UK sanctions Russians Usmanov and Shuvalov, ponders law change - Reuters UK

• UK sanctions oligarch Usmanov and ex-minister Shuvalov
• Will face freeze of more than $80 mln in UK property
• Lawmakers criticise government for being too slow
• Government sees legal barriers, considers law change

LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - Britain sanctioned two more Russians on Thursday - industrialist Alisher Usmanov and former deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov - after criticism that it was taking too long to target people with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Usmanov - an Uzbekistan-born metals and telecoms tycoon who Britain said was worth $18.4 billion - is best known in Britain for his investment in and former sponsorship of Premier League soccer clubs Arsenal and Everton.

Shuvalov is a former aide to Putin who now chairs Russian bank VEB, itself under Western sanctions. As deputy prime minister he led Russia's successful bid to host the 2018 soccer World Cup.

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"For as long as Putin continues his barbaric attack on innocent Ukrainians we will continue to exert every power we have to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and his war machine," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a 'special operation' that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists - a pretext dismissed by Ukraine and the West as baseless propaganda.

Since Russia launched the invasion on Feb. 24, Britain has imposed sanctions on 11 wealthy Russians plus Putin and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as four Belarusian military officials. read more

Usmanov and Shuvalov have had their British assets frozen, face travel bans, and British citizens and businesses are barred from dealing with them.

The foreign ministry said Usmanov owned a mansion worth 48 million pounds ($64 million) and an estate southwest of London, while Shuvalov owned two luxury apartments in central London worth 11 million pounds.

ABRAMOVICH PRESSURE

Johnson is facing mounting criticism from opposition politicians and some of his own lawmakers for what they say is a slow response on sanctions.

Britain has so far sanctioned fewer people than the European Union, which on Monday imposed sanctions on 26 prominent figures, including oligarchs and people active in the oil, banking and finance sectors. read more

There have been growing calls for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea soccer club, and others to be included in sanctions. But the government has said it must have a solid legal case that their finances are linked to Putin's administration before sanctioning any individuals.

Abramovich's spokeswoman declined immediate comment on a Times report on Thursday that he was not facing imminent sanctions. He announced on Wednesday he would sell Chelsea Football Club and donate money from the sale to help victims of the war in Ukraine. read more

British lawmakers have said any delay in imposing sanctions means their targets can move wealth and assets out of Britain before they are designated.

"The government's failure to keep pace with the EU and the U.S. on sanctions is allowing Putin-linked oligarchs to salvage hundreds of millions in assets," said David Lammy, the foreign affairs spokesman for the main British opposition Labour party.

A government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that because of the high bar still required to impose sanctions it was now seeking to change the law.

Only last month, Britain passed legislation to broaden the scope of those who could be sanctioned in the event of a Russian invasion, to allow tough penalties on those close to Putin.

"Legal threats will have no impact on our ability to sanction oligarchs," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told Reuters while on a visit to Lithuania. "We are absolutely determined to sanction Russian oligarchs. We have a further list we are working through."

Anita Clifford, a London-based lawyer who specialises in financial crime, said while there was a low threshold for the designation of sanctions, it still required a proper dossier of evidence or it could be challenged in court, and the government could be sued for large sums.

Ordinarily, the process would take at least a couple of months, she said.

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Reporting by Michael Holden, Andrew MacAskill, William James and David Milliken in London and Andrius Sytas in Vilnius Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Alistair Bell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-03-03 21:30:00Z
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Ukraine invasion: Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov rants about Napoleon, Hitler, Hollywood films and Ukraine's 'Nazi battalions' - Sky News

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov referenced Napoleon, Hitler, Hollywood's battle between "absolute evil and absolute good" and Ukraine's "neo-Nazi" regime as he made his latest attempt to justify his country's invasion.

Speaking during a virtual news conference in Moscow, Mr Lavrov insisted that Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine was an effort to "de-militarise and de-Nazify and to stop any more violence".

More than 2,000 civilians are estimated to have so far died in a week of Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

But Mr Lavrov contended that the Russian army had a "very strict order to use weapons only against military infrastructure".

And he defended Moscow's launching of its war machine against its neighbour as a means of allowing Ukrainians "to make their own choices".

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0:39

Large explosions seen over Kyiv

Lavrov compares US to 'Napoleon and Hitler'

"Napoleon and Hitler, they had the objective to have the whole of Europe under their control," the 71-year-old said, according to a translator, as he continued the Kremlin's attacks on NATO.

