Ukrainian president sceptical of upcoming meeting with Russia – video

Volodymyr Zelenskiy says the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet without preconditions at Pripyat in Belarus. The Ukrainian president revealed that he was not confident that any progress would come from the meeting, but said he would do everything he could for the Ukrainian people

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Thousands gather in cities across the UK in support of Ukraine

Trafalgar Square a sea of blue and yellow as demonstrators protest against brutal Russian invasion

Thousands of people gathered in cities across the UK for at times highly emotional rallies in support of Ukraine as the country defended itself against the brutal Russian invasion.

In London, Trafalgar Square was a sea of blue and yellow as protesters voiced anguish and despair at Russian president Vladimir Putin’s assault on the eastern European country.

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Russian strategic slips lift Ukrainian morale, but should not obscure broader picture

While the botched assault on Hostomel and the failure to take Kharkiv have surprised some commentators, these are but the opening salvos

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has so far been curiously uncoordinated, even haphazard, in its first four days – prompting fears that Kremlin may adopt more brutal and deadly methods to achieve victory at a higher cost.

Military analysts have been surprised by what they see as repeated errors, perhaps reflecting Vladimir Putin’s mistaken belief that Ukrainians had an underlying affinity with Russia and would simply acquiesce in the fall of Volodymyr Zelenskiy once Moscow’s troops rolled in.

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Putin’s nuclear posturing requires west to tread extremely carefully

Challenge for Nato is to maintain support for Ukraine while making clear Russian leader has way out of crisis

Successive generations have experienced what it is like to feel the shadow of nuclear annihilation loom over their daily lives, from the Cuban crisis of 1962, to the missile standoff in Europe in the 1980s. This is shaping up to be our turn.

“I’ll be honest – I’m nervous,” Pavel Podvig, one of the world’s leading experts on Russian nuclear forces, said after Vladimir Putin declared a “special mode of combat duty of the deterrence forces”.

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‘A watershed moment’: EU shuts down airspace to Russia and finances weapons for Ukraine – video

For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons to a country under attack, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, as she announced the bloc's commitment to supporting the Ukrainian war effort against Russia.

The EU will also shut down its airspace for any and all Russian aircraft and in another unprecedented step ruled it would ban Russian-state backed television channels RT and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries, so that the Kremlin media machine 'will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and to sow division in our union'

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Republican Tom Cotton refuses four times to condemn Trump on Ukraine

The Republican senator Tom Cotton refused four times on Sunday to condemn or even comment on Donald Trump’s repeated praise for Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

“If you want to know what Donald Trump thinks about Vladimir Putin or any other topic,” Cotton told ABC’s This Week, “I’d encourage you to invite him on your show. I don’t speak on behalf of other politicians. They can speak for themselves.”

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People gather around the world to show solidarity with Ukraine – video

Thousands of people have gathered in cities around the world to show their support for Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. More than 100,000 gathered in Berlin bearing signs reading 'stop the war', 'Putin's last war' and 'we stand with Ukraine'. From Tel Aviv to Tbilisi, demonstrators have let their disgust at Vladimir Putin's actions be known as the conflict continues to escalate

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Ukraine appeals for foreign volunteers to join fight against Russia

President Zelenskiy issues call to arms to foreign nationals in battle against ‘Russian war criminals’

Ukraine’s embattled president has issued a call to foreign nationals who are “friends of peace and democracy” to travel to the country to fight against the Russian invasion.

The appeal from Volodymyr Zelenskiy, published on the Ukrainian presidency’s website early on Sunday, said the Ukrainian armed forces were in the process of setting up a foreign legion unit for international volunteers.

