Russia invades Ukraine: Russian forces seize Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The New Arab’s live coverage of the latest developments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine concludes for today.

Here were the key developments from today:

Nuclear plant shelled then taken

A fire at Europe's biggest nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia is put out, with Ukraine accusing Russia of "nuclear terror" in shelling the plant.

Russian troops later take over the site of the reactors, which generate a fifth of Ukraine's electricity, after firefighters say they were prevented from reaching the blaze for hours.

West slams 'recklessness'

Western leaders lash Moscow's "recklessness" in attacking the power station, with Britain calling a United Nations Security Council meeting after Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Russia threatened "the safety of all of Europe".

Kyiv says no leaks has been detected after the Zaporizhzhia shelling.

NATO rejects no-fly zone

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance will not impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine after Kyiv calls for one to help stop Russia's bombing of its cities.

'Numerous rapes': Kyiv

Ukraine's foreign minister claims there have been "numerous cases" of Russian troops raping Ukrainian women and calls for an international tribunal on war crimes.

More than 1.2 million flee

More than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries since Russia invaded last week, the UN says.

Stocks plunge

European markets plunge more than three percent after Russia takes control of the continent's biggest nuclear power plant.

Moscow media blackout

Russia admits to "limiting" access to news websites including the BBC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, independent Russian site Meduza and Germany's Deutsche Welle, with Facebook also blocked.

Jail terms for 'fake news'

Russian lawmakers approve a law imposing 15-year jail sentences for fake news about the Russian armed forces which many fear could severely curtail reporting.

Rights group raided

Police raid the offices of Russia's top rights group, Memorial, which was ordered to close late last year amid an international outcry.

Russia isolated

Russia is more isolated than ever after a historic vote at the UN Human Rights Council for a probe into violations committed during the war on Ukraine, with only Eritrea siding with Moscow.

Humanitarian corridors agreed

Russia and Ukraine agree to create humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from as yet unspecified cities.

Invasion going 'to plan': Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow's advance is going "according to plan".

'Assassinate him'

Senior US Republican senator Lindsey Graham calls for "somebody in Russia" to assassinate Putin.

EU wants Ukraine membership 'as soon as possible'

The deputy head of the EU commission said Ukraine should become a member of the EU as soon as possible.

Join us tomorrow for more live updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

European Union wants Ukraine membership 'as soon as possible'

Ukraine should become a member of the EU as soon as possible, according to the deputy head of the EU commission.

"Now it is time for a strong message. It is time for signalling that the Ukrainian people are one of the European peoples. We want them in as soon as possible," Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said on Friday after a meeting of EU Europe ministers in Arles in the south of France.

Sefcovic added that he sees Ukraine as a "future member state". 

Enthusiasm has grown for Ukraine's eventual EU membership in the wake of the Russian invasion among European lawmakers, after President Volodymyr Zelensky's impassioned plea to the European parliament this week.

European Mayors gather in Warsaw in support of Ukraine

Mayors of EU capitals gathered in Warsaw on Friday in an expression of support for Kyiv following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The mayors stated their willingness to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the offensive, as representatives of Bratislava, Budapest, Vilnius and Tirana were present, while those from Brussels and Amsterdam joined online.

Organised by Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and his Paris counterpart Anne Hidalgo, the pair confirmed their backing for humanitarian and military support to Kyiv, Hidalgo told AFP.

Hidalgo also said the Warsaw municipality would take the lead in coordinating help for refugees across their cities.

US say Ukraine still has "significant majority" of its military aircraft available

Ukraine still has a "significant majority" of its military aircraft available, a US defence official said on Friday.

"The Ukrainians still have a significant majority of their air combat power available to them, both fixed-wing and rotary wing as well as unmanned systems and surface-to-air systems," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The statement comes nine days after Russian forces started their brutal invasion of the country on 24 February, as the reported fact surprised military experts due to the Russian military's outmatched numbers and firepower capacity in comparison to Ukraine's, Reuters stated.

Russian President Putin ready for dialogue if 'all Russian demands' are met

Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a telephone call that Russia was ready for dialogue over Ukraine if all its demands are met, the Kremlin said Friday, according to AFP.

Putin "confirmed that Russia is open to dialogue with the Ukrainian side, as well as with everyone who wants peace in Ukraine. But under the condition that all Russian demands are met," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia began its brutal invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Ukrainian authorities say at least 2,000 citizens have been killed since Moscow's offensive began.