"Now Americans have got Europe under their control. And we see the situation has really demonstrated what role the EU is playing in the context of the global situation.

"They are just fulfilling a role. So we see, like in Hollywood, there is absolute evil and absolute good and this is unfortunate."

Mr Lavrov claimed "the hysteria" would end and "our partners will settle down, calm down after a while" as he predicted Russia would "sit down to negotiate".

But he added this must be "only on one absolute condition that there has to be equal positions, equal parties negotiating".

Image: Russia's foreign minister was challenged about the death of Ukrainian schoolgirl Polina

Nuclear war 'not in the heads of Russians'

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week ordered his country's nuclear deterrent forces to be put on high alert and has previously threatened the West with "consequences greater than any you have faced in history" if other nations intervened in Ukraine.

Mr Lavrov, however, suggested that nuclear war was "not in the heads of the Russians" and blamed fears of an escalated conflict on "statements of the Western politicians".

He accused France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian of "trying to be like a peacock" and claimed UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss had stated she was "prepared for the conflict between Russia and NATO".

In response to a US journalist's question, he added: "I'd like to point out the statements of your president, [Joe] Biden, when replying to a question whether there was an alternative to these sanctions from hell.

"He said the only alternative is World War Three. And everyone had the sense it can only be nuclear war."

Mr Lavrov warned Western leaders that if they "begin a real war against us then they need to think carefully, the people who harbour those plans - and they do harbour those plans".

Image: The lines of control in Ukraine at 6am on Thursday

Nazis 'flourishing' in Ukraine

The Russian foreign minister dismissed a characterisation of his own leader, Mr Putin, acting in isolation from other Russian politicians and Kremlin officials as "Western propaganda".

He also repeated Moscow's unsubstantiated but common reference to Ukraine being led by a "neo-Nazi regime".

Mr Lavrov spoke just two days after a Russian missile attack hit a Holocaust memorial in Kyiv, which commemorates the site of one of the largest mass killings of Jews by the Nazis in the Second World War.

And, when challenged about Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy's status as the first Jewish president of Ukraine, Mr Lavrov said: "It's very difficult for me to explain how Zelenskyy can be chairman in a society where Nazis are flourishing.

"They are marching openly, they are marching with torches."

The Russian foreign minister also described Ukrainian forces as "marauders" who "use civilians as human shields" and claimed "Nazi battalions" were among their number.

"Europe and the US are trying to close down any media from Russia who cover what is happening in Ukraine, how the special military operation is developing and how Ukrainian army - especially Nazi battalions - are behaving towards their civilians," Mr Lavrov added.

"They are literally robbing civilians as they retreat in Donbas, for example."

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0:29

'Take them home': Zelenskyy to Russia

Foreign minister challenged over schoolgirl's death

Asked if he was preparing a defence for a potential war crimes trial over his and Mr Putin's actions in Ukraine, Mr Lavrov - who has been personally targeted by Western sanctions - referred to the term "collateral damage" being "invented by our Western partners" in Iraq and Libya.

Challenged about having the blood of Polina on his hands - a Ukrainian schoolgirl of nine or ten said to have been shot as Russian forces opened fire on her family's car - Mr Lavrov dismissed the line of questioning as "games" and "like a talk show".

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2022-03-03 12:39:20Z
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Russian and Belarussian athletes will be REFUSED from entering Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games - Daily Mail

Russian and Belarussian athletes are BANNED from the Paralympic Winter Games just a DAY before they start, in a dramatic last-minute U-turn after rival countries threatened to boycott

• IPC board has decided to refuse entries from Russian and Belarusian athletes
• Their athletes are no longer free to participate in the Paralympic Winter Games
• The opening ceremony for the Paralympics in Beijing gets underway on Friday

By David Coverdale For Mailonline and Jacob Ranson For Mailonline

Published: 07:38 GMT, 3 March 2022 | Updated: 11:03 GMT, 3 March 2022

Russian athletes have finally been kicked out of the Winter Paralympics after multiple countries threatened to boycott the Games.

The International Paralympic Committee sparked fury on Wednesday when they decided Russians and Belarusians could compete as neutrals, insisting it was the harshest punishment possible according to their rules.

However, ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony and after a major backlash from teams including Great Britain, the IPC caved to pressure and banned athletes from the two nations over the invasion of Ukraine.

