March 28, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

Russian troops and armed individuals were seen on the video writing on the flag,?"From the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation...the?Russian National Guard...the people's militia...the Cossacks."

Russian troops and armed individuals recently took part in a propaganda video that suggests Melitopol is no longer part of Ukraine.

The video was published in a pro-Russian “news” Telegram channel for Melitopol, a city located in the southern portion of Ukraine and occupied by Russia since the first days of the invasion.

In the video, the armed individuals and Russian troops are seen writing on a Ukrainian flag in Melitopol’s central square. A large Ukrainian flag that flew over the square was taken down on March 14.

The troops and armed individuals were seen on the video writing on the flag,?“From the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation…the?Russian National Guard…the people’s militia…the Cossacks.” The flag is then seen being taken to the post office and claimed to have been sent to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A “Z” and “V” are also written on the flag, which are markings seen on Russian military vehicles participating in the invasion.

Read more about efforts to combat propaganda in Russia here:

Related article Analysis: Inside Russia, a campaign gathers steam against fifth columnists and life under the 'Z'

The Russian-installed government in the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol is trying to move on with daily life as the invasion rages nearby, including restarting schools.

Russian-installed mayor Galina Danilchenko also said that power would be restored to a nearby captured Ukrainian air force base in a video message published on Melitopol’s Russian-installed government’s Telegram channel.?

But Ivan Fedorov, Melitopol’s elected mayor, claimed that to re-open the schools, the government drummed up embezzlement charges against the city’s education chief,?Irina Shcherbak.?

Fedorov claimed that the charges were brought up because Shcherbak “refused to cooperate with them,” he said on Instagram.

It’s not the first time a Melitopol elected official was detained or had charges brought up against them during the Russian occupation.?

When the Russians installed Danilchenko as Melitopol’s new mayor on?March 11, she immediately dissolved the elected government and mandated that Russian news be broadcast.

Fedorov himself was detained earlier this month by armed men and then charged with terrorism offenses by the Russian-backed rebels prosecutor’s office in the Luhansk region.?He was later freed as part of a prisoner swap.?

Fedorov also claims on Instagram that the Russians have cut off all cell phone communications in Melitopol.?Danilchenko in a video message claimed that it was the Ukrainians who had cut off communications.?

Melitopol is located in southern Ukraine, between the besieged city of Mariupol and Russian-occupied Kherson.

Related article Russia is trying to install pro-Kremlin officials in occupied cities, but Ukrainians are fighting back

Russia would only use nuclear weapons when there is a threat to the country’s existence — and not as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told PBS Newshour in an interview Monday.

When asked about US President Joe Biden’s comments calling Vladimir Putin a “butcher” and declaring the Russian President should no longer remain in power, Peskov said “it is quite alarming.”

“It is personal insult,” Peskov said. “Of course, it is completely unacceptable. It is not for the United States’ President to decide who is going to be and who is the president of the Russian Federation.”

Some context: At an address in Poland on Saturday, Biden made an improvised comment — “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” — that caught American and international officials off-guard, sending the White House into clean-up mode over the weekend.

Civilian targets denial: In the PBS interview, Peskov denied that Russian forces had deliberately targeted civilians in Ukraine — despite Ukrainian forces, journalists, and refugees fleeing the country describing brutal bombardments striking civilian infrastructure including homes, schools, hospitals and more.

“They are not shelling houses. They are not shelling apartments. They are not shelling civil objects,” Peskov said. “They are only shelling and they’re aiming of military infrastructure.”

The US officially declared last week that Russian forces had committed war crimes in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court in The Hague has also launched an investigation into the invasion.

A White House official says there are Ukrainian soldiers in Poland who are interacting on a regular basis with US troops, which is what US President Joe Biden was referring to Monday when he sought to explain a comment he made overseas indicating US troops would see Ukrainians in action.?

The interaction between US and Ukrainian forces is in regards to security assistance being sent from the US to Ukraine.?

Biden sought to clarify his remark Monday after he told US forces he was visiting with about the strength of the Ukrainian people amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.?

On Monday, Biden explained the comment by saying he was referring to Ukrainian troops who are in Poland.

“We were talking about helping train the Ukrainian troops that are in Poland,” Biden said.

Ukraine President Volodymyr?Zelensky?said?he talked to leaders of partner countries on Monday and told them that?they need to increase sanction pressure on Russia.