Hundreds of NGOs call for import ban on Russian oil, gas

Hundreds of civil society groups and NGOs have called on governments worldwide to "reject and ban any import of fossil fuels from Russia" in order to cut off the main source of revenue for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

It is "clear that this war machine has been funded, fed and fuelled by the coal, oil and gas industries that are driving both the invasion threatening Ukraine and the climate crisis threatening humanity's future," they said in an open letter.

"Putin's income streams must be dried out as soon as possible," said the letter, signed by the World Council of Churches, 350.org, Greenpeace and CAN International, an umbrella organisation of more than 1,500 climate NGOs.

Approximately 40 percent of Russia's federal budget comes from oil and gas revenues, which also make up about three-fifths of Russian exports.

"Putin has deliberately weaponized fossil gas to increase his existing energy dominance over the European Union and to threaten European nations that would come to Ukraine's aid," the letter said. "This needs to stop!"

Some 40 percent of Europe's natural gas needs are supplied by Russia, with Germany, Hungary and Slovakia especially dependent.

"We call on you to urgently work with your European colleagues on ending this fossil fuel addiction once and for all," said the letter, addressing other importers of Russian oil and gas, such as the United States, Canada, China, India and Japan.

The signatories also included Ukrainian officials and numerous civil society organisations.

Ukraine plans third round of Russia talks this weekend

Ukraine plans to hold a third round of talks this weekend with Russian officials to try to end the fighting triggered by Moscow's invasion, one of Kyiv's negotiators has said.

"The third leg could take place tomorrow or the day after, we are in constant contact," Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said, on the eighth day of the war.

Ukraine asks United States and EU to freeze all Russian bank assets

Ukraine's central bank governor, Kyrylo Shevchenko, has called on the United States and the European Union to freeze the assets of all Russian banks within their jurisdiction and to suspend their access to their markets and banks.

"We urge you to take decisions that will help in the international fight against terrorist financing," Shevchenko said in a statement.

Ukraine to confront Russia at Int'l Court of Justice on Monday

Ukraine and Russia will face off on Monday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a hearing on emergency measures sought by Kyiv to order Moscow to suspend military operations, with Russia's legal team weakened by the resignation of a key lawyer.

The case lodged by Ukraine at the UN court centres on the interpretation of a 1948 treaty on the prevention of genocide, signed by both Russia and Ukraine.

The court is named in the treaty itself as the forum for resolving disputes related to it, and Ukraine's suit argues that Russia has misinterpreted the treaty in several ways.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested in televised addresses that Russia's invasion of Ukraine - which he calls a "special military action" - was justified by the need "to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide... for the last eight years" in Eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv's suit argues there is no evidence that genocide has taken place or will take place in Eastern Ukraine.

It asked the court to establish that "Russia has no lawful basis to take action in and against Ukraine for the purpose of preventing and punishing any purported genocide".

Microsoft 'suspends' new sales of products, services in Russia

Microsoft is halting new sales of its products and services in Russia, the tech giant announced Friday, in the latest fallout over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The US-based tech giant behind software that runs on over one billion devices, said it would "suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services" in Russia, but offered no further details.

"Like the rest of the world, we are horrified, angered and saddened by the images and news coming from the war in Ukraine and condemn this unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful invasion by Russia," Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a blog post.

Microsoft said it has also taken action over harmful cyberattacks against the Ukrainian state.

"Since the war began, we have acted against Russian positioning, destructive or disruptive measures against more than 20 Ukrainian government, IT and financial sector organizations," Smith's blog said.

"We have also acted against cyberattacks targeting several additional civilian sites," he added.

Civilian death toll in Ukraine rises to 331 - UN rights office

The UN human rights office has confirmed that 331 civilians have been killed and 675 injured in Ukraine since Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24, adding that the real toll was likely much higher.

The toll, through to midnight on Thursday, rose from 249 in its previous report from a day earlier. Among the 331 killed were 19 children, the UN rights office said.

Most of the victims were killed by explosive weapons such as shelling from heavy artillery, multi-launch rocket systems and missile and air strikes, according to the rights office, which has monitors in Ukraine.

Ukraine accuses Russian troops of rape

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has accused Russian troops of raping women and backed a call for the creation of a special tribunal to punish Moscow's aggression.

"We have numerous cases of, unfortunately, when Russian soldiers rape women in the Ukrainian cities," Kuleba told a briefing at London's Chatham House think-tank.

He did not provide details but supported an appeal by former British prime minister Gordon Brown and a swathe of international law experts for a special tribunal.

International law "is the only tool of civilisation that is available to us to make sure that in the end, eventually, all those who made this war possible will be brought to justice," Kuleba said, as civilian casualties mount in Ukraine.

"We are fighting against the enemy who is much stronger than us," Kuleba said.

