UN to hear Russia's claim of US labs in Ukraine

Scroll down for a recap of 1News' coverage on the latest developments in Ukraine.

What you need to know:

- Bombing resumes in Mariupol the day after Russia bombed maternity hospital

- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky tells Russian leaders the invasion will backfire

- Kamala Harris the US vice president has embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation into Russia' actions

- Ukraine’s foreign minister says talks between the top diplomats of Moscow and Kyiv produced no breakthrough

Recap of today's events

9.30pm: That concludes 1News' live updates for today. For more, join the Tonight team on TVNZ1 and OnDemand.

9.24pm: Images showing the aftermath after three air strikes hit the city of Dnipro.

9.20pm: From the Associated Press:

Ukrainian authorities announced plans for several evacuation and humanitarian aid delivery routes Friday, with the support of the Red Cross.

The top priority remained freeing people from the besieged city of Mariupol and getting aid to its hungry, thirsty, freezing and terrified population.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video message that Ukrainian authorities are trying yet again Friday to send aid into Mariupol and bring evacuees out to the city of Zaporizhzhia. Repeated previous attempts have failed, as aid and rescue convoys were targeted by Russian shelling.

Vereshchuk said buses would be sent Friday to multiple Kyiv suburbs to bring people to the capital, and to bring aid to those staying behind.

9.07pm: Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and six others have been injured following an attack on military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in west Ukraine, according to the head of the regional administration, Yuriy Pohulyayko.

8.10pm: Russia has claimed to have captured Volnovakha, to the north of Mariupol.

RIA news agency has quoted Russia's defence ministry as saying Russia-backed separatists have taken the strategically important city to the north of the besieged port of Mariupol.

From the Associated Press:

The UN Security Council scheduled a meeting at Russia’s request to discuss what Moscow claims are “the military biological activities of the US on the territory of Ukraine”, allegations vehemently denied by Ukraine's leader and the Biden administration.

“This is exactly the kind of false flag effort we have warned Russia might initiate to justify a biological or chemical weapons attack," Olivia Dalton, spokesperson for the US Mission to the United Nations, said.

“We’re not going to let Russia gaslight the world or use the UN Security Council as a venue for promoting their disinformation.“

The Russian request, announced in a tweet from its first deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, follows the US rejection of Russian accusations that Ukraine is running chemical and biological labs with US support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied Russia’s accusation that Ukraine is preparing to attack with chemical or biological weapons.

7.45pm: Footage has emerged of the damage caused by shelling in Dnipro on Friday morning (local time).

ITV correspondent Dan Rivers shared footage of the destruction caused, where buildings were obliterated and firefighters were working to put out a blaze that had engulfed the area.

7.40pm: From the BBC:

There have been reports of shelling in another city in western Ukraine.

Local media outlets are reporting explosions in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, in the south-west.

The cities in the west had previously not been targeted by Russia. Many civilians continue to flee west, to places like Lviv, in search of safety.

6.50pm: One person has been reported dead after the blasts in Dnipro.

Ukraine's State Emergency Services say there were three airstrikes in the city at around 6.10am local time, hitting a kindergarten and an apartment building.

A two-storey shoe factory was also hit, setting it ablaze.

6.20pm: The strike in Lutsk targeted an airfield according to locals in the area, BBC Ukraine is reporting.

There are also reports that the Russian strike hit a factory - the only place where certain fighter jet engines can be repaired.

BBC Ukraine says the site was on a list of key strategic assets being targeted by Russia.

6pm: From the BBC:

Bombs have reportedly been dropped in the Ukrainian cities of Lutsk and Dnipro for the first time.

Ukrainian TV and media outlets are reporting explosions in Lutsk in the north-west, as well as in Dnipro - an inland city located on the river Dnieper and a major stronghold in central-eastern Ukraine.

Neither of these cities have seen direct shelling before.

From the Associated Press:

A NZ$20 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies easily won final congressional approval, hitching a ride on a government-wide spending bill that's five months late but loaded with political prizes for both parties.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion killing thousands and forcing over 2 million others to flee, the Senate approved the overall NZ$2.2 trillion overall legislation by a 68-31 bipartisan margin. Democrats and Republicans have battled this election year over rising inflation, energy policy and lingering pandemic restrictions, but they've rallied behind sending aid to Ukraine, whose stubborn resilience against brutal force has been inspirational for many voters.

