As it happened: Russian shelling prevents evacuations once again - Ukraine

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The Russian President has released an International Women's Day video where he says that conscripts and reservists are not being called up to fight on the frontline.

"Let me emphasise that soldiers who are doing military service do not and will not participate in hostilities... the assigned taks are solved only be professional military men," he said.

In contrast, Ukraine's military effort is being heavily staffed by civilian sign-ups.

Putin's message was aimed at allaying supposed concerns from Russian women - the "mothers, wives, sisters, brides and girlfriends of our soldiers and officers who are now in battle."

"I understand how you worry about your loved ones," he said.

He broadly characterised women by their "loyalty, reliability and support" throughout this speech.

"Our dear women, you make the world better and kinder thanks to your sensitivity, compassion and spiritual generosity. You combine charming tenderness and amazing inner strength."

However, according to a report on 24 February by independent news outlet The Insider, there was evidence that some Russian conscripts had been forced to sign on before the invasion. The BBC has been unable to idependently verify this claim.

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Russia has now overtaken Iran and Syria to become the most sanctioned country in the world, according to sanctions watchlist site Castellum.ai.

According to the site, 2,754 sanctions were already in place against Russia before 22 February.

A further 2,778 sanctions were imposed in the days following the invasion, bringing the total to 5,532 - outranking Iran's 3,616 sanctions and displacing it from the top position.

The US made up the primary source of sanctions at 21%, followed closely behind by the UK's and the EU's combined total at 18%.

Countries around the world have ramped up sanctions on Russia in an bid to intensify pressure on Moscow to stop its assault on Ukraine.

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Russia will declare a "silence regime" and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors in Ukraine at 10:00 Moscow time (07:00 GMT), said Russian state media reports.

They are quoting Russian defence ministry officials as saying this will be done to evacuate civilians from the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

Most of the evacuation routes offered by Moscow are to Russia - a condition previously described as unacceptable by the government in Kyiv. Ukraine has not publicly commented on the new Russian initiative.

Each of several previous evacuation attempts failed, with the warring sides blaming each other.

Children are among the victims from aerial attacks on the city of Sumy and its surrounding suburbs late on Monday, according to a local Ukrainian military official.

Dmytro Zhyvytsky, who leads the Sumy Regional Military Administration, said in a video posted on Facebook that after 23:00 local time Russian warplanes carried out strikes on the north-eastern city.

"Unfortunately, children are among those killed." Zhyvytsky said, adding that more than 10 people were killed.

The BBC could not independently verify the claims.

"The kids are being killed," he wrote in a Facebook post, sharing video of the reported attack.

"We will never forgive this!" he later added.

Australia energy company Viva said on Tuesday it would stop buying Russian crude oil, joining the growing list of companies distancing themselves from Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Viva, which operates under the Shell group of companies, said it was "appalled" at "this terrible conflict".

"As a consequence .. Viva Energy has made the decision to cease purchases of crude oil of Russian origin while the conflict continues," it added.

Oil markets, particularly those in Europe, are scrambling to find alternative sources of oil as Russia contributes 13% of the world's crude petroleum exports.

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US lawmakers are pushing the Biden administration to send its fighter jets to Poland if Warsaw sends its planes to Kyiv.

Poland is among a handful of Eastern European allies that retains an inventory of used Russian-made aircraft - which Ukrainian pilots know how to fly - and Ukraine's president has called for their transfer.

Warsaw has not yet made a decision to transfer planes to Kyiv and the US government said it was "Poland's sovereign decision to make".

The White House also added that logistical challenges mean such a transfer would not be "as easy as just moving planes around".

But Bob Menendez, the US Senate's top lawmaker on foreign relations, called on his government to commit to backfilling the Polish fleet with upgraded aircraft from Washington.

"I will support efforts in the Senate to implement measures to compensate our allies that provide their aircraft for Ukraine's defence," he wrote.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that, according to Ukrainian officials, a nuclear research facility producing radioisotopes for medical and industrial purposes in Kharkiv has been damaged by shelling.

There has been no increase in radiation levels at the facility.

