Russia invades Ukraine updates: Moscow struck Lviv with cruise missiles

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

Here were the key developments from Sunday:

Russia wants to divide Ukraine: Kyiv

Ukraine says Russia may aim to divide the country into versions of North and South Korea because of President Vladimir Putin's failure to "capture Kyiv and remove Ukraine's government".

"There are reasons to believe that he may try to impose a separation line between the occupied and unoccupied regions of our country. In fact, it will be an attempt to set up South and North Koreas in Ukraine," Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence, says in a statement.

Macron warns against 'escalation'

French President Emmanuel Macron warns against verbal "escalation" with Moscow after US President Joe Biden called his Russian counterpart a "butcher".

Macron says that he sees his task as "achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of (Russian) troops by diplomatic means".

"If we want to do that, we can't escalate either in words or actions," he tells broadcaster France 3.

US not seeking Moscow 'regime change'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plays down Biden's comments that suggested a desire for regime change.

Biden's point was that "Putin cannot be empowered to wage war, or engage in aggression against Ukraine, or anyone else", Blinken says. "As you've heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia or anywhere else for that matter."

Biden sparked accusations the US sought regime change when he said: "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."

Separatist region could hold vote

The head of Ukraine's Lugansk separatist region says it could hold a referendum on becoming part of Russia.

"I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, during which the people will... express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation," Leonid Pasechnik is quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko slams the proposal as part of continued Russian efforts to "undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Over 3.8 million refugees

The United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, says 3,821,049 Ukrainians have fled the country - an increase of 48,450 from the previous day's figure.

Around 90 percent of them are women and children. The UN estimates that another 6.5 million people are displaced in Ukraine.

ICRC denies aiding forced evacuations

The International Committee of the Red Cross denies accusations that it helped organise or carry out forced evacuations of Ukrainians to Russia.

"The ICRC does not ever help organize or carry out forced evacuations. This applies everywhere we work. We would not support any operation that would go against people's will and our principles," the Geneva-based humanitarian organisation says in a statement.

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New Ukraine-Russia talks next week

Ukraine said that a second round of conflict talks between negotiators from Kyiv and Moscow will take place in Turkey from Monday, just over one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Today, during another round of video negotiations, it was decided to hold the next in-person round of the two delegations in Turkey on March 28-30," David Arakhamia, a Ukraine negotiator and politician wrote on Facebook.

Russia's lead negotiator in the conflict, Vladimir Medinsky, confirmed the upcoming talks with Ukraine, but gave a slightly different time frame, saying they would start Tuesday and end Wednesday.

Russia and Ukraine failed to make a breakthrough in their first top-level talks, on March 10 in Antalya, since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February.

The two sides have held regular talks via video conference but offered scant hopes for any breakthroughs with both sides describing efforts as difficult.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan said this week that Russia and Ukraine appeared to have reached an understanding on four out of six negotiating points; Ukraine staying out of NATO, the use of Russian language in Ukraine, disarmament and security guarantees.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Friday however that there was "no consensus" on key points with Russia.

Turkey backs unity and sovereignty of Ukraine, Jazeera TV reports

Turkey supports the unity and sovereignty of Ukraine, Turkish presidency spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told Al Jazeera TV on Sunday.

Kalin told the Qatari TV channel that war in Ukraine was not justified but channels of communication with Russia must be kept open.

"Turkey is trying to end the war in Ukraine through dialogue with Moscow and Kyiv," he said.

France warns of 'collective guilt' if people in Ukraine's Mariupol not helped

The French foreign minister said on Sunday there would be "collective guilt" if nothing was done to help civilians in Mariupol, the Ukrainian city besieged by Russian forces.

Jean-Yves Le Drian was speaking at the Doha Forum international conference.

New Ukraine conflict talks start Monday in Turkey: Kyiv

Ukraine said that a second round of conflict talks between negotiators from Kyiv and Moscow would take place in Turkey from Monday, just over one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Today, during another round of video negotiations, it was decided to hold the next in-person round of the two delegations in Turkey on March 28-30," David Arakhamia, a Ukraine negotiator and politician wrote on Facebook.

Macron warns against 'escalation' after Biden brands Putin 'butcher'

France's President Emmanuel Macron has warned against a verbal "escalation" of Russia's invasion in Ukraine after US President Joe Biden branded Vladimir Putin a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power".

The Kremlin had reacted in fury over Biden's comments which it said narrows the window for bilateral relations, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine now into a second month.

Macron said he would speak to Putin in the next two days to organise the evacuation of civilians from the heavily bombarded port city of Mariupol.

