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

– Fierce battles –
Ukraine’s military says it is fighting “fierce battles” with Russian forces on the edge of the southern city of Mykolayiv, which controls the road to the country’s biggest port Odessa in the west.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that Russia is preparing to bombard the historic city near the Romanian and Moldovan borders.

– Chernihiv pummelled –
Dozens of civilians are being killed in the battle for Chernihiv in the north, with those who remain in the city living in craters or among the ruins.

– Mariupol evacuation fails again –
Attempts to evacuate civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol — which has neither power nor water — fail for a second day over ceasefire breaches.

The Red Cross describes “devastating scenes of human suffering” in the battered Sea of Azov port.

– Airport destroyed –
A barrage of Russian missiles destroy Vinnytsia airport in central Ukraine, Zelensky says.

– Refugee crisis:
fastest since WWII -Ukraine is the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II, says the UN. More than 1.5 million people have fled into neighbouring countries since Russia invaded on February 24.

– Polish jets deal –
The United States says it is working on a deal with Poland to supply Ukraine with Russian-made fighter jets that its pilots are trained to fly.

– Kremlin warns over planes –
Russia says it has destroyed “practically all” Ukraine’s combat-ready aircraft and warns its neighbours including NATO member Romania not to host Kyiv’s military aircraft, saying it would drag them into the war.

– Russia limits essential food sales –
Russian shops are told to limit sales of essential foodstuffs to counter black market speculation as Western sanctions bite.

– Putin: We will win through talks or war –
Russian President Vladimir Putin tells French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that he will achieve his aims in Ukraine “through negotiation or through war”.

– US, Europe mull oil ban –
The US says it is in “active discussions” with European nations about banning Russian oil imports.

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– 2,500 held at Russia protests –
More than 2,500 people are held across Russia after new protests against the war in Ukraine, bringing to 11,500 the number arrested since the invasion began.

– Putin: Ukraine could cease to exist –
Putin warns Ukraine it may cease to exist as a state if leaders “continue to do what they are doing”.

He also says countries imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine will be considered combatants, while equating sanctions with a declaration of a war.

– Visa and Mastercard ban –
Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard refuse to do business with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine but Russian banks say they will use China’s UnionPay system.

– Peace prospects ‘not great’ –
Israel’s premier Naftali Bennett says the chances of stopping fighting were “not great” after Kyiv asked Israel to open a dialogue with Moscow.

– Media blackout –
A host of international broadcasters, including the BBC and CNN, say they will stop reporting from Russia because of a new law threatening up to 15 years in jail for “fake news” about its invasion.

The Kremlin later takes BBC World News off the air there.

– Bolshoi director quits –The Bolshoi Theatre’s music director and principal conductor Tugan Sokhiev quits the Moscow theatre and France’s Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse saying he felt under pressure to take a stance on the war.

– France lashes Britain on refugees –
London says it can’t “just open the door” to Ukrainians after France accused it of a “lack of humanity” toward people fleeing the war and trying to join family in the UK.

AFP