Ukraine War: Russia Strikes Lviv's Airport, Germany Records 2 Lakh Refugees
Catch all the live updates on the Russian war on Ukraine here.
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After at least three blasts were heard in Lviv on the morning of Friday, 18 March, the mayor of the Ukrainian city confirmed that Russian forces had struck Lviv's airport area.
More than 1,97,000 refugees from Ukraine have been registered in Germany so far, an interior ministry spokesperson told Reuters on Friday.
This comes as Russian shelling continues across Ukraine. Kyiv city authorities on Friday said 222 people had been killed in the capital since the invasion began, including 60 civilians and four children.
Amid the war, US President Joe Biden is scheduled to to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday for the first time since the Russian invasion.
Russia on Thursday announced that it will not ask the council to vote on Friday on its draft resolution on humanitarian relief for Ukraine, due to a lack of support from its closest allies.
The governor of the northern Chernihiv region in Ukraine said that 53 civilians had been in killed in the strikes. The dead reportedly include a US citizen
Russian forces continue to partially blockade the city of Chernihiv and carry out artillery shelling of the city
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Thursday urged India to speak out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine
At least 21 people were reported dead after Russian shelling in Merefa, where Russian artillery destroyed a school and a community centre
The Russian-European Mars mission has been suspended over Ukraine war, the European Space Agency said
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US Citizen Standing in Bread Line Among 53 Killed in Chernihiv
The US State Department confirmed that a US citizen, who was standing in a bread line, died in Ukraine on Thursday, after local reports that an American was killed during Russian shelling in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.
The governor of the northern Chernihiv region said 53 civilians had been in killed in the past day, as per reports.
130 Rescued From Bombed Mariupol Theatre
About 130 people have been rescued so far from the basement of a theatre hit by a Russian airstrike in the besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, The Guardian reported, citing officials.
Hundreds of people were sheltering from bombing beneath the theatre, when it was struck on Wednesday.
Ukraine Prez Zelenskyy Addresses Russians
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to Russians directly in a late night address, confirmed that Ukraine continues to hold all the key areas under Russian attack.
"We’ve got information that the Russian military is recruiting mercenaries from other countries and trying to deceive as many young people as possible into military service,” he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Russia Has Attacked At Least 43 Healthcare Facilities in Ukraine: WHO
The World Health Organization has said the war in Ukraine is having “devastating consequences for the health of Ukraine’s people; consequences that will reverberate for years or decades to come,” adding that it has so far verified 43 attacks on health care facilities, with 12 people killed and 34 injured, including health workers.
US Prez Biden To Speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping Today
US President Joe Biden will speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at 9 am ET (1300 GMT) on Friday, the White House said.
Blasts Heard in Lviv City
At least three blasts were heard in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday morning, as per Ukraine 24 television station.
Ukrainian Actor Killed in Rocket Attack in Kyiv
Ukrainian actor Oksana Shvets has been killed in a Russian rocket attack on a residential building in Kyiv.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Oksana was 67. She had been awarded one of Ukraine's highest artistic honors, the title of which roughly translates as 'Honored Artist of Ukraine'.
Russian Forces Strike Lviv's Airport Area
Russian forces have struck the Lviv airport area in west Ukraine, news agency AFP reported, citing the city's mayor.
Smoke was purportedly seen rising from near Lviv International Airport, according to multiple videos posted across social media. The airport sits about 6 km (3.7 miles) from the city centre.
Russia Sets Up No-Fly Zone Over Donbass
Russia has established a no-fly zone over Ukraine's Donbass region, according to a separatist official from the Donetsk People's Republic, the Interfax news agency said on Friday.
Russian Missiles Hit Aircraft Repair Plant in Lviv Airport Area
Several missiles hit an aircraft repair plant in Lviv, destroying a building, the city's mayor said on Telegram.
The plant had been stopped and there were no casualties from the strike, he noted.
Smoke was purportedly seen rising from near Lviv International Airport, according to multiple videos posted across social media. The airport sits about 6 km (3.7 miles) from the city centre.
Russian Forces Made Minimal Progress This Week: UK Intelligence Report
As per a UK Defence Ministry report, Russian forces have made minimal progress in their invasion into Ukraine this week.
"Ukrainian forces around Kyiv and Mykolaiv continue to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled and subject to heavy Russian shelling," the intelligence report states.
British Media Regulator Bans Russian State's RT News
Britain's media regulator on Friday revoked Russian-backed television channel RT's licence to broadcast in the UK with immediate effect after a probe into the impartiality of its coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, reported Reuters.
The regulator, Ofcom, said in a statement it was not satisfied that RT could be a responsible broadcaster.
