LIVE: Russia has withdrawn two-third of forces near Kyiv, says US official

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the forces would likely be redirected towards eastern Ukraine, but it was still not confirmed

8:52 PM

Governor of Ukraine's Zhytomyr says no Russian troops remain in region

The governor of Ukraine's northern region of Zhytomyr said there were no longer any Russian troops in the region, which lies west of Kyiv on the border with Belarus.

 

"They left, leaving part of their vehicles, leaving part of their munitions," Governor Vitaliy Bunechko said in an online post.

8:21 PM

Biden says Putin is a war criminal, calls for war crimes trial

US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal on Monday and said he would call for a war crimes trial, as a global outcry mounted over civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

7:43 PM

Russia to resume flights with 52 'friendly' countries, PM says

Russia plans to end restrictions on flights to and from 52 countries after April 9, part of its plans to reduce measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday.

 

Russia plans to resume flights to and from Argentina, South Africa and other "friendly countries", Mishustin said, meaning those that have not joined the latest wave of Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation" to demilitarise its neighbour.

 

Russia imposed broad travel restrictions at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, many of which remain in force, but has gradually expanded the list of countries deemed safe for air travel.

7:41 PM

Ukraine says Russian forces are blocking ICRC's Mariupol evacuation efforts

Buses meant for the rescue of civilians from Mariupol were not able to reach the besieged southern Ukrainian city on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

 

In comments on national television, she accused Russian forces of blocking the International Red Cross's evacuation efforts and said 100 Turkish citizens were still trapped in Mariupol.

 

Repeated efforts to organise mass evacuations of the city have failed, with both sides trading blame.

6:48 PM

Residents should delay return to Ukraine's capital: Mayor

Kyiv residents who evacuated to safer regions should wait several more days before returning to Ukraine's capital, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Monday.

 

"Firstly, there is currently a round-the-clock curfew in Kyiv region. Secondly, in certain ... towns near Kyiv, its likely that Russian occupiers left landmines, and there are (likely) a lot of unexploded munitions," Klitschko said.

6:40 PM

Ukraine's president says Russian actions in Ukraine make negotiations harder

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday it had become harder for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia since Ukraine had become aware of the scale of alleged atrocities carried out by Russian troops in Ukraine.

 

"These are war crimes and will be recognized by the world as genocide," Zelensky said. The Kremlin has denied any accusations related to the murder of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha after corpses were discovered there.

6:40 PM

Ukraine's president says Russian actions in Ukraine make negotiations harder

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday it had become harder for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia since Ukraine had become aware of the scale of alleged atrocities carried out by Russian troops in Ukraine.

 

"These are war crimes and will be recognized by the world as genocide," Zelensky said. The Kremlin has denied any accusations related to the murder of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha after corpses were discovered there.

5:46 PM

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India's Ambassador to Nepal, has been appointed as the next Foreign Secretary

5:29 PM

Russia imposes visa restrictions on citizens of 'unfriendly countries'

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday to introduce visa restrictions for citizens of countries that Moscow deems "unfriendly" in response to sanctions over Ukraine.

 

The decree, which comes into force on Monday, suspends Russia's simplified visa issuance regime with some European Union countries as well as Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland.

4:50 PM

US pushes to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council

The United States will ask the U.N. General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Monday, after Ukraine accused Russian troops of killing dozens of civilians in the town of Bucha.

 

Russia is in its second year of a three-year term on the Geneva-based council.

 

A two-third majority vote by the 193-member assembly in New York can suspend a state from the council for persistently committing gross and systematic violations of human rights during its membership.

 

4:43 PM

Russian troops no longer hold any settlements in Ukraine's Sumy region, says governor

The governor of Ukraine's northern region of Sumy said on Monday Russian troops no longer occupied any towns or villages in the region and had mostly withdrawn, while Ukrainian troops were working to push out the remaining units.

 

Speaking on national television, Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi said Russian troops had abandoned a lot of equipment in the region, which lies on Ukraine's border with Belarus.

4:42 PM

Britain keen to send new types of military aid to Ukraine: PM's spokesman

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is keen to send new types of military aid to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion, Johnson's spokesman said on Monday, although he did not name specific equipment.

4:21 PM

Moscow accuses Ukraine of staging Bucha events to undermine Russia: Report

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Ukraine's version of what happened in the town of Bucha was a "fake attack" aimed at undermining Moscow, the TASS news agency reported.

 

Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday they were investigating possible crimes by Russian forces after finding hundreds of bodies strewn around towns like Bucha outside the capital Kyiv after the Russian withdrawal from the area.

 

Lavrov said the dead bodies were "staged" and that images of them and what he said was Ukaine's false version of events had been spread on social media by Western countries and Ukraine.

 

Russia's top diplomat also called on Britain, which holds the presidency of the U.N. Security Council for April, to fulfil its responsibilities in that role after it rejected a Russian request to convene a meeting over Bucha.

 

4:00 PM

Musk holds 9.2% stake in Twitter

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk holds a 9.2% stake in micro-blogging site Twitter Inc, a regulatory filing showed on Monday.

 

3:59 PM

Imran to continue as Pak PM until caretaker premier's appointment: Prez Alvi

Imran Khan will continue to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan until the appointment of a caretaker premier, according to a notification issued by President Arif Alvi on Monday.

 

The incumbent Prime Minister shall continue to hold office till appointment of the caretaker premier, the notification said.

 

President Alvi has also written a letter to Prime Minister Khan and Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, asking them to propose names of suitable persons for appointment as the caretaker premier, the Dawn newspaper reported.

 

The letter said that the National Assembly (NA) and the federal Cabinet had been dissolved on Sunday as per the Constitution.