Recap the latest developments from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Summary
- Russia says talks with Ukraine are progressing but military action continues
- The US pledges $NZ1.1 billion in aid to Ukraine after Zelensky addresses Congress
- Joe Biden labels Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”
- The UN estimates 3 million Ukrainian refugees have fled their country
8.40pm: That concludes live updates for Thursday of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Breakfast will have the latest developments from Ukraine from 6am on TVNZ1 and OnDemand.
8.30pm: From the Associated Press
Three Panama-flagged ships have been hit by Russian missiles in the Black Sea since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and one sank, Panamanian authorities say.
The crews of the ships “are safe”, says Panama Maritime Authority Director Noriel Araúz.
The ship that sank was the Helt, but Araúz did not provide details about when that occurred.
The other two hit were the Lord Nelson and the Namura Queen.
Panamanian officials had previously said the Namura Queen, owned by a Japanese company and operated by a firm in the Philippines, was hit in February.
Araúz says there were 10 Panama-flagged ships in the Black Sea, including the three hit. Combined they have about 150 crew members of various nationalities who have not been allowed to leave, he says.
“We are in constant communication with the ships... because we know that the Russian navy is not letting them leave the Black Sea,” Araúz says.
Home to the Panama canal, the country is the world leader in registered merchant ships. Since the start of the invasion, Panama has advised its merchant fleet to be on high alert in Ukrainian and Russian waters.
8.14pm: Zelensky's comedy background, before he became a politician, is now well-known.
In fact, Servant of the People - a comedy series starring the Ukrainian President, as the Ukrainian President - is becoming increasingly popular globally.
The comedy series will now be aired again on Netflix in the US.
"You asked and it’s back!" the streaming service tweets.
It comes as Zelensky delivers an address to Congress asking the US to do more.
Volodymr Zelensky made the plea in a video address to US Congress. (Source: Breakfast)
7.42pm: From the Associated Press
Ukrainian and Russian delegations held talks again by video.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser Mikhailo Podolyak says Ukraine demanded a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and legal security guarantees for Ukraine from a number of countries.
“This is possible only through direct dialogue” between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, he tweets.
An official in Zelensky’s office tells the Associated Press the main subject under discussion was whether Russian troops will remain in separatist regions in eastern Ukraine after the war and where the borders would be.
Just before the war, Russia recognised the independence of two regions controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
It also extended the borders of those regions to areas Ukraine had continued to hold, including Mariupol, a port city now under siege.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, says Ukraine was insisting on the inclusion of one or more Western nuclear powers in the negotiations and on the signing of a legally binding document with security guarantees for Ukraine. In exchange, the official says, Ukraine was ready to discuss a neutral status.
Russia has demanded that NATO pledge never to admit Ukraine to the alliance or station forces there.
After negotiations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says a neutral military status for Ukraine was being “seriously discussed” by the two sides, while Zelensky says Russia’s demands for ending the war were becoming “more realistic".
6.40pm: A wrap of the latest developments from the 1News team:
It followed the bombing of a community building in Ukraine housing civilians. (Source: 1News)
6.16pm: One person has died and three others have been injured after a missile hit a residential building in the Ukraine capital in the early hours of this morning.
“On arrival, rescuers found that as a result of a damaged missile remains, the 16th and technical floor of the building was demolished, and the 16th floor of the apartment was set on fire,” rescue services said on Facebook.
Thirty others were evacuated.
5.26pm: The Russian military has lost more than 7000 soldiers since the war began on February 24, according to American intelligence.
4:50pm: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says evacuation corridors set in place did not stop the Russian military from shelling.
“We are taking away Mariupol residents who managed to escape to Berdyansk. We are taking them to Zaporizhzhia. In total, more than 6000 Mariupol residents were transported in one day, more than 2000 of them are children," Zelensky says in a Facebook video.
3:18pm: Canada decided to close the air space to Belarus, according to The Kyiv Independent.
3:00pm: Kremlin has reacted after President Biden called Putin a war criminal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the comment was "unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric", according to Russian state-owned Tass news agency.
2:55pm: Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson shows his concern towards the ongoing Russian invasion.
Robertson said he is "concerned by anything that escalates the war" or anything "that shows support to Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion" when asked about the US' talks with China, over fears Beijing may help Moscow.
He says any suggestion that China is planning to give Russia military or economic assistance is "getting well ahead of ourselves" given Beijing has denied it.
"This whole invasion is causing considerable instability across the world. In New Zealand's perspective, we went a peaceful resolution."
Robertson says no consideration has been given yet as to what the Government would do if China did get involved. However, he adds New Zealand's new targeted sanctions regime makes it possible to introduce specific restrictions if "appropriate for the circumstances".
2:33pm: The Russian defence ministry denies bombing the theatre or anywhere else in Mariupol the Associated Press reports.
The Drama Theatre in Mariupol was shelter to hundreds of civilians and was reportedly bombed earlier today by Russia.
2:20pm: From Associated Press:
Ukrainian President Zelensky got emotional during his nightly address.
“My heart breaks from what Russia is doing to our people.”
Zelensky also called for more sanctions on Russia after the bombing continues.
1:50pm: Russia is likely to use older and less precise weapons which may result in more civilian casualties, the UK Ministry of Defence says.
A senior US defence official says Russian forces are still stalled outside Kyiv while continuing to bombard the capital city with missiles.