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Fighting on streets of Kharkiv after Russian tanks enter Ukrainian city – video

Scenes from Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, show Ukrainian soldiers fighting on street corners with rocket-propelled grenades. Other videos show an alleged Russian convoy that was stopped by Ukrainian soldiers, tanks driving through residential areas and various missile fragments stuck in ground near residential buildings

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Scholz announces €100bn rise in German defence spending after Russia’s Ukraine invasion – video

Germany departed from longstanding policy again on Sunday with chancellor Olaf Scholz announcing the government would invest more than 2% of GDP in the military from its 2022 budget. He praised Russians who protested against the invasion for their bravery 

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Hundreds of thousands of refugees flee Ukraine as fighting escalates – video

People are fleeing to Ukraine's borders with EU countries as they try to escape the invasion from Russia. The UN refugee agency is warning that as many as 5 million Ukrainians could leave

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Russia-Ukraine war latest news: US condemns Putin’s nuclear deterrence order; rouble crashes as markets open – live updates

Vladimir Putin said nuclear move came after aggressive statements by Nato countries; satellite images show ground forces heading to capital; Ukrainian president says two sides to meet on Belarus border

Ukrainians are waking for the fourth day since Russia invaded and words of defiance are dominating social media this morning.

“It’s another morning in Ukraine and Russia still can’t advance in Kyiv,” Illia Ponomarenko, defence reporter at the Kyiv Independent writes.

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‘I’m a dead man walking’: ex-Russian spy says defectors in UK are at risk

A Latvian double agent is getting death threats after British authorities inadvertently disclosed his alias

• Russia-Ukraine crisis: latest updates

In April 1997, Vechernyaya Moskva, one of the most popular newspapers in Moscow, published an article on a former Russian intelligence agent, Boris Karpichkov.

The article was illustrated with a picture of Karpichkov’s KGB identity papers, with the crosshairs of a sniper’s rifle superimposed. It warned that the ex-KGB major was wanted by Interpol, faced interrogation by the Russian authorities and was being hunted by organised crime groups.

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Ukraine: what will China do? There are signs it is uneasy about Putin’s methods

Analysis: Beijing has held off from backing Russia, raising questions about the extent of any partnership

China’s decision to abstain on Friday night at the end of the UN security council vote condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine may be a source of deep frustration in the west, but it will also send a nervous tremor through the Russian ministry of foreign affairs that China’s protection is not unconditional.

UK-based diplomats, looking at the stance adopted by China in the middle of the week, were expecting Beijing to join Russia in voting against the US-sponsored motion, but in common with the United Arab Emirates and India, it abstained, leaving Russia isolated in deploying its veto power as a permanent member of the security council.

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Fighting on streets of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, as west bars Russian banks from Swift

Russian troops enter key city after attacks on oil facilities as western allies agree to block major Russian banks from international payment system

The war in Ukraine intensified on Sunday, as Russian troops entered the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, and Vladimir Putin unleashed a wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities.

Kharkiv residents were urged to stay indoors by governor Oleg Sinegubov, who said “there has been a breakthrough in light equipment including in the central part of the city”. A nine-storey building was reportedly hit, with one woman killed.

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The first TikTok war: how are influencers in Russia and Ukraine responding?

Social media lit up with messages and videos decrying the war, ignoring the risk that comes with speaking against a Russian dictator

Social media influencers are often maligned for their vapidity, but as the Russian army moves across Ukraine some of Russia’s biggest digital influencers have become beacons of resistance. Many are speaking out about their unease at the speed and brutality with which the Russian president is leading his country to war. Ukrainian influencers, meanwhile, are also braving the risks of attack from the advancing army to make sure to document the horror of war in mainland Europe.

Some of Russia’s biggest names in the digital sphere have spoken out against war. The daughter of Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, posted a message reading “No to war” on her Instagram story, before quickly deleting it. Max Galkin, the husband of Alla Pugacheva, and one of Russia’s biggest stars, posted a black square on Instagram and the message “Нет войне!” (“no to war!”) to his 9.4m followers. Fashion designer Svetlana Taccori took time out of Milan fashion week to post a photo holding a Ukrainian flag and the same message. Influencer Lova Olala painted the Russian and Ukrainian flag on each cheek and the caption “I have nothing to say”. The independent Russian journalist Ilya Varlamov has posted regular photos and videos highlighting Russian brutality, calling for a cessation of violence in Ukraine.

