Eight people were killed on Tuesday in a Russian air strike on a residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine said as Moscow continued its military assault for the sixth day.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday asked the European Union to prove that it was with Kyiv.
Earlier in the day, an Indian student, identified as Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, was killed due to shelling in Kharkiv, the foreign ministry said. Hours before the ministry’s statement, India had asked its citizens to leave the capital, Kyiv, immediately.
British intelligence said that Russian forces have increased their use of artillery in northern Kyiv areas and in the vicinity of Kharkiv and Chernihiv, increasing “the risk of civilian casualties”.
Air raids alerts were issued in Kyiv, Rivne, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Volyn and citizens were asked to go to the nearest shelters.
Here are the top updates of the day:
10.20 pm: At least five people have been killed in strikes near a TV tower in Kyiv, says Ukraine’s interior ministry, reports CNN. Five more have been injured.
10.10 pm: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells United Nations Human Rights Council that Russian “crimes” in Ukraine are “mounting by the hour”, reports Reuters.
9.45 pm: Russian forces have now attacked a TV tower in Kyiv, says Ukraine’s defence ministry, reports The Guardian.
9.27 pm: Eight people have been killed because of Russian air strike on a residential building in the eastern city of Kharkiv, says Ukraine, reports AFP. Six people have also been injured.
9.15 pm: Russia’s defence ministry says their troops will carry out an attack on what they say is the infrastructure of Ukraine’s intelligence services in capital Kyiv and residents living nearby should leave, reports AFP.
“In order to suppress information attacks on Russia, the technological infrastructure of the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] and the 72nd main PSO [Psychological Operations Unit] centre in Kyiv will be hit with high-precision weapons,” defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov says.
8.45 pm: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says he is concerned about the Russian invasion and civilian casualties during a phone conversation with his Ukranian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the state-run Global Times reports. The Chinese government advocates negotiations between both sides to resolve the crisis, says Wang.
8.02 pm: Ukraine is discussing with allies on how to support its air defences, the country’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says when asked about whether the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should set up a no-fly zone to help Kyiv amid Russia’s invasion, reports Reuters.
7.55 pm: The second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled for tomorrow, Reuters reports, citing TASS news agency.
Five hours of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations on Monday near the Belarusian border failed to yield a breakthrough.
7.14 pm: Russia’s defence ministry is warning residents in Kyiv to leave their homes as it was planning to strike targets in the Ukrainian capital, The Guardian reports, citing Russian staterun news agency Tass.
In a statement, Russia’s defence ministry says its forces was are preparing to launch “high-precision strikes” against “Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the 72nd Center for Information and Psychological Operations” in Kyiv.
6.55 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a high-level meeting on the Ukraine crisis and the evacuation of Indian citizens stranded there, reports ANI.
6.48 pm: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asks the European Union to “prove” it is with Kyiv, reports AFP.
“Without you, Ukraine is going to be alone,” he says during his address to the European Parliament. “We have proven our strength. We have proven that, at minimum, we are exactly the same as you are. So, do prove you are with us, do prove that you will not let us go.”
6.45 pm: United Nations seeks $1.7 billion, or over 12.87 thousand crore, for humanitarian aid for Ukraine, reports AFP. It says that 12 million, or 1.2 crore, citizens need assistance.
6.32 pm: Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, says caution French minister Bruno Le Maire for his comments that his country will declare a war on Moscow.
“Watch your tongue, gentlemen,” tweets Medvedev. “And don’t forget that in human history, economic wars quite often turned into real ones.”
5.49 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai calls up the father of the student killed in shelling in Kharkiv to expresse his condolences, reports PTI
Bommai assures the father of the medical student that he would make every effort to bring back his son’s body to India.
5.43 pm: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receives a standing ovation after his address at European Parliament, reports ANI.
“We’re fighting for our land and our freedom despite the fact that all our cities are now blocked,” Zelenskyy says. “Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians.”
5.19 pm: The father of the Indian student who was killed in shelling in Kharkiv alleges that no one from the Indian embassy had reached out to students stranded in the city, reports PTI.
5.19 pm: The student who was killed in the shelling in Kharkiv has been identified as Naveen SG.
