Live updates: Putin hails his troops for Ukraine offensive

The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis:

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed his troops for their courage as they press their offensive across Ukraine and bear down on Kyiv.

Speaking during Friday's meeting of his Security Council, Putin claimed that most Ukrainian military units are reluctant to engage to the Russian forces.

He said the units offering resistance are mostly volunteer battalions made up of right-wing Ukrainian nationalists.

He offered no evidence for his claims, which could not be independently verified.

Echoing an earlier Russian military statement, Putin accused Ukrainian forces of deploying heavy weapons in urban areas in several big cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv, to use civilians as shields.

The Russian president urged the Ukrainian military to end their resistance and turn on their leaders.

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WARSAW, Poland - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in Warsaw for urgent talks with NATO's nine eastern flank members on how to enhance the region's security, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The participants were also due to remotely join a NATO summit in Brussels.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda, hosting the talks between the so-called NATO Bucharest Nine, in his opening speech said that "demons of a great war, unseen since 1945" have returned to Europe.

NATO's eastern flank members fear Moscow could also target them.

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FORT STEWART, Ga. -- The U.S. Army says 3,800 soldiers from Fort Stewart, Georgia, are among additional forces deploying to Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Troops from the Army post southwest of Savannah, Georgia, "will deploy to reassure NATO allies, deter further aggression against NATO member states and train with host-nation forces," Fort Stewart commanders said in a statement late Thursday.

Fort Stewart is home to the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which saw multiple combat deployments during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the 3rd Infantry soldiers heading to Europe are assigned to the division's 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team.

"The Raider Brigade is trained and equipped to deter aggression and to reassure and defend our allies," Col. Pete Moon, the 1st Brigade's commander, said in prepared statement.

The Georgia-based soldiers appear to be among 7,000 additional U.S. forces deploying to Germany to bolster NATO following the invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden ordered the deployments Thursday.

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MOSCOW -- The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Chinese President Xi Jinping he's ready to send a delegation for talks with Ukrainian officials.

The Kremlin said in its readout of Friday's call that Xi underlined that he "views the Russian leadership's action in the crisis situation with respect."

In a reference to new Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion in Ukraine, the Kremlin noted that Putin and Xi agreed "it's inadmissible to use illegitimate sanctions for achieving selfish goals of certain countries."

Chinese state TV reported that Xi emphasized that China "supports Russia and Ukraine resolving the problem through negotiations."

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NEW DELHI -- Dozens of parents, relatives and friends of Indian students stranded in Ukraine held a demonstration near the Russian Embassy in New Delhi to demand the students' immediate evacuation.

Police barricaded the roads leading to the embassy on Friday and asked the protesters to meet Indian Foreign Ministry officials to discuss the repatriation of nearly 16,000 Indians, including students.

Some of the demonstrators held video conferencing calls with some of those stuck in metro trains and bomb shelters in Kyiv.

"We are running low on food and water in a crowded bunker," one of the callers in Ukraine said.

Indian Embassy officials are now traveling to border areas of Ukraine touching Poland, Romania Slovakia and Hungary to facilitate the exit of Indian nationals so that they can be evacuated to India, said foreign ministy official Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

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BRUSSELS -- Germany's foreign minister said Friday that the European Union will take in all people fleeing Ukraine due to the current conflict.

"We need to do everything to immediately take in the people who are now fleeing bombs, fleeing tanks, that's also what we've been preparing for in recent weeks," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters in Brussels.

"We tried everything so this day wouldn't come," she said. "And it came because the Russian president chose it, opted for war and against human lives."

"That's why we will take in all of the people who are fleeing now," Baerbock said. "We will bring the people from Ukraine to safety."

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BUCHAREST, Romania -- Moldova's national naval agency says a ship in "neutral waters" of the Black Sea has been hit by a missile, leaving two crew members seriously injured.

The Naval Agency said in a statement that the source of the missile that hit the Moldova-flagged Millennial Spirit on Friday is unknown.

"A fire broke out onboard the ship; the equipment and lifeboats were destroyed," the agency said in a statement. "The ship's crew left the ship equipped only with life jackets."

The agency said that the company that operates the tanker is a Ukrainian legal entity and the crew members are Russian citizens.

Rescue operations were carried out by Ukrainian authorities, the Moldovan agency said.

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LONDON -- An expert in international trade says he thinks world leaders are reluctant to exclude Russia from the SWIFT system of financial transactions because it is the "nuclear option" of sanctions.

Disconnecting Russia from SWIFT to try to force President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine would have major economic costs for western countries, said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy.

Lee-Makiyama told the BBC that if Russia were cut off for foreign payments for its gas and oi,l it would quickly start expropriating the 300 billion euros EU investors have plowed into the country.

"It's a nuclear option that it's going to basically exterminate yourself and your enemy," he said.

World leaders, who have so far ruled out military intervention in Ukraine, have few good options for deterring Putin because he knows they fear a direct confrontation with Russia, Lee-Makiyama said.

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MOSCOW -- The Kremlin says Russia is ready to send a delegation to Belarus for talks with Ukrainian officials.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send the delegation in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's offer to discuss a non-aligned status for Ukraine.

That indicates Zelensky would be willing to negotiate dropping his country's bid to join NATO, as Russia has demanded.

Before the invasion, the West had rejected the demand. Putin claimed the refusal to discuss keeping Ukraine out of NATO prompted him to order a military action in Ukraine to "demilitarize" it.

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BANGKOK -- Myanmar's ruling military council offered its support Friday for Russia's attack on Ukraine, while the shadow government leading opposition to army rule condemned Moscow's action.

A statement by the spokesman for Myanmar's military government said Russia acted correctly to perpetuate its "sovereignty."

A text message to Myanmar journalists from Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun also said the invasion demonstrated Russia's position as a "world power" helping to keep global relations in balance.

Myanmar's military rulers face armed domestic opposition, and like Russia's leaders now, are the target of strong sanctions from Western governments seeking a return to democratic rule.

Myanmar's National Unity Government, established by lawmakers prevented from taking their seats when the army seized power in February last year, deplored Moscow's action.

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VILNIUS, Lithuania -- Lithuania's Radio and Television Commission has temporarily suspended the operation of six Russian-language TV channels for their alleged incitement to war and propaganda.

The six TV channels were taken off the air Friday

Planeta RTR, Rossijya 24, Belarus 24, NTV Mir, RTR Planeta and Rossiya 24 were suspended for five years, and PBK and TVCI for three years, commission Vice Chairman Ricardas Slapsys told the Baltic News Service.

Lithuania, the most southern of the three Baltic nations, borders Russia's Kaliningrad region to the southwest, Belarus to the east, Latvia to the north and Poland to the south.

Latvia banned several Russian television channels had their right to broadcast in Latvia suspended Thursday for several years.

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MOSCOW -- The Russian military claims it has taken control of an airport just outside Kyiv, as Kremlin forces bear down on the Ukrainian capital.

The claim could not be independently verified.

Taking possession of the airport in Hostomel, which has a long runway allowing the landing of heavy-lift transport planes, would mean Russia can airlift troops directly to Kyiv's outskirts.

Hostomel is just 7 kilometres (4 miles) northwest of the city.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Friday that the Russian airborne forces used 200 helicopters to land in Hostomel and killed over 200 troops belonging to Ukraine's special forces.

Konashenkov claimed that Russian troops suffered no casualties. That contradicts Ukrainian claims that Russian troops sustained heavy casualties in the fighting there.

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BERLIN -- Germany's Defense Ministry has confirmed media reports that it is deploying additional military assets to NATO's eastern flank.

German weekly Der Spiegel reported that the deployments included 150 soldiers and about a dozen Boxer armored fighting vehicles, two ships and anti-missile systems.

Ministry spokesman Christian Thiels declined to say Friday exactly how many soldiers were being deployed. But he confirmed that a navy corvette would leave Saturday for patrols in the Baltic while a frigate will be deployed in the Mediterranean, both under NATO command.

Germany is also assessing whether to deploy Patriot anti-missile systems to an eastern European NATO country, Thiels said.

Decisions on deploying further troops could be expected soon, he added.

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BEIJING -- Chinese state TV says Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, that Moscow is willing to negotiate with Ukraine, even as Moscow's forces invade its neighbor.

The report Friday followed a Kremlin announcement that Putin's government was considering an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate non-aligned status for his country.

Putin said Moscow "is willing to conduct high-level negotiations with the Ukrainian side," China Central Television reported on its website.

It gave no indication whether Putin said he was responding to Zelensky's offer or gave any details of what the two sides might negotiate.

Russia complains that the United States and its allies ignored Moscow's "legitimate security concerns" by expanding the NATO military alliance eastward, closer to Russia's borders.

Xi said China "supports Russia and Ukraine resolving the problem through negotiations," CCTV said.