‘An overwhelming number of members told us that if we do not reconsider our decision, it is likely to have grave consequences. Multiple national committees are threatening not to compete,’ admitted under-fire IPC president Andrew Parsons, who revealed wheelchair curling and ice-hockey teams were refusing to play Russians on Saturday.

‘Ensuring the safety and security of athletes is of paramount importance to us and the situation in the athlete villages is escalating and has now become untenable. It is a very, very volatile environment.

‘To the Para athletes from the impacted countries, we are very sorry that you are affected by the decisions your governments took last week in breaching the Olympic Truce. You are victims of your governments’ actions.’

Parsons said he now expects legal action from Russia and Belarus, particularly as the IPC admitted themselves that their rulebook did not allow them to ban athletes over breaches of the Olympic Truce. The Russian Paralympic Committee called the decision to expel its athletes ‘baseless’ and ‘illegal’.

But IPC spokesperson Craig Spence added: ‘What we’ve seen in the 14 hours since is a move from letters of “We think you should ban”, to now, “We’re thinking of going home. We’re not playing”.

‘If we don’t act on that, then we’re crazy. If we didn’t pivot, we’d probably be talking to you in two days’ time about the fact that there’s not enough athletes here to do the Games.’

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board has decided to refuse the athlete entries from the Russia and Belarus for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games

Thursday’s U-turn was welcomed by the British Paralympic Association, who had also expressed their anger to the IPC and revealed they too could have boycotted the Games.

‘That was one potential scenario but something that we would not wish to exercise because our athletes deserve the right to be here,’ said BPA chair Nick Webborn.

In a statement, the BPA added: ‘Given the horror of what is happening in Ukraine, we believe they have made the correct decision for these Games and is in line with the values of the Paralympic movement.

‘ParalympicsGB athletes can now focus on the competition for which they have trained so hard and their welfare has been at the forefront of our thinking.’

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who had threatened ‘the full range of options’ to protest the IPC’s original decision, said: ‘I am pleased that the IPC has now come to the right decision and answered our call to ban Russian and Belarus athletes in response to Putin's barbaric, senseless invasion.

‘The welfare of all the other competing athletes is of utmost importance and we are pleased the IPC also recognise that.’

There were set to be 71 competitors from Russia and 12 from Belarus, while Ukraine have managed to get their full team of 20 to Beijing despite the difficulties of leaving their war-torn country.

IPC president Andrew Parsons insists ensuring the safety and security of athletes is of paramount importance to us

Athletes have already arrived in Beijing with the opening ceremony due to take place on Friday

Valeriy Sushkevych, the Ukrainian Paralympic chief, said: ‘Our presence here is not merely a presence. This is a sign that Ukraine was, is and will remain a country.

‘For us, it is a matter of principle to be here with the Paralympic family - to be here as a symbol of Ukraine that is alive.

‘We came here from Ukraine and we travelled through Ukraine. It took us many days, we had to overcome a lot of barriers that had to do with the war.

‘Many members of our team barely managed to escape from the bombardments and shells exploding but still we made it here. I can say that this is a miracle.’

Parsons apologised to athletes from Russia and Belarus, by saying: 'First and foremost, we have a duty as part of the Paralympic mission, enshrined in the constitution, to guarantee and supervise the organisation of successful Paralympic Games, to ensure that in sport practiced within the Paralympic Movement the spirit of fair play prevails, violence is banned, the health risk of the athletes is managed and fundamental ethical principles are upheld.

'With this in mind, and in order to preserve the integrity of these Games and the safety of all participants, we have decided to refuse the athlete entries from RPC and NPC Belarus.

'To the Para athletes from the impacted countries, we are very sorry that you are affected by the decisions your governments took last week in breaching the Olympic Truce. You are victims of your governments' actions.

'Athlete welfare is and always will be a key concern for us. As a result of today's decision 83 Para athletes are directly impacted by this decision. 

'However, if RPC and NPC Belarus remain here in Beijing then nations will likely withdraw. We will likely not have a viable Games. If this were to happen, the impact would be far wider reaching.

'I hope and pray that we can get back to a situation when the talk and focus is fully on the power of sport to transform the lives of persons with disabilities, and the best of humanity.' 

Governing bodies across the sporting world have been left with decisions to make after Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion on Ukraine

The opening ceremony for the Paralympics gets underway on Friday.