Zelensky, during his daily briefing Monday, said he spoke with the?prime minister of the United Kingdom,?the?prime minister of Canada,?the?chancellor of Germany,?the?prime minister of Italy?and thepPresident of Azerbaijan.

Zelensky said:

“In a conversation with German Chancellor (Olaf) Scholz, I also paid considerable attention to the need to increase sanction pressure on Russia,” Zelensky added.??

Zelensky also said, “Italy has agreed to become one of the guarantors of Ukraine’s security in the relevant new system of guarantees that we are elaborating.

Zelensky said he thanked the President of Azerbaijan for the humanitarian support provided to Ukraine and informed them about the state of affairs in the territories where Russian troops entered.?

Zelensky said he will continue to talk to the leaders and work with international organizations as well.

The US Defense Department laid out the nation’s security priorities for lawmakers in the classified National Defense Strategy on Monday, focusing on the threats from China and Russia.

The NDS was prepared in coordination with the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and Missile Defense Review (MDR) in order to underscore the integration across the services and the domains.

DoD’s top priority is the defense of the homeland, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) pegged as the top pacing challenge. The PRC is described as the “most consequential strategic competitor,” according to the fact sheet.

The other top priorities for the department are to deter strategic attacks, deter aggression while being ready to succeed in conflict when necessary, and to build a resilient Joint Force.

DoD will also manage other persistent threats, such as North Korea, Iran and violent extremist organizations, according to the fact sheet.

Ihor Zhovkva, a top adviser to Ukraine's president

Ihor Zhovkva, a top adviser to Ukraine’s president, praised US President Joe Biden’s declaration that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.”

Today, Biden reiterated he was not announcing a change in US policy when he made the remark. “I just was expressing my outrage,” Biden said.

“But again, it’s no use to speculate whether [Putin is] still in power or not,” Zhovkva said. “If Russia would become a democratic country, he would not probably stay in power. But since Russia is far away from democratic country, unfortunately we all have to witness probably, for some period of time, him being in power.”

Zhovkva’s comments came as part of an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, during which he said the country doesn’t plan to lose any territory to Russia, but could amend that position should it quickly bring the conflict to an end.

“The general position is we do not trade any inch of Ukrainian territory, but yesterday my President acknowledged that in order to immediately stop the war and to have an immediate cease-fire and immediate withdrawal of Russian troops, we are ready to agree to withdraw Russian troops to their positions they had before February 24th,” said Zhovka.

On the topic of recently surfaced video showing what appear to be Ukrainian soldiers shooting men who are apparently Russian prisoners in the knees, Zhovkva disputed the footage’s authenticity.

“This video has already proved to be a fake,” he said, adding “Ukraine is a civilized country, unlike Russia, and we will be treating any war prisoners according to international law, unlike Russians who are treating Ukrainian civilians awfully … Ukraine will never be such a barbaric country as Russia.”

The notorious Russian private military group Wagner has deployed to eastern Ukraine according to UK Defence Attaché to Washington, AVM Mick Smeath.?

According to a British embassy statement, Smeath said,?“They are expected to deploy more than 1,000 mercenaries, including senior leaders of the organisation, to undertake combat operations.”?

Last Tuesday, a senior US defense official told reporters the Wagner Group is “active” in Ukraine.

Right now, the US is not seeing “tangible indications” that Russians are making an effort to re-supply, but “we do continue to see indications that they are having these discussions and that they are making these kinds of plans both in terms of re-supply and also reinforcement,” the official said.

A local resident reacts while standing in the courtyard of an apartment building destroyed in Mariupol on March 28.

The Ukrainian general staff said its forces “continue to maintain the circular defense” inside the port city of?Mariupol, even as Russian forces consolidated control around the city.

The announcement came shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said earlier Monday that the city was “in the hands of occupiers,”?as evacuation corridors from the city have been surrounded on all sides by Russian forces.?

Boichenko called for “a complete evacuation” of the remaining citizens from the battered city. Ukrainian officials say 90% of the residential buildings in the city have been damaged or destroyed during the heavy fighting of the last month.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich attends a meeting in Moscow in 2016.

