Ukraine's president furiously condemns Nato leaders for ruling out a no-fly zone over his country
US Senate to hold meeting with Ukraine's President Zelensky on Zoom
The United States Senate has been invited to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via Zoom, reports say.
Zelensky has been in touch with President Biden but this will be the first time the Senate as a whole will speak to the Ukrainian leader since Russia invaded the country more than a week ago.
Last week, Ukraine's US ambassador Oksana Markarova met members of the Senate and said her country urgently needed more supplies to fight Russia.
President Zelenskiy bitterly slams NATO, says it gave Russia 'green light' to bomb Ukraine
In southern Ukraine, strategic city of Mariupol under siege
More than a million people have fled Ukraine, UN says
Some 1.2 million people have already fled Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, according to the latest figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with over half that number pouring into neighbouring Poland.
As of Thursday 3 March, the latest date for which figures were available, some 650,000 fled to that country, while 150,000 had crossed into Hungary and the rest into other European nations. Neighbours Moldova, Slovakia and Romania accounted for the next largest numbers of refugees.
"Many more are on the move both inside and outside the country," the UNHCR said. "They are in need of protection and support. As the situation continues to unfold, an estimated 4 million people may flee Ukraine".
Ukraine's total population before the invasion was about 44 million.
US Embassy in Ukraine calls Russia's attack on nuclear power plant a 'war crime'
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is calling Russia’s attack on a nuclear plant a war crime.
“It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant,” the embassy statement said. “Putin’s shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further.”
Elon Musk says Starlink will not block access to Russian news sources, except at 'gun-point'
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Russian Ministry of Defence announces ceasefire in Mariupol to allow residents to evacuate
Watch video: Kharkiv burns under heavy Russian artillery barrage
Ukraine port city Mariupol to begin civilian evacuation at 0900 GMT: mayor
Ukraine confirms temporary ceasefire in two citiesDeati
There is now official Ukrainian confirmation from the head of the Donetsk region military administration, Pavlo Kirilenko.
He confirms the temporary ceasefire from 09:00 local time, and says that his administration is currently working on the details of the evacuation.
Details of ceasefire and civilian evacuation emerge
The ceasefire will last from 09:00-16:00 local time
The evacuation of civilians will begin at 11:00 local time
The route of the corridor is from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, a city to the west
Buses will leave three locations in the city, and private transport will also be allowed to travel along the route given
The city council asks drivers to make full use of all the space they have in their vehicles
Travelling away from the agreed route is strictly forbidden
This information is from the Mariupol city council.
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Watch video: Footage emerges of Russian Mil Mi-24 helicopter shot down over Ukraine
Ukrainian president's office says evacuations from an area where Russia announced a cease-fire have halted, reported AP
Russian Foreign Minister says Mariupol is not allowing residents to evacuate
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the authorities of Mariupol are not allowing residents of the city to evacuate along the humanitarian corridor "opened by our military". He also stated that the authorities of Kherson "refused to accept humanitarian aid from Russia".