Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for a failure to provide safe passage to civilians fleeing two cities besieged and bombarded by Russian forces.
Look back on the latest updates in our blog from March 5.
Key events
- Kyiv, Moscow trade blame over failed evacuation as Russian invasion continues
- The number of Ukraine refugees could grow to 1.5 million this weekend, UNHCR head says
- Evacuations halted in Ukraine area where ceasefire pledged
- Hundreds rally in Kherson against Russian forces
- Scott Morrison praises Ukraine's 'courage' in phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Ukraine confirms humanitarian corridor
- Russia says humanitarian corridor has opened
- Singapore sanctions Russia
- The aftermath of the fight at Zaporizhzhya
- NATO rejects Ukraine no-fly zone, draws criticism from Zelenskyy
- Putin formally signs law to punish 'fake information'
Live updates
By Michael Doyle
That is all for the blog
We are closing the blog this evening.
You can continue to follow our coverage with our latest live blog here.
Thank-you to everyone who read our updates throughout the day.
Goodnight.
By Michael Doyle
US approves Moscow-chartered flight to remove expelled Russian diplomats -State Department
The United States has approved a flight chartered by the Russian government to fly out Russian diplomats at the United Nations who were expelled for abuse of their privileges of residence, a State Department spokesperson said on Saturday.
"This special exception was done in accordance with federal regulations to ensure Russian mission personnel and their families departed by the date we had instructed," the spokesperson said.
By Michael Doyle
UN says it has confirmed 351 civilian deaths
The UN human rights office says it has confirmed the deaths of 351 civilians in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.
The Geneva-based office said that another 707 civilians were injured between February 24 and midnight Friday.
The rights office uses strict methodology and only reports casualties it has confirmed.
It said Saturday it believes the real figures are considerably higher, “especially in government-controlled territory and especially in recent days,” as the receipt of information from some places where there was intense fighting was delayed and many reports were still undergoing corroboration.
Ukrainian officials have presented far higher numbers.
AP
By Michael Doyle
Erdogan will tell Putin to stop Ukraine war during call on Sunday -spokesman
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will tell his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine, an Erdogan spokesman said, while adding that it was naive to expect talks between Moscow and Kyiv to yield results while the fighting rages on.
NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both countries. Ankara has opposed sanctions on Moscow, but also described its invasion of Ukraine as unacceptable, called for a ceasefire and offered to host peace talks.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Erdogan would reiterate that offer to Putin in a phone call on Sunday. He would ask Putin to "give a chance" to a ceasefire, stop his attacks, and help set up corridors needed for evacuations of civilians and shipments of aid.
"We are focusing on what steps we can take here to bring the sides to the negotiating table and to convince the Russian side (to stop)," Mr Kalin said.
"This network of trust (with Russia) must absolutely be kept open for these talks, diplomacy to succeed.
"Otherwise it will be impossible for the whole region, including Russia and Ukraine, to escape from this destruction."
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Kyiv, Moscow trade blame over failed evacuation as Russian invasion continues
Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for a failure to provide safe passage to civilians fleeing two cities besieged and bombarded by Russian forces, on the 10th day of a war that has fuelled Europe's biggest humanitarian disaster in decades.
The war, which began with Russia's invasion on February 24, has sent nearly 1.5 million refugees fleeing westward into the European Union and provoked unprecedented international sanctions on Moscow and warnings of a global recession.
The Russian defence ministry said its units had opened humanitarian corridors near the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, which have been encircled by its troops.
But in Mariupol, the city council said Russia was not observing the ceasefire and it asked residents to return to shelters and await further information on evacuation.
Russia's defence ministry accused Ukrainian "nationalists" of preventing civilians from leaving, RIA news agency reported.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Red cross says evacuations appear unlikely on Saturday
The International Committee of the Red Cross says it understands evacuations of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha in Ukraine would not start on Saturday because of the conflict following Russia's invasion.
"We remain in dialogue with the parties about the safe passage of civilians from different cities affected by the conflict," the ICRC said in a statement.
"The scenes in Mariupol and in other cities today are heartbreaking.
"Any initiative from the parties that gives civilians a respite from the violence and allows them to voluntarily leave for safer areas is welcome."