A source close to the Ukrainian negotiation team tells CNN’s senior international correspondent Matthew Chance that there was an incident “a few weeks ago” during Ukraine-Russia talks in Turkey in which Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich along with two Ukrainian negotiators suffered minor skin peeling and sore eyes, the source adding the incident was not regarded as serious.??

The Reuters news agency on Monday citing an unidentified US official says that intelligence suggests Abramovich and the Ukrainian peace negotiators were sickened due to an environmental factor, not poisoning.?“The intelligence highly suggests this was environmental,” adding: “not poisoning,” the official said to Reuters.??

This after the Wall Street Journal and investigative group Bellingcat reported on Monday that Ukrainian peace negotiators and Abramovich suffered from suspected poisoning earlier this month on the sidelines of talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Wall Street Journal and Bellingcat reported the poisoning occurred during the sidelines of talks in Kyiv while a source close to the Ukrainian negotiation team tells CNN the incident occurred on the sidelines of talks in Turkey.

A source close to the Office of Ukraine’s Presidency speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity said of poisoning reports, “This is not true. Just another case of disinformation.”

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak did not outright deny the incident, saying instead that all Ukraine’s negotiators were?working as usual.?Podoliak said to CNN: “All members of the negotiation group are working today as usual. There is a lot of speculation, various conspiracy theories and elements of different information games in the media field now. Therefore, I repeat once again — the members of the negotiation group are working today in a regular mode.”

A spokesperson for Abramovich would only say “No comments from us, thank you”, when contacted by CNN on Monday.?

Abramovich, who was sanctioned earlier this month by the UK government along with other Russian oligarchs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has been acting as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine,?shuttling between Moscow, Kyiv, Istanbul, Warsaw?and?beyond amid a whirlwind of talks aimed at ending the conflict, his spokesman confirmed last month.?

On Feb. 28, Abramovich’s spokesperson said “I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since. Considering what is at stake, we would ask for understanding as to why we have not commented on neither the situation as such nor his involvement.”

Abramovich’s role as interlocutor in Russia-Ukraine talks is not in an official capacity.?He is not acting as part of a Russian delegation or as a Russian mediator.?

Ukrtelecom, a prominent Ukrainian internet and phone line provider, was the target of a “powerful cyberattack” on Monday, Ukrainian officials said.

The cyberattack was “neutralized” and, as recovery from the hack continues, priority has been given to maintaining communications services for Ukraine’s military, according to a tweet from Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection.

The agency blamed “the enemy,” for the hack in an apparent reference to Russia.

Connectivity at Ukrtelecom, which describes itself as the “largest fixed line operator in Ukraine,” plummeted on Monday to 13% of pre-war levels, according to NetBlocks, which tracks internet connectivity.??

Ukrainian telecom providers have experienced a wave of hacks as the Russian bombardment of the country continues.?

Hackers earlier this month caused outages at a Ukrainian internet service provider Triolan, which has customers in major cities.?

Ukrainian soldiers pass by a damaged Russian tank in the town of Trostyanets, east of Kyiv, on Monday.

US President Joe Biden said he isn’t walking back his remarks that President Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power.

“I’m not walking anything back,” President Biden said Monday at the White House, emphasizing he wasn’t voicing a policy change but that he was expressing an opinion based on his emotions from the day. “I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing and the?actions of this man.”

“I’d just come from being with those families,” he said, referring to Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw.?

“I wasn’t then or wasn’t now expressing a policy change,” Biden said.

“I make no apologies for it,” he added.

Biden said he doesn’t care what Putin thinks of his comment that he shouldn’t be in power in Russia.

“I don’t care what he thinks. He’s going to do what he’s going to do,” Biden said when asked by a reporter whether he was concerned Putin would see the remark as escalatory.?

Here are more of the latest headlines in the Russia-Ukraine conflict:

Russian forces struck a fuel depot in western Ukraine, a Ukrainian regional military administrator said Monday.?

Russian forces have struck fuel depots at several locations around Ukraine in recent days.?

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told CNN’s Becky Anderson in an interview Sunday that Russia’s demands to recognize the annexation of Crimea and the independence of the Donbas region is “very maximalist” and “not realistic”.

“These are the red lines for the Ukrainians in the Crimea and Donbas, and rightly so, because they pertain directly to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We have not recognized the annexation of Crimea as, like the rest of the world, even China has not recognized the annexation of Crimea …They [the Russians] should really come up with some other ideas,” he told CNN on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.

