Russia-Ukraine live news: ‘Appalled’ G7 backs war crimes probe
Print/Download- US President Joe Biden renews a warning to China against helping Russia in Ukraine war.
- Biden also warns that NATO would “respond” if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses a chemical weapon in the conflict.
- G7 nations say they are “appalled” by attacks in Ukraine and back an International Criminal Court probe into possible war crimes.
- The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine.
- The Ukraine crisis is expected to dominate US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming trip to the Middle East.
Here are all the latest updates:
Over 1,804 Russian air raids so far: Ukraine’s Defence Ministry
Russia has conducted 1,804 air raids on Ukraine since its invasion began, including 467 missile attacks, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry has said.
While Moscow says all of its strikes were surgical, Ukrainian and Western officials have accused it of deliberately targeting civilians, homes, schools and hospitals.
Reporting by Mansur Mirovalev in Vinnytsia, Ukraine.
$1,500 per head: Ukraine arrests draft-dodger traffickers
A foreigner who organised an illegal underground railroad for Ukrainian draft-dodgers has been detained, the Ukrainian border service has said.
Each draft-dodger paid the man $1,500 to illegally cross into neighbouring Moldova, the agency wrote on Telegram, without specifying the trafficker’s nationality.
Over the past month, it detained dozens of men who tried to leave Ukraine. On March 15, Ukraine said draft-dodgers would face nine years in jail and the vehicles they use to flee would be confiscated.
Reporting by Mansur Mirovalev in Vinnytsia, Ukraine.
Vote to revoke ‘most-favoured’ trade status for Russia delayed in US Senate
Legislation removing “most favoured nation” trade status for Russia has been delayed in the US Senate at least until next week, after some Republicans raised concerns that its human rights provisions might be too broad.
The bill was blocked despite lawmakers’ insistence that they wanted to show a united front in supporting the government in Kyiv, a month after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine.
It is expected to pass next week, although the delay stymied efforts by Biden’s fellow Democrats to pass it in time for his meetings on Thursday with allies in Europe.
Ukraine says 3,343 people evacuated from cities on Thursday
A total of 3,343 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on Thursday, a senior official has said, fewer than the 4,554 who managed to escape the previous day.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an online post that 2,717 people had left the besieged city of Mariupol. She accused the Russians of blocking humanitarian aid convoys into the city for the last three days.
G7 warns against threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons
The G7 countries have warned against the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, rebuking Russia over what they called “completely unfounded” allegations of bioweapons in Ukraine.
“We recall Russia’s obligations under the international treaties to which it is a signatory, and which protect us all,” the countries said in a joint statement.
Daniil Medvedev shrugs off Wimbledon ban threat
Daniil Medvedev has shrugged off the possibility of being barred from this year’s Wimbledon after the status of Russian players at the tournament was called into question by the British government.
British sports minister Nigel Huddleston told a parliamentary hearing last week the government could require Medvedev to provide assurances he did not support Russian President Vladimir Putin before being allowed to compete at Wimbledon.
“Don’t have any response to Wimbledon,” Medvedev said. “I will need to see what happens next. I try to take it tournament by tournament. I mean, there are always different rules, regulations in order to play or not to play.”
Russian space chief says cooperation with Europe now ‘impossible’
Russia’s space director has accused Europe of wrecking cooperation by imposing sanctions against his agency, saying that rockets that were meant to launch European satellites would now be used for Russian companies or countries friendly to Moscow.
Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, said in a Chinese television interview that the decision would apply to about 10 rockets.
“At this moment, after the European Space Agency and the whole European Union have taken a frenzied position on the conduct of [Russia’s] special military operation in Ukraine and introduced sanctions against Roscosmos, we consider further cooperation impossible,” Rogozin said.
Ukraine to feature heavily in Blinken’s upcoming Middle East trip: US official
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming trip to the Middle East and North Africa will be heavily dominated by discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran, a US official has said.
“Both of those are going to be really at the top of the agenda,” Washington’s top diplomat for Near Eastern affairs, Yael Lempert, told reporters.
Blinken is set to visit Israel, the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria from March 26 to 30.
G7 backs ICC investigation into war crimes in Ukraine
The G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US – have backed the International Criminal Court’s probe into possible war crimes in Ukraine, saying they are “appalled” by Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.
“We will work together to support the gathering of evidence of war crimes,” the G7 said in a joint statement.
“The siege of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities, and the denial of humanitarian access by Russian military forces are unacceptable. Russian forces must immediately provide for safe pathways to other parts of Ukraine, as well as humanitarian aid to be delivered to Mariupol and other besieged cities.”
Biden renews warnings to China against aiding Russia in Ukraine
US President Joe Biden has reiterated his warnings to China against coming to Russia’s aid in Ukraine, saying that he made clear “the consequences” of such assistance to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a phone call last week.
The US president said Xi understands that China’s economic interests are with the West, not China.
“I made no threats, but I pointed out the number of American and foreign corporations who left Russia as a consequence of their barbaric behaviour,” Biden told reporters of his conversation with Xi.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Read all the updates from Thursday, March 24 here.