The invasion of Ukraine has left governing bodies across the sporting world with decisions to make over Russia and Belarus.

After immense pressure, FIFA and UEFA decided to suspend Russia from all competitions until further notice. 

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been excluded from World Athletics Series events indefinitely too.

The International Tennis Federation has suspended those countries from membership and team competitions, but individual players are still competing on the men's and women's professional tours.

The same is the case in Formula One after the FIA allowed Russians to compete as neutrals, though Motorsport UK will not allow Haas driver Nikita Mazepin to race at the British Grand Prix this summer. 

Russia has captured its first major city in Ukraine after a week of fighting, with Kherson - a regional capital of 300,000 people on the Black Sea - now under the control of Putin's forces.

Igor Kolykhaiev, the city's mayor, said in an update around 1.a.m that 'armed visitors' had stormed a council meeting and imposed new rules including a strict curfew and urged citizens to follow them. But it was far from clear whether Ukrainian forces had totally withdrawn, with the UK MoD saying Thursday the situation is 'unclear'.

If Kherson is under full Russian control, then it opens up Odessa - Ukraine's main port city and primary naval base - to an assault. Amphibious landing ships were seen forming up off the west coast of Crimea Thursday morning as US officials warned a major assault from the sea could come later in the day.

Russian tanks and a military truck are seen rolling through the streets of Kherson on Wednesday

Meanwhile Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's two largest cities, remained under a heavy bombing campaign overnight with missiles striking civilian areas - including a train station in the Ukrainian capital being used to evacuate people from the city and as a shelter for those who cannot or have chosen not to leave.

Chernihiv, in the north west, and Mariupol, in the south, also remain under Ukrainian control despite being all-but surrounded by Russian forces and coming under heavy bombardment. The mayor of Mariupol said Thursday that Russian artillery fire has been so intense that they cannot even remove wounded people from the streets.

Vadym Boichenko accused the Russians of doing 'everything to block the exit of civilians' including blowing up the city's trains, leaving people stranded before the artillery opened fire. Evacuations continued elsewhere, however, with the UN estimating that 1million people have now fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries.

Ukraine estimates that 2,000 civilians have been killed in fighting. The UN has confirmed 227 of those but said the true toll is likely far higher. War crimes prosecutors have opened a case into the deaths.

Negotiators from both Ukraine and Russia are set to meet on the border with Belarus today for a second round of talks, after an initial summit on Monday failed to yield any result.

The remains of a destroyed Russian military convoy are seen on a street in Bucha, to the south of Kyiv, on Wednesday morning

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2022-03-03 07:38:17Z
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Ukraine live updates: Russia to face war crimes inquiry - BBC

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

More now on the news that Russia has been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by 38 different countries over suspected war crimes committed during its invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the UK foreign office said that it has "led efforts to bring together allies", including all 27 members of the EU, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland, to report Vladimir Putin's regime to the court.

Dominic Raab, the UK's Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, said in a statement: "As a founder member of the International Criminal Court, the UK is willing to provide the necessary technical assistance to support successful convictions."

"Any Russian leader or officer carrying out orders that amount to war crimes should know they face ending up in the dock of a court and ultimately in prison," Raab added.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that Putin's regime has "indiscriminately" targeted civilians and added the "UK will work closely with allies to ensure justice is done".

While Russia is a signatory of the Geneva Convention, the international treaty that defines war crimes, it withdrew from the ICC in 2016 after it classified the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula as an occupation.

It means that individuals charged by the court will have to be detained in countries that accept its jurisdiction, perhaps confining Putin to Russia and allied states for the rest of his life.

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2022-03-02 22:01:03Z
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Ukraine conflict: Russia's Kharkiv attacks are war crimes, says Zelensky - BBC

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of war crimes after air strikes, including on a central square, in the country's second city.

At least 10 people were killed and 35 hurt when the opera house, concert hall and government offices were hit in Freedom Square in Kharkiv.

Speaking to the European Parliament, Mr Zelensky urged the EU to prove it was with Ukraine.

Later the main TV tower in the capital Kyiv was hit, putting media off air.

Footage on social media showed smoke billowing from the steel structure.

Five people died in the attack, Ukrainian officials said, but the tower remains standing.

A nearby memorial to victims of the Holocaust was damaged in the same strike. The Babyn Yar ravine is Europe's largest mass grave of the Holocaust where between 70,000 and 100,000 people, mostly Jews, were shot by the Nazis.

