Russia-Ukraine war highlights: EU urges more arms to Kyiv, mulls Russia oil ban

France expels six suspected Russian spies in diplomatic roles, says official, as quoted by AFP.

Moscow said on Monday that the United States and Britain were helping Ukraine prepare fake claims about the alleged persecution of civilians in Ukraine to feed to international media in an attempt to smear Russia.

Three Russian regions bordering Ukraine announced they were stepping up security measures on Monday over what they said were "possible provocations" from the Ukrainian side.

Germany said Ukraine needs more military support, including heavy weapons, as Kyiv reported Russian missile attacks destroyed the airport in Dnipro, the country’s fourth-largest city.

Pro-Russian separatists have said that the Mariupol port is in their control, news agency AFP reported citing Russian media. 

"Regarding the port of Mariupol, it is already under our control," separtists leader Denis Pushilin said. 

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer began a meeting with Vladimir Putin on Monday, the first European leader to visit the Russian president since the start of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Russia claimed that it destroyed several air defense systems in Ukraine over the weekend, in what appeared to be a renewed push to gain air superiority and take out weapons Kyiv has described as crucial ahead of a broad new offensive in the east.

Russia will not pause its military operation in Ukraine for subsequent rounds of peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

The World Bank says Ukraine's economy will shrink by 45.1% this year because of Russia's invasion, which has shut down half of the country's businesses, choked off imports and exports, and damaged a vast amount of critical infrastructure.

Canada said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on companies in the Russian defence sector that it says have provided support for Russia's military in the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged South Korea on Monday to provide his country with arms to help it fight Russia's military, AP reported.

Ukrainian troops have repulsed several Russian assaults in the country's east, the focus of a new offensive by the invading forces, British intelligence said on Monday, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week will be crucial to the course of the war.

Russia has destroyed S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems which had been supplied to Ukraine by a European country, Russia's defence ministry said on Monday as per news agency Reuters.

The ministry said that Russian sea-launched Kalibr missiles on Sunday destroyed four S-300 launchers which were concealed in a hangar on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Russia said 25 Ukrainian troops were hit in the attack.

It did not say which European country had supplied the S-300 systems.

More European Union sanctions on Russia are an option, the bloc's top diplomat said on Monday when asked if the EU was ready to consider a Russian oil embargo in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"Sanctions are always on the table," he told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. "Ministers will discuss which are the further steps," he said.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged member states to quickly provide Kyiv with the weapons it has asked for, as Ukraine braces for Russia to step up its campaign in the country’s east, according to people familiar with weekend discussions.

Borrell told EU diplomats a decision is needed in days and not weeks, and the bloc must do whatever it takes to help Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.

Russian shelling has continued in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with Ukrainian forces repulsing several assaults resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery equipment, the UK's Ministry of Defence tweeted on Monday.

Air raid sirens were heard across Ukraine early on Monday, media reports said.

“It is likely that the enemy, in order to disrupt the supply of goods to the places of hostilities, will continue to strike at transport infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in order to destroy or disable them,” the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces said on Monday as per news agency AP.

The World Bank on Sunday forecast the war would cause Ukraine's economic output to collapse by 45% this year, with half of its businesses shuttered, grain exports mostly cut off by Russia's naval blockade and destruction rendering economic activity impossible in many areas.

The bank forecast Russia's GDP would contract by 11.2% this year due to punishing Western sanctions.

On Sunday, the United Nations says 4,232 civilian casualties had been recorded in Ukraine to date, with 1,793 killed and 2,439 injured.

Ukraine said Sunday it had found more than 1,200 bodies in the Kyiv region, the scene of atrocities allegedly committed by Russian troops, as residents in the country's east braced, or fled, ahead of an expected massive offensive. AFP reported.

Heavy bombardments hammered Ukraine through the weekend, adding to mounting casualties six weeks into Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

The White House said President Joe Biden will press Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a hard line against Russia’s Ukraine invasion. Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the leaders plan a virtual meeting on Monday, news agency AFP reported.

Austria’s chancellor, whose country isn’t a NATO member, said he’ll meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, Bloomberg reported. Putin’s invasion will likely cause Ukraine’s economy to shrink by almost half this year, the World Bank said, while it expects Russia’s to contract by about 11%.

Ukraine expects Russian forces to widen their offensive in the east of the country this week and is ready to respond, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. A new commander for Russia’s military in Ukraine is raising alarm among U.S. officials, who said efforts are under way to get more weapons to Ukraine.