As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 42nd day, here is a look at the main developments.
Fighting
Heavy fighting and Russian air strikes continue in Mariupol, according to British military intelligence.
“The humanitarian situation in the city is worsening,” Ukraine’s defence ministry said. “Most of the 160,000 remaining residents have no light, communication, medicine, heat or water. Russian forces have prevented humanitarian access, likely to pressure defenders to surrender.”
The Russian defence ministry says its forces will “liberate” Mariupol from Ukrainian “nationalists”.
US President Joe Biden approved a $100m transfer of Javelin armour-piercing missiles to Ukraine, according to an administration official.
Authorities in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk urged residents to get out “while it is safe” through five “humanitarian corridors”.Bucha deaths
Ukraine’s human rights ombudswoman said between 150 and 300 bodies may be in a mass grave by a church in Bucha, where Ukraine accuses Russian troops of killing civilians.
Russia called the allegations regarding Bucha a “monstrous forgery” aimed at denigrating the Russian army. Russia’s UN ambassador told the Security Council that Russian troops are not targeting civilians.
The Associated Press says its reporters saw “the small, blackened foot of a child” in the tangle of a pile of six burned corpses in Bucha.
“What we’ve seen in Bucha is not the random act of a rogue unit,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “It’s a deliberate campaign to kill, to torture, to rape, to commit atrocities.”600,000 evacuated to Russia
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said more than 600,000 people evacuated into Russia during the conflict, denying Kyiv’s claim of mass deportations.
“We’re not talking about any kind of coercion or abduction, but rather the voluntary decision by these people,” he told the Security Council.Sanctions
New sanctions are to be announced by the US and its allies on Wednesday to target Russian banks and officials, and ban investment in Russia.
US chipmaker Intel Corporation said it has suspended business operations in Russia.
During her visit to Poland, British foreign secretary Liz Truss announces that Britain has frozen $350bn of “Putin’s war chest”, making more than 60 percent of the regime’s foreign currency reserve unavailable.
Putin retaliates by saying Moscow will “carefully monitor” food exports to “hostile” nations. He cites “global food shortages” for the need for caution in exporting “to countries that are clearly hostile towards us”.Diplomacy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged the UN to “act immediately” or “dissolve yourself altogether”.
Russian FM Sergey Lavrov says the discovery of bodies in Bucha was “provocation” aimed at scuppering talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said that the war is “one of the greatest challenges ever to the international order and the global peace architecture”. He added that he “will never forget the horrifying images of civilians killed in Bucha”.Twitter limits
Twitter says it will introduce new measures against Russian government accounts to reduce the effects of official propaganda.
Moscow restricts access to Twitter, blocks Facebook and Instagram.