Summary

  • Russian shelling is still preventing the evacuation of civilians from besieged cities such as Kyiv, Mariupol, Sumy and Kharkiv, Ukraine says

  • Ukraine rejected a Russian proposal to allow civilians to escape after it emerged many of the routes would only lead to Russia or its ally Belarus

  • A third round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks ends with little agreement - a fourth round will take place on Tuesday

  • Coca-Cola and McDonald’s face pressure to join a growing corporate boycott of Russia, which an estimated 230 Western firms have followed

  • Russian deputy PM warns Moscow could retaliate against European sanctions by cutting off natural gas to the bloc

  • Russia "is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare", says a Ukraine lawyer at the International Court of Justice

  • To call off the invasion, Moscow on Monday demands that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it won't join Nato and the EU

  1. No-fly zone could cause a third world war - Rubiopublished at 22:02 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Over in the US, politicians have been discussing the idea of a no-fly zone - as urged by President Zelensky and other prominent Ukrainians - on the Sunday talk shows.

    Senator Marco Rubio, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on CNN Sunday that a no-fly zone means "starting World War Three".

    "People need to understand what a no-fly zone means. It's not some rule that you pass that everybody has to oblige by. It's the willingness to shoot down the aircraft of the Russian Federation," he said.

    He added that he believes it makes "no sense" to continue to import oil from Russia, which he said is being used to fund the war in Ukraine.

    Another Senator, Connecticut Democrat Christopher Murphy, said on Fox that he believes that it is not in American or European interests to enforce a no-fly zone.

    Doing could lead to "the two world's biggest, most equipped nuclear superpowers - going to war directly against each other".

    However a third Senator, West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, told NBC that he wouldn't reject the idea of a no-fly zone.

    "I would take nothing off the table," he said.

  2. Anti-war protest in Russia ally Kazakhstanpublished at 21:56 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    protest in AlmatyImage source, Getty Images

    There was also an anti-war protest today in Kazakhstan, which is a Russian ally.

    Despite that, the protest in its biggest city Almaty was allowed to go ahead. The Kazakh foreign ministry has stressed its neutrality in the conflict.

  3. Over 4,600 protestors arrested in Russia todaypublished at 21:51 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Anti-war protest in Yekaterinburg, RussiaImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    A man is detained in Yekaterinburg

    We've been reporting on anti-war protests in Russia today - the latest figures suggest that 4,631 people were arrested across 64 cities, according to respected Russian NGO OVD-Info, external.

    OVD says that in total 13,028 protestors have now been arrested in Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine.

    Jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny has called for daily protests against the war in Russia, Belarus and beyond.

  4. Netflix and PwC join exodus from Russiapublished at 21:40 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    More big international firms are suspending operations in Russia - the latest to announce the move, within the past half an hour, are streaming service Netflix and professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

    "Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia," the Netflix spokesperson said.

    It had already announced it was suspending future projects and acquisitions.

    Meanwhile PwC announced plans to cut its Russian firm from its wider network.

    “We have decided that, under the circumstances, PwC should not have a member firm in Russia and consequently PwC Russia will leave the network,” global chairman Bob Moritz said in a statement.

    The statement added that PwC will work to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

  5. Watch: Military couple marry on the frontlinepublished at 21:29 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Earlier we brought you the story of a couple from Ukraine's territorial defence forces who got married on the outskirts of Kyiv.

    The Kyiv mayor, former boxer Vitali Klitschko, was one of the first to congratulate the couple.

  6. A million refugees cross into Polandpublished at 21:19 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Refugees at the Polish-Ukrainian borderImage source, EPA

    More than one million refugees have now crossed the border from Ukraine into Poland since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February, Polish border guards say.

    "Today at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) the number of people from Ukraine into Poland exceeded a million. This is a million human tragedies," the border guard service said on Twitter.

    More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine in just 10 days, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

    Filippo Grandi, the agency's high commissioner, has called it the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.

    The map below - based on UN figures, which won't be updated until tomorrow - shows where else refugees are heading.

    map
  7. Hundreds of Ukrainian doctors do online war surgery coursepublished at 21:00 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Hundreds of Ukrainian doctors have been taking part in an online war surgery course based in the UK.

    The course was organised by Dr David Nott, who has taught conflict healthcare across the world, and Dr Henry Marsh, a neurosurgeon with deep links to Ukraine.

    What was normally a five-day face-to-face course was crammed into a 12-hour Zoom call during which Dr Nott and Dr Marsh went through ballistics and burns, neurosurgery and vascular surgery.

    War surgery is different to anything a doctor has seen before, David Nott said. Hostile environments require decisions on treatments made under extreme time and resource pressure.

    Dr Marsh told the participants: "With luck you won't need this knowledge but best to prepare for the worst."

