LIVE: UN overwhelmingly votes to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine, demands withdrawal
Live Updates
The war in Ukraine entered a fifth day on Monday.
In Kyiv, residents emerged on Monday morning from a weekend-long curfew, as shelling and blasts were heard in the capital and in cities across the country before dawn.
The capital's medical facilities are having to adapt amid the ongoing invasion.
Reports suggested that more than 500,000 people have now fled the country, as Ukrainians and citizens from other countries continued to cross borders into Eastern Europe.
The Russian army announced that Ukrainian civilians could 'freely' leave Kyiv and claimed its air force dominated Ukraine's skies.
Below are some of the latest AFP pictures on the conflict:
Roman Abramovich's spokesman told Jewish News that Ukraine has asked the Chelsea owner for support in its attempts to reach a "peaceful resolution" with Russia.
The BBC said that the Ukrainian film director and producer Alexander Rodnyansky had confirmed Abramovich's involvement but that he had added that he was unsure of the impact it might have.
There was no confirmation from Ukraine over the report.
"I can confirm that the Ukrainian side have been trying to find someone in Russia willing to help them in finding a peaceful resolution," said Rodnyansky.
"They are connected to Roman Abramovich through the Jewish community and reached out to him for help. Abramovich has been trying to mobilize support for a peaceful resolution ever since.
"Although Abramovich's influence is limited, he is the only one who responded and taken it upon himself to try.
"If this will have an impact or not, I don't know, but I am in contact with [Ukraine President Volodymyr] Zelensky's staff myself, and know that they are grateful for his genuine efforts."
On Saturday, Abramovich announced he was handing the "the stewardship and care" of the club to the trustees of Chelsea's charitable foundation.
Russia and Ukraine met on Monday for their first talks since the outbreak of war last week, with Kyiv demanding an "immediate ceasefire" as the number of refugees fleeing the country hit more than 500,000.
As the delegations arrived for talks on the border between Belarus and Ukraine on day five of Moscow's invasion, the Ukrainian presidency demanded the ceasefire "and the withdrawal of troops" - which Moscow is almost certain to reject.
"I do not really believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let them try," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Kremlin declined to comment on Moscow's aim in negotiations.
It was not clear whether any progress could be achieved after President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched the assault and put Russia's nuclear deterrent on high alert on Sunday.
Human Rights Watch says that it has found that Russia is using the same type of banned cluster munitions in Ukraine that it used in Syria's Idlib two years ago.
It said the munitions were used when they landed outside a hospital in the Donetsk region killing four civilians and wounding 10 others, including six healthcare workers.
The munitions are banned under a 2008 international treaty, which neither Russia nor Ukraine has signed.
It said the 110 states that have joined the treaty should condemn the attack and the use of such weapons.
Qatar's foreign minister called on Monday for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev that would preserve Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally-recognised boundaries.
In a recorded speech to the meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani rejected the use of force as a mean to settle international conflicts, the Qatari foreign ministry said on Twitter.
The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association has denounced "racist news coverage that ascribes more importance to some victims of war over others" during coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Citing a number of examples of recent coverage, the organisation said it "condemns and categorically rejects orientalist and racist implications that any population or country is 'uncivilised' or bears economic factors that make it worthy of conflict".
In a statement, the organisation, which represents media professionals of Arab and Middle Eastern descent, said: "Newsrooms must not make comparisons that weigh the significance or imply justification of one conflict over another - civilian casualties and displacement in other countries are equally as abhorrent as they are in Ukraine."
Middle East Eye has highlighted some of the incidents in which major news outlets have aired racist views - often using comparisons with the Middle East - since the invasion began.
A Ukrainian delegation has arrived at the border with Belarus for talks with Russian representatives that will focus on achieving an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces, the Ukrainian presidency has said in a statement.
The delegation includes Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak among others, it said.
Algeria's foreign ministry has confirmed the death on Saturday in Ukraine of an Algerian student from Tlemcen.
A statement from his family said Mohammed Talbi was killed during a Russian bombardment
The 25-year-old was an aerospace engineering student in Kyiv.
His family said he lived in Dubai and had travelled from the United Arab Emirates to study in Ukraine.
More than 400 Russian mercenaries are operating in Kyiv with orders from Moscow to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government, according to a report in The Times.
The Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group under western sanctions, flew in mercenaries from Africa five weeks ago to undertake the mission, the UK newspaper said.
Information about their targets reached the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning and hours later Kyiv declared a 36-hour curfew to sweep the capital for Russian saboteurs, warning civilians they risked being “liquidated” if they stepped outside.
Wagner, which has operated in countries inclusing Syria and Libya, has been linked to a powerful ally of President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The Russian central bank has increased interest rates to 20 percent from 9.5 percent after the rouble plunged up to 40 percent on Monday morning in the wake of western sanctions.
