Live: 2,135 Indian nationals evacuated on Sunday, total rises to 16,000

Russia Ukraine war live updates: India focuses its evacuation efforts in Ukrainian city of Sumy, where hundreds of Indian students have made appeals to be rescued.

Russia Ukraine war live updates: The number of Ukrainian refugees was expected to reach 1.5 million on Sunday as Russia continued its attack 11 days after invading Ukraine and Kyiv pressed for further Western action, including more sanctions and weapons.

Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over a failed ceasefire plan that would have let civilians flee Mariupol and Volnovakha, two southern cities besieged by Russian forces. Another round of talks was tentatively planned for Monday as Ukrainians who could escape spilled into neighboring Poland, Romania, Slovakia and elsewhere.

India said on Saturday focused its evacuation efforts in Ukraine on the eastern city of Sumy, where hundreds of Indian students have made appeals to be rescued amid dwindling food supplies and shelling by Russian forces.

On Friday, almost all stranded Indians left the eastern city of Kharkiv and the nearby village of Pisochyn in buses and other vehicles. 

9:15 PM

1 killed, 24 injured as terrorists hurl grenade at security forces in J&K's Srinagar

A civilian was killed while 24 others, including a policeman, were injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at security forces in the busy Hari Singh High Street market in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said.

 

"At about 4:20 pm, terrorists hurled a grenade upon police and security forces deployment at Hari Singh High Street," a police official said.

 

He said a policeman, identified as John Mohammad, and 24 civilians received splinter injuries in the explosion.

8:55 PM

Indian student injured in Kiev to return home on Monday

An Indian student, who was left injured after being allegedly shot with a bullet in Ukraine's capital Kiev, is set to return to India on Monday, Union Minister V.K. Singh said on Sunday.

 

The Minister shared information about injured Indian student, Harjot Singh.

 

V.K. Singh is currently in Poland to ensure the safe return of Indian nationals trapped amid the Ukraine-Russia war.

 

The Union Minister in a tweet said, "Harjot Singh is an Indian student who was allegedly shot during the war in Kiev. He also lost his passport during the firing. I am glad to inform you that he will return to India with me on Monday. Hope he has a speedy recovery soon with home made food and care."

8:48 PM

Blinken: US, allies discuss Russia oil imports

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States and its allies are having a very active discussion about banning the import of Russian oil and natural gas in the latest escalation of their sanctions in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

 

Asked about oil and gas imports, Blinken told CNN on Sunday that President Joe Biden convened a meeting of his National Security Council on the subject the day before.

 

Biden and Western allies have until now held off on sanctions against Russia's lucrative energy industry to avoid blowback on their own economies.

 

We are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil while making sure that there is still an appropriate supply of oil on world market, said Blinken.

 

That's a very active discussion as we speak.

8:21 PM

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Lviv covers all statues in city from possible attacks

Amid escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the Ukrainian city of Lviv has covered all its statues to protect its historical heritage against possible attacks.

 

Speaking with ANI a Ukrainian citizen Vlad said, "All the sculptures, statues have historical value and that's why people want to protect them. Some sculptors are more than 100 years old. They have historical importance hence people are protecting them from the damage."

 

"It's better to protect them before something happens to them," added Vlad.

 

When asked whether Ukraine is covering all the statues across the nation, Vlad said, "I don't know about whole Ukraine, but definitely, Lviv is protecting them."

7:58 PM

44 Indians left for Polish border, over 150 on way to Romanian border: Indian Embassy in Kyiv

A group of 44 Indians who began their journey from Pisochyn in Ukraine are on their way to the Polish border from Lviv while over 150 proceeded to the Romanian border amid an escalating fight between Russia and Ukraine.

 

Indian Embassy in Ukraine in a tweet shared the information and asked everyone to be strong in these difficult times. "Bringing our Indians back home group of 44 Indians who began their journey from Pisochyn are on their way to the Polish border from Lviv. Another group of 150+ have made their way to the Romanian border. Our efforts are ongoing. Be Safe Be Strong," the Embassy wrote in the tweet.

