Ukraine says it has struck a deal with Russia to allow civilians to leave some besieged towns and cities — but the port city of Mariupol is not on the list.
Catch up on Monday's updates as they happened on our blog.
Key events
- Ukraine says no agreement reached to evacuate Mariupol civilians on Monday
- Seven more humanitarian corridors to open for civilian evacuations
- Zelenskyy open to talks with Russia in Israel
- 400 people sheltering in Mariupol art school when it was hit, Zelenskyy says
- Ukraine rejects Russia's Mariupol ultimatum
- PM wants Zelenskyy to speak in Parliament
- Kyiv Mayor: Shelling hits shopping centre, homes in CBD
- IAEA: Some Chernobyl staff relieved nearly four weeks after seizure
- More than 7,000 evacuated from besieged cities
- Russia promises safe passage out of Mariupol for those who 'lay down their arms'
- Where to find yesterday's blog
Live updates
By Michael Doyle
We are closing the blog for this evening
That is the end of the blog for today.
You can stay up to date with the latest news online or on the ABC News app.
Goodnight.
By Michael Doyle
Kyiv resident says she fears fleeing to Lviv will not provide safety
Ukrainian resident Asia Prasyukova fled her hometown of Kyiv to seek refuge in the country's west.
She and her partner are now worried Lviv will not provide the safety they are looking for.
"Belarus is ready to attack, and we need to decide where to go … we even can't be sure it is safe here … it is not safe anywhere," she told News Channel's Karina Carvalho.
Ms Prasyukova said her parents remained in Kyiv with their many pets.
"My father is not healthy enough; it is going to be tough for him to travel. They have over 10 cats and dogs … they can't leave them; it is like betraying a family member," she said.
She became teary when describing the casualty toll among young children.
"Kids losing parts of their bodies … nobody can stop this kind of behaviour," she said.
In the south-west part of Kyiv, destruction continued as a shopping mall was bombed.
Ms Prasyukova said there were only civilians in the area and no military.
"The concentration of civilians [around the shopping mall] is huge … bombing [the] civilian area is to break our spirit".
By Michael Doyle
By Michael Doyle
Ukraine says situation in Mariupol 'very difficult', rejects surrender ultimatum
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Ukraine "of course" rejects Russia's ultimatum for people in Mariupol to surrender, describing the situation in the besieged city as "very difficult".
Russia offered to open humanitarian corridors from the city from 10am Moscow time (6pm AEDT) if residents laid down arms.
"Of course we rejected these proposals," Ms Vereshchuk said.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Residents of Lviv feel war approaching their city
ABC correspondent Barbara Miller, who is in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, says an air strike on an aircraft repair plant near the city last week gave people a sense that the war is getting closer to them.
But she has told the PM program that people are still largely trying to go about their day-to-day lives.
"There are nightly air raid sirens," she says.
"People have clothes ready in a small bag with their possessions."
She says Ukrainians feel like they've been fighting with Russia since 2014, yet "war has come to Lviv in small ways".
She also says that while the US and the UK are running the line that the Russian advance has stalled, Moscow is still making progress.
"Things are not going as well as President Putin has hoped, but they do seem to be making advances."
And when it comes to making concessions for peace, she says the reality is that Vladimir Putin will be able to extract concessions from Ukraine's President.
"Any settlement involves concessions," she says, noting that the Ukrainian leader has already seemingly accepted that his country will not be able to join NATO, an action seen as a red flag by Mr Putin.
Reporting by Debra Killalea
By Michael Doyle
Russia says it hit military facility in Ukraine's Rivne region with cruise missiles
Russian air forces hit a Ukrainian army military facility in Rivne region with cruise missiles, Russia's Defence Ministry says.
The Rivne region is located in Ukraine's west.
"High-precision air-launched cruise missiles have struck a training centre for foreign mercenaries and Ukrainian nationalist formations," Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Ukraine says no agreement reached to evacuate Mariupol civilians on Monday
An agreement has been reached on creating eight humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from besieged towns and cities on Monday but the city of Mariupol is not among them, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
This comes after Mikhail Mezentsev, director of the Russian Defense Management Center, issued a statement earlier saying the Russian army would open the east-west channel in Mariupol from 6pm AEDT.
Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Russian troops stalled outside Kyiv, UK intelligence says
Russian forces advancing on the Ukraine capital Kyiv from the northeast have stalled, UK intelligence says.
Russia's expectations of a swift victory and the removal of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government have been dashed and its invasion force has got bogged down, Western countries say.
Ukraine and its Western backers say Russian ground forces have made few advances in the past week, concentrating their efforts on artillery and missile strikes — often into urban centres.
The bulk of Russian forces remain more than 25 km from the centre of Kyiv, UK military intelligence said.
"Heavy fighting continues north of Kyiv," the Ministry of Defence said.
"Forces advancing from the direction of Hostomel to the northwest have been repulsed by fierce Ukrainian resistance."
Reuters
By Jon Healy
Humanitarian channel out of Mariupol opens
As I said earlier, the humanitarian corridors are opening today. Channels out of the port city of Mariupol just opened.
Mikhail Mezentsev, director of the Russian Defense Management Center, issued a statement earlier saying the Russian army would open the east-west channel in Mariupol from 10am Moscow time on Monday, which is right now (6pm AEDT).
For the next two hours, according to Mr Mezentsev's statement, Ukrainian fighters will be allowed to leave Mariupol, but they must not carry any weapons.
By Jon Healy
EU diplomats meeting to discuss European defence strategy focused on Russia
The European Union's foreign and defence ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss final plans for a new European defence strategy.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted a major rewrite of the document, with the security threat of Moscow's aggression taking prominence.
It's also expected to lay out ambitions to boost the bloc's coordination and capabilities in defence, in the quest for greater European autonomy.
This was being worked on long before Russia invaded, but officials say it will reflect new realities, according to the BBC's Jessica Parker.
It's expected to lay out ambitions to boost member states' coordination and capabilities in defence, a cause championed by France in the quest for greater European autonomy.
But some countries are anxious that nothing is done to undermine NATO.
Leaders from the military alliance, including Joe Biden will meet on Thursday. Mr Biden is also due at a gathering of EU leaders.
By Jon Healy
Peace talks and negotiation the only way out of war, military analyst says
A military analyst says political negotiation is the only way to end the Russian war against Ukraine.
It comes as the Israeli government works to arrange top-level peace talks between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia in Jerusalem.
Retired Major General Mick Ryan says it's a positive development.
"The only way this war will end is through political discussions and peace negotiations that the Israelis are trying to foster now" he says.
"It's a good sign, but whether we will see anything out of it is yet to be discovered."
By Jon Healy
By Jon Healy
War in Ukraine hitting fresh fruit and vegetable prices
Families can expect to pay more for fresh and frozen food in coming weeks as the war in Ukraine, as well as floods in New South Wales and Queensland, continue to put pressure on suppliers.
The floods are hitting fresh and frozen fruit and veg hard, while the war is having other impacts.
Chicken prices have been "steady", according to animal proteins analyst Angus Gidley-Baird, but high feed costs due to the war may be factored into the future cost of products.
Consumers can expect regular price increases for other essential grocery items in coming months too, Richies IGA chief executive Fred Harrison says, as high fuel prices and other input costs affect the supply chain.
"Aside from meat, fruit and vegetables, which tend to immediately react to price changes, grocery prices can take two to four months to reflect increases," he says.
By Jon Healy
Ukraine wants Israel to share its Iron Dome missile defence, but that's easier said than done
In his latest appeal for help from abroad, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy questioned Israel's reluctance to sell its Iron Dome missile defence system to the besieged nation.
Israel has condemned the Russian invasion but has been wary of straining relations with Moscow, a powerbroker in neighbouring Syria where Israeli forces frequently attack pro-Iranian militia.
"Everybody knows that your missile defence systems are the best … and that you can definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews," Mr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, said while addressing the Israeli parliament by video link.
He mentioned Israel's Iron Dome system, often used to intercept rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
So how likely is it the Iron Dome will be deployed in Ukraine? Jess Riga has broken it down.