Nasir Khuehami, national spokesperson of J&K Students Association, who was in touch with the killed student and a group of Indian medical students, said Gyanagoudar had been trying to find a safe route out of Kharkiv with his friends. Gyanagoudar stepped out to buy some grocery when he was killed.
5.02 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expresses condolences to the friends and family of the Indian student who was killed in shelling in Ukraine’s Kharkiv city.
“I reiterate, GOI [government of India]needs a strategic plan for safe evacuation. Every minute is precious.
4.58 pm: The Kremlin denies that the Russian military has used cluster munitions, explosive weapons that release smaller submunitions, in Ukraine and claims that the forces have only attacked military targets, reports the Associated Press.
Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also adds that that “the Russian troops don’t conduct any strikes against civilian infrastructure and residential areas”.
4.57 pm: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a Russian missile hit the central square in the Kharkiv city and describes it as “undisguised terror”, reports the Associated Press.
4.38 pm: United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson describes the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the unfolding disaster on the European continent, reports BBC.
At a joint press briefing with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Johnson adds that “it is clear Putin is prepared to use barbaric and indiscriminate tactics against innocent civilians to bomb tower blocks, to send missiles into tower blocks to kill children”.
4.33 pm: The Kremlin says it is “too soon to asses” how the Russia-Ukraine talks are going, reports AFP. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, says that while the two countries have begun discussions, there are no plans for talks between both presidents, according to The Guardian.
3.37 pm: Russia’s Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu says the country will continue with its offensive in Ukraine till all of its “goals” are achieved, reports AFP.
3.34 pm: The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association describes as “racist” certain statements made by Western media on the Ukraine crisis, asking news organisation to be “mindful of implicit and explicit bias” in their coverage of the Russian invasion.
Read here:
Western media’s coverage of Ukraine crisis ‘racist’, normalises conflicts in other areas: Press body
3.27 pm: Ukrainian military claims that 5,710 Russian troops have been killed in the five days since Moscow began its invasion, reports BBC. A spokesperson of Ukraine’s chief of general staff adds that 200 Russian soldiers have been taken captive.
3.23 pm: A map shows areas taken over by Russia and the separatists regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
3.19 pm: French energy company TotalEnergies says it will no longer provide capital for new projects in Russia as it condemns Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“TotalEnergies expresses its solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are suffering the consequences and with the Russian people who will also suffer the consequences,” it adds. “TotalEnergies is mobilized to provide fuel to the Ukrainian authorities and aid to Ukrainian refugees in Europe.”
3.16 pm: The United Kingdom says it is adding Russian financial and banking services company Sberbank to its list of entities sanctioned due to the invasion, reports AFP.
3.13 pm: Israel says it is sending humanitarian aid to help people caught in the Ukraine war, reports the Associated Press. The country says it is sending 100 tonnes of cardboard boxes containing medical equipment and medicine, water purification systems, tents, blankets, sleeping bags and coats.
3 pm: Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi says an Indian student died in shelling in Kharkiv earlier today. He says the ministry is in touch with the student’s family.
“Foreign Secretary is calling in Ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate our demand for urgent safe passage for Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones,” he tweets.
2.23 pm: Google says it is blocking YouTube channels in Europe connected to RT and Sputnik – both Russian state-controlled news networks.
2 pm: The United Kingdom will not impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, the country’s Deputy Prime Minster Dominic Raab tells Sky News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sought the measure to prevent Russian air attacks.
“We’re not going to do that because it would put us in a position where we would have to enforce it by in effect shooting down Russian planes,” Raab tells the channel.
1.38 pm: Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweets a video showing a missile strike on a building in the city of Kharkiv, and rescue efforts in some residential districts. He urges the global community to isolate Russia fully.
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is unable to break Ukraine down,” Kuleba says. “He commits more war crimes out of fury, murders innocent civilians.”
1.15 pm: Two Russian billionaires, Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska, are calling for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, CNN reports.
“This crisis will cost lives and damage two nations who have been brothers for hundreds of years,” Fridman says in a letter to his staff, according to The Financial Times.
On the other hand, Deripaska says that negotiations need to start as soon as possible. “Peace is very important!” he says.
1.10 pm: Some visuals from Kyiv.
1 pm: Poland says about 3,50,000 people have entered the country from Ukraine since Russian invasion began last week, according to The Guardian.
