A week after invasion of Ukraine launched, ICC confirms it is gathering evidence of possible war crimes
Russian forces are in control of the local government building in the Black Sea port of Kherson, according to its mayor, Igor Kolykhaiev, although there are conflicting reports about the status of the strategically important city.
More heavy explosions were reported in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and second city, Kharkiv, overnight and on Thursday morning after Russian missile strikes.
A second round of talks is reportedly set to take place today. A Russian negotiator said a ceasefire was on the agenda, but Ukraine has said Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before any progress can be made.
More than one million people have fled Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country last week, the head of the United Nations refugee agency has said.
The international criminal court (ICC) is opening an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine and has begun collecting evidence after 38 countries formally referred reports of atrocities, the largest referral it has ever received.
The Russian advance on Kyiv has been delayed by “staunch Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdown and congestion” and is still more than 30km from the centre of the city, Britain’s defence ministry said.
The UN nuclear watchdog has voiced concern after Russian forces claimed to have surrounded Ukraine’s biggest atomic plant and called for its workers to be left alone to do their jobs.
The strategically important Sea of Azov port city of Mariupol is reportedly surrounded by Russian troops.
Police in Moscow detained two women and five children holding a poster outside the Ukraine embassy that said “No to war”.
More than 350 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and more than 2,000 injured, according to Ukraine’s emergency service. Transport facilities, hospitals, kindergartens and homes have been destroyed, it said.
Ukraine claimed nearly 7,000 Russian troops had been killed in the first six days of Moscow’s invasion. Moscow said 498 Russian soldiers had died in Ukraine since the start of its campaign, its first statement on casualties.
The UN general assembly voted overwhelmingly to deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces, with 141 of the 193 member states voting for the resolution on Wednesday.
The US has accused Russia of launching a “full war on media freedom and the truth” by blocking independent news outlets and preventing Russians from hearing news of the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s central bank has imposed a 30% commission on foreign currency purchases by individuals on currency exchanges.
Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from the Winter Paralympic Games for their countries’ roles in the conflict, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said, in a reversal of its previous stance.
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