The French leader told broadcaster France 3 that he saw his task as "achieving first a ceasefire and then the total withdrawal of (Russian) troops by diplomatic means."

"If we want to do that, we can't escalate either in words or actions."

Ukraine was making a new push to get civilians out of the city on Sunday, with an aid route agreement for people to leave by cars or on evacuation buses, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

3.8 million people flee Ukraine: UN

More than 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion a month ago, UN figures showed Sunday, but the flow of refugees has slowed down markedly.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said 3,821,049 Ukrainians had fled the country - an increase of 48,450 from Saturday's figures.

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. Nearly 300,000 have gone to Russia.

Before the crisis began 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.

Ukraine's refugee crisis is Europe's worst since World War II.

ICRC denies aiding forced evacuations of Ukrainians to Russia

The International Committee of the Red Cross has denied accusations that it helped organise or carry out forced evacuations of Ukrainians to Russia.

"The ICRC does not ever help organize or carry out forced evacuations. This applies everywhere we work. We would not support any operation that would go against people's will and our principles," the Geneva-based humanitarian organisation said in a statement.

The ICRC statement, headlined "Addressing misinformation about ICRC’s activities", did not specify what had given rise to the strong denial, saying only "over the past days, false information about the ICRC has been circulated that we must address".

Half of Ukrainians ready to take up arms: poll

Nearly half of Ukrainians aged 18-55 are ready to fight to defend their country against Russia, a poll conducted by European scholars suggested.

Around 70 percent of men and 30 percent of women said they were willing to take up arms, according to the survey carried out by the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (Prio) with the help of local pollsters Info Sapiens.

The latter questioned more than 1,000 Ukrainians considered of age to defend their country, half of them men and half women, in an attempt to create a representative sample despite the challenges posed by conducting a survey during a war.

Surveyed March 9-12, during the third week of the conflict, the respondents answered online questions about their attitudes to four types of resistance.

When presented with the statement, "If the war continues, I will help the resistance by joining direct military combat in open battles against the Russian or pro-Russian forces", 49 percent responded positively.

Around 47 percent said they would be willing to "help the resistance by joining direct military combat in fortified defence positions of the Ukrainian forces".

Ukraine urges boycott of French retailer Auchan

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called for a global boycott of French retail giant Auchan, with pressure mounting on international brands to quit Russia over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"Apparently, job losses in Russia are more important than the loss of life in Ukraine. If Auchan ignores 139 Ukrainian children murdered during this month of Russian invasion, let us ignore Auchan and all their products," he wrote on Twitter.

Kuleba called for a "boycott" of the retail group as well as French DIY retailer Leroy Merlin and sporting chain Decathlon, all of which operate under the Association Familiale Mulliez.

Auchan CEO Yves Claude this week defended the company's decision to remain in Russia citing the need to keep staff employed. 

"Leaving would be imaginable from an economic point of view, but not from a human point of view," he told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

According to its company website, Auchan has 41,000 employees and operates more than 300 stores in Russia.

Ukraine says 16,600 Russian soldiers killed since war began

Some 16,600 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, the Ukrainian military has said today.

Ukrainian forces have also destroyed 121 Russian aircraft, 127 helicopters, 582 tanks, 1,664 armoured carriers, 294 cannons, 93 rocket launcher systems, and 52 air defence systems since Feb. 24, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

The Russian forces also lost 1,144 vehicles, seven light speedboats, 73 fuel vehicles, and 56 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it added.

Ukrainian refugee children arrive in Turkey

A total of 159 children from orphanages in conflict-ridden Ukraine arrived in the southern Turkish province of Antalya on Sunday, Turkey's Daily Sabah reported.

The children will be accommodated in hotels in the city, which has a sizable Ukrainian population.

Their evacuation is the result of work by Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan and Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska.

Erdogan arranged the evacuation of Ukrainian children through the assistance of the foreign ministry and the ministry of family and social services.

The children, accompanied by 26 carers working in Ukrainian orphanages, flew to the Turkish city from Poland.

They were welcomed by Ukrainian ambassador in Ankara Vasyl Bodnar and Ukrainian Consul-General in Antalya Emir Rustamov.

Bodnar told reporters at the airport that this was the first group of children and more would arrive in coming days.

He thanked the Turkish government for the evacuation.

"I hope the children will have a comfortable environment here and overcome (the trauma) of incidents in Ukraine. I hope we will be able to host some 2,000 children from orphanages in Ukraine," he said.

Ukraine: Russian referendum in occupied territory would have no legal basis

Ukraine said today that Russia holding a referendum in occupied Ukrainian territory would have no legal basis and would face a strong response from the international community, deepening its global isolation.