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ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey's foreign minister says officials are still assessing a request by Ukraine for Turkey to close to Russian shipping the straits at the entrance of the Black Sea.

Mevlut Cavusoglu warned, however, that under a 1936 convention Ankara may not be able to deny total access to the Russian vessels.

Ukraine on Thursday formally asked Turkey to close the Turkish Straits to Russian warships in line with the Montreux Convention which allows Turkey to restrict the passage of belligerent countries' warships during times of war. The convention stipulates however, that warships belonging to Black Sea coastal countries can return to their bases.

"If there is a demand for the ships of the warring countries to return to their bases, then (passage) must be allowed," Cavusoglu was quoted as telling Hurriyet newspaper in an interview.

The minister said Turkish experts were assessing if the current situation amounted to "a state of war."

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BERLIN -- Germany's president is appealing to Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop the madness of this war now."

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Berlin on Friday said that "we don't want enmity with the Russian people, quite the contrary, but this wrongdoing cannot go without a clear answer."

Steinmeier, whose post is largely ceremonial but holds moral authority, said that Germany will do its part in deterring Putin from using force against its NATO allies.

The president, who served twice as Germany's foreign minister, said that Putin "should not underestimate the strength of democracies" and Germans shouldn't either.

He said it's good that people are going out to demonstrate, adding: "The Russian president should not believe for a second that people in Germany and Europe simply accept this brutal violence."

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VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis went to the Russian embassy in Rome on Friday to personally express his concern about the war in Ukraine, in an extraordinary papal gesture that has no recent precedent.

Popes usually receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican. For Francis to travel a short distance to the Russian embassy outside the Vatican walls was a sign of his strength of feeling about Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Vatican officials said they knew of no such previous papal initiative.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the pontiff wanted "clearly to express his concern about the war." Pope Francis was there for just over a half-hour, Bruni said.

Francis has called for dialogue to end the conflict and has urged the faithful to set next Wednesday as a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Ukraine.

But he has refrained from publicly calling out Russia, presumably for fear of antagonizing the Russian Orthodox Church, with which he is trying to build stronger ties.

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GENEVA -- The UN human rights office says it is receiving increasing reports of civilian casualties in Ukraine in the wake of Russia's military invasion.

Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says its staffers have so far verified at least 127 civilian casualties. They include 25 people killed and 102 injured, mostly from shelling and airstrikes.

She cautioned Friday that the numbers are "very likely to be an underestimate."

Shamdasani also said the rights office was "disturbed by the multiple arbitrary arrests" of demonstrators in Russia who on Thursday protested against the conflict.

"We understand more than 1,800 protesters were arrested," she said, before adding that it was unclear how many might have been released already.

Meanwhile, spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said its latest update had that more than 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes in Ukraine. She said the agency's planning figures anticipated that "up to 4 million people may flee to other countries if the situation escalates."

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LONDON -- Latvia's defence minister is criticizing European nations for failing to cut Russia off from the global bank payments network and refusing to provide weapons to help Ukraine defend itself.

Artis Pabriks' comments came after the U.S. and European Union stopped short of blocking Russia's access to the SWIFT payments system when they announced a new round of sanctions late Thursday.

Pabriks also chided fellow EU nations that have refused to provide "lethal aid" to Ukraine, saying only the U.K., Greece, Poland and the Baltic states had done so.

In an interview with the BBC on Friday, Pabriks suggested that many European leaders don't want to take these steps because they would cause economic hardship for their own countries.

"If you are really not ready yourself to spill blood, at least spill money now," he said. "Do it now, because if you lose Ukraine all European geopolitics will change. There will be much more pressure on Poland, much more pressure on the Baltics."

The Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia fear they could be the Kremlin's next target.

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DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian President Bashar Assad is praising Russia's military incursion into Ukraine and denouncing what he calls western "hysteria" surrounding it.

Assad spoke by phone Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"What is happening today is a correction of history and a restoration of balance which was lost in the world after the breakup of the Soviet Union," Assad said, according to state-run news agency SANA.

He said confronting NATO expansionism is Russia's right.

Russia is a main backer of Assad's government and its military intervention in 2015 in the country's civil war helped tip the balance of power in his favor.

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MOSCOW -- The Kremlin says it will analyze the Ukrainian president's offer to discuss a non-aligned status for his country, as a Russian military invasion pushes closer to Kyiv.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to hold talks on the issue.

Asked about Zelensky's offer, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described it as "a move in a positive direction."

He said in a conference call with reporters that "we paid attention to that, and now we need to analyze it."

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Zelensky "is simply lying" when he offers to discuss non-aligned status for Ukraine.

Lavrov said at a briefing that Zelensky "missed the opportunity" to discuss a neutral status for Ukraine when Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed it.

Putin says the West left him no option but to invade when it rejected Moscow's demand to keep Ukraine out of NATO.

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BRUSSELS -- A senior European Union official says the 27-nation bloc intends to slap further sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

EU Council president Charles Michel tweeted Friday: "Second wave of sanctions with massive and severe consequences politically agreed last night. Further package under urgent preparation."

Michel announced the move after a call with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Michel said Kyiv "is under continued attack by Russian forces" and called on Russia to immediately stop the violence.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Hungary has extended temporary legal protection to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, as countries in eastern Europe prepare for the arrival of refugees at their borders.

Hungary, which borders Ukraine to the west, has in the past taken a firm stance against all forms of immigration. It has controversially refused to accept refugees and asylum seekers from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

But in a decree published late Thursday, Hungary's government announced that all Ukrainian citizens arriving from Ukraine, and all third-country nationals legally residing there, would be entitled to protection.

The section applying to third-country nationals makes it possible for non-Ukrainians -- for example, Belarussian refugees living in Ukraine -- to receive protection in the European Union.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that Hungary will play no part in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but that it would accept refugees arriving at its borders.

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LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his solidarity with Ukraine in telephone call with the country's leader.

Johnson's Downing Street office said Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered an update on Russian military advances, including missile and artillery strikes.

"The prime minister assured President Zelensky that the world is united in its horror at what Putin his doing," Johnson's office said in a statement. "He paid tribute to the bravery and heroism of the Ukrainian people in standing up to Russia's campaign of violence and expressed his deep condolences for those who have been killed."

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BERLIN -- The German government says it has suspended the granting of export credit and investment guarantees for business with Russia.

The Economy Ministry said Friday that the granting of new export credit guarantees and investment guarantees for Russia was suspended on Thursday.

The so-called Hermes credit export guarantees protect German companies from losses when exports aren't paid for. Investment guarantees are granted by the German government to protect direct investments by German companies from political risk in the countries where they are made.

The Economy Ministry said that new export credit guarantees to the tune of 1.49 billion euros (US$1.67 billion) were granted last year for business with Russia. New investment guarantees came in at a fraction of that amount, at 3.75 million euros ($4.2 million).

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WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's Border Guard says that some 29,000 people were cleared to enter through the country's land border with neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday, the day Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.

Before that, there were some 12,000 average daily entries from Ukraine into European Union and NATO member Poland, through land, sea and airport checkpoints, according to Border Guard statistics.

Poland has lifted the requirement of COVID-19 quarantine or vaccination certificates for refugees from Ukraine. A number of reception centres with camp beds, soup kitchens and medical care have been organized in locations close to the border with Ukraine.

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BEIJING -- China is holding back from labeling Russia's attack on Ukraine an invasion.

At the same time, it is upholding the sanctity of territorial sovereignty, in a nod to its own insistence that Taiwan is part of China.

"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected and maintained," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Friday.

"At the same time, we also see that the issue of Ukraine has its own complex and special historical merits, and we understand Russia's legitimate concerns on security issues," he added.

Wang did not answer questions about whether China would recognize the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, in Ukrainian territory claimed by Russia, as independent states.

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MOSCOW -- Russia's civil aviation authority has banned U.K. flights to and over Russia in retaliation against the British government's ban on Aeroflot flights.

Rosaviatsiya said that all flights by the U.K. carriers to Russia as well as transit flights are banned starting Friday.

It said the measure was taken in response to the "unfriendly decisions" by the British authorities who banned flights to the U.K. by the Russian flag carrier Aeroflot as part of sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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MOSCOW -- The Russian military claims it has destroyed 118 Ukrainian military assets since the beginning of its assault on its neighbour and as it pushes into the outskirts of Kyiv.

The claim could not be independently verified and was not confirmed by Ukraine amid a flurry of claims and counterclaims by each side.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Friday that among the targets were 11 Ukrainian air bases, 13 command facilities, 36 air defense radars, 14 air defense missile systems, 5 warplanes, 18 tanks and warships.

However, U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace rejected Russian claims of success on the first day of its invasion of Ukraine, saying it had "failed to deliver" on its day one objectives.

Wallace told Sky News that the Western assessment is that Russia had failed to take its major objectives and is behind on its timetable for advance.

"They've lost over 450 personnel," he said.