"But the international law is on our side, and hopefully... it will make its own contribution to help us prevail."

Dozens of explosions heard in Ukraine's capital Kyiv

Up to a dozen explosions were heard in downtown Kyiv on Friday morning as air raid sirens wailed, according to Reuters.

Reuters witnesses in the centre of the city could not immediately confirm the cause of the blasts, but they were more frequent than in recent days and some were louder.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, Reuters reported.

No major assault has been launched on Kyiv yet, but the capital has been shelled.

More than 1.2 million refugees flee Ukraine

More than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, United Nations figures showed.

The UN children's agency UNICEF estimates that around half a million of them are youngsters.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has projected that more than four million Ukrainian refugees may eventually need protection and assistance.

"The rate of this exodus is quite phenomenal," said UNCHR communications chief Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams.

"We know that there are many more on the move. Also there are possibly equal numbers inside the country that are internally displaced."

The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said people from roughly 138 countries had left, recording 78,800 from third countries crossing Ukraine's borders, including migrant workers and students.

More than 37 million people lived under the Kyiv government's control before last week's invasion.

Turkey says situation in Ukraine worsening, Turkish air space to remain open

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has warned that the situation in Ukraine was worsening and it must not be allowed to escalate, adding Turkey would keep its air space open.

Speaking after a NATO meeting in Brussels, Cavusoglu added Turkey and Russia were in contact at the military level to make sure Turkish vessels could safely return from ports in the Black Sea.

He also said Turkey wanted to bring together the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers at a diplomacy forum in southern Turkey next week, but that it was unclear if the ministers would be able to attend.

More deaths and more suffering expected in Ukraine in days to come, NATO says

The war in Ukraine will cause more deaths and destruction over the coming days, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said, calling on Russia's President Vladimir Putin to withdraw all troops from Ukraine without conditions.

"The days to come are likely to be worse, with more deaths, more suffering and more destruction," Stoltenberg told reporters after a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels.

In a series of phone and video calls on Thursday, the Russian president accused Kyiv of using human shields and behaving "like Nazis", hailed his fallen soldiers as "heroes" and claimed the invasion was going "according to plan".

He told members of his Kremlin security council that Russia has only bombed military facilities and his troops haven't targeted residential areas – despite another day of carnage in which the bodies of Ukrainian civilians were recovered from destroyed homes.

West eyes more pressure on Russia after Ukraine nuclear plant attack

Western allies have condemned Russia over the shelling of a nuclear plant in Ukraine, but pushed back against calls for a no-fly zone from Kyiv to halt Moscow's bombardments.

Foreign ministers meeting in Brussels at NATO and the European Union said they were weighing more sanctions to keep up the pressure after hitting Moscow with a wave of economic punishment over its invasion.

"Overnight we have also seen reports about the attack against the nuclear power plant. This just demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engaging good faith in diplomatic efforts," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

"NATO is not part of the conflict. NATO is a defensive alliance, we do not seek war or conflict with Russia."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said allies "strongly condemn" the attack and called on Russia to stop its "aggression".

The fears around Europe's largest nuclear plant added fresh urgency to the string of meetings set to showcase the West's unity in trying to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin.

NATO members have rushed thousands of troops to eastern Europe to bolster the alliance's flank closest to Russia and are sending weapons to help Ukraine defend itself.

NATO has ruled out intervening militarily over fears of getting into a direct conflict with Moscow that could spiral into nuclear war.

That has so far included rebuffing Ukrainian calls for a no-fly zone over their country to halt bombings by the Kremlin's forces.

"NATO shouldn't be dragged into this conflict," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.

"No-fly zone means NATO being in a conflict since it will be NATO forces enforcing this no-fly zone."

Canada's top diploomat Melanie Joly said: "We know that our red line is to make sure that there's no international conflict."

"At the same time, I would say that we want to make sure that scenarios are being discussed, and we want to make sure also, that throughout the alliance, and throughout all the countries that support Ukraine, that we can have discussions, because we need to stop this war," she said.

New US-Russia military hotline established by Pentagon 

The Pentagon established a new hotline with Russia's ministry of defence to prevent "miscalculation, military incidents and escalation" in the region as Russia's invasion of Ukraine advances, a US official told Reuters on Thursday.

The United States says it has no troops in Ukraine but it and NATO allies in Europe are worried about potential spillover as Russia stages the largest assault on a European state since World War Two.

"The Department of the Defense recently established a de-confliction line with the Russian ministry of defense on March 1 for the purposes of preventing miscalculation, military incidents, and escalation," a senior US defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirming a move first reported by NBC.