Turkey has been offering to mediate between Russia and Ukraine and has hosted several meetings, including a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian Foreign Ministers on March 10. The next round of talks between the two sides will be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Tuesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an relayed a message to Moscow urging the negotiating teams to agree on the final sticking points in order to transition to a meeting at the leadership level between President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Vladimir Putin, Kalin told CNN.

“President Zelensky is ready to meet President Putin, it’s President Putin who has said no so far. And our president has said, I’m ready to facilitate bringing the two of you together, in Turkey or somewhere else… We believe that it’s only through that meeting, that this war will come to an end,” he added.

The spokesperson emphasized that President Erdogan is keeping his line of communication open with both his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to help achieve to end the war, especially with Russia. When asked if President Putin listens to Erdo?an, Kalin said the two have a “long-standing relationship.”

“Certainly President Putin is listening to President Erdo?an and to his advice and to his ideas and suggestions. You can understand from their point of view that they don’t trust most of the NATO countries, they don’t want to talk to them anymore, right or wrong. But the reality is that someone has to talk to the Russian side, someone whom the Russians can also trust. Otherwise, this war can go on for months, for years, and the world cannot afford another prolonged war like that, and certainly, we cannot afford another Cold War.“

An expo center in Warsaw, Poland, is now the largest refugee hub in all of Europe for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, CNN’s Kyung Lah reported as she showed viewers inside the building.

Lah said 95% of the refugees being housed in the temporary shelter are women, children and the elderly.

“They’re the ones who have left safely out of Ukraine, but the emphasis here is that this is hub,” she said.

Kyung noted that the expo center has various different areas for refugees to get their papers sorted out, get a bus ticket to travel to other parts of Europe, places to receive consistent meals and even healthcare assistance.

The center is privately owned but run jointly with the city.

Earlier Monday, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson told journalists children make up?half of the 3.8 million refugees from Ukraine that have arrived in the European Union since Russia’s invasion.

Watch CNN’s full report from the ground here:

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03:34 - Source: cnn

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during an interview with independent Russian news media on March 27.

In an interview Sunday with Russian journalists, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at length about an important point in potential peace negotiations: the possibility of neutrality for Ukraine.?

“We are ready to accept this,” Zelensky said. “This is the most important point.”??

Zelensky and Ukrainian officials have long said they are willing to talk about?neutrality for Ukraine?if NATO is not ready to accept the country as a member of the alliance.?

That, in theory, would meet one of the demands of Russian President Vladimir Putin:?that Ukraine gives up its NATO aspirations.?

But it’s not as simple as that.?Zelensky has also made it clear that Ukraine would reject “neutrality” without legally binding security guarantees. And with Ukraine under invasion by Russia, the Ukrainian leader has said he isn’t interested in empty promises.?

“I’m interested in making sure it’s not just another piece of paper a la the Budapest Memorandum,” he said.?

Zelensky was referring to a little-remembered moment in post-Cold War history. With the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine – on paper at least – came into possession of the world’s third-largest nuclear stockpile.

Russia did maintain operational control of those weapons, but Ukraine signed an agreement in 1994 to give up the nuclear weapons stationed on its territory in exchange for security guarantees, including the protection of the territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine.?That’s something Russia, a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum, decisively trampled on with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in February.?

Mykhailo?Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelensky, has said that security guarantees must, in essence, include a commitment from guarantors to assist Ukraine in the event of aggression.??

And it’s important to add that neutrality – of a sort that Putin might find palatable – is not something Zelensky can simply offer up. Aspiration to NATO membership is enshrined in Ukraine’s constitution.?

That’s where Zelensky gave Russian interviewers a bit of a lesson in Ukraine’s democratic processes.?Security guarantees, he explained, would have to be followed by a referendum in Ukraine.??

“Why? Because we have a law about referendums,” Zelensky said. “We have passed it. Changes of this or that status… And security guarantees presuppose constitutional changes. You understand, don’t you? Constitutional changes.”?

And therein lies the difference. Russia has a political system built around one man — Putin — and Zelensky is the head of a democratic state. Even if neutrality is on the negotiating table, the Ukrainian people will have to have their say.??

US President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on Monday.

US President Joe Biden said he doesn’t care what Vladimir Putin thinks of his comment that he shouldn’t be in power in Russia.

