LIVE: UN overwhelmingly votes to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine, demands withdrawal
Live Updates
Some 368,000 people have fled abroad from the fighting in Ukraine, the United Nations refugee agency said on Sunday, citing data provided by national authorities.
Reuters have published photos of the displaced:
Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark on Sunday announced that they were preparing to close their airspace to Russian planes, as a measure to isolate Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
The moves follow similar closures of airspace by Britain, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Romania to Russia’s aircraft.
Baltic countries Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are also closing their airspace to Russian airliners, while Germany and Iceland said they were preparing to do so.
Denmark is also calling for a cross-EU ban to Russian aircraft. A European Union-wide ban for Russian flights could be part of a fresh package of sanctions on Moscow to be discussed later on Sunday by the bloc’s foreign ministers, an EU official said separately.
In response, Russia has banned airlines from Bulgaria, Poland and Czech Republic from flying to and over its territory in response to similar moves by those countries, the Russian civil aviation authority said on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Russia banned all British airlines from its airspace in retaliation for London’s ban on flights to Britain by Russian flag carrier Aeroflot.
The United Arab Emirates wants to encourage a political solution in the Ukraine conflict and taking sides would only encourage violence, a senior UAE official said on Sunday.
The comment, posted by Anwar Gargash on Twitter, comes after the UAE abstained to vote on Friday on a draft United Nations Security Council resolution deploring Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. It did not pass because of Russia's veto.
The UAE "believes that taking sides would only lead to more violence," said Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to UAE President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
"The UAE has a firm position regarding the United Nations, international law and the sovereignty of states, rejecting military solutions," he said.
"In the Ukrainian crisis, our priority is to encourage all parties to resort to diplomatic action and to negotiate to find a political solution."
The National, a UAE-based publication owned by a member of its royal family, has reportedly told staff not to refer to Russia's attack on Ukraine as an "invasion".
The UAE, in particular Dubai, has been long seen as a magnet for Russian investment, and a vacation destination for the Russian elite.
Ukraine's military on Sunday published a video that it claims shows a Turkish armed drone carrying out strikes against Russian forces.
The aerial footage of the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone being used in Ukraine's fight against Russian invasion appears to be the first ever footage of a TB2 in action.
The video, published on the Facebook page of Ukraine forces' commander-in-chief, described the strike as having taken place in the "Chornobayivka, Kherson region", in southern Ukraine. The caption read: "Welcome to hell!"
'First footage ever': Video shows Ukraine striking Russian troops with Turkish drone
Lebanon's condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine "will not affect considerably" Moscow's relations with Beirut, the Russian ambassador said on Sunday.
"In the difficult times, we can see those who stood with us and those who didn't," Alexander Rudakov told a news conference in Beirut.
Lebanon condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Thursday and called on Moscow to halt its military operations at once, withdraw its troops and return to dialogue and negotiations as a means to resolve the conflict, a statement by the Foreign Ministry said.
For the 1.2 million Israeli citizens who speak Russian, the war in Ukraine is not just a political or moral issue. It's personal.
Throw in connections by marriage between Israelis and newcomers from the former Soviet bloc and this is a war that resonates like no other conflict.
MEE spoke with several Israelis whose origins go back to Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union.
“My homeland is being bombed … By some twist in history, it could have been me there. I feel physical pain. My heart is with Ukraine, but also with Russia where my brother lives," said Alex Rif, a 36-year-old poet and social activist.
“I got plenty of messages from Israelis expressing sympathy and solidarity; many volunteer to help in hosting immigrants from Ukraine, when they come.
“I also get messages condemning us for siding with Ukraine.”
For Israel's one-million Russian speakers war in Ukraine is painful and personal
Good morning.
Middle East Eye will be live blogging developments in Ukraine again today, with an eye on the tremors felt across Middle East.
Developments are coming in from multiple fronts as fighting continues into the fourth day.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that early on Sunday Russian troops had entered the country’s second largest city, Kharkiv. The Kremlin said it has warned Ukraine that Russia’s military operation would be suspended during any potential talks, the Interfax news agency reported.
Russia earlier said its delegation was ready to meet Ukrainian officials in the Belarusian city of Gomel, which Kyiv rejected. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Belarus was complicit in the Russian invasion.
Zelensky also turned down an offer by the US to evacuate him from Kyiv, where earlier on Sunday people were warned to take shelter immediately due to an expected Russian air raid and explosions were heard in the city.
Instead, in a video message, Zelensky announced the formation of a new unit - the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine - made up of foreigners who want to take part in repelling Russian aggression.
More than 150,000 people have fled Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country, according to the UN.
The United States and its allies on Saturday moved to block certain Russian banks’ access to the SWIFT international payment system in further punishment of Moscow as it continues its military assault against Ukraine.
Protests against the Russian invasion have also been staged in cities around the world in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Hello MEE readers. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth day, Moscow seems to have made slow progress against Kyiv's unexpectedly stiff resistance.
