Russia-Ukraine war LIVE: NATO says 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops dead

Russia-Ukraine war LIVE updates: The Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its fourth week on Wednesday amid no signs of a truce between the two warring parties. As the fighting continues, the NATO, facing scathing criticism from Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy, has invited the leader for a special summit, which will be held on Thursday. Meanwhile, speaking on Russia possibly using nuclear weapons, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it would do so only if the country's existence is threatened.

On March 25, US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Poland to discuss the crisis.

Follow all the updates here:

• Mar 23, 2022 10:52 PM IST

  NATO says 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops dead in war

  The NATO said on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops have died in the Ukraine since February 24. 

• Mar 23, 2022 10:22 PM IST

  West encouraged by resignation of Putin's adviser

  A Western official, on the condition of anonymity said on Wednesday that the resignation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's adviser Anatoly Chubais is encouraging. 

  "I think it's encouraging that there are senior members of the Russian political class that are doing such things, but it doesn't lead me to a conclusion that this is in any way undermining the security of Putin and his regime, given the iron grip that he holds together with those at the centre of his power," the official told news agency Reuters.  

• Mar 23, 2022 09:58 PM IST

  Russian health minister urges citizens to not stockpile medicines

  Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko on Wednesday urged citizens not to buy extra supplies of medicines as many fear shortages and price hikes due to Western sanctions over Putin's war on Ukraine. 

• Mar 23, 2022 09:36 PM IST

  Sweden to provide Ukraine with more anti-tank weapons

  The Swedish government has announced that it will provide Ukraine with an additional 5,000 anti-tank weapons to fight the Russian forces. Previously, Ukraine had received 5,000 anti-tank weapons, along with other military material. 

• Mar 23, 2022 08:59 PM IST

  Vladimir Putin's adviser opposes war, quits cabinet

  Anatoly Chubais, an advisor of President Vladimir Putin, has stepped down and has left Russia, citing his opposition to Moscow's war on Ukraine. 

• Mar 23, 2022 07:52 PM IST

  US Prez Biden departs for Brussels, to hold emergency talks on war

  United States President Joe Biden departed for Brussels to hold emergency talks with European and NATO leaders regarding the escalating war in Ukraine. He will also visit Warsaw and hold consultations with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

   

• Mar 23, 2022 07:15 PM IST

  Belarus tells Kyiv to cut diplomatic staff in country

  Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, told Ukraine to cut its diplomatic presence in the country citing unfriendly actions and meddling in its internal affairs. 

  According to a statement issued by the Belarusian foreign ministry, unspecified number of Ukrainian diplomats will have to leave within 72 hours and the Ukrainian consulate in Brest would be closed because of lack of staff.

• Mar 23, 2022 07:04 PM IST

  UN labour agency suspends cooperation with Moscow

  The United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday that it is suspending all technical cooperation with Russia until the latter stops its war in Ukraine. 

  "The ILO decides temporarily suspend technical cooperation or assistance from the ILO to the Russian Federation, except for the purpose of humanitarian assistance, until a ceasefire is agreed and a peaceful resolution is implemented", the agency said. 

• Mar 23, 2022 06:10 PM IST

  Over 3.6 million fled Ukraine since beginning of war, says UN

  The United Nations said on Wednesday that 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of war on February 24. 

  "Millions more will have their lives upended if the war persists," UN's International Organization for Migration said. 

• Mar 23, 2022 05:44 PM IST

  Nestle stops sale of non-essential goods in Russia

  Swiss food company Nestle announced on Wednesday that it is suspending majority of its manufacturing activity in Russia and stopping the sale of products such as KitKat and Nesquik. 

  “As the war rages in Ukraine, our activities in Russia will focus on providing essential food, such as infant food and medical/hospital nutrition — not on making a profit,” Nestle said in a statement. 

• Mar 23, 2022 04:52 PM IST

  Kyiv calls for sanctions on Russian TV personalities

  The Ukrainian government on Wednesday called for West's sanctions against Russian television personalities accusing them of espousing propaganda and calling for violence against Ukraine.

  "Russian TV propagandists are worse than even Russian pilots," Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. 

   

• Mar 23, 2022 04:32 PM IST

  German chancellor tells Russian Prez Putin not to use chemical weapons in Ukraine

  German chancellor Olaf Scholz has told Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, a report by the Die Zeit weekly said on Wednesday.