The Russian-controlled Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine could hold a referendum soon on joining Russia, its local leader was quoted as saying.

"All fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legal validity," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement to Reuters.

"Instead, Russia will facе an even stronger response from the international community, further deepening its global isolation."

Blinken says Israel's Ukraine-Russia mediation bid important, closely coordinated with US

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today described Israel's efforts to mediate an end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict as important and "closely coordinated" with Washington.

Blinken made his remarks during a Jerusalem meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Polish TV holding global charity telethon for Ukraine

British artists Fatboy Slim and Craig David are among the music stars taking part in an English-language charity telethon for Ukraine being organised on Sunday by Polish state channel TVP, the network said.

The "Save Ukraine #StopWar" programme, which will also include Ukrainian footballing legend Andriy Shevchenko, is being broadcast to more than 20 countries, TVP World said in a statement.

The two-hour show will start at 1530 GMT.

"Money will be raised for the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," the statement said, adding that Polish and Ukrainian anchors would take part.

The organisers said it was "a project aimed at reaching out to millions of people around the world to help Ukrainians live through the war and win it".

Eurovision winners Salvador Sobral and Netta, as well as Ukraine's Dakha Brakha, Ruslana, The Hardkiss, Jamala, Go_A, Monatik and Alyona Alyona are also taking part along with "representatives of Tottenham and Real Madrid" football clubs, TVP World said.

TVP World is TVP's English-language channel.

Pope evokes spectre of Ukraine war sparking global conflict

The threat of a global conflict spawned by Russia's invasion of Ukraine should convince everyone that the time has come for humanity to abolish war before it abolishes humanity, Pope Francis said today.

"More than a month has passed since the invasion of Ukraine, since the start of this cruel and senseless war, which, like every war, is a defeat for everyone, for all of us," he said to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his Sunday blessing.

"We must repudiate war, a place of death where fathers and mothers bury their children, where men kill their brothers without even seeing them, where the powerful decide and the poor die," he said.

The war in Ukraine was destroying the country's future, he said, citing a statistic that half of the country's children had to flee the country.

"That is the bestiality of war, something that is barbarous and sacrilegious," he said, urging his listeners not to consider war as inevitable or something to get used to.

"If we emerge from this (war) the same as we were before, we will all be in some way guilty. Faced with the danger of self-destruction, humanity must understand that the time has come to abolish war, to cancel it from the history of man before it cancels man from history," he said.

Russia trying to split Ukraine in two, Ukraine intelligence chief says

Russia is trying to split Ukraine in two to create a Moscow-controlled region after failing to take over the whole country, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence said on Sunday.

"In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine," Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement, adding that Ukraine would soon launch guerrilla warfare in Russian-occupied territory.

Russia restricts access to Germany's Bild website

Russia's communications watchdog has restricted access to the website of German tabloid Bild at the request of the prosecutor general's office, Interfax reported today.

Russia trying to split Ukraine in two, Ukraine intelligence chief says

Russia is trying to split Ukraine in two to create a Moscow-controlled region after failing to take over the whole country, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence said on Sunday.

"In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine," Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement, adding that Ukraine would soon launch guerrilla warfare in Russian-occupied territory.

India leans toward continued import of Russian coking coal 

India is leaning toward continuing to import coking coal from Russia, the steel minister said today, seeming to buck a global trend to shun Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

"We are moving in the direction of importing coking coal from Russia," Ramchandra Prasad Singh told a conference in New Delhi.

India plans to double imports of Russian coking coal, a key ingredient in making steel, the minister said. He said the country had imported 4.5 million tonnes but did not indicate the period he was referring to.

"Smooth supplies" from Russia of coking coal have been affected, Singh said, in an apparent reference to the war. He did not elaborate.

Turkey says Ankara and others must talk to Russia to help end Ukraine war

Turkey and other states must still talk to Russia to help end the war in Ukraine, Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Sunday, adding that Kyiv needed more support to defend itself.

"If everybody burns bridges with Russia then who is going to talk to them at the end of the day," Ibrahim Kalin told the Doha international forum.

"Ukrainians need to be supported by every means possible so they can defend themselves ... but the Russian case must be heard, one way or the other."

Abandoned animals join Ukraine's war exodus

At the "Home for Rescued Animals" in the city of Lviv, exotic creatures are now sheltered alongside everyday pets - those left behind in the rush of refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Read the full story: Abandoned animals join Ukraine's war exodus

Russia has started destroying Ukrainian fuel and food storage depots

Russia has started destroying Ukrainian fuel and food storage depots, meaning the government will have to disperse the stocks of both in the near future, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said today.

