'Catastrophic': Russia shells Ukraine cities, thousands evacuated: Top updates

Here are the top updates on Russia’s war against its east European neighbour that is in its third week now.

Ukrainian and Russian officials described the fast-worsening humanitarian situation in the pro-European nation as "catastrophic" as Moscow upped the pressure on Kyiv, its forces pummelling civilian areas in several cities. Amid fresh efforts to deliver aid to the devastated port city of Mariupol, Russian forces shelled the city’s downtown as residents hid in an iconic mosque and elsewhere to avoid the explosions.

A burnt car is seen in front of a damaged City Hall building, in Kharkiv, Ukraine (AP)

Here are the top updates on Russia’s war against its east European neighbour that is in its third week now, having battered cities, leaving thousands dead and several others injured, besides triggering one of the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War. The US and its Western allies have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia with Moscow warning of serious consequences for the same.

- A new mayor was appointed in Ukraine's Melitopol city as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made efforts to secure the release of the elected mayor who was reportedly detained by Russian troops, according to the local administration. Read more

- Ukraine accused Russian forces of killing seven civilians in an attack on women and children trying to flee fighting near Kyiv. France said Russian President Vladimir Putin had shown he was not ready to make peace. The Ukrainian intelligence service said the seven, including one child, were killed as they fled the village of Peremoha and that "the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back." Read more

- Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said. Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged. The images were not independently verified. Read more

- Around 13,000 people were evacuated from a number of Ukrainian cities on Saturday, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, almost twice the number who managed to get out the previous day. In an online message, Vereshchuk said no one had managed to leave the besieged city of Mariupol and blamed obstruction by Russian forces. Moscow had earlier accused Ukrainian forces of intentionally trapping people there.

- Zelenskyy said talks with Moscow showed signs of becoming more substantive, and one of his top advisers said “continuous” discussions with Russia were underway by video, Bloomberg reported.

- Russia will publish individual sanctions against the West in the near future, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said. "The lists are ready," Ryabkov said on Russian broadcaster Channel One, adding that the sanctions will be made public soon, reported Xinhua. Read more

- Britain will pay people to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. The new scheme called "Homes for Ukraine" will let refugees from the war come to Britain even if they do not have family ties, the government said on Sunday. Britain will pay people 350 pounds ($456) a month if they can offer refugees a spare room or property for a minimum period of six months.

- Ukraine's neighbours reported a dip in the number of refugees on Saturday as governments and volunteers struggled to find shelter for the nearly 2.6 million mostly women and children who have fled since Russia's invasion three weeks ago. Arrivals were still building on an influx that overwhelmed volunteers, non-governmental organisations and authorities in eastern Europe's border communities as well as the big cities to which most of the refugees head.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host leaders from countries along Russia's northwestern flank next week to discuss ways they can respond to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, including finding new ways to isolate Russia's economy. The leaders from countries in the Joint Expeditionary Force, a British-led grouping made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden will meet for talks in London on Tuesday.

- Ukraine's gas reserves amounted to 9.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) with production continuing at all facilities except at plants in areas where fighting was taking place, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said late on Saturday. Imports continued from Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, Shmygal said in a video address. Before Russia's invasion, Ukraine consumed around 30 bcm of gas per year, producing 20 bcm and importing the remaining volumes from Europe.

(With inputs from agencies)