 

The Indian Embassy in Kyiv on Saturday said that they will not leave any stone unturned to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian students from the Ukrainian city of Sumy and requested them to keep some more hours of strength.

7:53 PM

Eight rockets launched by Russia destroys Vinnytsia airport in Central Ukraine: Zelenskyy

Eight rockets launched by Russia destroyed Vinnytsia airport located in Central Ukraine, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, reported The Kyiv Independent.

 

Zelenskyy called on the western nations and said, "The world has the power to close our skies for Russian rockets and aircraft." He adds that Ukraine requires aircraft, to make Ukrainian skies safe.

 

..https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1500461868229533698---

 

Vinnytsia airport is located 7.5 kilometres east of the railway station of Vinnytsia and 1 kilometre southwest of the village of Gavryshivka. It is located in the centre of Ukraine and had convenient transportation for passengers and cargo both in Ukraine and abroad.

 

The aerodrome was founded in the early '50s. For more than half a century it worked as an important transport system of Ukraine. Zelenskyy slammed NATO's decision not to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

7:34 PM

Russia cracks down on media, protests as Ukraine war rages

Russian authorities on Sunday continued to block independent news outlets and to arrest protesters in an effort to tighten control over what information the domestic audience sees about the invasion of Ukraine.

 

Several prominent independent online outlets were blocked on Sunday, on top of dozens of others that were blocked last week. Others decided to halt operation in Russia because of new repressive laws or refused to cover the invasion at all because of the pressure. Hundreds of protesters have been detained all across Russia.

 

The new additions to the list of blocked media included Mediazona, a news site that covers Russia's police and justice system and has been an indispensable source of information about political arrests and high-profile court cases; the 7x7 site covering regional news; the Troitsky Variant popular science newspaper that has published an open letter decrying the invasion; and two regional news sites that also spoke out against the attack.

7:23 PM

11-year-old boy crosses Ukraine border with phone number written on his hand

11-year-old boy crosses Ukraine border with phone number written on his hand

 

7:23 PM

1,234 Haryana students evacuated from Ukraine: CM

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said around 1,800 students from the state were stuck in the war-torn Ukraine, of which 1,234 have been evacuated. The CM said this after interacting with students who returned from that country.

 

Of the remaining students, 80 are still stuck in Ukraine cities while the others have reached the country's borders, Khattar told mediapersons.

 

Khattar said the students who have completed their course in Ukraine will be given internship opportunities. About the students who are yet to complete their studies there, Khattar said once the situation normalises, the government will talk to their colleges over the issue. For now, our priority is to bring back all Indians stuck in Ukraine, the CM said.

6:26 PM

Ukraine crisis: Erdogan urges cease-fire in call with Putin

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says he has called for an urgent cease-fire in Ukraine in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a statement following Sunday's one-hour call, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan had urged a halt to fighting to address humanitarian concerns and seek a political solution to the conflict. The war is now in its 11th day.

Erdogan called for the opening of humanitarian corridors and a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Turkey has extensive ties with both Russia and Ukraine and has sought to place itself as a mediator. It has invited both to a diplomatic forum in Antalya next week.

Erdogan's office said he told Putin that he was ready to make every contribution" to resolving the crisis.

6:24 PM

AIMIM leader attacked, injured in Ahmedabad market

An All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader was attacked and injured by a group of people after he intervened in a fight in a market in Ahmedabad on Sunday, police said.

Shamshad Pathan, who was recently made vice president of AIMIM's Gujarat unit, has been hospitalized and his condition is stable, an official said.

"Pathan sustained injuries after being attacked with a spade by four people when he intervened in a fight in Gurjari bazar. He has been hospitalised. Two people received minor injuries. One Faizu Babu and his associates are allegedly involved and an FIR is being lodged," Riverfront (East) police inspector Vijaysinh Zala said.

Pathan, a lawyer by profession, told reporters Fiazu Baba and others were beating up some persons and he had intervened to stop them when he was attacked.

