Russia’s war in Ukraine: Latest developments

KYIV – Here are the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine:

– Kharkiv fighting –
Street fighting breaks out after Russian paratroopers land in Ukraine’s second city, with city officials saying a hospital has been attacked amid air strikes and shelling.

“There are practically no areas left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not hit,” says Interior Minister official Anton Gerashchenko.

– Russia ‘takes’ Kherson –
Russian forces claim to have taken the besieged Black Sea city of Kherson in the south after its mayor admits the port and railway station are in Russian hands.

– Holocaust site hit –
Five people are killed in the attack on the Kyiv television tower at Babi Yar, the site of a Nazi massacre in which over 33,000 of the city’s Jews were shot.

– Cities pummelled –
Russia steps up its bombing campaign and missile strikes on Ukraine’s cities, destroying two residential buildings in a town west of Kyiv with the city of Bila Tserkva to the south of the capital also hit.

– Navalny tells Russians to protest –
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny urges Russians to protest daily against the invasion of Ukraine, saying they should not be a “nation of frightened cowards”.

– Zelensky: Russia wants to ‘erase us’ –
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of trying “erase our history. Erase our country. Erase us all.”

– Mariupol without power –
Russian attacks leave Mariupol, another Black Sea port further to the west without electricity.

– 836,000 flee –
More than 836,000 people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the UN’s refugee agency says, with the number rising rapidly.

– Biden brands Putin ‘dictator’ –
US President Joe Biden brands Vladimir Putin a “dictator” as he bans Russian aircraft from US airspace.

– UN court to hold war hearings –
The UN’s International Court of Justice says it will hold hearings over Ukraine’s claims of “genocide” by Russia as the General Assembly votes on whether to order Russia to withdraw its troops.

– Independent media blocked –
Russia blocks an independent television channel and a liberal radio station, tightening a virtual media blackout on the war.

– Companies exit Russia –
A string of Western companies say they are freezing or scaling back business with Russia, including Apple, three of the world’s largest shipping companies and energy firms Eni, ExxonMobil and Boeing.

– Race for cash –
Russians race to withdraw cash after the introduction of capital controls as the ruble hovers around record lows against the dollar.

– Nord Stream 2 goes under –
Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 goes insolvent after Germany halts the gas pipeline while the European subsidiary of Russia’s Sberbank also prepares to enter insolvency.

– Oil, gas price soars –
Oil prices soar past $113 a barrel, despite the International Energy Agency members agreeing to release 60 million barrels from stockpiles.

European gas prices also hit a record high as does the price of aluminium.

– Two-year EU refugees plan –
The European Commission sets out proposals for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion to be able to stay and work in EU countries for at least two years.

– World Bank aid –
The World Bank prepares a $3-billion aid package for Ukraine, including at least $350 million in immediate funds.

– Nigeria airlift –
Nigeria is to airlift more than 1,000 citizens from countries neighbouring Ukraine after they fled the Russian invasion, with many saying they experienced racism at the border.