IAEA head, Rafael Mariano Grossi, also issued an appeal that staff at Chernobyl be given time off "so that they can carry out their work in a safe and reliable manner".

The nuclear agency said staff at the inactive plant, the site of a nuclear disaster in 1986, have continued to work there since Russian forces took control of the facility on 24 February.

Grossi said he is willing to visit Chernobyl "to obtain guarantees regarding the safety and security of all nuclear power plants in Ukraine from the parties to the conflict".

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The World Bank has approved emergency financing of $723m (£552m) to help Ukraine's government pay public-sector wages, welfare and pensions.

The bank said the package incorporated funding from the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland.

The World Bank also says it is working to release a further $3bn (£2.3bn) for Ukraine and its neighbouring countries in the coming months.

Read more:

World Bank approves $723m financial package

As we enter day 13 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, here are some of the major developments from the past 24 hours:

• Ukraine says Russian attacks are preventing civilians from safely evacuating their besieged cities
• Tens of thousands of people across Ukraine are without power and, in the port city of Mariupol, are running low on food and water
• A third round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks ends with little agreement. A fourth round will take place on Tuesday

• The US, France, Germany and the UK vow to continue raising the costs on Russia for its "unjustified" invasion of Ukraine
• Russia threatened to cut its natural gas imports to Europe as retaliation for Western sanctions
• In his latest video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he will stay in Kyiv "as long as it takes to win this war"
• Coca-Cola and McDonalds are among firms facing a possible consumer boycott over their failure to withdraw from Russia
• Ukraine says it has killed a top Russian army commander in battle near Kharkiv - the claim has not been confirmed by the BBC

Daria lives in Kyiv and has taken the decision not to leave the city as Russian forces advance on her home.

Instead, the 28-year-old has moved to the basement of a local café where a small group of people are baking pies to feed Ukrainian soldiers.

Speaking to Radio 5 Live, Daria said she took the decision to stay in the city because she was born in an independent Ukraine and wants to "keep this independence for the future".

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Ten days ago Anton Eine, a science fiction writer in Ukraine, had been due to launch his latest book - but then the Russians invaded. Now, he says, none of that matters any more. He is hunkering down in Kyiv with his wife and their three-year-old son.

"Some parents tell the kids it's a game," says Anton. "We are trying to tell our son the truth, but in a softer way, adapted to the mind of a three-year-old kid.

"We tell him that bad soldiers attacked us and the good soldiers, the ones with the Ukrainian flag, are the ones who protect us, and you don't need to worry here in this sanctuary."

Read more: How do you tell young children that you're at war?

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The European Union has drafted plans to diversify its energy supply and phase out its dependence on Russian oil, gas and coal imports.

The bloc currently imports nearly half of its gas and coal, and about a third of its oil, from Russia.

EU leaders will discuss the proposed phase-out this Thursday and Friday at a gathering in Versailles, France.

A draft statement reportedly refers to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "a tectonic shift in European history".

It sets out an objective of "reducing our dependencies and designing a new growth and investment model for 2030" by accelerating the development of renewables as well as by diversifying energy supplies and routes.

Other Western leaders are also scrambling to prepare for potential shocks to global energy markets.

Earlier on Monday, British PM Boris Johnson urged a "step-by-step" move away from dependence on Russian oil and gas.

The US, which imports about 8% of its oil from Russia, has recently been trying to cut deals with major oil-exporting nations like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Iran.

Racheal Diyaolu, who is 19 and from the Republic of Ireland, is one of hundreds of international students in Sumy, a Ukrainian city that has been attacked by Russia since Moscow's invasion last week.

An attempt to get the medical student out of Sumy in a minivan on Sunday failed after the vehicle was unable to get into the city.

Racheal - who has been sheltering in her university's bunker during air raid sirens - says she is now mentally "blocking out" the airstrikes and shelling.

"It does happen so frequently at this point that you kind of don't have time to be afraid anymore," she tells BBC News NI.

Her family have been calling for more help from the Irish government to bring her home.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs says it is aware of 52 Irish citizens in Ukraine and was in contact with them.

Almost 300 Ukrainians have been turned away while trying to cross to the UK from Calais, France.

