Russia-Ukraine war highlights: Dozens dead after shelling hits military barracks in south Ukraine, reports AFP

Ukraine says peace talks could take weeks or longer as the two sides discuss security guarantees, a cease-fire, withdrawal of Russian troops and a resolution of disputed areas. Ukraine, he said, will not give up any territory.

A local resident walks with a child past a tank of pro-Russian troops during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine.(REUTERS)

More than 9,000 civilians were evacuated from combat zones on Friday, including almost 5,000 from the besieged southern city of Mariupol as the Ukraine war continues. In the past 24 hours, Russian missiles landed near western city of Lviv, which has been a key gathering point for people fleeing the conflict. Russia also hit a military facility in the region about 20 miles from Poland. The number of refugees reaching Poland from Ukraine now exceeds 2 million, mostly women with children, Polish border authorities said. ...Read More

 

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• Mar 19, 2022 11:40 pm IST

  Protests erupt in Spain over inflation that worsened due to Russia-Ukraine war

  Protests mark several main cities of Spain as its citizens raise voices against the soaring cost of food, light and fuel, which has become worse following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of protesters took to streets with the rallies being called by the country's far-right Vox party, AFP reported. Read more.

• Mar 19, 2022 10:51 pm IST

  Zelenskyy urges Swiss to target Russian money 'helping to wage war' on Ukraine

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Saturday for comprehensive peace talks with Moscow and also urged Switzerland to do more to crack down on wealthy Russian oligarchs who he said were helping wage war on his country with their money. Also read

Mar 19, 2022 09:34 pm IST
Ukraine's Zelenskiy urges Swiss to crack down on Russian oligarchs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Switzerland on Saturday to crack down on Russian oligarchs who he said were helping to wage war on his country from the safety of "beautiful Swiss towns".
Mar 19, 2022 08:41 pm IST
Ukrainian negotiator says China should condemn Russian aggression
China should make the "right decision" and join other nations in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine's negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter on Saturday.
"China could become an important part of the global security system if it takes the right decision to support the coalition of civilised nations and condemn Russia's barbarism," said Podolyak, who is also an adviser to the Ukrainian president's chief of staff.
Mar 19, 2022 08:15 pm IST
Russia-Ukraine ‘serious matter as it has shaken international norms’: Japan PM after talks with Modi
The whole world has been shaken today due to many disturbances, it's very imp for India & Japan to have a close partnership. We expressed our views, talked about the serious invasion of Russia into Ukraine. We need a peaceful solution on the basis of int'l law, said Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, following the 14th India-Japan Annual Summit.
Both our countries should increase efforts for an open & free Indo-Pacific. Japan, along with India, will keep trying to end the war & keep providing support to Ukraine & its neighbouring countries, he added.
Mar 19, 2022 07:55 pm IST
German TV station hires Ukrainian anchor to host news show
German broadcaster RTL has hired a Ukrainian presenter to host a daily news show for others who have fled their homeland after the Russian invasion.
According to the commercial broadcaster, Karolina Ashion will present a 10-minute Ukrainian-language news programme Mondays to Fridays addressed to almost 200,000 people who have arrived in Germany from Ukraine in the past month.
Mar 19, 2022 05:46 pm IST
Dozens dead after shelling hits military barracks in south Ukraine
Dozens of soldiers were killed after Russian troops struck a Ukrainian military barracks in the southern city of Mykolaiv, witnesses told AFP on Saturday. A rescue operation is underway.
"No fewer than 200 soldiers were sleeping in the barracks" when Russian troops struck early Friday, a Ukrainian serviceman on the ground, 22-year-old Maxim, told AFP without providing his last name. "At least 50 bodies have been recovered, but we do not know how many others are in the rubble," he said. Another soldier estimated that the bombing could have killed around 100 people. Authorities have not yet released an official death toll.
Mar 19, 2022 05:18 pm IST
Peace talks 'smokescreen' for more extreme Russian actions in Ukraine, UK warns
Amid warnings of a chemical or biological attack by Russia - whose invasion of Ukraine is now in its 24th day - the United Kingdom has warned that ongoing peace talks could be a 'smokescreen' for more extreme military manoeuvres by Russian forces. Read more
Mar 19, 2022 04:04 pm IST
Shelling kills nine in outskirts of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia
Nine people were killed and 17 wounded in shelling of the suburbs of the city of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine on Friday, news agency Reuters quoted deputy mayor Anatoliy Kurtiev as saying on Saturday.
Mar 19, 2022 03:11 pm IST
Russian aerospace forces hit 69 Ukrainian military facilities overnight
Russian aerospace forces hit 69 Ukrainian military facilities overnight, including four command posts and four anti-aircraft missile systems, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday, reported news agency ANI
Mar 19, 2022 02:07 pm IST
India's oil imports from US to rise amid criticism for Russian purchases
India's oil imports from the United States will rise by 11% this year, officials said on Saturday, as the severely energy-deficient country looks to secure supplies from producers around the world, including heavily sanctioned Russia.
The surge in oil prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last month threatens to fan Indian inflation, stretch public finances and hurt growth just when it was emerging from a pandemic-induced slowdown.
Mar 19, 2022 01:05 pm IST
Destroyed Ukrainian ammo using hypersonic missiles, says Russia 
Russia's defence ministry said it had destroyed a large underground depot for missiles and aircraft ammunition in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region using hypersonic missiles, the Interfax news agency reported: Reuters
Mar 19, 2022 12:50 pm IST
Russia says using hypersonic weapons in western Ukraine
Russia says that it is using hypersonic weapons in western Ukraine as troops continue invasion in war-torn city, reports AFP. Hypersonic weapons are extremely high-speed and low-flying missiles and rockets that can carry nuclear warheads, and are much harder for existing defence systems to track
Mar 19, 2022 12:07 pm IST
Humanitarian corridor for evacuation in Ukraine
A humanitarian corridor for evacuations in Ukraine's Luhansk region will be opened on Saturday morning, regional governor Serhiy Gaiday said on Telegram as per news agency Reuters.
"A humanitarian corridor has been agreed, we will try to evacuate people and bring food today. A 'regime of silence' has been agreed for March 19, starting at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT)," Gaiday said.
Mar 19, 2022 11:11 am IST
Putin rallies behind troops while lethal fire rains down