“I don’t care what he thinks. He’s going to do what he’s going to do,” Biden said when asked by a reporter whether he was concerned Putin would see the remark as escalatory.?

Biden said he was skeptical Putin could be swayed by any outside event, his remark included.

?Watch Reporters and Biden go back and forth over Putin remarks:

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03:45 - Source: cnn

US President Joe Biden said that he was talking to the Russian people when he made the off-the-cuff remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” during a speech over the weekend.

“I was?talking to the Russian people,” Biden said, when asked on Monday by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins why he ad-libbed the line.

Moments before, Biden likened the meaning of his comment to a person saying objectively, “bad people shouldn’t continue to do bad things,” and not announcing a change in policy.

US President Joe Biden says he isn’t walking back his remarks that President Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power.

“I’m not walking anything back,” President Biden said Monday at the White House, emphasizing he wasn’t voicing a policy change but that he was expressing an opinion based on his emotions from the day. “I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing and the?actions of this man.”

“I’d just come from being with those families,” he said, referring to Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw.?

“I wasn’t then or wasn’t now expressing a policy change,” Biden said.

Biden continued, “I was expressing just what I said — I was expressing the moral outrage I felt towards this man. I wasn’t articulating a policy change. And I think that you know, if he continues on this course, he is going to become a pariah worldwide, and who knows what it can become at home in terms of support.”

The US President dismissed the suggestion that his remarks might escalate the conflict in Ukraine, telling reporters, “No, I’m not.”

Biden said the suggestion that other leaders may take issue with Biden’s unscripted remarks during his address in Poland has not borne, nor has it weakened NATO.

“NATO has never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever been as strong as it is today,” Biden said.

British?Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as part of their “ongoing dialogue,” and told him that the UK will “strengthen economic pressure” on Russia, a Downing Street spokesperson said.?

The prime minister “reiterated the UK would maintain and strengthen economic pressure on Putin’s regime,” the spokesperson continued.?

In a tweet Monday, Zelensky also said that the two countries “discussed strengthening sanctions against Russia.”?

The UK has imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia, targeting individuals and companies.?

Zelensky also gave Johnson an update on the “appalling humanitarian situation” in the besieged city of Mariupol “where heavy fighting continues,” the spokesperson said.?

“The Prime Minister offered his full support to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s continued aggression, including with humanitarian support and more defensive equipment,” they added.

Finally, as the latest round of talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to kick off in Istanbul on Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader also briefed his British counterpart on the talks, according to Downing Street.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday thanked Turkey for hosting the next round of talks between Ukraine and Russia.

The Russia-Ukraine talks are set to resume in-person in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey?Lavrov?said Monday during a news conference.??

During a call with journalists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the negotiations between the two sides are likely to resume Tuesday.

The Pentagon is deploying six US Navy?electronic warfare?jets and more than 200 accompany troops to Germany as the US bolsters its forces in eastern Europe amid Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters today that six Navy E/A-18G?Growler?jets were deploying from Naval Air Station Whidbey in Washington state to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, and the jets were expected to arrive today.

In addition, they would be accompanied by about 240 Navy air crew, pilots and maintenance staff, he said.

The Navy?Growler?jets are primarily used for flying electronic warfare missions, including radar jamming to help suppress air defenses.?

Kirby said that the?Growlers were not being sent to be used against Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, and the deployment was not being made in response to any incident.?

The Navy deployment adds to the thousands of US troops that have deployed to NATO countries in eastern Europe over the past five weeks since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.??

Brendan Stickles, a former commander of an E/A-18G squadron, told CNN that he wasn’t surprised that an expeditionary Navy?Growler?squadron was deployed in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

“The six?Growlers provide a unique electronic warfare capability to NATO that can help defend our partners and allies from any future aggression. Just as importantly, tactical deployments of non-kinetic forces — like the?Growler — can expand our preparedness while avoiding any unintentional escalation,” Stickles said.

CNN’s Alex Marquardt contributed reporting to this post.

The United Nations has called on both Russia and Ukraine to launch an investigation after videos emerged of prisoners of war (POWs) being allegedly mistreated.????