The number is almost the same as the total number of Ukrainian visas issued so far by the Home Office.

Many refugees seek to cross the border from France to the UK through the port of Calais.

About 589 people have arrived there since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, according to Calais' sub-prefect, Véronique Deprez-Boudier. She said 286 had been turned away by UK authorities.

Some Ukrainians in Calais have told the BBC they face a wait of a week for an appointment to get a family reunion visa. But the Home Office insists visa application centres across Europe have appointments available this week.

“It’s important to build a more organised team to accompany these people to get a visa here," Deprez-Boudier told BBC News.

Some 17,700 people have applied to come to the UK as part of the Ukrainian Family Scheme, and 300 visas have been issued.

Earlier on Monday UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain was a "very generous country", but it wanted to maintain checks on who was arriving.

Read more on Ukrainian refugees in Calais here.

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A top commander in the Russian army has been killed during fighting near Kharkiv, according to Ukraine's ministry of defence intelligence service.

The BBC cannot independently verify the claim; Russian officials have not commented.

According to a statement from Ukraine’s defence ministry, Vitaly Gerasimov was a major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia.

A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded, it says.

Ukrainian intelligence says Gerasimov took part in the second Chechen war and the Russian military operation in Syria. He received a medal "for the return of Crimea".

Ukrainian officials tweeted out a photo of someone they said was Gerasimov, with the word "Liquidated" in red letters across the bottom.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams shares this thought on reports of Gerasimov's death.

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Three more companies have curtailed their operations in Russia.

IT services giant IBM will stop selling its technology in Russia and will not do business with Russian military organisations, according to a statement from its CEO Arvind Krishna.

Krishna also said the company would match employee donations to the International Red Cross to support relief efforts in Ukraine.

Consumer goods multinational Procter & Gamble also announced Monday that it would end all new capital investments in Russia, as well as all media, advertising and promotional activity.

CEO Jon Moeller committed to "significantly reducing our product portfolio" in Russia to focus on basic health, hygiene and personal care items needed by Russians.

German home improvement chain OBI said it would also leave Russia, where it has 27 branches and about 5,000 employees.

According to analysis by the Yale School of Management, some 230 Western companies have pulled out of Russia. It also listed a number of companies with "significant exposure" in Russia that continue to operate in the country, including Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Pepsi and Starbucks.

US congressman Seth Moulton spoke about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's state of mind after a call with US lawmakers.

Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, told BBC World News that Zelensky was "cool, calm and collected" while "under unbelievable pressure".

He added the president was setting an example "to every freedom-loving person the world over".

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French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are expected to hold a joint call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

The call signals a ramping up of pressure by European leaders on China over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

On Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the second time since the invasion began.

According to a readout of their call, Borrell asked Wang about "China’s readiness to support cessation of hostilities and dialogue" and support for establishing humanitarian corridors to safely evacuate civilians.

China has expressed "regret" over the attack, but has done little to condemn or oppose Moscow, in line with the principles of its foreign policy.

Read more: Can China do more to stop Russia's war in Ukraine?

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There are two questions regarding China and the war in Ukraine.

Does it have enough leverage to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to call off the invasion?

And, more crucially, how much does Beijing want to use its standing with Russia to stop the war?

Every year here in the Chinese capital, the foreign minister holds a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress.

It is a highly scripted event, with questions screened beforehand so you know the answers have been approved at the highest levels of the Party.

Today Wang Yi was asked if China was disappointed with Russia’s behaviour and whether its own international standing had been diminished by Beijing's refusal to describe what is happening in Ukraine as an "invasion".

The foreign minister didn't respond regarding the word "invasion", but did say that his government was "willing if needed, together with the international community, to be part of a mediation" process to resolve the crisis.

Some analysts say Beijing is using this conflict to achieve geopolitical advantage and point to the economic lifeline it's now offering Russia to keep Putin afloat, while blaming the US for the war.

Asked about sanctions by a Russian reporter, Wang said China and Russia jointly opposed "attempts to revive a cold war mindset".

For the Chinese government to be part of any solution to the Ukraine war, it will also have to be a solution that is approved by the Kremlin.