Russia-Ukraine live news: US, UK ban Russian oil

• Russia says it is ready to provide humanitarian corridors on Wednesday to evacuate civilians from Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
• Evacuations from the southeast city of Mariupol failed again, a Ukrainian official says, accusing Russia of firing on a humanitarian corridor.
• The European Commission announces a plan to cut Russian gas imports by two-thirds this year.
• United States President Joe Biden bans imports of Russian oil and gas, while Britain says it will phase out Russian energy products by year’s end.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for more Western action against Moscow as Russian advance continues.

Here are all the latest updates:

21 mins ago (07:37 GMT)

Enerhodar says civilians can be evacuated

The mayor of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Enerhodar has said a temporary ceasefire was in force, allowing the evacuation of civilians to start through a “humanitarian corridor”.

Mayor Dmytro Orlov said humanitarian supplies would be allowed into the city, which has been under fire from Russian forces, and added: “On the way back, buses will pick up civilians who want to leave.”

He said civilians would be able to go to the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia.

23 mins ago (07:34 GMT)

Russia’s Gazprom continues gas shipments via Ukraine at same level

Russian natural gas company Gazprom has continued gas shipments via Ukraine at the same volume of 109.5 million cubic metres a day, the company has said.

29 mins ago (07:28 GMT)

Russia warns the West: Our sanctions will hurt you

Russia has warned the West that it is working on a broad response to sanctions that would be swift and felt in the West’s most sensitive areas.

“Russia’s reaction will be swift, thoughtful and sensitive for those it addresses,” Dmitry Birichevsky, the director of the foreign ministry’s department for economic cooperation, was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.

32 mins ago (07:26 GMT)

EU’s von der Leyen says have enough gas for this winter

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the bloc has bought enough liquefied natural gas that it should be independent of Russian imports up until the end of the winter.

Von der Leyen also told Germany’s ARD television that sanctions against Russia were designed to cause maximum impact on Moscow, while causing the least damage possible to Western economies.

36 mins ago (07:22 GMT)

UK’s Mothercare suspends all business in Russia

UK baby products retailer Mothercare has said all its business in Russia, including shipment of all products, has been suspended.

The company said its local partner in Russia will be pausing operations in about 120 stores and online.

Russia represents around 20 to 25 percent of Mothercare’s worldwide retail sales and was previously expected to contribute around 0.5 million pounds ($0.7m) per month to group profit.

49 mins ago (07:08 GMT)

Top lawmakers reach deal on Ukraine aid

Congressional leaders have reached a bipartisan deal providing $13.6bn to help Ukraine and European allies plus billions more to battle the pandemic as part of an overdue $1.5 trillion measure financing federal agencies for the rest of this year.

Though a tiny portion of the massive bill, the money responding to the Russian blitzkrieg ensured robust bipartisan support for the legislation.

President Joe Biden had requested $10bn for military, humanitarian and economic aid last week, and Democratic and Republican backing was so staunch that the figure grew to $12bn Monday and $13.6bn just a day later.

52 mins ago (07:05 GMT)

Ukraine bans exports of several grains, sugar, salt, meat

Ukraine’s government has banned exports of rye, barley, buckwheat, millet, sugar, salt, and meat until the end of this year, according to a cabinet resolution.

53 mins ago (07:05 GMT)

Russia reducing use of US dollar: Foreign ministry

Russia is reducing the use of US dollars in its reserves and external settlements after the West slapped sanctions on Russia, the RIA news agency has quoted the foreign ministry’s director of economic cooperation as saying.

55 mins ago (07:03 GMT)

Russia says Ukraine planned attack on rebel region in March

Russia’s defence ministry has said it has obtained secret documents which prove that Ukraine planned a March attack on Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The ministry published six pages of documents it said showed Kyiv planned a military assault on the Russian-backed rebel regions in Donbass.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the documents – written in Ukrainian – which appear to outline combat preparations for tactical military units.

1 hour ago (06:39 GMT)

Zelenskyy party proposes new security agreement for Ukraine

The Ukrainian Parliament majority Sluha Narodu Party has proposed to sign a new security guarantee agreement for Ukraine with the US, Turkey, and Russia instead of NATO membership, Ukrayinska Pravda news website has reported.

“The alliance is not ready to admit Ukraine over the course of at least the next 15 years and has made this clear,” the Sluha Narodu (Servant of the People) party announced. Therefore, it said, it was time to discuss concrete security guarantees with Russia.