On Sunday, a video emerged showing?what appear to be Ukrainian soldiers shooting men who are apparently Russian prisoners in the knees during an operation in the Kharkiv region. During the nearly six-minute-long video, the soldiers are heard saying that they have captured a Russian reconnaissance group operating from Olkhovka, a settlement in Kharkiv that’s roughly 20 miles from the Russian border.??

During the video, a group of Russian soldiers can be seen lying on the ground with at least two of the soldiers’ legs bleeding heavily. One man is heard crying out in Russian “my leg, my leg.”??

Speaking in an interview posted on YouTube Sunday, senior Ukrainian Presidential adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych stressed that the Ukrainian government “is taking this very seriously and will carry out an “immediate investigation” into the video in question.?

The UN is still “in the process of verifying all of the material that has been issued,” Bogner said on Monday, adding that it “raises serious concerns.” CNN has reached out to Bogner’s office for comment on the video allegedly showing Russian soldiers with bleeding legs.?

“We do call on the authorities on both sides to do full investigations of the allegations that are raised by these videos,” Bogner said.?

“It is important that these types of videos and that any ill treatment that may happen is stopped immediately,” she continued, adding that the UN hopes these investigations will ensure that any perpetrators are “held to account.”?

She reminded both countries of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law to treat POWs humanely and ensure they “are not exposed to public curiosity and are treated with dignity.”

CNN’s Tim Lister, Celine Alkhaldi, Katherina Krebs and Josh Pennington contributed to this report.

Residents wait in line to receive aid from the Ukrainian Red Cross in Kharkiv on March 24.

The United Nations and its partners were able to safely deliver food rations, medical supplies, and household items to Kharkiv, Ukraine on Monday, according to a statement from Osnat Lubrani, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine.

The supplies were provided by the?World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). In coordination with the Ukrainian Red Cross, the supplies will also be delivered to “hard-to-reach areas like Izium, Balakliia and Chuhuiv,”?Lubrani said?

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also discussed UN’s humanitarian work on Monday during a morning press briefing, saying there are now more than 1,000 UN personnel working in Ukraine across eight humanitarian hubs in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Uzhorod, Chernivitzi, Mukachevo, Luhansk and Donetsk.

Here are some updates on the UN and its partner organizations that he offered:

Ukrainian officials have accused the Russian government of engaging in a policy of deportation, moving civilians – including thousands of children – into Russia against their will and detaining them “like souls for an exchange fund.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said that more than 2,000 children have been “stolen” from the besieged port city of Mariupol, which has been under sustained Russian attack since the early days of the invasion.

Calling the situation in the city a “humanitarian catastrophe,” Zelensky told a collection of independent Russian journalists that “according to our information, more than two thousand children were taken out. That means stolen.”?

Ukrainian officials have made similar claims regarding other regions. CNN cannot independently verify claims about the number of children taken out of Mariupol and other towns into Russia.?

What has been claimed? The Russian Defense Ministry first said on March 20 that 16,434 people, including 2,389 children, had been evacuated from various locations a day before. Those locations included the Russia-backed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, according to the ministry, which said that people left of their own volition.??

But the next day, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the same number of children had in fact been forcibly evacuated from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions by Russian forces. “Such actions are a gross violation of international law, in particular international humanitarian law,” the ministry said.

Since then, estimates from Ukraine of the number of people deported to Russia have risen.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the Ukrainian government estimated the number of Ukrainians forcibly deported to Russia since the invasion was nearly 40,000.

Those claims were bolstered by Denis Pushilin, the leader of the pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic, who said Sunday that around 1,700 people are being “evacuated” daily from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and other towns.

“An average of about 1,700 people are arriving to the Volodar temporary accommodation center for evacuees every day and, in turn, the same number of people are leaving it,” Pushilin said in a statement on Telegram, referring to a settlement known in Ukrainian as Nikolske, about 13 miles northwest of Mariupol.?

“Residents of Mariupol and other settlements that are being liberated from the occupation of the Kyiv regime arrive here,” Pushilin said. “People are provided with basic necessities, medical care, and then evacuated to the Russian Federation.”

Debate over Red Cross office: Amid the disputes over the alleged Russian policy, there has also been wrangling over the role of humanitarian network the Red Cross.?

On Friday, Vereshchuk accused the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) head Peter Maurer of taking a “very questionable decision” to open an office in Rostov – which lies about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Such an office “legitimized” Russia’s deportations, she suggested.??