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Analysis: what weapons is Russia deploying in Ukraine invasion?

Fears that use of indiscriminate armaments could amount to war crimes

Footage captured by a CNN crew of the deployment of a T0S-1 heavy flame thrower system which was filmed being transported towards the Ukrainian border on Saturday has focused increased attention on what weapons Russia is beginning to deploy and how indiscriminate they are.

The TOS-1, nicknamed the “Buratino” – the Russian version of Pinocchio – for its big nose, is one of the most feared weapons systems in Russia’s conventional armoury, a multiple launch rocket system mounted on the chassis of a T-72 tank capable of firing thermobaric rockets which use oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion.

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Swift to cut off Russian banks, Ukraine oil facilities hit: what we know so far

West agrees to bar major Russian banks from international payments system as Russia attacks oil facilities in Kharkiv and south-west of Kyiv

Russian troops have entered Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister and other officials have said. Governor Oleg Sinegubov said “there has been a breakthrough in light equipment including in the central part of the city”, and urged people to stay indoors.

Western allies have agreed to block Russia’s access to the Swift international banking payment system. The US, Canada and key European countries, including Germany, have agreed to remove “selected Russian banks” from the Swift payment system, the countries announced on Saturday.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected Russia claims that it is “ready for talks” with Ukraine in Belarus. In a national address on Sunday morning, Zelenskiy said he remained open to talks, but in other locations that are not showing aggression towards Ukraine. Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had told reporters the Russian delegation had arrived in Belarus for talks and were “now waiting for the Ukrainians”.

There are reports that a gas pipeline is on fire in Kharkiv after a Russian attack, while an oil terminal in Vasylkiv, south-west of the capital, Kyiv, has also been targeted. The government has warned that smoke from the explosion in Kharkiv could cause an “environmental catastrophe” and advised people to cover their windows.

The 13 Ukrainian soldiers who were reportedly killed while defending an island in the Black Sea from an air and sea bombardment – reportedly telling a Russian navy warship to “go fuck yourself” when asked to surrender – may still be alive, according to Ukrainian officials.

The United Nations security council is due to vote on Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly on the invasion, diplomats said. The vote needs nine votes in favour and cannot be vetoed. Diploamts say it is likely to pass, diplomats said. Only 10 such emergency special sessions have been convened since 1950.

Britain is preparing a “hit list” of Russian oligarchs to be targeted by sanctions in the coming months, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has said.

Truss said there would be “nowhere left to hide” for the super-rich allies of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin. She told the Sunday Times that new names would be added to the list every few weeks as ministers seek to ratchet up the pressure on Putin.

Liquor stores and bars in the US and Canada are targeting Russia’s national drink in a show of unity with the people of Ukraine. Shelves in both countries are being stripped of Russian vodka, with the Republican governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, announcing on Saturday the removal of “Russian-made and Russian-branded spirits from our liquor and wine outlets until further notice”.

Japanese billionaire Hiroshi ‘Mickey’ Mikitani has said he will donate $8.7m to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy”. The founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten said in a letter addressed to Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the donation of 1bn yen ($8.7m) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence”, Agence France-Presse reported.

A Ukrainian company in charge of building and maintaining roads said it was removing all road signs that could be used by invading Russian forces to find their way around the country. The company, Ukravtodor, said in a Facebook post: “The enemy has poor communications, they cannot navigate the terrain. Let us help them get straight to hell.”

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Ukrainian resistance: man tries to push back Russian tank – video

A video posted to social media shows a Ukrainian citizen attempting to stop a Russian tank with his body weight. The man first climbs on to the tank before hopping down and attempting to push it back with his arms. When that fails, he kneels in front of the tank in a desperate bid to stop its advance. The moment, captured in Bakhmach in northern Ukraine, is one of a string of defiant acts caught on video showing unarmed Ukrainians confronting Russian soldiers

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