Russia-Ukraine war highlights: Blinken says Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine is a ‘war crime’

Russia-Ukraine war highlights: Cities across Ukraine still face bombardment from Russian forces despite both countries holding six rounds to peace talks.

Russia continues to attack its full-scale attack on Ukraine as a UN security council meeting over the war will take place on Thursday at the request of six western countries including the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). “Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians. Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine is a threat to us all,” the UK's UN mission tweeted on Wednesday.

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Cities across Ukraine still face Russian bombardment despite both countries holding six rounds of peace talks to find a political settlement to the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the US Congress, where he urged Americans to help his country fend off the Russian attack. Zelensky also invited US president Joe Biden to Ukraine.

The White House, meanwhile said, that it did not see Moscow take any actions to de-escalate its attack that would suggest progress in talks with Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is ready to discuss neutral status for its neighbour but would still achieve the goals of its operation, which he said was "going to plan.

Follow all the updates here:

• Mar 17, 2022 11:53 PM IST

  Blinken says Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine is a “war crime”

  US secretary of state Antony Blinken says Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine is a “war crime”, AFP reports.

• Mar 17, 2022 10:45 PM IST

  G7 warns war criminals in Ukraine 'will be held responsible'

  Perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine will be called to account, the Group of Seven most industrialised nations warned Thursday. Read more

• Mar 17, 2022 09:29 PM IST

  Slovakia says willing to provide Ukraine S-300s if NATO fills gap

  Slovakia's defense minister said on Thursday that his country was willing to provide Ukraine with S-300 air defenses if NATO allies find a substitute, but his visiting U.S. counterpart told reporters he had nothing to announce on that, reported Reuters.

• Mar 17, 2022 08:35 PM IST

  Russian grain keeps flowing even as invasion slows shipments

  Grain exports from Russia are slowing but continue to flow, with ships calling at the nation’s ports even as the war in Ukraine rages on and fears over global food security increase, reported news agency Bloomberg.

• Mar 17, 2022 07:53 PM IST

  21 killed in Russian shelling in east Ukraine

  At least 21 dead after Russian shelling of east Ukraine town. Read

• Mar 17, 2022 07:35 PM IST

  European Space Agency suspends joint Mars mission with Russia

  A Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars has been suspended due to the sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and its "tragic consequences", the European Space Agency said Thursday.

• Mar 17, 2022 07:18 PM IST

  What happens to Ukraine after Russia invasion? 5 scenarios

  Russia's invasion of Ukraine began three weeks ago. Here are possible scenarios for what happens next, according to Western government and military sources and think-tank experts. Read more

• Mar 17, 2022 06:02 PM IST

  Ukraine's Mariupol searches for survivors amid rubble of theatre

  Rescue workers were searching for survivors in the rubble of a theatre in the beseiged city of Mariupol on Thursday, after Ukraine said a powerful Russian air strike had hit the building where hundreds of people had been sheltering from the war, reported news agency Reuters.

• Mar 17, 2022 04:41 PM IST

  Reports of major progress in Ukraine talks ‘wrong,’ says Kremlin 

  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday dismissed reports of substantial progress in peace talks with Ukraine, blaming Kyiv for slowing the negotiations.

• Mar 17, 2022 04:02 PM IST

  Raiffeisen bank mulling exit from Russia

  Raiffeisen Bank International AG said it is considering an exit from the Russian market in response to the country’s attack on Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions, reported news agency Bloomberg.

  The “unprecedented situation leads Raiffeisen to consider its position in Russia,” Chief Executive Officer Johann Strobl said in a statement on Thursday. “We are therefore assessing all strategic options for the future of Raiffeisenbank Russia, up to and including a carefully managed exit.”

• Mar 17, 2022 03:19 PM IST

  Moscow says it made debt interest payment

  Russia's finance ministry said Thursday it had carried out interest payments on two foreign bonds, avoiding default for now after it was hit by unprecedented Western sanctions over Ukraine.

• Mar 17, 2022 02:40 PM IST

  Zelenskyy says Russia creating a ‘new wall’

  Zelenskyy said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was erecting a “new wall” in Europe, a reference to the Berlin Wall that symbolized post-World War II division. Speaking to German lawmakers, Zelenskyy beseeched Chancellor Olaf Scholz to abandon the country’s traditional commercial interests with Russia and “tear down this wall”.

• Mar 17, 2022 02:04 PM IST

  Over 3 million Ukrainian refugees trying to hide from war, says minister

  Ukraine's defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Thursday that over 3 million refugees are trying to hide from war. 

• Mar 17, 2022 01:39 PM IST

  China to safeguard trade interests, rights if sanctions on Russia have an impact

  The Chinese government has announced that it will take steps to safeguard normal trade interests and legitimate rights of its companies if they are impacted by United States' sanctions on Russia. 

• Mar 17, 2022 12:52 PM IST

  Turkish-made drones bolster Ukraine's defences against Russia

  Turkish made-drone, which are cheap but lethal, have helped Ukraine to keep up a stiff defense against the Russian invasion, which has been going on for three weeks. 

  The Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles carry lightweight, laser-guided bombs and normally excel in low-tech conflicts. Turkey has sold them to more than a dozen countries.

• Mar 17, 2022 12:28 PM IST

  Russian invasion stalled on all fronts: UK

  The United Kingdom's (UK's) military intelligence has said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has stalled on all fronts. 