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BERLIN -- Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine, calling it "a deep cut in European history after the end of the Cold War."

Germany's dpa news agency quoted Merkel saying Friday that there was "no justification for this blatant attack of international law. I condemn it in the sharpest possible manner."

Merkel, who grew up in East Germany and speaks Russian, was heavily engaged in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout her 16 years in office, which ended in December.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's nuclear energy regulatory agency says that higher than usual gamma radiation levels have been detected in the area near the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear plant, after it was seized by the Russian military.

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said Friday that higher gamma radiation levels have been detected in the Chornobyl zone, but didn't provide details of the increase.

It attributed the rise to a "disturbance of the topsoil due to the movement of a large amount of heavy military equipment through the exclusion zone and the release of contaminated radioactive dust into the air."

Ukrainian authorities said that Russia took the plant and its surrounding exclusion zone after a fierce battle Thursday.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian airborne troops were protecting the plant to prevent any possible "provocations." He insisted that radiation levels in the area have remained normal.

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said it was told by Ukraine of the takeover, adding that there had been "no casualties or destruction at the industrial site."

The 1986 disaster occurred when a nuclear reactor at the plant 130 kilometres north of Kyiv exploded, sending a radioactive cloud across Europe. The damaged reactor was later covered by a protective shell to prevent leaks.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is "closely following recent developments in and around Ukraine with increasing concern."

Karim Khan warned "all sides conducting hostilities on the territory of Ukraine" that Ukraine has accepted the court's jurisdiction.

That means "my office may exercise its jurisdiction over and investigate any act of genocide, crime against humanity or war crime committed within the territory of Ukraine since 20 February 2014 onwards, Khan said in a statement Friday.

Khan adds that because neither Russia nor Ukraine are member states of the court, his office does not have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression in the conflict.

The International Criminal Court is the world's permanent war crimes court. It was set up in 2002 to prosecute atrocities in countries where local authorities are unable or unwilling to conduct trials.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko said at least three people were injured when a rocket hit a multi-story apartment building in Ukraine's capital on Friday, starting a fire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian military's claim it is not targeting civilian areas is "a lie." He said that military and civilian areas in Ukraine are both being hit by Russian attacks.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began early Thursday with a series of missile strikes, many on key government and military installations, quickly followed by a three-pronged ground assault. Ukrainian and U.S. officials said Russian forces were attacking from the east toward Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city; from the southern region of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014; and from Belarus to the north.

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PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that France and its European allies have decided to "inflict very severe blows on Moscow," further sanctioning individuals and targeting finance, energy and other sectors. The legal texts for the sanctions will be finalized and submitted for approval to EU foreign ministers later Friday.

Macron also said the EU has decided on economic aid for Ukraine in the amount of 1.5 billion euros (US$1.68 billion).

The French president also called the Belorussian government "an accomplice" in Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, and said it will also be targeted.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- As Russian troops continued pressing their offensive Friday, intense fighting also raged in the country's east.

Russian troops entered the city of Sumy near the border with Russia that sits on a highway leading to Kyiv from the east. The regional governor, Dmytro Zhivitsky, said Ukrainian forces fought Russian troops in the city overnight, but other Russian convoys kept rolling west toward the Ukrainian capital.

"Military vehicles from Sumy are moving toward Kyiv," Zhivitsky said. "Much equipment has passed through and is heading directly to the west."

Zhivitsky added that another northeastern city, Konotop, was also sieged. He urged residents of the region to fight the Russian forces.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is "closely following recent developments in and around Ukraine with increasing concern."

Karim Khan issued a statement Friday on Twitter while on a visit to Bangladesh, where he is investigating crimes against Myanmar's Rohingya minority.

Khan said he alerted "all sides conducting hostilities on the territory of Ukraine" that Ukraine has accepted the court's jurisdiction.

That means "my office may exercise its jurisdiction over and investigate any act of genocide, crime against humanity or war crime committed within the territory of Ukraine since 20 February 2014 onwards," Khan added.

He said that "any person who commits such crimes, including by ordering, inciting or contributing in another manner to the commission of these crimes may be liable to prosecution before the Court."

Khan added that because neither Russia nor Ukraine are member states of the court, his office does not have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression in the conflict.

The International Criminal Court is the world's permanent war crimes court. It was set up in 2002 to prosecute atrocities in countries where local authorities are unable or unwilling to conduct trials.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- The Ukrainian military is reporting significant fighting northwest of the nation's capital as Russian forces apparently try to advance on Kyiv from the north.

The military said Friday morning a bridge across a river had been destroyed in the area of Ivankiv, about 60 kilometres northwest of Kyiv.

"The hardest day will be today. The enemy's plan is to break through with tank columns from the side of Ivankiv and Chernihiv to Kyiv. Russian tanks burn perfectly when hit by our ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles)," Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said on Telegram.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began early Thursday with a series of missile strikes, many on key government and military installations, quickly followed by a three-pronged ground assault. Ukrainian and U.S. officials said Russian forces were attacking from the east toward Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city; from the southern region of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014; and from Belarus to the north.

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TOKYO -- The Ukrainian ambassador to Japan is urging China to join international efforts to stop the Russian "massacre" in his country amid Beijing's lack of criticism of Moscow's actions.

"We would very much welcome that China exercises its connection with Russia and talks to Putin and explains to him that it is inappropriate in the 21st century to do this massacre in Europe," Ukrainian diplomat Sergiy Korsunsky told a news conference in Tokyo.

China has not criticized Russia over its actions against Ukraine, and has joined in verbal attacks on Washington and its allies.

"I do believe China can play a much more active role to work with Putin in a manner we expect for civilized countries to do," he said.

Korsunsky also asked support from the United States and its allies to provide anti-missile defence equipment to fight Russian cruise missile attacks. He said Ukraine wants to join NATO and called for its support in resolving the conflict.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Explosions are being heard before dawn in Kyiv as Western leaders scheduled an emergency meeting and Ukraine's president pleads for international help.

The nature of the explosions was not immediately clear, but the blasts came amid signs that the capital and largest Ukrainian city was increasingly threatened following a day of fighting that left more than 100 Ukrainians dead.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said the government had information that "subversive groups" were encroaching on the city, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Kyiv "could well be under siege" in what U.S. officials believe is a brazen attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to dismantle the government and replace it with his own regime.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers on a phone call that Russian mechanized forces that entered from Belarus were about 20 miles from Kyiv, according to a person familiar with the call

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BEIJING -- China's Embassy in Ukraine says it is arranging evacuation flights for Chinese citizens. An embassy statement Friday says conditions in Ukraine have "deteriorated sharply" but makes no mention of the Russian invasion.

The embassy gave no details on where the evacuation flights would be leaving from. Nor did it say when the charter flights might happen, saying that scheduling will depend on the "flight safety situation."

It says travellers should be packed and ready to react quickly once flight schedules are announced. Passengers must have a passport from China, Hong Kong or Macau or a "Taiwan compatriot card."

The embassy earlier advised Chinese in Ukraine to stay home and to put a Chinese flag on their vehicles if they planned to travel long distances.

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MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines top diplomat says he will travel to Ukraine's border with Poland to ensure the safety of Filipinos fleeing from the eastern European country now under attack by Russian forces.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. did not specify in his tweet Friday where he is going. Nor did he say how many of the approximately 380 Filipinos in Ukraine are trying to flee amid the Russian invasion.

Locsin expressed gratitude to Poland for agreeing to accept fleeing Filipinos without entry visas.

The Philippines has not condemned Russia's assault on Ukraine but has called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Its outgoing president, Rodrigo Duterte, has been a vocal Asian critic of U.S. security policies and has nurtured close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jingping.

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TOKYO -- Asian stock prices are higher early Friday after U.S. shares recovered toward the end of a wild trading day Thursday as the world slapped sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Benchmarks are up in Japan, South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Japan announced additional sanctions on Russia, including freezing the assets of Russian groups, banks and individuals and suspending exports of semiconductors.

Prices for oil and other commodities have risen sharply, raising inflation fears.

Despite uncertainty about the Ukraine crisis, as well as worries about COVID-19, the turnaround on Wall Street seemed to buoy Asian trading.

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BRUSSELS -- European Union leaders are putting on a united front after a six-hour meeting during which they agreed on a second package of economic and financial sanctions on Russia.

The EU Council president accuses Russia of using "fake pretexts and bad excuses" for justifying its invasion of Ukraine and says sanctions will hurt the government,

The legal texts for the sanctions agreed on are expected to be finalized overnight and be submitted for approval to EU foreign affairs ministers Friday.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says the package includes targeting 70% of the Russian banking market and key state-owned companies.

She says Russia's energy sector also will be targeted "by making it impossible for Russia to upgrade its refineries." And there will be a ban on sales of software, semiconductors and airliners to Russia.