As Russian troops rained lethal fire on Ukrainian cities, Vladimir Putin appeared at a huge flag-waving rally to lavish praise on his Russian forces, while Ukrainian’s president accused the Kremlin of deliberately creating “a humanitarian catastrophe.” (AP)
Russia’s president addressed the packed Moscow stadium Friday, saying the Kremlin’s troops had fought “shoulder to shoulder” and supported each other. “We have not had unity like this for a long time,” he told the cheering crowd.
Mar 19, 2022 10:20 am IST
How long will the war last? Russia-Ukraine peace talks continue
Peace talks with Russia may last at least "several weeks", even though there were signs that Moscow’s position has become more "adequate", Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, told Bloomberg in an interview in the latest developments amid the war.
Mar 19, 2022 09:39 am IST
Ex Russian deputy PM quits post after condemning Ukraine war
A former Russian deputy prime minister who spoke out against the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine has quit as chair of a prestigious foundation after a lawmaker accused him of a "national betrayal" and demanded his dismissal. Read more
Mar 19, 2022 08:39 am IST
Roger Federer to donate $ 500,000 for Ukrainian children
Roger Federer on Friday announced a $500,000 donation to aid in schooling for Ukrainian children affected by the ongoing war against Russia. The Switzerland tennis star took to his official Twitter account to confirm the same, adding that he is “horrified” with the scenes in Ukraine and that he “stands for peace.” Read more
Mar 19, 2022 08:35 am IST
Zelenskyy says ‘time for meaningful talks’
In a video address released early Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for meaningful peace and security talks with Moscow, news agency Reuters reported. "The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk," he said.
Check out the top 10 updates on Ukraine war here.
Mar 19, 2022 08:28 am IST
Bill Clinton and George W. Bush show solidarity with Ukraine
Two former US presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, showed their support for Ukraine on Friday, by placing bouquets of sunflowers, the country’s national emblem, outside a church in Chicago.
Mar 19, 2022 08:15 am IST
Ukraine says it'll take years to defuse unexploded Russian mines
Ukraine’s interior minister said Friday that it will take years to defuse unexploded ordnances after the Russian invasion. Speaking to The Associated Press in the besieged Ukrainian capital, Denys Monastyrsky said that the country will need Western assistance to cope with the massive task once the war is over. Read more
Mar 19, 2022 07:38 am IST
Ukraine ballet dancer dies: Artists, sportspersons pay price of war
Ukrainian ballet dancer Artyom Datsishin has died, multiple reports said, weeks after sustaining injuries in the Russian shelling in the capital city of Kyiv. Datsishin - principal dancer with the National Opera of Ukraine - died on Thursday. Read more
Mar 19, 2022 06:41 am IST
Putin speech - justifying Ukraine invasion - cut midway due to a glitch
Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine before a packed soccer stadium on Friday but coverage of his speech on state television was unexpectedly interrupted by what the Kremlin said was a technical problem with a server. Read more
Mar 19, 2022 05:48 am IST
G7 leaders to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine on March 24 in Brussels
Germany on Friday (local time) announced that the Group of Seven (G7) nations will discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine at a summit in Brussels on March 24. According to the ANI sources, the G7 summit will be led by US President Joe Biden, who is aiming to demonstrate unity not only within the framework of NATO but also the G7 to keep up pressure on Russia.