Russia now has at least 50 percent of its massive invasion force inside Ukraine, but it has not taken complete control of any city in Ukraine, nor has it gained air superiority over the country, according to US intelligence.
Meanwhile, the people of Kyiv continue to be bombarded by Russian forces. Under curfew until 8 am on Monday, residents were instructed to seek cover in basements and shelters just before midnight when air raid sirens could be heard across the capital. Several large explosions have been reported in the city since.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains in Kyiv, according to most recent reports, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lauding his "awe-inspiring" "heroism".
Later on Saturday, the UK, US, Europe and Canada moved to block Russia's access to the Swift international payment system as part of another round of sanctions against Moscow.
The measures, which will also include restrictions on the Russian central bank's international reserves, will be implemented in the coming days, the nations said in a joint statement.
As the international community rallied sanctions, Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal accused Russia of war crimes and targeting civilians.
Shmyhal said Russia shelled kindergartens, residential blocks and "buses with children" as a drastic resort because it is "failing" in its offensive and called on "all civilized countries" to move in support of Ukraine.
"On whose side are you on?" he asked during a new conference. "Are you on the side of the killers of children, or are you on the side of the great European people who are defending their country?"
For its part, Turkey denied earlier on Saturday what appeared to be a claim made by Ukrainian President Zelensky that Turkey would close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships.
A senior Turkish official told Middle East Eye that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had not made such a commitment to Zelensky, contradicting an earlier tweet by the Ukrainian president, which was posted following his telephone conversation with Erdogan.
Turkey's power over the Black Sea explained
Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey has control over the passage of vessels between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, making it an essential player in the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
That's it from us here at MEE this evening, make sure to follow us on Twitter @MiddleEastEye and on Instagram @middleeasteye to stay updated.
The United States, Britain, Europe and Canada on Saturday moved to block Russia's access to the Swift international payment system as part of another round of sanctions against Moscow as it continues its assault against Ukraine.
The measures, which will also include restrictions on the Russian central bank's international reserves, will be implemented in the coming days, the nations said in a joint statement.
Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has accused Russia of war crimes and targeting civilian targets.
Shmyhal said Russia shelled kindergartens, residential blocks and "buses with children" as a drastic resort because it is "failing" in its offensive.
"For these crimes, the Russian command will surely see military tribunal. The enemy will surely be punished for killing Ukrainian children. Ukraine will not forgive them for this," Shmyhal said during a news conference on Saturday.
'Are you on the side of the killers of children, or are you on the side of the great European people who are defending their country?'
- Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
"The Russian government doesn't understand they are not fighting only with the government. In fact, they are fighting against the entire Ukrainian people," he said.
Shmyhal also said that Ukraine is temporarily closing its borders with Belarus and Russia except for Ukrainian citizens abroad, who he urged to return and fight.
"Please do come back and do prove you are on the side of the light. And I'm addressing all civilized countries: On whose side are you on?" he asked. "Are you on the side of the killers of children, or are you on the side of the great European people who are defending their country and they're defending their freedom from the aggression?"
Air raid sirens were reported across Kyiv as the city ended its third day of bombardment.
The sirens are a signal to evacuate to basements and shelters. Those in Kyiv remain under curfew until Monday, 8am local time.
John Kirby, press secretary for the Pentagon, said the US was not "involved in any way" with Ukraine's naval operations near the Zmiiny Island, dismissing Russian claims.
"Chalk this up to just one more lie by the Russian ministry of defense," Kirby said in a tweet on Saturday.
Ukrainian soldiers made a fatal last stand on Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, on Thursday.
The soldiers died defending the Black Sea island from an air and sea bombardment, which was capture in a now-famous recording in which a Ukrainian solider told an officer on board a Russian navy warship to "go fuck yourself" when asked to surrender.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday evening, applauding his "heroism".
"The heroism of the President and his people in the defence of their country is awe-inspiring," Johnson said in a post to Twitter.
The British PM also said he believed Russia should be isolated diplomatically and financially, and welcomed growing support for excluding Russia from Swift, an international financial transaction system.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that the world body plans to "enhance humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine", a UN spokesperson said.
"He informed the President that the United Nations would launch on Tuesday an appeal to fund our humanitarian operations in Ukraine," the spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.
"Respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians are now paramount," Guterres added on Twitter.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Friday that more than $1 bn will be needed for aid operations in Ukraine over the next three months as hundreds of thousands of people are on the move after Russia invaded its neighbour.
Russia now has at least 50 percent of its massive invasion force inside Ukraine but continues to make slow progress against Ukraine's unexpectedly stiff resistance, according to a senior US defence official who has insisted on anonymity.
"We would estimate that more than 50 percent of the Russian force that Mr. Putin had arrayed against Ukraine ... has been committed inside Ukraine," the official told reporters on Saturday.
"We have indications that the Russians are increasingly frustrated by their lack of momentum over the last 24 hours, particularly in the north parts of Ukraine," the official continued.
The Russian military has not taken complete control of any Ukraine city, nor has it gained air superiority over the country, the official added.
