As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its eighth day, we take a look at the major developments.
These are the key events so far from Wednesday, March 3, the eighth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
Russia advances in the south
- Russian forces take the Black Sea city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, a significant victory for Moscow after a string of military setbacks. Russian forces also surround Mariupol, where “terrifying fighting” is reported.
Kharkiv bombarded
- Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv continues to come under severe Russian shelling, with police and university buildings among the latest struck.
‘Massive explosions’ heard in Kyiv
- Ukrainian media say several “massive explosions” have been heard in the capital, Kyiv, triggering air-raid sirens amid fighting on the outskirts of the capital.
First Russian toll
- Russia says 498 of its troops have been killed in Ukraine, its first declared death toll since President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on February 24. The true number of casualties on each side is not known. The United Nations has recorded at least 227 civilian deaths, but says the real toll is likely higher.
War crimes probe
- The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor says an active probe into possible war crimes in Ukraine “will immediately proceed” after his office received the backing of 39 countries.
Ceasefire talks
- Russia moots the possibility of discussing a ceasefire in talks with Ukraine expected to be held on Thursday on the Belarus-Poland border
UN demands Russia’s withdrawal
- The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopts a resolution demanding Russia “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine. Moscow wins support from only four other nations – Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria.
Russian jets enter Swedish airspace
- The Swedish Armed Forces say four Russian fighter jets entered Sweden’s air space to the east of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
1 million refugees flee fighting
- More than a million refugees have now fled the fighting in Ukraine, with the UN calling it the fastest exodus of people this century. “In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, says in a Twitter post.
Wounded Russian troops in Belarus
- The Associated Press, citing doctors and residents, said Russian soldiers wounded in fighting around Kyiv are being ferried to a Belarus hospital near the Ukraine border.
Russian superyachts in the Maldives
- At least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires have been anchored or cruising in the Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, ship-tracking data showed.