Mr Zelensky said on Twitter that the attack was "history repeating...".

"What is the point of saying 'never again' for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar?" he asked.

Meanwhile new satellite images emerged of a huge Russian military convoy which has been outside Kyiv for several days, amid fears of an all-out assault on the capital.

The convoy includes armoured vehicles, tanks, artillery and logistical vehicles, and is said to be less than 18 miles (30km) from the city.

But a senior US defence official said there has been "no appreciable movement" by the convoy on Tuesday.

There were indications that morale was flagging among Russian troops in general, and some units were surrendering, sometimes without a fight, the official added.

Russia's defence ministry has urged citizens in militarily sensitive areas of Kyiv to leave their homes.

The ministry, quoted by Tass news agency, said the Russian military was not targeting cities, only military infrastructure, and that there was no threat to the civilian population.

'Terror against Ukraine'

In a speech for which MEPs gave him a standing ovation, Mr Zelensky thanked the European Union for its support with armaments.

"Without you, Ukraine is going to be alone," he said. "We have proven our strength."

"Prove you are with us, prove that you will not let us go."

Later the Parliament said it would look at a request by Ukraine for candidate status of the EU.

The Ukrainian president condemned the attacks on Kharkiv.

"This is the price of freedom," Mr Zelensky said. "This is terror against Ukraine. There were no military targets in the square - nor are they in those residential districts of Kharkiv which come under rocket artillery fire," he added.

Video footage showed a missile hitting the local government building and exploding, causing a massive fireball and blowing out windows of surrounding buildings. Freedom Square is the second largest city-centre square in Europe and a landmark of the city.

Residents of Kharkiv told the BBC they were living in "hell" because of apparent attacks on civilians.

Yulia, a married mother of three, said the Russians were targeting areas with no military infrastructure.

"They've been bombing... a residential area where tens of thousands of people live - mothers, children," she said. "We have very many injured... This is hell."

Another resident told the Newshour programme she and her husband and children were living in a bomb shelter because they did not know where the shelling would strike next.

Russia attacks Ukraine: More coverage

• LIVE: Latest updates from on the ground
• THE BASICS: Why is Putin invading Ukraine?
• RUSSIA SANCTIONS: 'If I could leave, I would'
• UKRAINE: Desperate scenes in Lviv train station
• IN DEPTH: Full coverage of the conflict

Mr Zelensky's government accuses Russia of trying to lay siege to Kharkiv, Kyiv and other cities.

The sixth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has seen continued attacks on several fronts, but the Russian advance has reportedly been slowed by Ukrainian resistance.

People in the southern city of Kherson say it is now surrounded, and Mariupol, a port city also in the south of Ukraine, is without electricity after an intense bombardment.

Investigation into war crimes

Claims that Russia is committing war crimes are mounting, with growing international calls for the attacks to be investigated.

Russia has previously denied targeting residential areas, but the International Criminal Court (ICC) - which examines war crimes - is looking to open an investigation.

Chief prosecutor Karim Khan still needs the approval of ICC judges to begin work, but for now has asked his team to start collecting evidence of abuses, such as attacks on civilians.

More than 600,000 people across Ukraine have fled their homes to escape the fighting, according to the United Nations, and more than 130 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Thursday, including 13 children.

Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences if it is safe to do so. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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2022-03-01 20:14:59Z
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Ukraine invasion: Zelenskyy receives standing ovation in EU parliament - as Russian minister's speech prompts UN walkout - Sky News

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised his fist in a defiant salute as he was given a standing ovation by the European Parliament following an emotional speech.

In an address to an emergency gathering of the Brussels chamber on Tuesday - which moved an interpreter to tears - Mr Zelenskyy urged European nations to "prove that you are with us" as his country fights to hold off a Russian invasion.

His speech, via video link, came a day after the Ukrainian leader signed an application to join the European Union.

Ukraine-Russia news live: Johnson visits Poland and Estonia to show support for NATO allies

Image: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raises his fist in a salute as he was given a standing ovation by the European Parliament

"Our people are very much motivated, very much so," Mr Zelenskyy told MEPs, as his countrymen entered a sixth day under Russian attack.

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"We are fighting for our rights, for our freedoms, for our life. And now we are fighting for survival. This is the highest of our motivations.

"But we are also fighting to be equal members of Europe. I believe that today we are showing everybody that's exactly what we are.