By signing the agreement, Sluha Narodu suggested “Russia will be under a legal obligation to recognise Ukrainian statehood and refrain from threatening the Ukrainian people and its government,” Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

2 hours ago (06:22 GMT)

UAE minister, US’ Blinken discuss two-way ties, Ukraine: Report

The foreign minister of the UAE has discussed developments in Ukraine and ways to strengthen two-way ties during a telephone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the state news agency has said.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Blinken discussed the importance of reaching a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis, it said.

2 hours ago (06:17 GMT)

UK says Ukraine’s air defences having considerable success against Russian jets

The UK has said Ukraine’s air defences were having success against Russian jets, likely preventing Russia from controlling the airspace.

“Ukrainian air defences appear to have enjoyed considerable success against Russia’s modern combat aircraft, probably preventing them achieving any degree of control of the air,” the Ministry of Defence intelligence update posted on Twitter said.

The UK’s assessment also said Russian forces had failed to make any significant breakthroughs in fighting northwest of Kyiv.

2 hours ago (06:08 GMT)

French company Dassault Systemes suspends new business in Russia and Belarus

French technology company Dassault Systemes has said it has decided to suspend its new business in Russia and Belarus, joining a raft of companies.

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” it said in a statement. “Dassault Systèmes has decided to suspend all new business in Russia and Belarus, and set the framework for it to take effect this week.

“We may maintain some minimal support activities for our existing customers who are not subject to sanctions, and will continue complying with all applicable export control restrictions and sanctions laws relevant to our operations as well as with the rules of ethics and international standards,” it said.

2 hours ago (06:04 GMT)

UK announces new aviation sanctions against Russia

The UK has unveiled new aviation sanctions giving it the power to detain any Russian aircraft and banning exports of aviation or space-related goods to Russia.

The UK will also strengthen its ban on Russian aircraft, making it a criminal offence for any to fly or land in the UK.

“The ban includes any aircraft owned, operated or chartered by anyone connected with Russia or designated individuals or entities, and will include the power to detain any aircraft owned by persons connected with Russia,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

2 hours ago (05:58 GMT)

Russia’s Lavrov to hold talks with Ukrainian counterpart in Turkey

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has traveled to Turkey where he will have talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the TASS news agency has cited the Russian foreign ministry as saying.

2 hours ago (05:57 GMT)

Evacuation from Sumy to continue on Wednesday: Regional governor

A humanitarian corridor out of the besieged city of Sumy will continue to function on Wednesday, regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyy has said.

About 5,000 people rode buses out of the northeastern city on Tuesday after Moscow and Kyiv agreed on the corridor, he said, and about 1,000 cars were also able to leave, moving towards the city of Poltava.

2 hours ago (05:51 GMT)

Air alert declared in Kyiv as fighting continues

An air alert has been declared in and around Kyiv, with residents urged to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible.

“Kyiv region – air alert. Threat of a missile attack. Everyone immediately to shelters,” regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.

3 hours ago (04:52 GMT)

IAEA loses contact with Chernobyl nuclear data systems

The UN’s atomic watchdog says the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer sending it data and voiced concern for staff working under Russian guard there.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi “indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost”, the agency said in a statement.

The situation for the staff was also “worsening” at the site, the IAEA said, citing the Ukrainian nuclear regulator.

4 hours ago (04:16 GMT)

In Thailand, businesses feel economic shock of Ukraine war

Purithai Produce, a Bangkok-based produce exporter, says getting Thai fresh fruit and vegetables onto Russian supermarket shelves has become an almost impossible task amid Western sanctions on Moscow.

“We’ve basically lost market access to Russia,” said Peyton Enloe, managing director of Purithai Produce, which ships fresh and frozen produce to Europe, the US and Russia.

“My Russian customers told me people don’t have money to even buy the basics, let alone ‘exotic’ produce like mangos, durians, rambutans.”

Read more here.

5 hours ago (03:06 GMT)

Hungary opposes ban on Russian energy

Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, has opposed a ban on Russian oil and gas, saying it “would represent a disproportionately large burden” for his country.

“While we condemn Russia’s armed offensive and we also condemn the war, we will not allow Hungarian families to be made to pay the price of the war; and so the sanctions must not be extended to the areas of oil and gas,” he said in a statement.

5 hours ago (02:55 GMT)

Ukraine civilian death toll now at 474, says UN

The United Nations human rights office says at least 474 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.