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ADELAIDE, Australia -- Australia's prime minister is accusing China of throwing Russia a lifeline by easing trade restrictions at a time much of the world is trying to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was reacting Friday to a report in The South China Morning Post that China had announced it was fully open to Russian wheat imports.

Morrison noted that Australia, the United States, Britain, the European Union and Japan are imposing sanctions on Russia, and said China 's easing of trade restrictions "is simply unacceptable."

In his words: "You don't go and throw a lifeline to Russia in the middle of a period when they're invading another country."

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TOKYO -- Japan has announced additional sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that the new measures include freezing the assets of Russian groups, banks and individuals and suspending exports of semiconductors and other sensitive goods to military-linked organizations in Russia.

Kishida says that "Japan must clearly show its position that we will never tolerate any attempt to change the status quo by force."

Earlier in the week, Japan suspended new issuances and distribution of Russian government bonds in Japan, aiming of reduce funding for Russia's military. It also banned trade with the two Ukrainian separatist regions.

Japan has long sought to regain control of northern islands Russia seized at the end of World War II and previously had tended to be milder toward Moscow.

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UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council will vote Friday on a resolution that would condemn Russia's military aggression against Ukraine "in the strongest terms." It also would demand an immediate halt to Russia's invasion and the withdrawal of all Russian troops.

A senior U.S. official says the Biden administration knows the measure will be vetoed by Russia, but believes it is very important to put the resolution to a vote to underscore Russia's international isolation.

The official says the council vote will be followed by a resolution voted on quickly in the 193-member UN General Assembly where there are no vetoes.

The final draft resolution, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, would reaffirm the council's commitment "to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders."

The council is scheduled to vote at 3 p.m. EST Friday.

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WASHINGTON -- The White House is expressing outrage at "credible reports" from Ukrainian officials that the staff at the shuttered Chornoybl nuclear plant have been taken hostage by Russian troops.

Press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that "we condemn it and we request their release."

Psaki says the U.S. has no assessment on the state of the plant where radioactivity is still leaking decades after the worst nuclear disaster in history. But she says hostage taking could hamper efforts to maintain the nuclear facility and is "incredibly alarming and greatly concerning."

Psaki spoke after Alyona Shevtsova, an adviser to the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, wrote on Facebook that the staff at the Chornobyl plant had been "taken hostage" when Russian troops seized the facility.

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 BRUSSELS -- An official at France's presidential office says the aim of French President Emmanuel Macron's phone call to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was to demand the immediate halt of military operations.

According to the official at the Elysee Palace, Macron called Putin from Brussels on Thursday just before the start of an urgent meeting of European Union leaders focusing on sanctions against Russia.

The official says Macron made the call after consulting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The official says Macron reminded Putin "that Russia was facing massive sanctions." The official spoke anonymously in accordance with the French presidency practice.

According to the Kremlin's report on the call, Putin and Macron agreed to continue their contacts.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says 137 civilians and military personnel have been killed so far in the Russian invasion of his country.

He calls them "heroes" in a video address released early Friday in which he also says hundreds more have been wounded.

Zelensky says that despite Russia's claim it is attacking only military targets, civilian sites also have been struck. In his words: "They're killing people and turning peaceful cities into military targets. It's foul and will never be forgiven."

The president says all border guards on Zmiinyi island in the Odessa region were killed Thursday. Ukraine's border guard service earlier in the day reported that the island was taken by the Russians.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's president is ordering a full military mobilization to challenge the Russian invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree Thursday evening saying the mobilization would last 90 days.

He ordered the military's General Staff to determine the number of those liable for service and reservists as well as the order of the call-up.

Zelensky gave his Cabinet the job of allocating funds to pay for the mobilization.

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BRUSSELS -- European Union leaders pledged Thursday to impose tough economic and financial sanctions on Russia, but there is a lack of consensus within the West over cutting the country off the SWIFT financial payment system.

The Belgium-based cooperative is used by more than 11,000 institutions globally. It shuffles money from bank to bank, and removing Russia from it would likely also have an impact on European economies.

Ukraine has requested the move. While the head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said EU sanctions need to include the exclusion of Russia from the scheme, many EU leaders remain unconvinced.

Dutch Prime minister Mark Rutte, for instance, said such a decision would also hurt European economies. Rutte said it should be a last-resort measure that could be decided at a later stage.

"A number of countries are hesitant since it has serious consequences for themselves," he said.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary - Several thousand demonstrators gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Hungary's capital on Thursday to denounce Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demand that Hungary's government cut its close ties with Moscow.

Waving the flags of Ukraine and the European Union, protesters chanted for peace and an end to the Russian attacks, and demanded that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pull his country out of its business dealings with Russia.

The demonstration in Budapest was organized by a coalition of six opposition parties that have united to unseat Orban and his ruling Fidesz party in parliamentary elections April 3.

That coalition's candidate for prime minister, independent conservative Peter Marki-Zay, criticized Orban for his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and urged the prime minister to "take a clear stand on Hungary's commitment to the European Union and NATO, our allies."

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BRUSSELS -- Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, said he spent his day "reaching out all over the world" to organize a united front against Russia.

Borrell carried his two phones upon arrival at the urgent meeting of EU leaders held on Thursday evening in Brussels.

He said he called more than 20 countries.

"The African Union, (countries in) Latin America, in Southeast Asia, India, Japan, .... a lot," he said.

Borrell added that the sanctions he prepared with the EU's executive arm that were agreed by leaders in retaliation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine will start having effect once adopted by the EU Council during a meeting of foreign affairs ministers scheduled Friday.

The EU said sanctions will cover "the financial sector, the energy and transport sectors, dual-use goods as well as export control and export financing, visa policy, additional listings of Russian individuals and new listing criteria."

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PARIS -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday that sanctions that the European allies are discussing to impose on Russia are "massive and aimed at asphyxiating Russia's economy".

Measures that will be taken against Russia are "very massive, very strong and I believe they will be very effective," Le Drian said in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1.

France is working with allies in NATO and at the United Nations on getting an international consensus to isolate Russia following President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department has at least temporarily withdrawn its remaining diplomatic presence from Ukraine.

The department says a core group of essential personnel who had relocated from the capital of Kyiv to the western city of Lviv near the Polish border earlier this month will now work from offices in Poland rather than on Ukrainian territory.

Earlier this week, the department had instructed those diplomats to work in Lviv during daylight hours but to spend their nights in Poland.

The department says they were ordered late Wednesday not to make the commute back to Lviv to work beginning Thursday until further notice.

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VIENNA -- The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency says it has been informed by Ukraine that "unidentified armed forces" have taken control of the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear plant, adding that there had been "no casualties or destruction at the industrial site."

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi called for "maximum restraint" to avoid actions that could put Ukraine's nuclear facilities at risk.

"In line with its mandate, the IAEA is closely monitoring developments in Ukraine with a special focus on the safety and security of its nuclear power plants and other nuclear-related facilities," he said in a statement.

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. aviation regulators widened the area of eastern Europe and Russia where U.S. airlines and pilots are barred because of the conflict.

In a new directive Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited U.S. airlines from flying over any part of Ukraine or Belarus and the western part of Russia.

Earlier restrictions had barred U.S. airlines from flying over the eastern part of Ukraine. The restrictions cover both passenger and cargo flights, but not military ones.

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MOSCOW -- A Russian military plane crashed in the country's Voronezh region that borders with Ukraine, the Russian military said Thursday night.

The An-26 plane was carrying out a planned flight transporting military equipment and crashed because of technical failure, military officials said, adding that the plane's entire crew died in the crash.

They didn't specify how many crew members were on board of the plane.

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U.S. President Joe Biden says the sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine will not disrupt the global oil and natural gas markets.

Biden says, "Our sanctions package is specifically designed to allow energy payments to continue."

The president announced a series of sanctions at a White House speech Thursday. The sanctions include restrictions on exports to Russia and sanctions on Russian banks and state-controlled companies.

Biden also says that U.S. oil and gas companies should not exploit the geopolitical risks to hike their prices and raise their profits.

A key concern has been preserving Russian oil and natural gas exports, which are vital sources for Europe and other countries. Financial markets already view the Russian invasion in Ukraine as straining energy supplies with the soon to expire futures contract for Brent crude increasing more than 5% to top US$100 a barrel.

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UNITED NATIONS -- Repeating a plea for Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine, the UN chief said Thursday the world body was freeing up US$20 million for urgent humanitarian needs in the country.

"Stop the military operation. Bring the troops back to Russia," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at UN headquarters. He called the offensive wrong and unacceptable, but not irreversible.

"It's not too late to save this generation from the scourge of war," Guterres said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the assault is meant to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have been fighting the government for nearly eight years. The U.S., however, said ahead of time that Russia would try to justify an invasion by falsely claiming that the rebel-held areas were under attack.

The UN said Thursday it was relocating some of its roughly 1,500 staffers in Ukraine. However, Guterres reiterated that the UN will continue providing aid to people in the country, "regardless of who or where they are."

