- Ukraine reports that more than 5,500 people were evacuated from front-line cities on Sunday.
- Ukraine and Russia will hold a new round of talks via videoconference on Monday, officials said.
- The ICRC warns that residents of Mariupol will face a “worst case scenario” if Russia and Ukraine do not reach an agreement to ensure humanitarian access.
- An American journalist was killed near the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
Here are the latest updates:
3 minutes ago (22:27 GMT)
Chechen leader Kadyrov said he traveled to Ukraine
Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, said he traveled to Ukraine to meet with Chechen troops attacking Kyiv, the Reuters news agency reported.
Reuters said it could not independently verify whether he was in Ukraine or traveled there during the conflict.
The Chechen television channel Grozny posted a video on its Telegram channel showing Kadyrov discussing with Chechen troops in a darkened room a military operation they said took place 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the Ukrainian capital, Reuters reported. .
Kadyrov is a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via Reuters]
8 minutes ago (22:21 GMT)
Bermuda revokes licenses for Russian aircraft
Bermuda’s aviation regulator said it was suspending the certification of all Russian-operated aircraft registered in the British Overseas Territory due to international sanctions over the war in Ukraine. More than 700 aircraft are expected to be affected by the move.
The regulator said it could not say with certainty that the planes were airworthy because of the impact of the sanctions on its ability to oversee safety.
Manufacturers no longer supply spare parts to Russian airlines under sanctions.
16 minutes ago (22:14 GMT)
The United States condemned the attack on the base near the border with Poland
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned a Russian attack on a major Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland, which killed 35 people and injured 134, according to a local official.
“We condemn the Russian Federation’s missile attack on the International Peace and Security Center in Yavoriv, near Ukraine’s border with Poland,” Blinken tweeted. “The cruelty must stop.”
We condemn the Russian Federation’s missile attack on the International Peace and Security Center in Yavoriv, near Ukraine’s border with Poland. The cruelty must stop.
— Secretary Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 13, 2022
25 minutes ago (22:05 GMT)
Russian-Ukrainian military dispatch: 13 March
- Russian aircraft attacked Ukrainian military base near Lviv
- Ukrainian authorities announced an increase in the evacuation of civilians
- Russian troops dispersed protesters in the Russian-controlled southern city of Kherson.
- American journalist was killed by Russian troops near Kiev
Here is a summary of all the key military events on Sunday, the 18th day of the Russian invasion.
44 minutes ago (21:46 GMT)
Russian default no longer ‘unlikely’
Russia may default on its debts after unprecedented sanctions are imposed for its invasion of Ukraine, but this will not provoke a global financial crisis, said Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
Georgieva told CBS’s Face the Nation that the sanctions imposed by the United States and other democracies have already had a “major” impact on the Russian economy and will trigger a deep recession this year.
The sanctions limited Russia’s ability to access its resources and service its debt, meaning that a default was no longer considered “unlikely,” an IMF official said.
Asked if such a default could spark a global financial crisis, she replied, “Not yet.”
49 minutes ago (21:41 GMT)
Zelensky urged software giants to stop supporting their products in Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on American software companies Microsoft and Oracle, as well as the German business software group SAP, to stop providing support services for their products in Russia.
“Stop supporting your products in Russia, stop the war!” he wrote on Twitter.
Now there can be no “half-hearted” solutions or “half-tones”! There is only black and white, good or evil! You are either for peace, or you support the bloody Russian aggressor who is killing Ukrainian children and women. @Microsoft @Oracle @SAPstop supporting your products in Russia, stop the war!
— Vladimir Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) March 13, 2022
58 minutes ago (21:31 GMT)
“Never heard of it”: China responded to reports that Russia asked for military assistance
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington responded to media reports that Moscow requested military equipment from Beijing after the invasion of Ukraine began, saying: “I’ve never heard of that.”
Spokesman Liu Penyu said that China’s priority is to prevent the tense situation in Ukraine from spiraling out of control.
“The current situation in Ukraine is really confusing,” he said by email in response to an inquiry from the Reuters news agency.
“Now the paramount concern is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even spiraling out of control.”
1 hour ago (21:25 GMT)
Ukraine and Russia will resume negotiations
Officials said Ukraine and Russia would hold a new round of talks on Monday.
Negotiations will resume via videoconference, Zelensky’s adviser and member of the negotiating team Mykhailo Podolyak said.
His statement on Twitter confirmed an earlier statement by Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
2 hours ago (20:49 GMT)
Ukraine announces thousands of evacuees from front-line cities
Ukraine was able to evacuate more than 5,550 people from front-line cities on Sunday through nine humanitarian corridors, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
According to her, 3,950 people were evacuated from the settlements of the Kiev region.
2 hours ago (20:43 GMT)
Tired Chernobyl employees halt safety-related repairs
Personnel operating radioactive waste facilities at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have stopped carrying out safety repairs due to exhaustion, as they have not been released since Russia seized the facility last month, Ukraine told the UN monitoring body on nuclear issues.
“The Ukrainian regulator informed the IAEA that employees [Chernobyl] no longer engaged in the repair and maintenance of safety-related equipment, in part due to physical and psychological fatigue after almost three weeks of continuous work, ”the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.
Russian troops captured the Chernobyl nuclear power plant at the end of February. [File: Gleb Garanich/Reuters]
2 hours ago (20:37 GMT)
ICRC issued a stern warning to Mariupol
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that residents of the besieged port city of Mariupol will face a “worst case scenario” if Russia and Ukraine do not reach an agreement to ensure their immediate security and access to humanitarian aid.
Ukrainian authorities say the city has been under relentless bombardment since it was surrounded by Russian troops on March 2. Read the full version here.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing coverage of the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.
All news from Sunday, March 13, read here.