• Mar 17, 2022 12:21 PM IST

  Not routing flights through Russian airspace, says Cathay Pacific

  Cathay Pacific Airways has said that it is not routing flights through Russia's airspace after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. 

  "We regularly review our flight routings internally and also with information provided by external parties. We are currently not flying through Russian airspace," the airline said in a statement to news agency Reuters. 

• Mar 17, 2022 12:14 PM IST

  US House set to revoke Russia’s trade status

  The US house is nearing a deal on legislation that would remove Russia’s “most-favored-nation” trade status. This comes after President Joe Biden called Vladimir Putin “war criminal”. 

• Mar 17, 2022 11:57 AM IST

  Ukrainian winter wheat crops in good state, country to have enough bread this year: Minister

  Ukraine's deputy agriculture minister Taras Dzoba said that the winter crops are in good condition and the country will have enough bread this year. 

  "As for the new crop - winter crops are indeed in good condition throughout the country. And, despite the difficulties in which field work has to be carried out, Ukraine will have bread," Dzoba said late Wednesday. 

• Mar 17, 2022 11:42 AM IST

  In Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, governor alleges Russian forces stealing food, evicting civilians from home

  Dmytro Zhyvytsky, the governor of Sumy Oblast, alleged on Wednesday that Russian forces and stealing food and evicting civilians from their homes. 

• Mar 17, 2022 11:34 AM IST

  Expect bigger wave of Ukrainian refugess, says Hungary

  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that his government expects a bigger wave of refugees to arrive from Ukraine. 

• Mar 17, 2022 10:43 AM IST

  Remains of downed missile hit apartment in Kyiv

  The remains of a downed Russian missile hit an apartment complex in Kyiv, killing one and injuring three, Ukraine's emergency service said on Thursday. Thirty people have been evacuated from the building till now, the emergency service added. 

   

• Mar 17, 2022 10:18 AM IST

  Ukraine's military says it hit Kherson airport

  The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that it had hit the Kherson airport which was being seized by Russian forces. 

• Mar 17, 2022 10:02 AM IST

  Fighting continues in Kyiv's suburbs

  As the war in Ukraine enters third week, Russian forces continue attacking Kyiv's suburbs, depriving thousands of heat and clean water.

• Mar 17, 2022 09:32 AM IST

  Kyiv slams Russian appeal to support humanitarian draft

  Ukraine has hit out at Russia's appeal to UN members for supporting its humanitarian draft resolution. 

  Calling the appeal outrageous, Permanent representative of Ukraine in United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya tweeted, "Russian appeal to UN members to support most egregious hypocrisy - "humanitarian" draft resolution by a serial killer is outrageous. UN members may like to think twice before they dive into the blood of children & adults executed by the Russian military in Ukraine."

• Mar 17, 2022 08:42 AM IST

  Ukraine facing health crisis due to Russian invasion 

  Russia's invasion of Ukraine has entered the third week and the latter country, apart from being hit by deadly attacks daily, is also hit by a worsening health crisis.

• Mar 17, 2022 08:27 AM IST

  Over 1,000 were sheltering in bombed Ukraine theatre

  The Ukrainian government said that a threatre in Mariupol, which was bombed by Russian forces on Wednesday, was sheltering over 1,000 people. 

  "Today, the invaders destroyed the Drama Theatre. A place, where more than a thousand people found refuge. We will never forgive this," the Mariupol local council said in a Telegram post.

• Mar 17, 2022 07:39 AM IST

  United States welcomes ICJ order on Moscow

  The United States administration has welcomed International Court of Justice (ICJ) order on Russia asking the latter country to suspend its military operations in Ukraine. 

  "We welcome the Court's order and call on the Russian Federation to comply with the order, immediately cease its military operations in Ukraine, and to establish unhindered humanitarian access in Ukraine," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

• Mar 17, 2022 07:14 AM IST

  WHO delays review of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine due to Ukraine war

  The World Health Organization (WHO) has delayed the review of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V as Moscow continues its full-scale attack on Ukraine.

• Mar 17, 2022 07:03 AM IST

  Melitopol city mayor freed after abduction by Russian forces

  Ivan Fedorov- the mayor of Melitopol city, was released on Wednesday after he was reportedly abducted by Russian forces. According to reports, Fedorov was released as part of an exchange of young Russian conscripts captured by Ukraine.

• Mar 17, 2022 06:55 AM IST

  3 Panamanian-flagged ships hit by Russian missiles in Black Sea since beginning of invasion

  Panama's Maritime Authority has said that three three Panamanian-flagged ships have been hit by Russian missiles in the Black Sea since the beginning of the Ukraine war on February 24. 

• Mar 17, 2022 06:11 AM IST

  UNSC to hold meeting today to discuss Ukraine war

  The UN security council will hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the war in Ukraine at the request of six countries including the US and the UK. 

  The meeting comes two days after Moscow circulated a proposed security council resolution on Tuesday that would demand protection for civilians “in vulnerable situations” in Ukraine and safe passage for humanitarian aid and people seeking to leave the war torn country. 

• Mar 17, 2022 05:55 AM IST

  France warns Russia against use of chemical weapons

  French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that his government will consider Russia responsible for use of chemical or bacteriological weapons in war-torn Ukraine. 

  "If chemical or bacteriological attacks took place in Ukraine, we'd know who would be solely responsible for them. It would be Russia," Drian told French newspaper Le Parisien on Wednesday.