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BRUSSELS - Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said European Union leaders need to adopt sanctions that will be strong enough to impact the Russian economy and the country's military industrial complex.

“We don't need sanctions that bark, we need sanctions that bite,” De Croo said upon his arrival at an urgent meeting of EU leaders in Brussels to discuss a new package of measures targeting Russia.

De Croo said the main goal of the sanctions should be to make it hard for Russian financial institutions to access international markets.

Asked whether Russia should be expelled from the Swift payment system financial system that moves money from bank to bank around the world, De Croo said he is open for discussions on that topic.

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OTTAWA, Ontario - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he spoke with President Zelensky and says Canada is imposing more severe sanctions.

The sanctions will target 58 people and entities connected to Russia, including members of that country's elite and their families, the paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group and major Russian banks.

The measures, announced Thursday after Trudeau attended a virtual G-7 meeting, will also affect members of the Russian Security Council, including key cabinet ministers.

Canada is also cancelling existing export permits for Russia and will not issue new ones.

Trudeau also says the federal government will be prioritizing immigration applications for Ukrainians who want to come to Canada and is launching a dedicated telephone line for anyone who has any urgent questions about immigrating from Ukraine.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- An adviser to Ukrainian president says that Ukraine has lost control over the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear plant after a fierce battle.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the condition of the plant's facilities, a confinement shelter and storage of nuclear waste is unknown.

A nuclear reactor in then-Soviet Ukraine exploded in April 1986, spewing radioactive waste across Europe in the world's worst nuclear disaster. The exploded reactor has been covered by a protective shelter to prevent radiation leak and the entire plant has been decommissioned.

Podolyak said that after "absolutely senseless attack of the Russians in this direction, it is impossible to say that the Chornobyl nuclear power plant is safe."

He charged that Russia may mount provocations there and described the situation as "one of the most serious threats to Europe today."

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NEW DELHI, India -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin late Thursday night and appealed for an "immediate cessation of violence," his office said in a statement.

Modi called for efforts to return to diplomatic discussions, saying the "differences between Russia and the NATO group can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue."

Modi also expressed concern over Indian citizens in Ukraine - officials earlier in the day said some 4,000 out of the 20,000 Indian nationals had been evacuated with efforts on to bring the rest back home.

The conversation between the two leaders comes hours after the Ukraine envoy in New Delhi urged Modi to contact Putin, saying the country "has a special relationship with Russia and New Delhi can play a more active role in controlling the situation."

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WARSAW -- Some of the first refugees from Ukraine have arrived in European Union member Poland by road and rail.

A scheduled train from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine arrived Thursday afternoon in the Polish town of Przemysl, near Ukraine's western border, carrying a few hundred passengers.

The passengers of various ages, arriving with bags and backpacks, told The Associated Press they were fleeing war. Some live in Poland and were returning urgently from visits to their homeland.

The chief of Poland's border guards, Gen. Tomasz Praga, said there was a visible increase in the number of people wanting to cross into Poland.

Officials said Poland has prepared at least eight centres with food, medical care and places to rest.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that "innocent people are being killed" in Ukraine and appealed to the Poles to extend every possible assistance to the Ukrainians who have found themselves in need of help.

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NAIROBI, Kenya -- The African Union chair is urging an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine "to preserve the world from the consequences of planetary conflict."

The statement by Senegal President Macky Sall and AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat also calls on Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and international law, expressing "extreme concern at the very serious and dangerous situation."

Few among Africa's 54 countries have publicly reacted to the invasion.

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PRISTINA, Kosovo - Kosovo leaders on Thursday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim of similarities with Ukraine's eastern rebel provinces.

Kosovo's president, prime minister and other senior ministers issued a joint statement denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"The massive and unprovoked attack against Ukraine's cities and villages is one of the most dangerous hits made to the architecture of the international security built after World War II," said the statement.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 after a bloody conflict with Serbia years earlier left more than 10,000 people dead and triggered a NATO intervention. Pristina's government is recognized by the United States and most EU nations, but Belgrade has refused to recognize its independence and relies on support from Russia and China in its bid to retain claims on the territory.

"Dictator Putin's effort to refer to the Kosovo case and draw parallel are totally unstable, abusive and an attempt to camouflage the lack of any base or reason for the barbarous attack of its forces against a sovereign state," said the statement.

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LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would aim to cut Russia off from the U.K.'s financial markets as he announced a new set of sanctions in response to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The sanctions include freezing the assets of all major Russian banks, including VTB Bank, the nation's second-biggest bank, Johnson said Thursday. Britain also plans to bar Russian companies and the Russian government from raising money on U.K. markets.

Britain will also ban the export of a wide range of high-tech products, including semiconductors, to Russia and bar the nation's flagship airline, Aeroflot, from landing at U.K. airports.

The slate of sanctions comes days after Johnson was criticized for acting too cautiously in response to Russian aggression earlier this week.

Ukraine's ambassador to the U.K., Vadym Prystaiko, earlier called on world leaders to ban trade in Russian oil and gas and block foreign investment in the country.

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MOSCOW -- The Russian Defence Ministry has formally confirmed that its forces have moved into Ukraine from Crimea.

Until Thursday's statement Russia had said only that it unleashed a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukrainian air bases, air defence batteries and other military facilities.

The ministry said it has destroyed a total of 83 Ukrainian military facilities. Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov confirmed that Russian ground troops advanced toward the city of Kherson northwest of the Crimea peninsula.

Kherson sits on water reservoir used in the past to provide the bulk of fresh water for Crimea until Ukraine cut it with a dam in 2017 in response to Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Konashenkov said Thursday's move allows the resumption of the water supply to Crimea.

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BERLIN -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made a televised address to the nation condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine sharply and vowed that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not win."

Scholz said Thursday evening that "we will not accept this violation of Ukraine's sovereignty by Russia" and vowed to imply severe sanction together with Germany's allies.

Regarding the military attack on Ukraine, Scholz stressed that Putin "is on his own. It was not the Russian people who decided to go to war. He alone bears full responsibility for it. This war is Putin's war."

The chancellor said that "Putin should not underestimate NATO's determination to defend all its members. That applies explicitly to our NATO partners in the Baltic States, in Poland and in Romania, in Bulgaria and in Slovakia. Without ifs and buts. Germany and its allies know how to protect themselves."

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UNITED NATIONS -- A senior U.S. official says the UN Security Council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution condemning Russia in the strongest terms possible for attacking Ukraine and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all its forces -- knowing that Russia will veto the legally binding measure.

The United States believes it is very important to put the resolution to a vote to underscore Russia's international isolation, and emphasizes that the veto will be followed quickly by a resolution in the 193-member UN General Assembly where there are no vetoes, the official said Thursday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

"This is a first step in how the UN responds to this premeditated war of choice that Russia has chosen to take, and we will see action in the General Assembly in the coming days," he said, adding that it is part of a much broader, coordinated response that includes steps the Biden administration and its allies are taking.

The resolution is drafted under Article 7 of the UN Charter, which can be enforced militarily, according to the official.

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MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he was "forced" to order a military action in Ukraine because of the Western refusal to heed Russian security demands.

Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with businesspeople Thursday, Putin said the military action was a "forced measure" that stemmed from rising security risks for Russia.

He said that he was surprised by the West's "intransigence" regarding Moscow's security demands. "I was surprised that didn't move a millimetre on any issue," he said. "They have left us no chance to act differently."

Turning to Western sanctions, he said "Russia remains part of the global economy and isn't going to hurt the system that it is part of as long as it remains there."

"Our partners should realize that and not set a goal to push us out of the system," he said in an apparent warning to the West.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Moscow to end hostilities, adding that Russian airborne troops have been checked outside Kyiv.

"It wasn't Ukraine that chose the path of war, but Ukraine is offering to go back to the path of peace," he said Thursday.

He said a Russian airborne force in Hostomel airport outside Kyiv, which has a big runway, has been stopped and is being destroyed.

The Ukrainian leader said many Russian warplanes and armored vehicles were destroyed but didn't give numbers. He also said an unspecified number of Russian troops was captured.

He said a difficult situation is developing in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city just over 20 kilometres from the Russian border. In the north the Russians are slowly advancing toward Chernihiv, Zelensky said.

He appealed to global leaders, saying that "if you don't help us now, if you fail to offer strong assistance to Ukraine, tomorrow the war will knock on your door."

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BERLIN -- Group of Seven leaders have strongly condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine.

The German government, which currently heads the G7, put out a joint statement after a virtual leaders' meeting Thursday, vowing to bring "forward severe and co-ordinated economic and financial sanctions."

It called "on all partners and members of the international community to condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and raise their voice against this blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international peace and security."

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HELSINKI -- Baltic NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have received the first batches of U.S. military troops and equipment promised this week by U.S. President Joe Biden in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.

