Russia-Ukraine LIVE: Get all the latest breaking news and updates
RUSSIA-UKRAINE LIVE: One million refugees have now fled Ukraine, city of Kherson becomes first major Russian victory as two Ukrainian ports come under siege by forces of Vladimir Putin who is now facing war crimes probe
- Get the latest breaking news and updates from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Vladimir Putin’s forces laid siege to two strategic Ukrainian ports today with Kherson becoming the first major city in Ukraine to fall to the Russians.
The capital of Kyiv was also coming under attack today, while the city of Odessa was bracing for an attack after Mr Putin’s warships were seen leaving Crimea.
Russia reported its military casualties for the first time since the invasion began last week, saying nearly 500 of its troops have been killed and 1,600 wounded.
Ukraine said more than 2,000 civilians have died, while the United Nations refugee agency revealed that one million people have fled the country since the invasion.
Meanwhile Moscow’s isolation deepened when most of the world lined up against it at the UN to demand it withdraw from Ukraine and sanctions were tightened.
A second round of ‘peace talks’ aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Europe was expected to take place today, but there were little hopes of a breakthrough.
And an International Criminal Court war crimes investigation has begun after Boris Johnson accused Mr Putin of committing atrocities by bombarding cities.
Here, follow MailOnline’s live blog for all the updates on the crisis in Ukraine today:
Host commentator
Emmanuel Macron insists world is ‘not at war with Russia or its people’
French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted that the world was ‘not at war with Russia or its people’, but only with Vladimir Putin. Read more on MailOnline about his TV address, in this report from Peter Allen in Paris:
Britain is set to buy £2BILLION of gas from Putin this year despite sanctions
As the economic fallout continues from the invasion, Britain is still on course to bolster the Kremlin’s coffers with £2billion-a-year for imported Russian liquefied natural gas as Brent crude oil today topped $117 a barrel.
The price is now up almost 20 per cent on the week and is expected to rise even higher because of the war. Here’s the latest report this morning from MailOnline’s chief reporter Martin Robinson:
Zelensky’s top aide warns that Putin wants a new Russian empire
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide has pleaded for more support from the West to fend off Russia’s attacks and warned that Vladimir Putin would ‘go for blood beyond Ukraine’ if its allies don’t do more to stop him. Read the full report from the DailyMail.com team in the US:
Four Russian fighter jets violate Swedish airspace
Sweden said four Russian fighter jets violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea, as Moscow forces continued to bombard cities in Ukraine.
The four aircraft – two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters – flew briefly over Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces. Here is the full story on MailOnline:
Roman Abramovich confirms £3bn Chelsea sale
Roman Abramovich confirmed last night that Chelsea FC is up for sale, with the Russian oligarch reportedly slapping a £3billion asking price on the London club while also writing off the £1.5billion debt he is owed from it.
Click below for the latest on the developing story:
President Zelensky says morale of Russians is ‘constantly deteriorating’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed the morale of Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces is ‘constantly deteriorating’, and his forces have killed 9,000 invaders so far.
Footage has also emerged of a Russian soldier breaking down in tears when locals give him tea and call his mother after he surrenders. Read the latest on MailOnline here:
Emotional Camilla makes ‘substantial’ donation to Mail’s appeal
Today’s Daily Mail reports that the Duchess of Cornwall has given a ‘substantial’ donation to the Mail’s refugee appeal after an emotional meeting with British-based Ukrainians.
Camilla visited the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London and told the wife of the country’s ambassador: ‘We are praying for you.’
Read all about her visit and how you can donate to the campaign, which has now raised in excess of £2.5million just four days after it launched:
Huge explosion ‘like a small nuke’ hits Kyiv this morning
It’s now time to take a look at some of the other top stories on MailOnline this morning, as we continue our coverage of the invasion of Ukraine.
Firstly, a huge explosion hit Kyiv in the early hours of today as a series of blasts rocked the Ukrainian capital, while terrified residents were urged to go to their nearest shelters.
Watch the dramatic footage and read the story on MailOnline here:
Next, let’s take a look at the front pages of today’s newspapers – including the Daily Mail, which leads with a striking photograph of Camilla crying during an emotional visit to meet British-based Ukrainians in London:
The Ministry of Defence has tweeted its daily intelligence update briefing, saying that the ‘Russian column advancing on Kyiv’ has been ‘delayed by staunch Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdown and congestion’:
Welcome to MailOnline’s Russia-Ukraine liveblog
Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage with updates on the conflict in Ukraine throughout today – March 3, 2022.
We’ll start with a look at our top story this morning, which is that Kherson, home to 290,000 people, has fallen to the Russians.
Kyiv was also coming under attack in the early hours of today. Read all about the latest developments overnight in MailOnline’s article here:
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