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"The EU is going to be much stronger with us, that's for sure. Without you, Ukraine is going to be lonesome.

"We have proven our strengths, we have proven that - at a minimum - we are exactly the same as you are.

"So do prove that you are with us. Do prove that you will not let us go.

"Do prove that you are indeed Europeans, and then life will win over death and light will win over darkness. Glory be to Ukraine."

Mr Zelenskyy's address was met by standing applause from MEPs, many of whom wore or raised Ukrainian flags, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.

MEPs later heard from the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, who spoke in front of a TV screen showing scenes of Russian weaponry hitting Ukrainian cities.

After the speeches by Ukrainian leaders, Mr Michel told MEPs the EU would have to "seriously" look at Ukraine's "legitimate" application for EU membership.

But he admitted it would be "difficult" as there were "different views" within the 27-member bloc on future enlargement.

The UK 🇬🇧 and 50+ countries staged a walk out of 🇺🇳 UN Human Rights Council as Russia started speaking today.

Lavrov’s statement was full of disinformation and did not deserve the attention of the @UN_HRC.

Russia is isolated and should be ashamed to sit in the UN chamber. https://t.co/i5E9byUI0G

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) March 1, 2022

Meanwhile, in Geneva, a large number of diplomats staged a walkout from the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday as Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov began to speak.

The boycott by envoys from the EU, US, UK, Japan and others left only a few remaining in the room as the ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin made his remote address.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss posted on Twitter: "The UK and 50+ countries staged a walk out of UN Human Rights Council as Russia started speaking today.

"Lavrov's statement was full of disinformation and did not deserve the attention of the UN HRC.

"Russia is isolated and should be ashamed to sit in the UN chamber."

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2022-03-01 15:15:53Z
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Ukraine invasion: Three children among nine dead as footage shows Kharkiv apartment block being rocked by series of blasts - Sky News

Three children are among nine people who were killed when Russian forces shelled parts of Ukraine's second largest city - with footage showing a series of explosions outside an apartment building.

A harrowing sound can be heard as the explosives lash the ground in quick succession outside the building in southeastern Kharkiv.

One of the explosives hits a car and causes it to catch to fire.

Ukraine-Russia latest: Follow live updates

It is not clear what type of attack is taking place, but it comes as suspected cluster munitions have struck several buildings in Kharkiv.

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Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of the city, said nine people had died and 37 were injured as a result of shelling there.

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Cluster munition?

Sky News has pinpointed two separate videos to northeastern Kharkiv and a military expert said the shelling appears to be the classic pattern for a cluster munition.

Cluster munitions are a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions - with the explosive bomblets designed to kill personnel and destroy vehicles.

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0:41

Cluster munition strikes buildings in Kharkiv

A clip posted to social media shows multiple explosions striking a building in quick succession.

Footage captures the harrowing sound of the shelling as smoke fills the surrounding area.

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Another video shows a similar series of quick explosions on another building from a distance below a cloud of thick white smoke - with a woman heard sobbing in the background.

Key developments:
• Russia's attack 'not on schedule' and 'in some significant areas of disarray'
• Russia's football clubs and international sides suspended by FIFA and UEFA
• Extra 100,000 people will be able to seek sanctuary in UK, Priti Patel announces
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs application to join European Union
• Britons 'willing to die' to defeat Putin's army as volunteers prepare to travel to fight

It comes as the interior ministry in Ukraine said on Monday that dozens have been killed in mass rocket strikes by Russian forces in Kharkiv.

"Kharkiv has just been massively fired upon by grads (rockets). Dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded," Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said in a post on Facebook.

Image: A Russian armoured personnel carrier burns amid fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Pic: AP

The first round of peace talks between Russian and Ukraine ended without an immediate agreement on Monday, as satellite images showed a more than three-mile-long Russian military convoy nearing Kyiv.

Kyiv was hit by more large explosions on Monday as the first round of talks with Russia over ending its invasion concluded.

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0:20

Russians blow up gas pipeline in Kharkiv

Russian troops are attacking on multiple fronts and are believed to be around 25km (15 miles) from the capital.

Read more:
Russia's invasion of Ukraine mapped - what happened on day five
Ukraine invasion: Key questions answered

Satellite images from the Maxar company captured signs of fighting outside Kyiv, including destroyed vehicles and a damaged bridge.

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2022-02-28 20:48:45Z
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