• Mar 23, 2022 04:06 PM IST

  Moscow slams Poland's peacekeepers proposal on Ukraine

  Russia on Wednesday termed Poland's proposal to send international peacekeepers into Ukraine as reckless. The Polish government had said on March 18 that it would Moscow slams Poland's peacekeepers proposal on Ukraine

• Mar 23, 2022 03:26 PM IST

  'Our forces, citizens holding out with superhuman courage, but..': Ukraine urges West to supply weapons

  The Ukrainian government renewed its call to the West to supply weapons to fight the Russian forces, by saying, "Our armed forces and citizens are holding out with superhuman courage, but we cannot win a war without offensive weapons, without medium-range missiles that can be a means of deterrence."

• Mar 23, 2022 03:13 PM IST

  Zelensky asks Japan to increase sanctions pressure on Russia

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday asked the Japanese government increase sanctions pressure on Moscow by introducing a trade embargo on Russian goods.

  "You were the first in Asia who really began to put pressure on Russia to restore peace, who supported sanctions against Russia, and I urge you to keep doing this," Zelensky told the Japanese Parliament via video conferencing. 

• Mar 23, 2022 02:31 PM IST

  Russian forces seized 15 relief workers in Mariupol convoy, says Ukraine

  The Ukrainian government said on Wednesday that Russian forces have seized 15 relief workers from a humanitarian convoy that were trying to get in food and other supplies into the city of Mariupol, which has been worst-hit by the ongoing conflict. 

• Mar 23, 2022 02:20 PM IST

  Ukraine asks SWIFT to disconnect Bank of Russia

  The Ukrainian central bank has asked the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) to disconnect Bank of Russia from its system. 

  "We hope for your support and assistance in order to save the lives of thousands of Ukrainians and protect the sovereignty of our country," Kyrylo Shevchenko, the chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine said on Wednesday. 

• Mar 23, 2022 01:37 PM IST

  US trying to 'destroy' Russia, says ex-Russian President

  Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and a former President himself, has accused the United States of trying to ‘humiliate, divide and ultimately destroy Russia.’

• Mar 23, 2022 01:17 PM IST

  Russian foreign minister-Red Cross chief to meet on March 24

  Sergei Lavrov will meet Peter Maurer in Moscow on Thursday, the Russian foreign ministry informed on Wednesday.

• Mar 23, 2022 12:27 PM IST

  121 kids killed in war thus far, claims Ukraine

  The war in Ukraine has killed 121 children so far, while as many as 167 kids have sustained injuries, claims the prosecutor general's office.

• Mar 23, 2022 11:32 AM IST

  UN to take up 3 resolutions on Ukraine today

  The UN General Assembly is scheduled to start considering two rival resolutions, one supported by Ukraine and western nations, and the other sponsored by South Africa that doesn't mention Russia. The Security Council will vote on the third, which is sponsored by Russia.

• Mar 23, 2022 10:04 AM IST

  Vietnam Airlines temporarily suspends flights to Russia

  From March 25 and until further notice, all Vietnam Arlines regular flights from Hanoi to Moscow suspended to review procedures, requirements and regulations related to flight operations in Russia: Statement

• Mar 23, 2022 08:55 AM IST

  Russia destroys new laboratory at Chernobyl plant

  Russia has reportedly destroyed a new laboratory at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that, among other things, works to improve management of radioactive waste.

• Mar 23, 2022 08:15 AM IST

  Biden to announce sanctions against members of Russia's Duma: Report

  US President Joe Biden is likely to announce this week sanctions against more than 300 members of Duma, the lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly, over Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine, reports The Wall Street Journal.

• Mar 23, 2022 07:46 AM IST

  Ukraine President launches website for humanitarian aid

  Ukrainian President's Office launches help.gov.ua to help find out how and where to send humanitarian aid. The portal will also display contacts of foreign and Ukrainian humanitarian hubs.

• Mar 23, 2022 06:50 AM IST

  Zelenskyy ‘most powerful’ in Europe: Report

  Politico 28 ranks Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy as no.1 in its list of 28 most powerful people in Europe.

• Mar 23, 2022 06:02 AM IST

  People of Ukraine enduring ‘living hell’: UN chief

  The Ukrainian people are enduring a living hell, and the reverberations are being felt worldwide with skyrocketing food, energy and fertilizer prices threatening to spiral into a global hunger crisis: UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres

• Mar 23, 2022 05:32 AM IST

  Over 1,200 more evacuated from besieged Mariupol

  More than 1,200 residents evacuated from Mariupol on March 22. As many as 15 buses evacuated people from the besieged seaport to Zaporizhzhia: Iryna Vereshchuk, deputy PM, Ukraine