The US military has successful created hotlines with Russia in the past, including during the war in Syria, where Moscow intervened on the side of President Bashar al-Assad.

For more on this story, click here.

UN rights council backs probe of violations in Ukraine war

The UN Human Rights Council has overwhelmingly voted to create a high-level investigation into violations committed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Thirty-two members of the 47-seat council voted to establish the highest-level probe possible into alleged rights violations, with an eye to holding perpetrators responsible.

Only two countries - Russia and Eritrea - voted against.

No damage to reactors at Ukraine's Zaporozhzhia nuclear plant -IAEA chief

No damage was done to the reactors at Ukraine's Zaporozhzhia nuclear power plant and there was no release of radioactive material after a projectile hit a nearby building on the site overnight, UN atomic chief Rafael Grossi has said.

Two members of security staff were injured when the projectile hit overnight after the Ukrainian authorities reported a battle with Russian troops near Europe's biggest power plant, which is operating at just a small fraction of its capacity with one of its six units still running.

"What we understand is that this projectile is a projectile that is coming from the Russian forces. We do not have details about the kind of projectile," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi told a news conference.

Russia's Defence Ministry blamed the attack on Ukrainian "saboteurs".

Grossi showed an overhead shot of the facility with the training facility that was hit close to but clearly separate from the row of reactor buildings.

The radiation monitoring system at the site was functioning normally and there had been no release of radioactive material, Grossi said.

Google suspends all online advertising sales in Russia amid Ukraine invasion

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Thursday that it had stopped selling online advertising in Russia.

The ban will reportedly cover search, YouTube and outside publishing partners.

"In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we're pausing Google ads in Russia... the situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate," the company said in a statement.

For more on this story, click here.

Russia restricts access to BBC service and Radio Liberty over 'fake news' on invasion

Russia's communications watchdog has restricted access to the Russian-language websites of the BBC and Radio Liberty for spreading what it says is false information regarding Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow's RIA news agency said access to the websites alongside the Meduza media outlet were being curbed, citing the media watchdog's official register.

Russian officials say Western media has failed to report on what they cast as the "genocide" of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.

For more on this story, click here.

NATO rejects calls for no-fly zone over Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance would not impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine after calls from Kyiv to help stop Russia's bombardments.

"The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukraine's airspace, and then impose that no fly zone by shooting down Russian planes," Stoltenberg said after an urgent meeting with NATO foreign ministers.

"If we did that, we'll end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering. So that's the reason why we make this painful decision."

The stance by the US-led bloc comes despite appeals from Ukraine's leadership to help halt indiscriminate bombing against cities around the country.

Stoltenberg warned that "the days to come are likely to be worse, with more death, more suffering, and more destruction as Russian armed forces bring in heavier weaponry and continue their attacks across the country".

Russia blames attack at Ukrainian nuclear power station on Kyiv

Russia's defence ministry on Friday blamed an attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine on Ukrainian saboteurs.

The ministry called the attack a monstrous provocation, stating a Russian national guard patrol was attacked by a sabotage group near to the plant.

A Russian defence ministry spokesman said the nuclear plant was operating normally and the area had been under Russian control since 28 February. 

"Last night on the territory adjacent to the power plant, an attempt was made by the Kyiv nationalist regime to carry out a monstrous provocation," the ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying.

Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said on Friday that the power plant site was "seized by the military forces of the Russian Federation" after a battle with Ukrainian troops that caused a fire.

Ukraine's president urges Russians to protest over attack on nuclear plant

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed directly to Russians to stage protests over the seizure of nuclear power infrastructure by Russian troops in Ukraine.

"Russian people, I want to appeal to you: how is this possible? After all we fought together in 1986 against the Chernobyl catastrophe," he said in a televised address.

NATO chief slams Russia 'recklessness' in Ukraine nuclear plant shelling

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has decried Russia's "recklessness" over the shelling of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine and demanded Moscow stop the war against its neighbour.

"Overnight we have also seen reports about the attack against the nuclear power plant. This just demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engaging good faith in diplomatic efforts," Stoltenberg said ahead of a meeting with Western foreign ministers.

Russian military forces have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine's southeast, the regional state administration said on Friday.

The nuclear plant is Europe's largest and was reportedly captured after a battle with Ukrainian troops that caused a fire.

"The Zaporizhzhia NPP site has been seized by the military forces of the Russian Federation," the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said, in a statement.

"The fire was extinguished by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service units. Information on the dead and injured is absent."

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Thursday the reactors at Zaporizhzhia power station "are protected by robust containment structures and reactors are being safely shut down".