Speaking on local television, Denysenko also said Russia was bringing forces to the Ukrainian border on rotation, and could make new attempts to advance in its invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian rebel region may hold referendum on joining Russia

The Russian-backed self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine could hold a referendum soon on joining Russia, the rebel region's news outlet cited local leader Leonid Pasechnik as saying on Sunday.

"I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic," Pasechnik said.

"The people will exercise their ultimate constitutional right and express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation."

Russia last month recognised Luhansk and Donetsk self-proclaimed republics as independent and ordered what it called a peacekeeping operation in the region shortly after.

Ukraine says two evacuation corridors agreed for Sunday, including from Mariupol

Ukraine and Russia have agreed two 'humanitarian corridors' to evacuate civilians from frontline areas on Sunday, including allowing people to leave by private car from the southern city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Ukraine exports first grain by train to Europe

Traders have exported the first supplies of Ukrainian corn to Europe by train as the country's sea ports remain blocked due to the Russian invasion, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said today.

Ukraine is a global major grain grower and exporter and almost all its exports have traditionally been shipped from its Black Sea ports. Monthly grain exports exceeded 5 million tonnes before the war.

Traders and agriculture officials have said Ukraine, which still has significant volumes of grain in stock, may start exporting by train via its western border.

"The first batches of several thousand tonnes of corn have already been exported across Ukraine's western land border," APK-Inform said in a report.

"Difficulties with logistics persist, supply still prevails over demand, but prices have stopped falling," it added.

APK-Inform said Ukrainian corn DAP (Delivered At Place) prices for buyers from Poland and the Baltic States were $250 to $265 per tonne and $275 per tonne for Slovakia.

Ukrainian transport authorities have said as much as 600,000 tonnes of grain per month could be exported by trains from Ukraine to Europe.

Biden says 'butcher' Putin 'cannot remain in power'

US President Joe Biden yesterday castigated Vladimir Putin over the month-old war in Ukraine, bluntly calling the Russian leader "a butcher" who "cannot remain in power".

In an impassioned speech from the Royal Castle in Warsaw, delivered after meeting top Ukrainian ministers in Poland and earlier conferring with NATO and EU allies on the conflict, Biden plainly warned Russia: "Don't even think about moving on one single inch of NATO territory."

Although the White House moved quickly to temper Biden's unprecedented comments on Putin - insisting the US leader is not seeking "regime change" in Russia and was referring to Putin's influence over neighbours in the region - the Kremlin made its displeasure clear.

Personal attacks, one official said, were "narrowing down the window of opportunity" for bilateral relations.

Zelensky: Russia sowing a deep hatred among Ukrainians

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Moscow is sowing a deep hatred for Russia among his people, as constant artillery barrages and aerial bombings are reducing cities to rubble, killing civilians, and driving others into shelters, leaving them to scrounge for food and water to survive.

"You are doing everything so that our people themselves leave the Russian language, because the Russian language will now be associated only with you, with your explosions and murders, your crimes," Zelensky said in an impassioned video address late on Saturday.

Russian rockets struck the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday, serving as a reminder that Moscow is willing to strike anywhere in Ukraine despite its claim to be focusing its offensive on the country’s east.

Early on Sunday, a chemical smell still lingered in the air as firefighters in Lviv sprayed water on a burned section of an oil facility hit in the Russian attack.

A security guard at the site, Prokopiv Yaroslav, said he saw three rockets strike and destroy two oil tanks but no one was hurt.

“The second strike threw me to the ground,” he said.

Zelensky urges 1% of NATO aircraft, tanks, weaponry to be deployed in Ukraine

Ukraine’s president urged his country's European "partners" late on Saturday to deploy 1% of all NATO aircraft, tanks and weaponry for the country's defence.

Speaking on strengthening the "common security" of all European countries, Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address stressed that the "price of this security" includes planes, tanks, anti-missile defence systems and anti-ship weaponry for Ukraine.

"This is what our partners have. This is what is covered with dust at their storage facilities. After all, this is all for freedom not only in Ukraine - this is for freedom in Europe," he said.

"Because it cannot be acceptable for everyone on the continent if the Baltic states, Poland, Slovakia and the whole of Eastern Europe are at risk of a clash with the Russian invaders," he added.

"At risk only because they left only 1% of all NATO aircraft and 1% of all NATO tanks somewhere in their hangars. One percent! We did not ask for more. And we do not ask for more. And we have already been waiting for 31 days!" he said.