Another 861 have been wounded, it said, adding that the real figures were likely considerably higher as reports of hundreds of casualties from the towns of Volnovakha, Mariupol and Izium are yet to be corroborated.

“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” it said.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in #Ukraine @UNHumanRightsUA recorded 1,335 civilian casualties in the country (474 killed & 861 injured) between 24/02/2022, when #Russia’s armed attack against Ukraine started, & Monday 07/03/2022.https://t.co/WVe7Y3fmSL pic.twitter.com/R5PrTS5TRZ

— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) March 8, 2022

5 hours ago (02:41 GMT)

At least 27 killed in Kharkiv in single day, says official

A Ukrainian police official has said that at least 27 people were killed in the eastern city of Kharkiv on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, Sergey Bolvinov said a total of 170 civilians including five children have been killed in the besieged city since the Russian invasion began.

6 hours ago (01:54 GMT)

Four in five Americans support US ban on Russian energy

A large majority of Americans supports an end to US imports of Russian energy despite surging gasoline prices, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.

The poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, suggests Biden has broad support from voters of his Democratic Party and from Republicans for the ban on Russian oil and natural gas imports.

Some 80 percent of respondents in the poll said Americans should not buy oil or gas from Russia during the conflict even if it causes gasoline prices to increase. The overall level of support was unchanged from a poll last week even though the average US price at the pump rose to a record on Tuesday of about $4.17 per gallon.

7 hours ago (01:10 GMT)

Georgia’s ex-defence minister fighting in Ukraine

Georgia’s former Minister of Defence Irakli Okruashvili has arrived in Ukraine, along with other Georgian volunteers, according to Ukraine’s defence ministry.

Okruashvili is “in Ukraine alongside Georgian volunteers to help us fight against the Russian occupying forces,” the ministry said.

Former Defence Minister of Georgia Irakli Okruashvili arrived in Ukraine together with Georgian volunteers to fight against the racist occupiers pic.twitter.com/RMTtBEnrLL

— Hromadske Int. (@Hromadske) March 8, 2022

7 hours ago (01:05 GMT)

Russian troops ‘damaged 61 hospitals’

Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Liashko has told a local television channel that Russian forces have attacked 61 hospitals in Ukraine, damaging windows, walls and medical equipment, according to news outlet UkrInform.

“As many as 61 hospitals have been damaged as a result of actions of the Russian aggressor. At the same time, due to the public services of the State Emergency Service, which help doctors, and due to health workers, these hospitals have not closed, they continue working,” Liashko was quoted as saying.

This includes the main hospital in the city of Izium, near Kharkiv, he said.

7 hours ago (00:28 GMT)

Russia default on debt is ‘imminent’: Fitch

Ratings agency Fitch has again downgraded Russia’s sovereign debt rating further into junk territory from “B” to “C,” saying the decision reflects the view that a default is “imminent”.

It justified the further downgrade by saying recent developments had “further undermined Russia’s willingness to service government debt”.

8 hours ago (00:18 GMT)

Airbnb users send $1.9m to Ukraine through reservations

Thousands of Airbnb users have booked vacation rentals in war-battered Ukraine, not to visit but to provide aid to local hosts struggling to survive the Russian invasion.

Over a two-day period last week, some $1.9m was spent on reservations for more than 61,000 nights in Ukraine, according to a spokesperson for the San Francisco-based company.

At first I was sceptical about the @Airbnb initiative to help Ukrainians by renting apartments. But today a friend in Lviv said he received $15 000 over the past week for his apartments, bought medicines, including insulin for diabetics, and will be driving them to Kyiv today.

— Kateryna Yushchenko (@KatyaYushchenko) March 7, 2022

Meghan Bamford of Edmonton, Canada, told AFP that she and her husband had made reservations in the besieged cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv.

“You have people that are in the middle of an active crisis,” she said. “If you can get money directly into their accounts, that’s the difference between somebody being forced to stay in somewhere like Kyiv or surrounding communities or potentially being able to get out.”

8 hours ago (00:15 GMT)

Poland’s jet offer for Ukraine ‘not tenable’, says US

The Pentagon has appeared to dismiss Poland’s offer to give its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US so they can be passed to Ukraine.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement that the prospect of jets departing from a US/NATO base in Germany “to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance”.

“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” he added.