    Listen to the full programme on BBC Sounds here.

  8. American Express suspends operations in Russia and Belaruspublished at 20:40 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    American Express is the latest international company to suspend its operations in Russia and Belarus over Russia's "unjustified" attack on Ukraine.

    Its decision comes as Visa and Mastercard have already confirmed they will halt all operations in Russia in protest at its invasion of Ukraine.

    The US company said American Express cards will no longer work at businesses or ATMs.

    Here are some other companies that have also suspended work in Russia.

  9. Hundreds of Jewish refugees arrive in Israel from Ukrainepublished at 20:18 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Yolande Knell
    BBC Middle East correspondent, Jerusalem

    Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett carries a Jewish boy from a plane bringing some 90 children from a Jewish orphanage in ZhytomyrImage source, Reuters

    About 400 Jewish refugees have arrived in Israel from Ukraine, among the first of what the country expects to be "a very, very big wave" of immigration.

    It has been suggested that more than 200,000 Ukrainians who are Jewish or have Jewish family ties could be taken in and more than 600,000 Russians in the same categories.

    "Israel is my second home, maybe now my first home," said Anna from Kyiv, arriving in Tel Aviv with plans to stay with her relatives. "I’m very emotional. I just want to sleep and feel safe, and I know that here I will feel safe."

    At the airport, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett kissed a small boy on the head and carried him from a plane bringing some 90 children from a Jewish orphanage in Zhytomyr.

    Later, he took a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin, just a day after returning from surprise talks at the Kremlin.

    Over the weekend, Bennett is said to have spoken three times to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine has asked that Israel act as a mediator because of its good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow.

    Commentators have questioned Bennett's decision. One wrote it will "either be a stellar success or an abysmal failure" and another said the "difference between a Nobel and ignoble".

    However, Bennett says he sees "a moral duty" to try to help "even if the chances are not great".

  10. Watch: Residents run from Russian shelling near Kyivpublished at 19:57 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    In Irpin, near Kyiv, a mother and two children have died as mortar fire hit an evacuation route from the town, which has been under heavy bombardment. We understand several other people have died too, though the exact number is still unclear.

    Civilians have been fleeing across a destroyed bridge that was blown up by Ukrainian forces to prevent a Russian advance on Kyiv.

  11. Close the sky over Ukraine, pleads former PMpublished at 19:41 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Yulia Tymoshenko (file photo)Image source, Getty Images

    The former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko has appealed to the country's allies to "close the sky" over Ukraine in an interview with the BBC.

    She said Ukraine "valued the tough sanctions" imposed on Russia since the invasion began, but said Ukraine required further "serious help".

    "That help is closing the sky over Ukraine," she said.

    When asked whether she agreed that asking Nato to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine could escalate the situation, as Nato powers have argued, she stated "there is no need to get Nato's permission" and insisted that this could be done through coalitions of countries around Ukraine.

    She also asked for UN Security Council peacekeeping troops to be sent to Ukraine and for the latest anti-aircraft systems to be made available.

  12. US looking at deal with Poland on military jets - Blinkenpublished at 19:27 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    The US is actively looking at a deal with Poland to supply Russian-made military jets to Ukraine, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken says.

    Ukrainian pilots already know how to fly them and Blinken said the US might provide replacement planes to Poland.

    "We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine, and looking at how we might be able to backfill, should Poland decide to supply those planes," Blinken said.

    "Can't speak to a timeline but I can just tell you we're looking at it very, very actively."

    It follows a plea for planes from Zelensky.

    But Russia's defence ministry has warned Ukraine's neighbours not to harbour Ukrainian combat aircraft, saying they could find themselves involved in the conflict.

  13. TikTok suspends livestreaming and new content in Russiapublished at 19:12 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Video app TikTok says it is suspending livestreaming and new content to its video service in Russia while it reviews the safety implication of a new law which threatens to jail anyone the authorities deem to have spread "fake" news on the armed forces.

    The platform says its in-app messaging service will not be affected.

    "We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority," the company says.

    There are an estimated 70 million monthly users of TikTok in Russia, but developers there have launched a rival service.

    A number of international media organisations have suspended their work in Russia, citing concerns over their workers' safety with the new law. They include the BBC, Bloomberg News, Canada's CBC, German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF and Italy's Rai, among others.

    The Russian government meanwhile has banned access to Facebook.

  14. Bolshoi Theatre's chief conductor resignspublished at 19:00 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Tugan Sokhiev conducting the Bolshoi Theatre orchestraImage source, Getty Images

    Fallout from the war is reverberating across the cultural realm - at the world-famous Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, conductor Tugan Sokhiev has announced his resignation from his post as the theatre's musical director and chief conductor.