An undisclosed number of U.S. F-35 fighters landed Thursday afternoon at NATO's air base in Amari, near Estonia's capital Tallinn, Estonian media reported. F-35 fighters were reported to have arrived also at NATO's air base in Lithuania.

On Wednesday evening, the first 40 American soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived in Latvia, Latvian media reported.

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WASHINGTON -- A senior U.S. defence official says Thursday's attack by Russia appears to be the first phase in what will likely be a multiple phased, large-scale invasion.

The official said it began around 9:30 p.m. U.S. eastern time, with land- and sea-based missile launches. The official said that roughly more than 100 missiles, primarily short-range ballistic missiles, but also medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and sea-launched missiles, were launched in the first few hours of the attack.

The official said the Russians are moving on three axes: From Crimea to Kherson, from Belarus toward Kyiv, and from the northeast to Kharkiv.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it's not clear how many Russian troops are in Ukraine now, and the main targets of the air assault have been barracks, ammunition warehouses, and 10 airfields. The official said Russian ground forces began to move in to Ukraine from Belarus around 5 a.m. Eastern time.

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LONDON -- Hundreds of protesters have gathered in London to urge Britain and other democracies to step up action against Russia.

Ukrainians living in the U.K. and activists gathered outside Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office Thursday, singing the Ukrainian national anthem and holding placards that read: "Putin! Get out of Ukraine."

Natalia Ravlyuk, a volunteer who helped organize the protest, said they wanted the "toughest sanctions and total isolation of Russia now."

"We feel very angry, we feel very anxious and we feel betrayed by democratic states because we have been talking about this war for eight years," she said. "They just need to wake up and stop Putin now."

Earlier dozens of protesters also gathered outside the Russian embassy in London.

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UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations migration agency says it's ready to respond to emerging humanitarian needs in Ukraine.

Antonio Vitorino, director general of the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration, said: "IOM ... is committed to staying and delivering vital assistance to the people of Ukraine and stands ready to respond to the emerging humanitarian needs in the country and the region, in close coordination with governments and partners."

"Eight years of conflict in Ukraine have displaced over 1.4 million people who now rely on assistance to meet their daily needs," he said in a statement. "This escalation will only deepen the humanitarian needs and compound the suffering of millions of families."

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russian forces are trying to seize the Chornobyl nuclear plant.

The plant was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident when a nuclear reactor exploded in April 1986, spewing radioactive waste across Europe. The plant lies 130 kilometres north of the capital of Kyiv.

The exploded reactor has been covered by a protective shelter to prevent radiation leak and the entire plant has been decommissioned.

Zelensky said on Twitter that "our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated." He added that "this is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe."

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BUCHAREST, Romania -- The interior ministry in Moldova, which shares a long border with Ukraine, says the country has set up two temporary centres to manage an influx of refugees.

The ministry said the centres, in Palanca and Ocnita in northern Moldova, are meant to "provide basic humanitarian, legal and food assistance to immigrants" for a period of 72 hours.

It said that the border has "been crossed by 6,937 people, of which 3,000 are Ukrainian citizens," but didn't specify over what period.

The ministry said that medical staff and social workers will be available to assist refugees, and that the country's immigration office is ready to handle any asylum applications.

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BOSTON -- Ukraine's cybersecurity service has reported continuing cyberattacks and said cellular networks were saturated with voice calls, suggesting people used text-messaging.

A distributed-denial-of-service attack that knocked some government websites offline Wednesday continued and there were sporadic internet outages across the country, said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis for the U.S. network management firm Kentik Inc.

Measures to blunt the attacks were having some success, however, as major government websites including the defence and interior ministries were reachable Thursday.

Madory said Ukraine's internet was "under severe stress presently." Some cybersecurity experts said prior to the invasion that it might be in the Kremlin's intelligence -- and information war -- interests not to try to take down Ukraine's internet during a military attack.

Ukraine's cybersecurity service published a list on its Telegram channel of known "active disinformation" channels to avoid.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and for the first time laid responsibility directly on Moscow for the tensions and violence in Hungary's eastern neighbour.

"Together with our European Union and NATO allies, we condemn Russia's military action," Orban said in a video on Facebook.

A member of the European Union and NATO that borders Ukraine, Hungary under Orban has pursued close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a point of concern for many of Hungary's western partners.

While Hungary's government has urged a peaceful resolution to the conflict through diplomacy, high-ranking officials until now avoided condemning Russia's actions directly.

Orban said Thursday that the number of Ukrainian refugees approaching Hungary's borders was likely to grow. He said Hungary is "prepared to care for them and will be able to meet this challenge quickly and effectively."

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's military chief says Ukrainian troops are fighting the Russian army in in the north and the south.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi said a battle was raging Thursday near the Hostomel air base 7 kilometres northwest of the capital, Kyiv.

He said that in the south, fighting was going on near Henichesk, Skadovsk and Chaplynka.

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JERUSALEM -- Israel's prime minister has offered humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but stopped short of issuing a public condemnation of Russia's attack.

Naftali Bennett said "our hearts go out to the citizens of Ukraine, who got into this situation without any wrongdoing on their part" during a speech Thursday.

Earlier in the day Israel's foreign minister issued a formal condemnation of Russia's attack.

Bennett made no direct reference to Russia in his speech at a military officers' graduation ceremony, but offered humanitarian aid to Ukraine and urged Israeli citizens to leave the country.

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VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican is still holding out hope for negotiations after Russia attacked Ukraine.

The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said in a statement that "there is still time for good will, there is still room for negotiation, there is still room for the exercise of a wisdom that prevents the prevalence of partisan interests, protects the legitimate aspirations of each and saves the world from the madness and horrors of war."

The Vatican has been loathe to call out Russia by name, for fear of antagonizing the Russian Orthodox Church, a key focus of Francis' ecumenical efforts.

The Vatican issued Parolin's statement as the head of the largest eastern rite church in communion with Rome, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was in a bomb shelter under the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kiev along with many other people, his office in Rome said.

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MOSCOW -- Russia's Defence Ministry says the Russian military has destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities, including 11 air bases.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered that Ukrainian servicemen be treated "with respect" and those who lay down their weapons offered safe corridors.

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the loss of a Su-25 attack jet due to "pilor error."

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BERLIN -- The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has expanded its recommendations following the Russian attack on Ukraine to warn operators against flying over Moldova and Belarus and "exercise caution" over large parts of Russia.

EASA already had warned of high risks to civilian aircraft over Ukraine early Thursday morning. In an update, it cited a notice issued by Moldova closing its airspace for all flights due to the Ukrainian crisis.

It pointed to "a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft."

It said that operators also should "exercise caution" when operated in airspace controlled by Moscow and Rostov-on-Don in Russia "due to heightened military activity which may include launches of mid-range missiles penetrating into controlled airspace."

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BERLIN -- Germany's economy minister says the country is putting in place additional measures to safeguard its energy supply amid the escalating tensions with Russia.

Germany gets about half of its natural gas and coal and about a third of its oil from Russia.

Robert Habeck told reporters in Berlin Thursday that measures already taken to fill gas reserves would ensure that "we will get safely through the winter."

"Further measures have been put in place for the next winter", he said, including legally requiring the owners of gas storage facilities in Germany to fill them during the summer.

Habeck said Germany's national oil reserve would be sufficient for 90 days, should that need to be tapped, though so far there has been no cut in supplies.

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BRUSSELS -- A top European Union official is pledging to make Russia suffer with "massive and targeted sanctions" that will particularly hit the country's elite.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the package of EU measures will include financial sanctions that will severely limit Russia's access to the capital markets and have a severe impact on all sectors of its economy.

She said ahead of an EU summit Thursday that "these sanctions will suppress Russia's economic growth, increase the borrowing costs, raise inflations, intensify capital outflow and gradually erode its industrial basis."

Von der Leyen said the package also will aim to limit Russia's access to crucial technologies.

She said that "our measures will weaken Russia technological positions in key areas, actually from which the elite makes most of their money." She cited high-tech components and "cutting-edge software."

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WARSAW, Poland -- The parliament in Poland, a nation on NATO's eastern flank which borders Ukraine and Belarus, strongly denounced Russia's attack on Ukraine and vowed its support to Ukraine.

Members of the Sejm, or lower house of parliament, approved by acclamation a statement condemning Russia. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Thursday will go down in history as "the day Russia chose war," attacking another nation for no reason.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski sought to assure Poland that, as a NATO member, the country is safe.

Brzezinski noted in an interview on TVN24 television that there are now 10,000 U.S. soldiers in Poland. More than half were deployed in recent weeks amid the Russian threats.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Norway's prime minister says that a planned NATO drill in Norway next month "was not a response to the events in Ukraine."

From March 13, Norway is scheduled to host the Cold Response exercise with thousands of NATO troops taking part. The exercise has been planned for months and Russia was invited to observe it.

