- Russia intensifies bombardment of Ukrainian cities, warns Kyiv residents to flee
- Civilian deaths mount with five killed in attack on Kyiv TV tower, and seven dead in Kharkiv
- US President Joe Biden closes American airspace to Russian aircraft, says Russia’s Vladimir Putin will pay a “high price over the long run”.
- Miles-long Russian military convoy appears stalled near Kyiv, a senior US defence official says.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges EU to approve Kyiv membership and “prove you are with us”.
Here are all the latest updates:
1 min ago (05:05 GMT)
UN General Assembly set to censure Russia over Ukraine invasion
The United Nations General Assembly is set to reprimand Russia on over its invasion of Ukraine and demand that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces, a move that aims to diplomatically isolate Russia at the world body.
While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry political weight.
The draft text “demands that the Russian Federation immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”.
29 mins ago (04:37 GMT)
Russian airborne troops land in Kharkiv, says Ukraine army
Russian airborne troops have landed in the eastern city of Kharkiv, the Ukrainian army said in a statement, adding that there were immediate clashes.
“Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv… and attacked a local hospital,” the army said on messaging app Telegram. “There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians.”
2 hours ago (03:22 GMT)
UN says 13 children killed in Russian invasion
The UN human rights office says at least 136 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine last week.
Liz Throssel, OCHR spokesperson, said 400 others were wounded.
“The real toll is likely to be much higher,” she said, adding that 253 of the casualties were in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine.
3 hours ago (02:21 GMT)
Biden says US stands with the Ukrainian people
The US President has sharply criticised his Russian counterpart and led a standing ovation for the embattled Ukrainian people in a State of the Union speech.
“Let each of us if you’re able to stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to Ukraine and to the world,” Biden said.
The lawmakers stood, applauded and roared, many of them waving Ukrainian flags.
“While he [Putin] may make gains on the battlefield – he will pay a continuing high price over the long run,” Biden said.
He added the US is working to seize yachts and apartments of Russian oligarchs, saying: “We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.”
4 hours ago (01:34 GMT)
Boeing suspends parts, support for Russian airlines
Boeing Co says it is suspending parts, maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines as well as major operations in Moscow.
“As the conflict continues, our teams are focused on ensuring the safety of our teammates in the region,” said a spokesperson for the US airplane manufacturer.
4 hours ago (01:29 GMT)
World’s biggest shipping lines halt Russian deliveries
Danish shipping giant Maersk, Switzerland-based MSC and France’s CMA CGM say they will no longer take bookings for goods from Russia and will suspending most deliveries.
Citing the impact of sanctions, “bookings to and from Russia will be temporarily suspended, with exception of foodstuffs, medical and humanitarian supplies”, Maersk said in a statement.
MSC announced similar measures, saying it would “continue to accept and screen bookings for delivery of essential goods”.
CMA CGM said it was suspending all bookings “in the interest of safety”.
Read more here.
4 hours ago (01:25 GMT)
Visa, Mastercard block Russian financial institutions
US payment card firms Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc have blocked multiple Russian financial institutions from their network, complying with sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
4 hours ago (01:04 GMT)
Some 80,000 Ukrainians return home to fight Russia, ministry says
Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs says 80,000 Ukrainians have returned home from abroad to join in the fight against Russia.
In a Telegram post, the ministry said the vast majority of returnees were men and they had joined the military ranks and other territorial defense forces.
4 hours ago (00:39 GMT)
US to ban Russian flights from American airspace, officials say
The US government is set to announce a ban on Russian flights from American airspace following similar moves by the EU and Canada, according to government and industry officials.
The precise timing is unclear but is expected within the next 24 hours, the sources told Reuters news agency.
4 hours ago (00:36 GMT)
ExxonMobil to withdraw from key Russian oil field
US oil giant ExxonMobil says it will begin a phased withdrawal from the major oil field it operates in Russia on behalf of a consortium including Russian, Indian and Japanese companies, citing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In response to recent events, we are beginning the process to discontinue operations and developing steps to exit the Sakhalin-1 venture,” the group said in a statement.
