Russia-Ukraine war: What to know on Day 20 of Russia’s war in Ukraine

AFP , Tuesday 15 Mar 2022

Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine as the conflict enters its 20th day.

Russia-Ukraine war
An elderly resident waits to be rescued by Ukrainian firefighters after bombing in an apartment building in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (AP Photo)

Fresh talks

A new round of talks will be held Tuesday by videoconference between Ukraine and Russia after discussions on Monday pause without a breakthrough.

Ukraine says it is demanding "peace, an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops" and President Volodymyr Zelensky says discussions were "pretty good."

Protester interrupts Russia TV

A protester interrupts Russia's most-watched evening news broadcast to hold up a sign saying "No War" and condemning Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The woman is identified as an editor at the station and reports say she was detained after the protest.

Thousands of people in Russia have been detained for protesting against the conflict.

Russia could take 'full control'

As Russian forces surround several Ukrainian cities, Moscow warns it could place them under the Kremlin's "full control".

Kyiv is hemmed in on two sides and drained of more than half of its three million residents with ongoing strikes on the capital killing at least two people on Monday.

Strike on TV tower kills nine

Nine people die and another nine are injured when Russian forces hit a television tower outside the western Ukrainian city of Rivne, local authorities say.

Food system 'meltdown'

UN chief Antonio Guterres warns that the world must act to prevent a "hurricane of hunger and a meltdown of the global food system" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Zelensky to address Congress

Zelensky will address the US Congress by video link-up on Wednesday, House and Senate leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer announce.

Congress last week approved nearly $14 billion in aid to Ukraine.

US warns on Russia-China alignment

Washington expresses concern about "alignment" between Russia and China after marathon talks between US and Chinese officials.

The discussions come after reports Moscow is seeking military and economic support from Beijing. While declining to directly address the reports, China accuses Washington of spreading "disinformation" about its role in the conflict.

Chernobyl power restored

The UN's nuclear watchdog says power has been restored at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power station, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

Separately, Ukraine's state nuclear operator Energoatom accuses the Russian military of detonating ammunition at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in the country's south.

New EU sanctions

The EU adopts new sanctions against Russia, hitting individuals and companies "implicated in the assault on Ukraine". Diplomats say the oligarch Roman Abramovich is among those listed.

Oligarch homes targeted

Britain says it is "looking at" using property owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs to house Ukrainian refugees.

It comes after activists broke into a London mansion linked to a Russian oligarch, and French police questioned three men who broke into a villa owned by President Vladimir Putin's former son-in-law.

Cars leave Mariupol via safe corridor

More than 160 civilian cars drive out of the besieged southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol along a humanitarian evacuation route, the city authorities say.

The successful evacuation comes after several failed attempts with Russian forces surrounding the port city on the Azov Sea.

Nearly 2,200 residents have been killed and heavy Russian bombardment has left 400,000 inhabitants with no running water or heating and food scarce, the authorities say.

Over 2.8 million flee

More than 2.8 million people have fled the war in Ukraine, the UN's refugee agency says, describing the outflow as Europe's largest refugee exodus since World War II.

UNICEF says more than one million children had fled Ukraine in search of safety and protection.

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