The Scandinavian country shares a nearly 200-kilometre land border with Russia.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said that Norway has long managed to maintain a pragmatic neighbourly relationship. He said that "we will continue to have contacts" with Russia.

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PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron says France and its European allies did everything to try to head off the attack on Ukraine. He said that they will show "no weakness" in their response.

Macron said in a televised address to the nation Thursday that Russia's attack is a "turning point in European history" and as a result "there will be profound consequences for our continent and changes in our lives."

He said that "to this act of war, we will reply without weakness, we will reply calmly and in a determined and united manner."

"We have tried everything to avoid this war but it is here and we are ready," Macron said.

He said that sanctions will be "proportionate" to Russia's military operations, targeting its economy and its energy sector.

"We will show no weakness," Macron said. "We will take all measures necessary to defend the sovereignty and stability of our European allies."

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- The Slovak government has authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 soldiers to help guard the border with Ukraine following Russia's attack on Slovakia's eastern neighbour.

The defence ministry said Thursday they will be used if there is a massive wave of refugees.

The government said Slovakia is also ready to open more border crossings with Ukraine if needed.

Slovania last week lifted all coronavirus restrictions for potential refugees coming from Ukraine in the case of a Russian invasion.

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ROME -- Italian Premier Mario Draghi says Russia's attack on Ukraine has made dialogue with Moscow "impossible." He is demanding that Putin "immediately stop the bloodshed and withdraw military forces."

Speaking after an urgent Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Draghi said Russia's operation "concerns all of us, our way of living freely, our democracy."

He said Italy, which has kept its embassy in Kyiv open, fully supported "very strong" sanctions against Russia and was coordinating with NATO and EU allies to beef up security on NATO's eastern flank. He said that "we are reinforcing our already significant contribution to the military deployments in all the most directly exposed Allied countries."

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HELSINKI -- Latvian authorities say three Russian television channels will have their right to broadcast in Latvia suspended for several years with immediate effect. They cited the channels' incitement to hatred against Ukraine, justification of war and spreading of disinformation on Ukraine, Latvia and other countries.

Latvia's National Electronic Mass Media Council said Thursday that there will be a ban on broadcasts of the Rossija RTR channel for five years, Rossija 24 channel for four years and TV Centr International for three years.

European Union and NATO member Latvia is urging other European nations to make a similar decision.

"We are calling on all European Union member countries to use the evidence we have collected, follow our example and ban these three (Russian) channels in the entire territory of the EU," said the council's chairman, Ivars Abolins.

He said that "in the last several years, we have closed 41 programs associated with Russia. Unfortunately, other European countries have not done the same."

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GENEVA -- The head of the UN refugee agency is warning of "devastating consequences" of Russia's military action in Ukraine and calling on neighbouring countries to keep their borders open for people fleeing the fighting.

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, pointed to "reports of casualties and people starting to flee their homes to seek safety" without elaborating.

He said in a statement that UNHCR had stepped up its operations and capacity in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, without providing details.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, says that "Russia's key goal is clear: to oust the Ukrainian leadership and stir up as much panic as possible."

Podolyak said Thursday the Russians "want to cut off part of the country and they moving in in big convoys."

He said that "we are seeing attempts to estabilize the situation in big cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv."

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ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Russia's military actions in Ukraine violate international laws and amount to a "heavy blow" to regional peace and stability.

In an address to an international gathering in Ankara on Thursday, Erdogan said Turkey -- which has enjoyed close ties to both Russia and Ukraine -- "sincerely regrets" that the two countries are confronting each other.

"We reiterate our call for a resolution of the problems between Russia and Ukraine, with which we have deep historical ties and friendly relations, through dialogue, within the framework of Minsk agreements," Erdogan said. He was referring to deals that aimed to restore peace in eastern Ukraine.

The Turkish leader said Turkey would "do its part to ensure the safety of everyone living in Ukraine," including Turkish citizens and Crimean Tatars, with whom Turkey shares ethnic and cultural bonds.

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LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Russian President Vladimir Putin has "unleashed war in our European continent" and Britain "cannot and will not just look away."

In a televised address Thursday, Johnson said the U.K. and its allies will agree a "massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy."

"Our mission is clear: diplomatically, politically, economically and eventually militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure," Johnson said.

He is expected to give more details about new sanctions later Thursday.

"A vast invasion is underway by land by sea and by air," Johnson said. "(Putin) has attacked a friendly country without any provocation and without any credible excuse."

The prime minister also said that the West must collectively end its dependence on Russian oil and gas, which "for too long has given Putin his grip on western politics."

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GENEVA -- The head of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning anti-nuclear group says a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin to anyone who might meddle in Russia's attack on Ukraine amounted to a threat to "launch a nuclear war."

Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, was referring to the Russian leader's comments as the attack began that "whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the Russian response will be immediate and lead to the consequences you have never seen in history."

Fihn, whose group won the Nobel prize in 2017, said Russia had manufactured a "false justification" for its military action in Ukraine and said Putin's warning was "basically to launch a nuclear war."

She alluded to recent tests by Russia of intercontinental ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles, saying that they smacked of "basically the Russian military practicing mass-murdering civilians."

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BUCHAREST, Romania -- The president of Romania has condemned Russia's "reprehensible" attack on Ukraine and said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "threatens the peace of the entire planet."

Romania borders Ukraine and is a member of NATO and the European Union. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that Russia "chose the reprehensible and completely illegal path of massive armed violence against an independent and sovereign state."

Iohannis said that Romania, a country of about 19.5 million people, is ready to deal with economic and humanitarian consequences that the conflict could generate.

He stressed that Romania will not be drawn into the military conflict in Ukraine and said Romanian authorities will take "absolutely all the necessary measures" to ensure the safety of the country's citizens.

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PRAGUE -- Czech President Milos Zeman, who has been a leading pro-Russian voice among European Union leaders, has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "an unprovoked act of aggression."

Zeman said in an address to the nation that "Russia has committed a crime against peace."

A week ago, Zeman said that warnings of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine were a failure by CIA. He said repeatedly he didn't believe Russian wanted to attack Ukraine.

"I admit I was wrong," Zeman said Thursday. "An irrational decision by the leadership of the Russian Federation will cause significant damages to the Russian state."

He called for harder sanctions against Russia, declaring that "it's necessary to isolate a lunatic and not just to defend ourselves by words but also by deeds."

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BRUSSELS -- NATO's secretary-general says Russia has launched war on Ukraine and shattered peace on the European continent.

Jens Stoltenberg called for a summit of NATO alliance leaders for Friday.

Stoltenberg said that "this is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion." And he charged that "Russia is using force to try to rewrite history."

Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine earlier Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling. Ukraine's government said Russian tanks and troops rolled across the border.

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HELSINKI -- NATO member Lithuania, which has borders with Russian ally Belarus and Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, has declared a state of emergency effective early Thursday afternoon due to the situation in Ukraine.

The decree signed Thursday by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda steps up border protection. It gives authorities, among other things, the right to check and inspect vehicles, persons and luggage in the border area.

Lithuania also borders fellow NATO and European Union members Poland and Latvia.

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ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey has called on Russia to halt what it describes as "unfair and unlawful" actions in Ukraine.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement on Thursday said the Russian attacks were "unacceptable" and that Turkey "rejects" them.

"This attack, beyond destroying the Minsk agreements, is a grave violation of international law and poses a serious threat to the security of our region and of the world," the ministry statement said, referring to deals that aimed to restore peace in eastern Ukraine.

The statement added that Turkey opposes moves that "change borders through the use of weapons."

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BERLIN -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine, calling it a "dark day for Europe" and expressing his country's "full solidarity with Kyiv."

Scholz said in a statement at the chancellery in Berlin on Thursday that new sanctions to be imposed on Russia by Germany and its allies would show that "Putin has made a serious mistake with his war."

Addressing NATO allies in eastern Europe, Scholz said Germany understood their worries in light of the latest developments and stands by its commitments within the alliance.

Scholz said he and French President Emmanuel Macron proposed soon holding an in-person meeting of the heads of government of NATO member states.

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BRUSSELS -- NATO has agreed to beef up its land, sea and air forces on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military offensive in Ukraine.

NATO ambassadors said in a statement after emergency talks Thursday that "we have increased the readiness of our forces to respond to all contingencies."

While some of NATO's 30 member countries are supplying arms, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine, NATO as an organization is not. It will not launch any military action in support of Ukraine.

Countries closest to the conflict -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland -- are among those to have triggered rare consultations under Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty, which can be launched when "the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the (NATO) parties is threatened."

"We have decided, in line with our defensive planning to protect all allies, to take additional steps to further strengthen deterrence and defence across the Alliance," the envoys said in a statement. "Our measures are and remain preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory."