5 hours ago (00:32 GMT)
Four dead in Russian strike on Zhytomyr, says official
An adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister says four people, including a child, were killed when homes in the Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr were hit by a Russian cruise missile.
Anton Gerashchenko said on his Telegram channel that the missile was apparently aimed at a nearby base of the 95th Airborne Brigade in Zhytomyr, 120km (75 miles) west of Kyiv.
Residential buildings near the base were on fire and “so far, four people have died. Including a child,” he said.
The russian occupation forces have just launched a massive missile strike on a military base and residential neighborhoods in the city of #Zhytomyr.
We’re pleading to the international community to help us stop these war crimes! #StopRussianAggression #StopPutin #StopRussia pic.twitter.com/Z633dwivki— Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (@ua_parliament) March 1, 2022
5 hours ago (00:24 GMT)
‘Seven killed’ in Kharkiv, governor says
Russian forces are continuing to bombard Ukraine’s eastern city of Kharkiv, firing on residential neighbourhoods as well as the city’s main square, according to a local official.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said in a Telegram post that seven people were killed in an attack on a government building and 24 people, including a child were wounded.
Kharkiv pic.twitter.com/KziDpLI4QC
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) March 1, 2022
6 hours ago (23:29 GMT)
US lawmakers urge Biden to shield Ukrainians from deportation
More than 40 members of the US House of Representatives have signed a letter to Biden urging him to designate Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which would shield Ukrainian nationals in the United States from deportation.
“The United States has a moral and humanitarian responsibility to support Ukrainians during this ongoing conflict,” the legislators wrote.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has caused a humanitarian crisis of monstrous proportions — and the Ukrainian people need our help.
That’s why I’m leading 40+ of my colleagues calling on @POTUS to designate Ukraine for TPS, and provide Ukrainian students special student relief. pic.twitter.com/uLe0PJGtd6
— Adriano Espaillat (@RepEspaillat) March 1, 2022
6 hours ago (23:03 GMT)
Italy’s Eni to pull out of Russia-Turkey pipeline
Italian oil giant Eni says it will withdraw from the Blue Stream gas pipeline linking Russia to Turkey in which it has a 50 percent stake.
A spokesman said “Eni intends to sell its stake” in the Blue Stream pipeline which links Russia and Turkey via the Black Sea. Rivals BP and Shell have also divested from Russia-linked projects.
6 hours ago (23:01 GMT)
Biden to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine as ‘Putin’s war’
Biden will condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in strong terms during a State of the Union address later on Tuesday evening, comparing it to World War II, according to the White House.
“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos. They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising,” Biden will say in his speech.
“Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked. He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home,” Biden will say. “Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
6 hours ago (22:58 GMT)
Putin misjudged Western response to Ukraine invasion: Biden
Biden says Putin underestimated the powerful response his invasion of Ukraine would illicit from Western nations.
“Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked,” Biden said in prepared remarks released ahead of his annual State of the Union address.
“He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home. Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
6 hours ago (22:54 GMT)
United Airlines suspends flying over Russian airspace
United Airlines confirms it has temporarily suspended flying over Russian airspace, joining other major US carriers.
Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Parcel Service all said this week they had halted flights over Russia as the White House considers following Canada and the European Union in banning overflights of US airspace by Russian carriers.
6 hours ago (22:52 GMT)
US’s Yellen says G7 ready to impose further financial pressure on Russia
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the Group of Seven (G7) nations would convene a task force to focus on freezing and seizing assets of Russian elites.
“We stand ready to impose further financial pressure, as necessary,” Yellen said in a statement after a G7 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors on the situation in Ukraine.
6 hours ago (22:52 GMT)
World Bank preparing $3bn aid package for Ukraine
The World Bank says it is preparing a $3bn aid package for Ukraine, which will include at least $350m in immediate funds.