“We promised the Ukrainian people they would not go at it alone in their fight against Putin," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, said just before the vote.

“And once we pass this funding in a short while, we will keep that promise."

Around half the $20 billion measure was for arming and equipping Ukraine and the Pentagon's costs for sending US troops to other Eastern European nations skittish about the warfare next door. Much of the rest included humanitarian and economic assistance, strengthening regional allies' defences and protecting their energy supplies and cybersecurity needs.

From the Associated Press:

Satellite photos show that a massive Russian convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital since last week appeared to have dispersed.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed the 64-kilometre line of vehicles, tanks and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, with armored units seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported.

The convoy had massed outside the city early last week, but its advance appeared to have stalled amid reports of food and fuel shortages. US officials said Ukrainian troops also targeted the convoy with anti-tank missiles.

1.57pm: From the Associated Press

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 100,000 people have been evacuated during the past two days from seven cities under Russian blockade in the north and centre of the country, including the Kyiv suburbs.

But he said the Russian refusal to allow evacuations from Mariupol, a port city in the south, was “outright terror.”

“They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to mock it, to constantly bomb and shell it,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. He said the Russians began a tank attack right where there was supposed to be a humanitarian corridor.

The city of 430,000 has been without food supplies, running water and electricity for 10 days. Ukrainian officials say about 1,300 people have died, including three in the bombing of a maternity and children’s hospital on Wednesday.

12.58pm: Here's the latest report from BBC journalist Jeremy Bowen:

12.15pm: Reuters military and intelligence correspondent Phil Stewart is reporting Russian planes bombed an institute in Kharkiv that is home to an experimental nuclear reactor and a neighbouring hostel is on fire.

11.26am From the Associated Press:

The Ukrainian military said it has successfully held back Russian troops, preventing them from making any new gains.

The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said that Russian forces were trying to encircle Kyiv moving from the north and west, but their advance has slowed down or even stopped.

It said that Ukrainian forces on Thursday drove Russians out of the village of Baklanova Muraviika near Chernihiv, which sits on a road leading to Kyiv.

10.40am: According to Jack Detsch, a reporter for Foreign Policy, and quoting a senior US defence official, Russia has launched more than 50 missiles into Ukraine each day for more than two weeks.

"That's 775 missiles total of 'all shapes and sizes', officials said, including 60-plus launches since yesterday."

It's military operation remains focused on Eastern Ukraine - which is where its five largest cities are.

10.11am: From the Associated Press:

Viewers of Russian state TV are told that Russian troops are in Ukraine to save people there from “neo-Nazis” and to disarm a country that was preparing to wage war on its own population.

The TV reports also say that people across Russia are supporting what the Kremlin calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine by forming convoys in which cars display the tricolour Russian flags. Or they gather in courtyards and form a large letter “Z,” which has become a symbol of the Russian military. Or they rally in parking lots while chanting, “We don’t abandon our own.”

A news anchor at state TV channel Russia 24 rattled off the names of cities holding the demonstrations.

“Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Stavropol, Tula -– mass rallies in support of the special operation took place in these and many other cities all across the country,”

9.48am: The Kyiv Independent has reported Russian forces have shelled more than 280 schools since the start of their invasion of Ukraine.

9.32am: Drone footage has emerged out of Ukraine showing Ukrainians attacking a Russian tank convoy.

Video released by Azov, a controversial part of Ukraine's military, was said to show aerials of the tanks being fired upon, possibly by a drone.

Ukraine says a Russian commander was killed.

9.30am: From the Associated Press:

While the situation regarding Ukraine’s nuclear facilities is “complex and difficult,” the head of the UN nuclear agency said on Friday that he is in contact with all sides to ascertain how to help ensure the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities.

Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters Thursday evening in Vienna that the nuclear watchdog has ”scheduled physical inspections” of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. He would not give any details on when or how those inspections would take place citing the sensitivity of the situation.

Grossi added that the IAEA also has “a number of remote monitoring devices” in operation.