The Russians continue to make little tangible progress across most of Ukraine and have launched more than 980 missiles in Ukraine, and they are still flying around 200 sorties per day.
One key development, says the official, has been increased Russian naval activity in the northern Black Sea, where ships were shelling suburbs of Odesa.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss US military assessments, says it’s not clear what the Russians intend to do, but the shelling could be the start of preparations to launch a ground assault on Odesa.
Russia has warships and landing ships that carry troops and tanks in the Black Sea.
12.56pm: The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen has this report on today's developments in Ukraine:
12:20pm: Ukraine swapped nine Russian soldiers in return for Melitopol Mayor.
The Mayor, Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped by Russian forces five days ago.
12:00pm: 103 children have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the invasion on January 24, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announces on a Facebook video.
To show the full scale of this war, Zelensky says Russian troops caused “hundreds of times more damage” in Ukraine than on Donbas over eight years of war.
“Last night, Russian troops continued shelling Ukrainian territory, our peaceful cities, our citizens."
11:30am: The Russian military captured a Ukrainian paramedic, The Kyiv Independent is reporting.
11:15am: From Associated Press:
Americans sympathise with Ukraine after Zelensky's plea to the US congress.
They express empathy, pain, frustration and in some cases anger Zelensky’s plead for more aid.
Across America, thousands of people shared the video of Zelensky’s speech on social media, many especially pained by a clip he shared of bloodied children in hospitals, bodies in neighbourhood streets, crumbling facades of apartment buildings and a ditch where the dead of war were being buried.
Many were struck by Zelensky’s comment that “I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the death".
10:50am: Ukraine Foreign Ministry releases a statement on Russia's strike on the Drama Theatre in Mariupol that was sheltering hundreds of people.
10:30am: Nearly 6500 people have fled Mariupol today after attacks continue in the southeastern town.
10:15am: A deep-fake video was identified of Zelensky issuing a statement calling for his troops to surrender on a Ukrainian news site.
The video was quickly removed.
10:00am: “Children” was spelled out on the Drama Theatre before it was bombed by Russia.
New satellite images from Maxar Technologies shows the word was spelled out on both sides of the theatre on Monday before it was destroyed today.
9:45am: Russian forces destroyed the Drama Theatre in Mariupol where hundreds of civilians were hiding, according to Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
9:15am: Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko called out Putin after he claimed Russia is "only targeting military targets”.
Klitschko when interviewed by Chris Reason, Channel 7, calls Russia's attacks “bulls***”.
Listen to their exchange below.
8.41am: From the Associated Press
US President Joe Biden has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal as the atrocities in Ukraine mount and the president there begged the US Congress for more help.
“He’s a war criminal,” the president says of Putin as he left an unrelated event.
It’s the sharpest condemnation yet of Putin and Russian actions by a US official since the invasion of Ukraine.
While other world leaders have used the words, the White House had been hesitant to declare Putin’s actions those of a war criminal, saying it was a legal term that required research.
But in a speech on Thursday, Biden says Russian troops had bombed hospitals and held doctors hostage. He pledges more aid to help Ukraine fight Russia.
8.10am: The BBC is reporting Healthcare facilities are becoming a target of war, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
"The WHO has verified 43 attacks on hospitals and medical facilities in Ukraine and 46 elsewhere in the world in other conflicts - the highest ever rate of attacks on healthcare, which are illegal under international law," the BBC reports.
7.59am: CNN national security reporter Zachary Cohen is reporting Slovakia has preliminary agreed to provide Ukraine with an S-300 air defence system.
7.17am: From the Associated Press
The US will be sending an additional US$800 million (NZ$1.1 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine, making a total of $2 billion in such aid sent to Kyiv since he took office more than a year ago.
About US$1 billion in aid has been sent in the past week. Biden says the new assistance includes 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 100 grenade launchers, 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launchers and mortar rounds and an unspecified number of drones.
“We’re going to give Ukraine the arms to fight and defend themselves through all the difficult days ahead," Biden says.
The announcement comes after Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to Congress, appealing for help.
6.48am: Ten people were killed while standing in line for bread in the northern city of Chernihiv, the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office says.
Officials claim they were gunned down by Russian soldiers.
6.35am: The deputy mayor of the city of Mariupol says a Russian airstrike has hit a theatre where as many as 12,000 civilians were sheltering. There was no immediate word on deaths or injuries.
6.00am: From the Associated Press
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy summoned the memory of Pearl Harbor and the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in appealing on Thursday to the US Congress to do more to help Ukraine’s fight against Russia, but he acknowledged the no-fly zone he has sought to “close the sky” to airstrikes on his country may not happen.
Livestreamed into the Capitol complex, Zelenskyy said the US must sanction Russian lawmakers and block imports. But rather than an enforced no-fly zone that the White House has resisted, he instead sought other military aid to stop Russian assault.
For the first time in a public address to world leaders, he showed a packed auditorium of lawmakers a graphic video of the destruction and devastation his country has suffered in the war, along with heartbreaking scenes of civilian casualties.
“We need you right now,” Zelenskyy said. “I call on you to do more.”
Volodymr Zelensky made the plea in a video address to US Congress. (Source: Breakfast)
Lawmakers gave him a standing ovation, before and after his short remarks, which Zelenskyy began in Ukrainian through an interpreter but then switched to English in a heartfelt appeal to help end the bloodshed.
“I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths,” he said.
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