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KYIV, Ukraine -- An adviser to Ukraine's president says that Russian forces forged 10-20 kilometres deep into the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine and are regrouping to continue the offensive.

But Oleksiy Arestovich said Thursday that "Kyiv is under reliable protection" and "they will face tough battles."

Arestovich said that fighting is going on 4-5 kilometres north of Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, in the country's northeast. He said Ukrainian troops destroyed four Russian tanks there.

The adviser said that Russian troops that moved into Ukraine from Russian-annexed Crimea are trying to advance toward Melitopol and Kherson.

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JERUSALEM-- Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine as "a grave violation of the international order."

Lapid told reporters on Thursday that Israel is prepared to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and urged Israeli citizens to leave the country.

"Israel is a country well-versed in war. War is not the way to resolve conflicts," he said, adding that there was still a chance for a negotiated solution.

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BUCHAREST, Romania -- Moldova's president says the country's Supreme Security Council has decided to ask parliament to introduce a state of emergency following Russia's attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

President Maia Sandu said Thursday that Russia's attack on Ukraine is a "flagrant violation of international norms."

Sandu urged Moldovan citizens in Ukraine to return home. Moldova, a former Soviet republic and one of Europe's poorest nations, has a population of around 3.5 million and is not a NATO member.

There are now concerns in Moldova that the neighbouring conflict could trigger an influx of refugees. Sandu said that "at the border crossing points with Ukraine there is an increase in traffic flow."

She added that "we will help people who need our support. At this moment, we are ready to accommodate tens of thousands of people."

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KYIV, Ukraine -- An adviser to Ukraine's president says about 40 people have been killed so far in the Russian attack on the country.

Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that several dozen people have been wounded.

He didn't specify whether the casualties included civilians.

Zelensky said the Ukrainian authorities will hand weapons to all those willing to defend the country.

"The future of the Ukrainian people depends on every Ukrainian," he said, urging all those who can defend the country to come to the Interior Ministry's assembly facilities.

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ANKARA, Turkey -- Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey has called on the NATO member country to close its airspace and to shut down the straits at the entrance of the Black Sea to Russian ships.

"We are calling for the airspace, Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to be closed," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar told reporters on Thursday. "We have conveyed our relevant demand to the Turkish side. At the same time, we want sanctions imposed on the Russian side."

A 1936 convention gives Turkey control over the straits connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, and allows it to limit the passage of warships during wartime or if Turkey is threatened.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened an emergency security meeting to discuss the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Turkey, which enjoys close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, had been pressing for a diplomatic solution to the tensions.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's president says his country has cut diplomatic ties with Russia after it was attacked.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the decision to rupture ties with Moscow on Thursday after it launched a massive air and missile attack on its neighbour and Russian forces were seen rolling into Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials say the country's military is fighting back and asked for western defence assistance.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- A Ukrainian presidential adviser says that Russian forces have launched an attack on Ukraine from the north, east and south. The adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said "the Ukrainian military is fighting hard."

Podolyak said Thursday that "our army is fighting back inflicting significant losses to the enemy." He said that there have been civilian casualties, but didn't give details.

He said that "Ukraine now needs a greater and very specific support from the world -- military-technical, financial as well as tough sanctions against Russia," he said.

Another adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has targeted air bases and various other military infrastructure.

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BEIJING -- China's customs agency on Thursday approved imports of wheat from all regions of Russia, a move that could help to reduce the impact of possible western sanctions imposed over Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

The two governments announced an agreement Feb. 8 for China to import Russian wheat and barley after Russian President Vladimir became the highest-profile foreign guest to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics.

China's populous market is a growth area for other farm goods suppliers, but Beijing had barred imports until now from Russia's main wheat-growing areas due to concern about possible fungus and other contamination.

Russia is one of the biggest wheat producers but its exports would be vulnerable if its foreign markets block shipments in response to its attack on Ukraine.

Thursday's announcement said Russia would "take all measures" to prevent contamination by wheat smut fungus and would suspend exports to China if it was found.

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BERLIN -- Germany's foreign minister says that "we woke up in a different world today."

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a televised statement that "after months of preparing lies and propaganda, President Putin decided today to let his threats be followed with terrible deeds."

Baerbock said that "the Russian government is breaking the most elementary rules of the international order in front of the eyes of the world."

Baerbock said German diplomats remaining in Kyiv would leave the capital. A decision would be made whether the embassy could resume its work from Lviv.

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MOSCOW -- Security camera footage shows a line of Russian military vehicles crossing into Ukraine from Russian-annexed Crimea.

Russian troops launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to "consequences you have never seen."

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging global leaders to provide defence assistance to Ukraine and help protect its airspace from the "aggressor."

Zelensky said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has unleased a war with Ukraine and the entire democratic world." He added that the Russian leader "wants to destroy our state, everything that we have built."

He praised the nation's soldiers, hailing their courage and urged civilians not to panic.

"We are starting the creation of an anti-Putin coalition," he said. "I have already urged global leaders to slam Putin with all possible sanctions, offer large-scale defence support and close the airspace over Ukraine for the aggressor."

"Together we must save Ukraine, save the democratic world, and we will do it," Zelensky said.

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BEIJING -- World stock markets have plunged and oil prices surged by nearly US$6 per barrel after President Vladimir Putin launched Russian military action in Ukraine.

Market benchmarks tumbled in Europe and Asia and U.S. futures were sharply lower. Brent crude oil jumped to over US$100 per barrel Thursday on unease about possible disruption of Russian supplies.

The ruble sank 7.5% to more than US$87 to the U.S. dollar. Earlier, Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1.8% to an eight-month low after the Kremlin said rebels in eastern Ukraine asked for military assistance.

Investors already were uneasy about the possible impact of the Federal Reserve's plans to try to cool inflation.

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BEIJING -- China's Foreign Ministry is repeating calls for talks to resolve the worsening crisis in Ukraine, while refusing to criticize Russia's actions and accusing the U.S. and its allies of worsening the crisis.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters Thursday that "the Ukraine issue is complex in its historical background ... what we are seeing today is the interplay of complex factors."

Hua said China still hopes "that the parties concerned will not shut the door to peace and engage instead in dialogue and consultation and prevent the situation from further escalating,"

Although China has not endorsed Russian President Vladimir Putin's declaration of independence for Ukraine's separatist areas or his decision to send Russian forces there, Hua said China "called on parties to respect others' legitimate security concerns."

Hua said that "all parties should work for peace instead of escalating the tension or hyping up the possibility of war" -- repeating the language China has consistently used to criticize the West in the crisis.

Hua asked: "Those parties who were busy condemning others; what have they done? Have they persuaded others?"

Hua did not describe Russia's actions as an invasion or directly refer to the movement of Russian forces into Ukraine.

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PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron, who had labored until the last minute for a diplomatic solution, says that "France firmly condemns Russia's decision to wage war" and is promising support for Ukraine.

Macron said Thursday that "Russia must end its military operations immediately." He spoke by phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who demanded "united European support" for Ukraine, according to a statement from the French presidency.

Macron said France is "working with its partners and allies to end the war."

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BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romania's defence ministry says that two F-16 aircraft from the Romanian military on a NATO air policing mission intercepted a Ukrainian Air Force plane that had entered Romanian airspace, and escorted it to an airbase in Bacau.

The ministry wrote that the Romanian planes "strictly applied national procedures and international rules applicable in such situations, through the interception and visual identification of the aircraft entering the Romanian airspace."

The ministry said that the Ukrainian military pilot made himself available to Romanian authorities on Thursday morning.

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BRUSSELS -- The European Union says it is planning the "strongest, the harshest package" of sanctions it has ever considered at an emergency summit Thursday, as the Russian military attacked Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that "the target is the stability in Europe and the whole of the international peace order, and we will hold President (Vladimir) Putin accountable for that."

"We will present a package of massive and targeted sanctions to European leaders for approval," she said.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called it the "strongest, the harshest package" ever considered.

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LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says western allies will not stand by as Russia attacks Ukraine.

In an early morning call, Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he was appalled by events in Ukraine, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office.

"The Prime Minister said the West would not stand by as President Putin waged his campaign against the Ukrainian people," Johnson's office said in the statement.

Johnson added that Ukraine was in the thoughts of everyone in the U.K. "during this dark time."

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  A man stands in front of a Russian Ka-52 helicopter gunship in a field after a forced landing outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

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  People take part in a vigil to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine in front of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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  In this handout photo taken from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

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  A woman and child peer out of the window of a bus as they leave Sievierodonetsk, the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP / Vadim Ghirda)

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  A woman speaks on the phone as she stands with other people in a shelter during Russian shelling, in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP / Evgeniy Maloletka)

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  Police officers inspect area after an apparent Russian strike in Kyiv Ukraine, on Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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  A woman reflected in a mirror stands with her children in a shelter during Russian shelling, in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP / Evgeniy Maloletka)