12.45 pm: Australia says it will provide Ukraine with $50 million in missiles, ammunition and other military hardware to fight against Russia, according to The Associated Press.
“President Zelenskyy said: ‘Don’t give me a ride, give me ammunition,’ and that’s exactly what the Australian government has agreed to do,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.
12.30 pm: British intelligence says Russian forces have increased their use of artillery in northern Kyiv areas and in the vicinity of Kharkiv and Chernihiv.
“The use of heavy artillery in densely populated urban areas greatly increases the risk of civilian casualties,” an update from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence says.
12.08 pm: The Indian Embassy in Ukraine asks citizens to leave capital Kyiv immediately.
11.45 am: Russian army personnel have reached the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, the city’s mayor says, according to AFP. The city is located near the Russian-controlled region of Crimea.
“The Russian army is setting up checkpoints at the entrances of Kherson,” the mayor, Igor Kolykhayev, says. “Kherson has been and will stay Ukrainian.”
11.35 am: Russian troops have fallen behind their timeline in the attack on Ukraine due to fierce resistance, and equipment and logistics failures, United States Senator Chris Murphy says, citing information from a classified briefing.
Russian forces will attempt and encircle and cut off the capital city of Kyiv in the next few weeks, he says. “The fight for Kyiv will be long and bloody and Ukrainians are rapidly preparing for street to street combat,” the senator adds.
11.30 am: Ukrainian President Volydymyr Zelenskyy calls for a no-fly zone in his country to prevent Russian air attacks, Al-Jazeera reports. However, the United States says that its participation in such a move would amount to a conflict with Moscow, which it wants to avoid.
11.10 am: The prosecutor of the Hague’s international criminal court says he will launch an investigation into possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine, reports The Guardian. “I have already tasked my team to explore all evidence preservation opportunities,” Karim Khan says.
10.50 am: An air raid alert has been issued in Kyiv.
10.47 am: More than 70 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed as Russian artillery fired on a military based in Okhtyrka city which lies between Kharkiv and Kyiv, reports The Guardian.
9.58 am: The Kyiv Independent reports air raid alerts in Rivne, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Volyn. Citizens have been asked to head for nearest shelters.
9.48 am: Mastercard on Tuesday says it has blocked multiple financial institutions from its payment network because of sanctions imposed on Russia, reports The Guardian. The company also promises $2 million for humanitarian relief.
9.31 am: Film production houses Disney, Warner and Sony stay releases of new films in Russia.
9.12 am: Satellite images taken on Monday show a Russian military convoy north of Ukraine capital Kyiv that stretches for 64 km, Reuters reports.
8.52 am: Russian forces carry out shelling on the city of Kharkiv, leaving at least 11 civilians dead, according to AFP. Oleg Sinegubov, the regional governor in Ukraine, said that Russia was bombing residential areas.
8.50 am: The European Space Agency says that a joint Europe-Russia mission to Mars this year is “very unlikely” on account of sanctions against Moscow, AP reports. The agency says that is assessing the effects of the sanctions on its co-operation with Russia’s space agency Roscosmos.
8.45 am: The ninth flight carrying Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine has left the Romanian capital of Bucharest for Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says. A total of 218 Indians are on board this flight.
8.40 am: Here is a roundup of the key developments pertaining to the Ukraine crisis from Monday:
- Filippo Grandi, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, says that more than 5,00,000 people have fled from Ukraine into neighbouring countries.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a request to join the European Union.
- Russia’s defence ministry claims that two towns in Ukraine’s southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya, Berdyansk and Enerhodar, and the area around a nuclear power plant, have come under Russian control.
- The first round of talks between Ukraine and Russia, held on Monday, led to no concrete outcome. The next round of dialogue will be held on the Polish-Belarusian border. No date for the second round of talks has been announced yet.
- United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said civilians must be protected and attacks against them were “totally unacceptable”. Guterres added that the Russian president putting nuclear defenses on alert was “a chilling development”.
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs said four Union ministers will be deployed to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to oversee evacuation efforts. Jyotiraditya Scindia is being sent to Romania, Kiren Rijiju to Slovak Republic, Hardeep Puri to Hungary and VK Singh to Poland.