    Sokhiev - who has spent years working in the music world in France - also stated he'd be stepping down from his position as musical director of the Toulouse Capital National Orchestra.

    In an emotional statement he said he would always be against conflicts in any shape or form.

    He said he was very proud to come from such a rich cultural country as Russia, but also very proud to be part of French musical life.

    But he said he had been under pressure to make an impossible choice of one musical family or cultural tradition over another after Russia invaded Ukraine.

  15. Nuclear plant reports extremely concerning - nuclear watchdog headpublished at 18:45 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    More now on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The director-general of the International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, says he is extremely concerned by reports that the management of the site is now under the orders of the commander of the Russian forces who seized it last week.

    Grossi says this contravenes "one of the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security", which says that "the operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure".

    He also says that the fact that some mobile networks and the internet have been switched off by the Russian military, making communications between the Ukrainian regulator and the staff difficult, contravenes "another of the seven indispensable pillars" - that "there must be reliable communications with the regulator and others".

    Quote Message

    I’m extremely concerned about these developments that were reported to me today...

    Quote Message

    In order to be able to operate the plant safely and securely, management and staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions without undue external interference or pressure.

    Rafael Grossi, International Atomic Energy Agency director-general

  16. Nuclear plant running under Russian orders - Ukrainepublished at 18:19 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    An update on activities at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which was seized by Russian forces on Friday.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Ukraine has informed it that regular staff are still operating the plant, but they are now under orders from the commander of the Russian forces there.

    Ukraine has also told the IAEA that Russian military at the site have switched off some mobile networks and the internet, making communications highly challenging.

    The country's nuclear regulator says it has encountered major problems reaching staff at the plant.

    Despite this, the regulator was able to confirm that radiation levels there remain normal.

    Media caption,

    Europe's largest nuclear plant shelled in Ukraine

  17. A recap of today's key developmentspublished at 18:08 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Map showing the areas invaded by Russian forces

    If you're just joining us, here are the key developments on day 11 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine:

    • A second attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged southern city of Mariupol has failed - with both sides once again blaming each other for breaking the ceasefire. The Red Cross said the two sides had not agreed on the details of how the evacuation would take place
    • In Irpin near Kyiv a mother and two children died as mortar fire hit an evacuation route from the town, which has been under heavy bombardment. Civilians have been fleeing across a destroyed bridge that was blown up by Ukrainian forces to prevent a Russian advance on Kyiv
    • Russia's Vladimir Putin told France's Emmanuel Macron that Russia would achieve its aims through "negotiation or war", according to a French readout of their nearly-two-hour call. Earlier on Sunday he told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan much the same thing
    • More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine in just 10 days, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). The majority - nearly a million - have gone to Poland
    • Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russian forces are preparing to bombard the southern port city of Odesa
    • About 3,500 people were reportedly detained at anti-war demonstrations in Russia today - more than 10,000 people have been detained since the war began
    • At least 364 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, the United Nations Human Rights office said - adding that the real figures were likely to be "considerably higher"
  18. Irpin evacuation: Family killed as they fledpublished at 17:42 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    We have more information about the three civilians known to have been killed while trying to flee Irpin, a town just outside Kyiv.

    A highly distressing image taken by a photographer for the New York Times show three members of a family of four - a mother and two children - lying dead on the pavement, while Ukrainian soldiers try to save the life of the wounded father.

    We're not publishing the picture here due to its extremely graphic nature.

    The children were a teenaged son and a daughter who appeared to be about eight years old, the newspaper reports.

    The family had run from the fighting carrying a suitcase and a few backpacks and had brought their small dog with them.

    They were hit by a mortar attack.

    Russian forces have been firing mortar shells at an already-collapsed bridge being used by evacuating civilians, including children.

    Ukraine has accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting the evacuation routes from Irpin, after a railway track was hit and damaged on Saturday.

    As well as Irpin, the small towns of Hostomel and Bucha to the north-west of Kyiv have seen heavy fighting in recent days.

  19. Nearly 20,000 foreigners apply to fight for Ukraine - FMpublished at 17:30 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    Meanwhile as refugees stream out of Ukraine, nearly 20,000 foreign citizens have applied to go there to fight, according to Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba quoted in local media.

    It comes after the Ukrainian government launched a website for applications yesterday.

    Speaking in an online briefing on Sunday, Mr Kuleba reportedly said volunteers from 52 countries have so far applied to join the fighting.

    He added he would not specify from exactly which countries applications had come from.

    Earlier today the head of the UK armed forces told the BBC that Britons should not head to Ukraine to fight and should instead help however they can from the UK.

  20. A mass movement westwardspublished at 17:13 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2022

    More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded, the UN says. Here's where they are heading.

    map