8 hours ago (00:08 GMT)

Americans donating body armour, ammunition

A Texas marketing executive is among several American donors shipping body armour to Ukrainians through relief groups in the US.

Bret Starr told Reuters news agency he expects to send 20 sets of helmets and bullet-proof vests through the Ukranian American Coordinating Council this week, followed by up to 2,000 more through cash donations and gear.

In New York state, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office has given around 450 pieces of body armour to the Long Island-Ukraine Emergency Response Drive.

Ammunition companies are also sending donations, with Ammo Inc saying it has already sent one million rounds to Ukraine and Remington Ammunition pledging to donate one million rounds to the Ukraine Armed Forces.

8 hours ago (23:55 GMT)

Zelenskyy praises Biden’s ‘powerful signal to whole world’

Ukraine’s president has thanked his US counterpart for his “leadership” in banning Russian oil, calling the decision a “powerful signal to the whole world”.

“It is very simple: every penny paid to Russia turns into bullets and projectiles that fly to other sovereign states,” he said.

“Either Russia will respect international law and will not wage wars, or it will not have the money to start wars.”

8 hours ago (23:37 GMT)

Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline ‘dead’, says US

A senior US official says the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline that was halted over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “now dead”.

“It is a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea,” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told US legislators. “I don’t think it will ever be revived.”

9 hours ago (22:29 GMT)

Thousands evacuated in Sumy

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says 5,000 people, including 1,700 foreign students, were evacuated from the eastern city of Sumy.

Vereshchuk said the city faced a “catastrophic situation”, cut off from water, power and communications.

She also said that Ukraine will not accept Moscow’s offer to establish safe corridors for civilians to head towards Russia, saying it will only agree to safe exits leading westwards.

10 hours ago (22:18 GMT)

Universal Music Group suspends operations in Russia

Universal Music Group says it is suspending all operations in Russia and closing its offices – joining a growing list of companies protesting against the war in Ukraine.

“We urge an end to the violence in Ukraine as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement.

“We are adhering to international sanctions and, along with our employees and artists, have been working with groups from a range of countries (including the U.S., U.K., Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Czech Republic and Hungary) to support humanitarian relief efforts to bring urgent aid to refugees in the region.”

10 hours ago (22:03 GMT)

It’s ‘clear’ Russia will lose conflict, says US official

Nuland, who is speaking at a congressional hearing, says Russia is destined to lose its war in Ukraine.

“It is clear that Russia will lose this conflict – whether they lose it quickly or whether they lose it extremely slowly, it is only a matter of time,” said the State Department under secretary.

“The problem is that if this can be lost quickly, many, many, many lives will be saved, which is why we have to continue to pour on the economic pressure; we have to continue to support the defensive needs of the Ukrainian people.”

10 hours ago (21:48 GMT)

Coca-Cola, Pepsi suspend sales in Russia

Coca-Cola and Pepsi say they are suspending sales in Russia.

Coca-Cola said its business in Russia and Ukraine contributed about 1 to 2 percent of the company’s net operating revenue in 2021.

Pepsi, whose company is officially known as PepsiCo and whose drinks were one of the few Western products allowed in the Soviet Union before its collapse, said it would continue to sell daily essentials, such as milk, baby formula and baby food.

10 hours ago (21:47 GMT)

‘This war is not good for China,’ says US

Nuland, who is speaking at a continuing congressional hearing, says US officials’ engagements with China – including a recent call between the US secretary of state and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi – aimed to get Beijing to influence Moscow to end the invasion.

“Our intention in our regular engagement with China, including Secretary Blinken’s call with his counterpart, was to underscore that this war is not good for China, that we want to see China use its influence with Russia to get this war ended, and at a minimum to help get these humanitarian corridors going,” Nuland told US legislators.

“And that if they are concerned about their economic situation as they should well be, with the lowest growth rates in 15 years, that this war is contributing to it.”

10 hours ago (21:38 GMT)

Ukraine first lady condemns ‘mass murder’ of civilians

Olena Zelenska, the Ukrainian president’s wife, has thanked Kyiv’s allies for their support and urged them to do more to deter Russia.

Zelenska also said in an open letter that the Russian invasion of Ukraine amounted to “the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians”.

“The most terrifying and devastating of this invasion are the child casualties,” she said, mentioning eight-year-old Alice, who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her, and Polina, a child from Kyiv, who died in shelling alongside her parents.