Australia PM To Discuss Ukraine With PM Modi
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the situation in Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific will figure in his virtual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21 March, PTI reports.
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Stalling Talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Ukrainian authorities of stalling talks, according to AFP. He added that Moscow was ready to search for solutions in a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"It was noted that the Kyiv regime is trying in every possible way to stall negotiations, putting forward more and more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin said after the phone call.
Germany’s Scholz Calls for G7 Summit Over Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has invited leaders from the Group of Seven economic powers to a summit next Thursday in Brussels, a government spokesperson said on Friday, according to Reuters.
"The meeting will serve to exchange views on current issues, in particular the situation in Ukraine," the spokesperson told a news conference.
Over 197,000 Refugees From Ukraine Recorded in Germany
More than 197,000 refugees from Ukraine have been registered in Germany so far, an interior ministry spokesperson told Reuters on Friday.
IEA Urges Govts to Cut Oil Consumption
The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Friday urged governments to urgently implement measures to cut global oil consumption within months, reports AFP. This follows supply fears stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy Expects Progress on EU Membership Bid Within Months
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Twitter said he spoke with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Friday and expects progress to be made on Ukraine's application to join the European Union in the coming months.
222 Killed in Capital Since Start of War, Including 60 Civilians
Kyiv city authorities on Friday reportedly said 222 people had been killed in the capital since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, including 60 civilians and four children.
A further 889 people have been wounded, including 241 civilians, the Kyiv city administration said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Post-1991 ‘Illusions’ About the West Are Over: Russia
Russia has lost any illusions about ever relying on the West and Moscow will never accept a world order dominated by the United States, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to a Reuters report.
He also accused the US of acting like a sheriff seeking to call all the shots in a saloon bar.
130 People Rescued So Far From Bombed Mariupol Theatre: Ukraine
Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova on Friday said 130 people had been rescued so far from the rubble of a theatre hit by an air strike on Wednesday in the eastern city of Mariupol, Reuters reported.
She said rescue work was ongoing at the site, where many people were sheltering underground before the building was hit, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
‘Continues to Function’: Indian Embassy in Ukraine
The Embassy of India in Ukraine issued an advisory on Friday saying that the embassy continues to function and can be contacted through email: cons1.kyiv@mea.gov.in
IMF, World Bank Warns of “Extensive” Economic Fallout From the Ukraine War
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and other top global lenders on Friday warned of "extensive" economic fallout from the Ukraine war and expressed their horror at the "devastating human catastrophe".
A joint statement, warning that the conflict was curbing energy and food supplies and increasing poverty, read, "The entire global economy will feel the effects of the crisis through slower growth, trade disruptions, and steeper inflation," AFP reported.
Body of Naveen Shekarappa Will Arrive in Bengaluru on Monday: Karnataka CM
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai informed on Friday, that the body of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudarm, a final year medical student of Kharkiv Medical University who died in a shelling attack in Ukraine, will arrive at the Bengaluru airport on Monday, 21 March.
UN Says At Least 816 Civilians in Ukraine Killed So Far
The United Nations Rights Office (OHCHR) said that at least 816 civilians had been killed and 1,333 wounded in Ukraine since the war began in February. However, it added that the real death toll was likely to be much higher.
Most of the casualties were from explosive weapons, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems, airstrikes and missiles, the OHCHR said.
Former Russian Deputy PM Quits After Criticising Ukraine War
Former Russian deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who spoke out against Moscow's actions against Ukraine, resigned as chair of an esteemed foundation after a lawmaker accused him of betraying the nation and demanded his ouster, Reuters reported.
Dvorkovich, who was Russia's deputy PM from 2012 to 2018, became one of the country's most senior establishment figures to question the war when he told media in the United States this week that his thoughts were with Ukrainian civilians.
Rescue Efforts Ongoing in Mariupol Theatre: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that rescue efforts were ongoing at the site of a bombed theatre in Mariupol.
The country's human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova had said earlier that 130 people had been rescued so far from the rubble of the theatre.
Greece Ready to Rebuild Mariupol Maternity Hospital, Says Greek PM
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday that his country was ready to rebuild the bombed maternity hospital in Ukraine's Mariupol.
"Greece is ready to rebuild the maternity hospital in Mariupol, the center of the Greek minority in Ukraine, a city dear to our hearts and symbol of the barbarity of the war," he tweeted.
'Diplomacy The Only Way Forward to Resolve Conflict': India At UNSC
India remains concerned about the progressively deteriorating situation in Ukraine, said Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR) of India to the United Nations, R Ravindra, at a UN Security Council meet.
"We welcome the latest round of diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine. We believe that an immediate cessation of hostilities and diligent pursuance of a path of dialogue and diplomacy are the only ways forward," he added.