War in Ukraine: Latest Developments

Ukrainian soldiers and rescue officers search for bodies in the debris at the military school hit by Russian rockets the day before, in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, on 19 March, 2022. (AFP Photo)

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

Ukraine Calls On China To Condemn 'Russian Barbarism'

Ukraine calls on China to join the West in condemning "Russian barbarism", after the United States (US) warned Beijing of consequences if it backed Moscow's attack on the country.

"China can be the global security system's important element if it makes a right decision to support the civilised countries' coalition and condemn Russian barbarism," presidential aide Mikhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

Hypersonic Weapons 

Russia says it has used hypersonic missiles for the first time in Ukraine to destroy a weapons storage site in the west of the country.

Hypersonic missiles travel faster than the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them hard to track and intercept.

Russia's defence ministry says it used the technology to strike an underground arms depot in the village of Deliatyn, around 100 kilometres from Ukraine's border with Romania.

Russians In Central Mariupol 

Russia says its forces have broken through the defences of the besieged southern port of Mariupol and are now inside the war-torn city.

The mayor of Mariupol confirms to the BBC that Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in gun battles in the heart of the southern port, which has suffered relentless shelling.

'Hundreds' Still Trapped In Theatre 

Rescuers continue searching for people trapped in a bomb shelter buried under the wreckage of a bombed theatre in Mariupol.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says 130 people have been saved but that "hundreds" are still trapped in rubble after Wednesday's strike on the theatre, where people were sheltering from the Russian shelling.

Dozens Thought Dead In Strike On Military Barracks 

Dozens of soldiers are thought to have been killed after Russian troops struck a Ukrainian military barracks in the southern city of Mykolaiv, witnesses tell AFP as rescue operations continue. An official toll has not yet been given.

'Time To Meet', Says Zelensky 

Zelensky calls for urgent talks with Russia, saying in a Facebook video they are the "only chance for Russia to minimise the damage done with their own mistakes".

He has been pushing for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow claims that several rounds of negotiations have made progress on one of its key demands –that Ukraine becomes a neutral state. Kyiv, which is demanding international security guarantees, denies its position has changed.

Biden Warns Xi 

US President Joe Biden laid out to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping the "consequences" of any support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the White House says.

During their first call since the Russian invasion, lasting almost two hours, Xi said that war is "in no one's interest", but he showed no sign of giving in to US pressure to join Western condemnation of the invasion.

Strikes Near Lviv Airport 

Russian forces destroy an aircraft repair plant near Lviv airport but no one is hurt, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi says on the messaging app Telegram.

The western city is just 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the border with NATO member Poland.

'Dire' Situation In East 

The United Nations (UN) warns that the humanitarian needs are becoming ever more urgent across eastern Ukraine, with a potentially fatal lack of food, water and medicines in besieged cities such as Mariupol and Sumy.

Japan Presses India To Take 'Action' On Ukraine 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urges India's Narendra Modi to take a tougher line on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but a joint statement after talks in Delhi falls short of condemning Moscow's actions.

Russia Warning On Black Sea Mines 

Russia warns that "dilapidated" mines that Ukrainians had deployed in the Black Sea against its "military operation" could drift as far as the Straits of Bosphorus and the Mediterranean Sea.

3.3 Million Refugees 

More than 3.3 million refugees have now fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, while nearly 6.5 million are thought to be internally displaced within the country, the UN refugee agency says.