When it comes to nuclear facilities based in conflict zones, the director-general said “we are trying to make sure that we will not have again added suffering because of any radioactive release or anything having to do with nuclear facilities.”

Grossi said he does not expect any side to intentionally target nuclear reactors, but there was the risk of unintentional shelling. He also stressed that at facilities taken by the Russian military, but operated by Ukrainian staff, it was paramount that employees get enough rest to be focused while working.

Grossi told reporters that there was not immediate danger of power cuts at the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, which Russian forces seized last week, and that even in the case of power cuts there would be “ample time” to restore it before anything dangerous could happen.

9.00am: From the Associated Press:

Top US intelligence officials admitted on Friday that they underestimated Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s invasion, a mistake for intelligence agencies that have otherwise been lauded for accurately predicting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention to launch a war.

“My view was that, based on a variety of factors, that the Ukrainians were not as ready as I thought they should be,” said Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. “Therefore, I questioned their will to fight. That was a bad assessment on my part because they have fought bravely and honourably and are doing the right thing.”

The White House has faced Republican criticism that it isn’t providing enough weapons or intelligence to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Biden administration is currently opposed to a Polish plan to donate old Russian-made warplanes to Ukraine, out of concern that Putin may view that as an escalation by the US or NATO.

8.50am: The Kyiv Independent is reporting Izium residents (east Urkaine) have come under attack during an evacuation.

"Russian forces violated the temporary ceasefire for a humanitarian corridor out of the city, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synehubov," The Kyiv Independent said.

8.25am: The Globe and Mail is reporting that the Institute of International Finance (IIF) predicts Russia will see its economy decline by 15% this year.

8.00am: White House press secretary Jen Psaki has explained why petrol prices have gone up in the US amid Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Fuel prices have sky rocketed internationally, with New Zealanders paying at least NZ$3 per litre.

7.25am: Photos emerging out of Ukraine and Poland show refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Refugees from Ukraine disembark from a charter plane arriving from Poland, at the military airport in Lisbon, Thursday, March 10.

A UN agency and others tracking migration say two million people have fled Ukraine in the two weeks since Russia's invasion.

Women and children board a train heading to Krakow after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland on Thursday.

Family members accompany disabled Ukrainian children, evacuated by doctors of the Central Clinical Hospital (MSWIA) from Warsaw in a special train heading for Gdansk, near the border crossing in Medyka, Poland.

6.34am: The Kyiv Independent is reporting the death of at least 71 children since Russia's invasion on Ukraine began.

6.27am: Talks between the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers in Turkey have failed to halt the invasion.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu facilitated the meeting.

He welcomed the fact that Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Dmotry Kuleba of Ukraine spoke of the possibility of a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents — with Russia agreeing “in principle” to such a meeting.

Cavusoglu pushed for a “sustainable cease-fire.”

“Until that can be established, we stressed the need for humanitarian corridors to remain open... We especially stressed the need for humanitarian corridors in Mariupol,” he said.

6.25am: A report from the BBC this morning details talks between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers.

6.10am: Bombing has resumed in the city of Mariupol the day after Russia bombed a maternity and children’s hospital.

People in Mariupol are experiencing some of the worst huminitarian conditions in Ukraine with residents trapped in freezing temperatures without food, water or power.

The city’s deputy mayor says the death toll in the city is around 1200

6.00am: From the Associated Press

Ukraine's president is telling Russian leaders that their country’s invasion of Ukraine will backfire, by landing them in court and making their people hate them.

“You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video released on Friday.

The West has slapped harsh financial and economic sanctions on Russia because of the invasion, and the Ukrainian leader said the consequences will be felt by all Russians.

“And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens — everyone you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row, when they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities, in the stolen future of Russian children.”

5.50am From the Associated Press

US Vice President Kamala Harris is praising the Polish people for taking in more than 1 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Harris made the comments Thursday as she met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and hours after the U.S. House passed a massive spending bill that includes aid for Ukraine and its European allies. The legislation includes $6.8 billion to care for refugees and other economic help.

“I’ve been watching or reading about the work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and so I bring you thanks from the American people,” Harris said.

Harris also met with Polish President Andrzej Duda. They were scheduled to hold an afternoon news conference.