By Jon Healy
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians 'trapped' in Mariupol: Red Cross
There is a humanitarian crisis in the port city of Mariupol, where residents are besieged with little food, water and power.
Steve McAndrew from the Red Cross says the organisation is doing everything it can to reach the people there.
"The latest we've heard is that there's around 350,000 people kind of trapped in there," he says.
"My colleagues in the International Committee of the Red Cross are working there with the Ukraine Red Cross.
"It's very, very difficult for access. It's an intense situation."
By Jon Healy
Husband labels WA woman's decision to join the fight in Ukraine 'stupid'. And she agrees
Danica Joysdottir has no family connection to Ukraine, but decided she couldn't just watch the war unfold from afar.
So, she flew from her rural hometown of Kendenup in WA's Great Southern region to Ukraine, ignoring the federal government's warning not to travel to the country.
Leaving her concerned husband and a four-year-old son at home, Ms Joysdottir says she wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she didn't act.
Ms Joysdottir signed up to the so-called foreign legion — the result of a call to arms from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said "all friends of Ukraine who want to join the defence, come and we will give you arms".
Her husband describes her journey as "stupid and selfish", and she agrees.
"He's absolutely right," she says.
"It's obviously stupid to take yourself into a war zone and selfish because I'm walking away from my life to follow my heart."
"[But] what if we were the ones getting bombed? I would want someone to come and help."
By Jon Healy
6 million Ukrainian kids in 'grave danger': Save the Children
Pete Walsh, the director of Save the Children in Ukraine, says the increasing number of reports about shelling at schools in Ukraine was cause for serious concern about the wellbeing of kids in the country.
"Up to 6 million children in Ukraine remain in grave danger as the war in Ukraine nears the one-month mark," he said.
"We are extremely alarmed by reports that bombs and intense shelling have damaged more than 460 schools across the country, and over 60 now lay in complete ruins. School should be a safe haven for children, not a place of fear, injury or death.
"The streets of Ukraine are being used as a battlefield. At least 59 children have already been killed in the escalating violence, according to the UN, with media reports indicating the number could be as high as 100.
"The rules of war are very clear: children are not a target, and neither are hospitals or schools. We must protect the children in Ukraine at all costs. How many more lives need to be lost until this war ends?"
At least 464 schools and 43 hospitals have been damaged in Ukraine as urban areas are hit.
The relentless bombardment has forced at least one-in-five children in Ukraine – or more than 1.5 million – to flee the country.
Nearly 6 million children remain in Ukraine, with many believed to be sheltering inside buildings that are coming under attack, leaving children vulnerable to injury or death, as well as to deprivation of food, clean water and health care.
By Jon Healy
Seven more humanitarian corridors to open for civilian evacuations
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to open another seven humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians.
Ms Vereshchuk says Ukraine will continue to evacuate people from Mariupol and Kyiv after the agreement on Sunday (local time).
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, posted on social media on Saturday that Ukraine evacuated more than 6,600 residents from Kyiv, Mariupol and Luhansk through humanitarian channels on the day.
Mikhail Mezentsev, director of the Russian Defense Management Center, issued a statement on Sunday saying the Russian army would open the east-west humanitarian channel in Mariupol from 10am Moscow time on Monday (6pm AEDT).
For two hours after that, Ukrainian nationalists will be allowed to leave Mariupol, but they must not carry any weapons, the statement read.
Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, says the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has displaced at least 10 million people in Ukraine, including those still in Ukraine and those who have left the country.
According to the data from the UN Refugee Agency, about 3.39 million people in Ukraine had left for neighbouring countries as of Saturday.
- Reuters
By Jon Healy
By Dannielle Maguire
Ammonia leak in Sumy
Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyy says there has been an ammonia leak at a chemicals plant in the north-eastern Ukrainian city.
Mr Zhyvytskyy did not say what had caused the leak, reported at 4:30am local time at the Sumykhimprom plant.
He said the area within a 5-kilometre radius around the plant was hazardous.
Reuters