6:05 PM

J-K: One dead, 21 injured in grenade attack in Srinagar

A civilian was killed and 21 others including a policeman were injured in a grenade attack in the Amira Kadal area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

Police said that all the injured have been shifted to the SMHS Hospital in Srinagar.

A police officer said, "Terrorists lobbed grenade in busy Amira Kadal Market. In this incident, ten people received splinter wounds when they were in the market. All the injured have been shifted to hospital where their condition is said to be stable."

Meanwhile, the area has been cordoned off.

6:02 PM

The poor are BJP's wealth, will take us past 300 seats: Union Minister ahead of 7th phase of UP Polls

On the eve of the last phase of the ongoing Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Union Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey on Sunday said that the poor are the BJP's "wealth" and they will take the party beyond the 300-seat mark on March 10, the day on which the votes polled will be counted.

The seventh phase of elections will be held tomorrow on 53 seats spread across nine districts.

Speaking to ANI, Pandey said, "The 80 per cent of the poor population in the country are seeing how Prime Minister Modi and CM Yogi have worked for their welfare. The poor are the BJP's wealth, they will take us beyond the 300 seat mark in the election. So the remarks of Mulayam Singh or any other leader do not have any impact. The poor are with us for their upliftment."

"The BJP will cross the 300 seat mark once again. The trends that have come in the six phases of the polls so far show that we will cross the 300 seat mark," he added.

Hitting out at former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Union Minister said that his statements against the BJP not working for the poor will have no impact on the poor as they have seen Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath working for them through various welfare schemes.

"Mulayam Singh Yadav is campaigning in Jaunpur and saying that the BJP has not done anything for the poor. There will be no impact with such statements. Because he did not do anything for the poor, only thought about his family and for one caste and community," he said.

Talking about his party's preparations for the last phase of elections, Singh said that his party would win 40 out of the 53 seats that will go to the polls tomorrow.

5:59 PM

India has excellent diplomatic service, knows what to do: German envoy on Ukraine crisis

Referring to India's stand at the international forums on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, German Ambassador to India, Walter J Lindner on Sunday said that India has excellent diplomatic service and seeing the global world order their diplomats know what to do regarding India's stand on the issue.

Speaking to ANI, the German envoy said, "India has excellent diplomatic service, they know what to do... It's not about Ukraine or the EU or NATO... it is about the global world order...We all have to stand together against it," said Lindner on how European Union sees India's role in the global matter.

India and 34 other countries on Wednesday abstained from a UN General Assembly resolution that censured Russia over its military actions against Ukraine. India had earlier abstained from the UN Security Council procedural vote to call for a United Nations General Assembly session on the Ukraine crisis.

India along with China and UAE had last week abstained from a US-sponsored resolution against Russia's military actions in Ukraine. Moscow vetoed the resolution.

"Watch the global order. Do we want that this kind of massive, aggressive attack on a peaceful and democratic neighbour is the rule of the game? This will set a precedent for every disputed border in future to recourse to violence. So, we all have to stand together against Putin and say 'No Putin, Stop it," said Lindner.

5:57 PM

MP Assembly Budget session starts on Mondat, will end on March 25

The Budget session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly will commence from Monday with the customary address by Governor Mangubhai C Patel and will have 13 sittings till March 25, an official said.

The state's budget for 2022-23 will be presented on Wednesday, he added.

Vidhan Sabha speaker Girish Gautam on Sunday held an all-party meeting, which was attended by the leader of opposition Kamal Nath, Minister for Home and Parliamentary Affairs Narottam Mishra and others.

A consensus has been reached during the all-party meeting to conduct the budget session smoothly without any disruption, Mishra told reporters.

Leader of opposition Kamal Nath told reporters the Congress wanted all important subjects to be discussed and the state government must reply to queries from the opposition.

The rise in the number of cow deaths, the bad shape of bovine shelters, shortage of fertilizers, seeds and farmers not getting compensation, as well as unemployment will be taken up during the session, Nath.

Meanwhile, politics over who would be Assembly deputy speaker started during the day with Mishra stating that the post would be held by the BJP as the Congress had broken the tradition of offering this post to the opposition during its 15-month rule from December, 2018 to March, 2020.