The first tranche of the aid “will be submitted to the Board for approval this week, followed by $200m in fast-disbursing support for health and education,” the World Bank said in a joint statement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The IMF will consider the country’s latest request for emergency financing “as early as next week.”
6 hours ago (22:46 GMT)
Russia sees ‘no desire’ from Ukraine to find legitimate solution
Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva says Moscow sees “no desire on the part of Ukraine” to try to find a legitimate and balanced solution to the problems between the two countries.
Gennady Gatilov told a Lebanese television station that Russia “supports diplomacy based on respect for the positions of all countries and equality, but for now we don’t see that”, according to the Russian news agency RIA.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held a first round of talks on Monday but made no substantial progress, merely agreeing to meet again. No date was set for a second round.
6 hours ago (22:46 GMT)
World Bank, IMF racing to get aid to Ukraine, warn of ‘treacherous period’
The heads of the World Bank and IMF say they are racing to provide billions of dollars of additional funding to Ukraine in the coming weeks and months, warning that the war threatened to create “significant spillovers” to other countries.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass warned that commodity prices were rising, which risked further fueling inflation, and disruptions in financial markets would continue to worsen should the conflict persist.
The leaders said they were deeply shocked and saddened by the war, but did not explicitly mention Russia, which is a shareholder in both institutions.
7 hours ago (22:00 GMT)
EU bans Russian media outlets, banks from SWIFT
The EU has banned Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik from broadcasting in the bloc while banning “certain” Russian banks from the SWIFT bank messaging system, the EU’s rotating presidency said.
The moves, due to come into force on Wednesday after publication in the official journal of the EU, come as Brussels intensifies its sanctions regime on Moscow in response for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
7 hours ago (21:57 GMT)
Zelenskyy asks Biden to ‘stop the aggressor’
Ukraine’s president has spoken with his American counterpart, telling him that it is important to stop “aggressor” Russia “as soon as possible”.
The phone call came ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address.
Just had a conversation with @POTUS. The American leadership on anti-Russian sanctions and defense assistance to Ukraine was discussed. We must stop the aggressor as soon as possible. Thank you for your support!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2022
7 hours ago (21:53 GMT)
100,000 Ukrainians join self-defence units, official says
Svitlana Zalishchuk, a foreign policy adviser to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, told Al Jazeera that Ukrainians are fearful yet determined as fighting has increased across the country.
“We are scared that Putin is not going to stop,” Zalishchuk said from Beregovo, a city in western Ukraine.
Approximately 100,000 people joined have so-called territorial defence units in recent days in response to Russia’s advance, she said.
That includes her brother, who “has nothing to do with [the] army but he took a gun and went to protect one of the towns at the entrance of Kyiv.”
7 hours ago (21:52 GMT)
Miles-long Russian convoy appears stalled near Kyiv, says US official
An enormous Russian military convoy is lumbering towards the capital, Kyiv, raising fears of an imminent uptick in fighting there.
A senior US defence official told reporters the convoy appeared to stall on Tuesday, however, due to a number of factors, including the Ukrainian resistance that the Russian troops have faced.
“We also believe that a part of the stall could be – and I emphasise the word ‘could’ – could be a result of their own self-determined sort of pause in operations – that they are possibly regrouping, rethinking, reevaluating,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
7 hours ago (21:50 GMT)
Apple ‘pauses’ all product sales in Russia
Tech giant Apple has announced a halt to all product sales in Russia. “We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country,” the company said in a statement.
The iPhone maker also announced Apple Pay and other services have been limited, while Russian state-owned media RT and Sputnik are no longer available for download outside Russia.
“We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence,” the statement said.
7 hours ago (21:48 GMT)
Ukrainian refugees stream into Hungary
More than 85,000 people have crossed from Ukraine into Hungary since the start of Russia’s invasion.
Along the 135km (84-mile) frontier, refugees are met with hot chai, locally made sandwiches, and logistical help – embassies can be rung, tickets booked for free, and even children entertained. Read more here.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Read all the updates from Tuesday, March 1, here.
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