The Ukrainian government previously said the plan was to evacuate around 200,000 people from Mariupol and 15,000 from Volnovakha.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Ukraine Foreign Minister praises Kherson protesters
By Michael Doyle
A small girl wrapped in a blanket at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland
By Michael Doyle
The number of Ukraine refugees could grow to 1.5 million this weekend, UNHCR head says
The situation in Ukraine remains dire and the number of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion could potentially rise to 1.5 million by the end of the weekend, the head of the UN refugee agency said on Saturday.
Currently, there are around 1.3 million refugees who have fled Ukraine.
"This is the fastest moving refugee crisis we have seen in Europe since the end of World War Two," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Mr Grandi also said most refugees at the moment were linking up with friends, family and other connections already living in Europe, but warned future waves would be more complex.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
A child flees Ukraine into Hungary as millions become refugees after the invasion
By Michael Doyle
By Michael Doyle
Evacuations halted in Ukraine area where ceasefire pledged
The Ukrainian president's office says civilian evacuations have halted in an area of the country where Russian defence officials had announced a cease-fire.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, said the evacuation effort was stopped because the city of Mariupol remained under fire on Saturday.
“The Russian side is not holding to the ceasefire and has continued firing on Mariupol itself and on its surrounding area," he said.
"Talks with the Russian Federation are ongoing regarding setting up a ceasefire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier in a statement it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, and for the eastern city of Volnovakha.
But a city official reported that shelling continued in his area Saturday despite the deal, a sign of the fragility of efforts to stop fighting across the country.
AP
By Michael Doyle
Hundreds rally in Kherson against Russian forces
Hundreds of people rallied in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Saturday to protest against the Russian occupation there.
Russian forces have captured the vital Black Sea port — the first major city to fall since the invasion started over a week ago.
As protesters took to the streets, local media reported that some armed men fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd.
A video distributed by Ukraine's Defense Forces showed people waving Ukrainian flags and chanting "Kherson is Ukraine".
AP
By Michael Doyle
Turkey says humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine should be country-wide
The humanitarian ceasefires declared by Russia in two Ukrainian cities should be country-wide and the corridors for evacuations and aid shipments must be opened across the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.
Speaking at a news conference in Baku, Mr Cavusoglu also said that the ceasefire should be made lasting, adding that Ankara was working to evacuate its citizens in Ukraine by bus and train.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Italy seizes oligarchs' villas and yachts in initial swoop
Italian police have seized villas and yachts worth at least 140 million euros ($207 million) from four high-profile Russians who were placed on an EU sanctions list following Moscow's attack on Ukraine, sources said on Saturday.
A police source said a villa owned by billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, and a villa on Lake Como owned by state TV host Vladimir Soloviev, had both been seized.
In addition, sources confirmed that yachts belonging to Russia's richest man, Alexey Mordashov, and Gennady Timchenko, who has close tied with Russian President Vladimir Putin, were impounded overnight in northern Italian ports.
Russian oligarchs are believed to have bought numerous villas in choice Italian locations over the past 20 years and sources said more assets were expected to be seized in coming days as Western states implement massive sanctions to try to force Russia to withdraw from Ukraine.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Scott Morrison praises Ukraine's 'courage' in phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy
By Michael Doyle
Ukrainian servicemen standing near captured Russian tanks in the north of the Kharkiv region
By Michael Doyle
Sacked F1 driver Nikita Mazepin responds to his termination
By Michael Doyle
Ukraine President says he believes Ukrainians will return home soon
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he believes refugees will be able to return home soon.
In a video address, Mr Zelenskyy said he hoped the threat from the invasion would not last for too much longer.
"I'm sure that soon we will be able to tell our people: come back," he said.
"Come back from Poland, Romania, Slovakia and all other countries. Come back, because there is no longer a threat,"
By Michael Doyle
Ukraine claims 10,000 Russian fatalities since the start of conflict
Ukraine's Defence Ministry says more than 10,000 Russian forces have been killed since the start of the invasion.
Russia has released little information about how many forces it believes it has lost.
In its most recent statement earlier this week, it said less than 500 had been killed.