Russia has also ordered companies to sell 80 percent of their foreign currency revenues.
The central bank had already announced a slew of measures on Sunday to support domestic markets, as it scrambled to manage the broadening fallout of harsh western sanctions over the weekend in retaliation against Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Hello MEE readers. The small coastal town of Berdyansk in Ukraine's south fell to Russian forces, as the fourth day of Moscow's invasion came to an end.
It appeared to be the first populated area that has fallen under complete Russian control since the start of the crisis.
Still, Russian forces remained stunted in their advancements, as Kyiv continued to hold an unexpectedly strong opposition throughout the fourth day of Moscow's invasion.
Kyiv agreed to hold talks with Moscow at its border with Belarus, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed scepticism over Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions.
"I will say frankly, as always: I do not really believe in the result of this meeting, but let them try. So that no citizen of Ukraine would have any doubt that I, as president, did not try to stop the war when there was even a small chance," Zelensky said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson echoed Zelensky's statements, saying he "doubts" Putin's "sincerity" in entering talks with Ukraine.
Ukraine's Ministry of Interior said that is has confirmed 352 civilian, including 14 children. Another 1,684 people, including 116 children, have been injured.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed for the first time that its armed forces suffered casualties after its invasion, but did not specify a number.
Turkey announced that it was set to implement the 1936 Montreux Convention that could ban both Ukrainian and Russian warships from passing through the straits connecting the Black Sea to the south after labelling Russia's invasion as "a war" for the first time.
International support for Ukraine has been growing, with several countries, including Israel and Turkey, offering to mediate in the crisis with Russia.
Belgium and Sweden both announced plans to supply weapons to Ukraine, following Germany's earlier pledge on Friday. The European Union also vowed to support the delivery of 450m euros' worth of weapons to Ukraine.
More EU nations vowed to close their airspace to Russian planes as a measure to isolate Russia, with Denmark calling for a cross-EU ban on Russian aircraft.
In the face of growing international opposition, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his defence chiefs to put the country's nuclear "deterrence forces" on high alert early on Sunday and accused the West of taking "unfriendly" steps against his country.
Some 368,000 Ukrainians have already fled abroad since the start of the conflict, seeking shelter in neighbouring countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Romania, to as far as Israel.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he "doubts" Russian President Vladimir Putin's "sincerity" in entering talks with Ukraine.
"If he wants to stop, if he wants to withdraw, if he wants to negotiate, that's very good news. I have my doubts, I've got to tell you. Nothing I've seen so far in his behavior that leads me to think that he could possibly be sincere," Johnson said, speaking to reporters in the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London on Sunday.
His statements echo those of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said earlier on Sunday that he does not "really believe in the result of this meeting".
"But let them try," Zelensky said. "So that no citizen of Ukraine would have any doubt that I, as president, did not try to stop the war when there was even a small chance."
Algeria's state energy firm has offered to supply Europe with more gas in the case of a possible decline due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, its CEO said Sunday.
Sonatrach is "a reliable gas supplier for the European market and is willing to support its long term partners in the event of difficult situations," Sonatrach CEO Toufik Hakkar was quoted as saying in the daily Liberte.
He pointed to an "unused capacity" in the Transmed pipeline that could be used to "increase the supplies to the European market".
Hakkar said Europe is the "natural market of choice" for Algerian gas, which accounts for about 11 percent of Europe's gas imports.
Russian forces have taken control of the town of Berdyansk on Ukraine's southern coast, its acting mayor, Oleksandr Svidlo, has said.
Berdyansk has a small naval base, which has a population of about 100,000 people. It appears to be the first populated area that has fallen under complete Russian control since the start of Moscow's recent invasion into Ukraine.
"A few hours ago, you and I witnessed how heavy military equipment and armed soldiers entered the city and began advancing throughout our hometown," Svidlo, said in a video address, speaking to the town's residents on his Facebook page, which was translated by CNN.
'Today Berdyansk was on the line of fire. I don't know what tomorrow will be like, but I think tonight will be very, very hard'
- Oleksandr Svidlo, acting mayor of Berdyansk
"As soon as I learned about that, I tried to inform all the residents of the city so that you have the opportunity to hide in shelters," he continued.
"Some time ago, armed soldiers entered the executive committee building and introduced themselves as soldiers of the Russian army, they informed us that all administrative buildings were under their control and that they were taking control of the executive committee building."
Officials were asked to continue working, Svidlo said, "but under the control of armed men".
"I consider this proposal unacceptable, so we, as all members of the operational headquarters, left the building of the executive committee."
Svidlo ended his post, saying: "Today Berdyansk was on the line of fire. I don't know what tomorrow will be like, but I think tonight will be very, very hard."
English football’s governing body, the Football Association (FA), says England will not play any matches against Russia "for the foreseeable future".
The move comes after the national teams of the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden declared their refusal to play Russia in upcoming World Cup qualifying matches
