 people have answered appeals to flee the Ukrainian city of Boryspil, which is near an international airport, Boryspil Mayor Volodymyr Borysenko said on national television today.

He urged others to evacuate, saying the large number of civilians in villages nearby made it difficult for Ukrainian troops to clear Russian forces from the area.

Boryspil international airport is about 30 km (19 miles) east of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian refugees [Getty]