She also cited 14-year-old Arseniy, who was hit in the head by wreckage and could not be saved because an ambulance could not get to him on time because of intense fires.

10 hours ago (21:35 GMT)

Bumble stops service in Russia

Bumble, the dating platform, has announced it is discontinuing its service in Russia, joining other companies that have suspended their operations in the country over the war in Ukraine.

The company said it is removing all of its apps from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Russia and Belarus. Bumble said it expects to lose about $2m in first-quarter revenue as a result.

11 hours ago (21:22 GMT)

FIFA postpones Ukraine’s World Cup qualification playoff against Scotland

FIFA has postponed Ukraine’s World Cup qualification playoff match against Scotland on March 24, citing Russia’s invasion.

“Following consultation with UEFA and the four participating member associations in Path A of the European qualifying play-offs, it was unanimously agreed in the spirit of solidarity to accept,” FIFA said in a statement.

“The match between Scotland and Ukraine … will now be postponed to the existing June window, and consequently, the match between the winners of Scotland v Ukraine and Wales v Austria will also be postponed.”

11 hours ago (21:08 GMT)

Poland to donate fighter jets to Ukraine

Ukraine has pleaded for more warplanes, and now Poland said it would give all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US, agreeing to an arrangement that would allow them to be used by Ukraine’s military.

The Polish foreign ministry said in a statement that Poland is ready to deliver the jets to the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

“At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities,” it said.

11 hours ago (20:54 GMT)

Russia ready to provide humanitarian corridors from Kyiv, other cities

Russian forces will stop firing from 10am Moscow time (07:00 GMT) on Wednesday and are ready to provide humanitarian corridors so people can leave Kyiv and four other cities, the TASS news agency reported, citing a senior Russian official.

Information about corridors from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol will be sent to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, said Mikhail Mizintsev, who heads the Russian National Defence Control Centre.

Vereshchuk said earlier on Tuesday that authorities had once again been unable to evacuate civilians from Mariupol.

11 hours ago (20:52 GMT)

US House set to pass Russia sanctions bill, Pelosi says

Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, has said the chamber is set to pass a Russian sanctions bill later on Tuesday. She said the legislation would support Biden’s decision to ban Russian oil imports.

“Our bill has three major provisions: it will ban the import of Russian oil & energy products into the US, it will take steps to review Russia’s access to the WTO and explore how we can diminish Russia in the global economy & it will reauthorize & strengthen the Magnitsky Act,” Pelosi wrote on Twitter.

11 hours ago (20:48 GMT)

US Congress edges closer to authorising aid for Ukraine

The US Congress appears to be on the cusp of an agreement that would allocate billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine, among other things.

Sweeping legislation, awaiting final approval from Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, was expected to provide as much as $14bn to help Ukraine respond to Russia’s invasion.

“Republicans and Democrats are very, very close to finalising the agreement. I expect there will be text released in a few hours,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters at a mid-afternoon news conference.

11 hours ago (20:42 GMT)

Blinken holds ‘productive conversation’ on Ukraine with UAE counterpart

The US Secretary of State says he has held a “productive conversation” with his UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“We value the close coordination on Ukraine and a strong international response to support Ukrainian sovereignty,” Blinken, who is currently in Europe, said on Twitter.

The UAE had abstained from a UN Security Council proposal condemning the Russian invasion but voted in favour of a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly last week.

Productive conversation today with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs @ABZayed. We value the close coordination on Ukraine and a strong international response to support Ukrainian sovereignty. The U.S. will continue to bolster strong UAE defenses to deter regional threats.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 8, 2022

11 hours ago (20:40 GMT)

Evacuation from Mariupol fails again, Ukrainian official says

Ukraine has said residents of Mariupol seeking to leave the city along a safe corridor came under Russian fire on Tuesday.

“Ceasefire violated! Russian forces are now shelling the humanitarian corridor from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, wrote on Twitter.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Mariupol have been sheltering under bombardment without water or power as attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians have stumbled amid continued fighting and objections to the proposed routes.

11 hours ago (20:37 GMT)

Photos: Residents suffer as Russian forces lay siege to Mariupol

Civilians in the besieged port of Mariupol in southeast Ukraine are anxiously waiting for news of evacuation efforts as they struggle to survive in a city where bodies have been left uncollected on the streets.

An estimated 200,000 people – nearly half the population of about 430,000 – hope to flee the city.

See the pictures here.

Welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Read all the updates from Tuesday, March 8, here.