The Red Cross issued a statement rejecting those claims. The ICRC, which generally keeps a low public profile, responded following what it called “false information circulating online” that it was helping Russia move tens of thousands of people out of the country.?

It said it had no office in Rostov but is “scaling up our regional set up to be able respond to needs where we see them. Our priority is to ensure a steady supply of lifesaving aid reaches people, wherever they are.”

CNN’s Nathan Hodge, Andrew Carey and Olga Voitovych contributed reporting.

Ukrainian refugees on a bus at the Medyka border crossing in Poland, on March 28.

Children make up half of the 3.8 million refugees from Ukraine that have arrived in the European Union since the Russian invasion, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson says.

Johansson, who was speaking after a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels, added that 800,000 of the 3.8 million arrivals have already applied for temporary protection in the EU.

The official also announced that the EU interior ministers had agreed on an EU-wide platform for registering refugees arriving and applying for temporary protection in the bloc, with “EU-level” coordination for hubs of transport and information.

The EU commissioner noted that common guidance for the reception and support of children, including unaccompanied minors, as well as an anti-trafficking plan had been approved by the EU ministers.

The lack of a uniform approach to managing the influx of refugees during and since the 2015 migration crisis has been a point of contention in the bloc.

Warning for the need of further contingency planning for refugees, she said, “we have to be prepared for many more millions that might need to flee from Ukraine.”

“We don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” the commissioner added.

Russian forces are largely stalled in several parts of Ukraine, a senior US defense official told reporters Monday.?

There have been “no changes” to the situation in Mariupol, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv or Kharkiv, the official said.

In Mariupol, Russian forces continue to use “long-range fires,” but “they have not been able to take Mariupol,” the official said.?

There has been no change to the airspace or “maritime environment,” the official added.

Russian forces “aren’t making any advances on Mykolaiv over the course of the weekend,” the official said, “so they are outside the city.”

The official noted that Russian forces have conducted more than 1,370 missile launches in Ukraine since the invasion began.

Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko says the government will not accept any loss of territory to Russia and that despite the war, salaries and pensions are being paid.?

“I want to tell you that despite all the war we see right now, our government is still functioning,” Marchenko told CNN’s Julia Chatterley. He said the government is paying salaries and pensions, and $200 to every person who lost their job because of the war.

“It is more than 3 million people now which are refugees and live in European countries temporarily. It is also great damage for our economy,” he said.

Asked about comments made by Ukrainian Military Intel Chief Kyrylo Budanov suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be looking to carve Ukraine in two – like North and South Korea, Marchenko said that Ukraine will not accept any territorial losses.

“It is not possible even to mention that we can live without some part of our territory because it is about our economy. It is about our people. It is about our logistics now. Our harbor in Odesa region is blocked. So we need to find another way how to transfer commodities towards Europe and other countries,” added the Finance Minister.?

Marchenko added that not enough has been done in terms of sanctions.

“For us, it is important that every Russian citizen suffers and this is why sanctions are very important on this particular matter and our government and our president tried to do everything that’s possible that every Russian citizen understands that the way they support their power is the wrong way,” he added.

Martin Griffiths, United Nations under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, in Geneva on March 3.

The UN has assigned an official to “immediately” explore with Ukrainian and Russian authorities “possible agreements and arrangements for a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced Monday.

The task falls on Martin Griffiths, United Nations under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Guterres said he hopes Griffiths will be able to travel to both Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible to start conversations with the parties involved.?

The secretary-general also said there are now more than 1,000 UN personnel working in Ukraine, working in eight humanitarian hubs in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Uzhorod, Chernivitzi, Mukachevo, Luhansk and Donetsk.

“The solution to this humanitarian tragedy is not humanitarian. It is political,” Guterres said, telling reporters later that he believes biological, chemical warfare will and must be avoided.

A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is required after?there is “clarity on all vital issues for Moscow,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.???

The West has ignored these issues, despite having been raised by Moscow for years, he added.?

“Now, the main thing is to stop pandering to the Ukrainians who only seek to generate an image of negotiations and settlements. They succeeded in this when they sabotaged the Minsk agreements shortly after they inked them in February 2015, and as a result declared that they would not implement them,” Lavrov continued.

“That’s why their ability to mimic the process is well known to us. This time they won’t get away with it. We need a results-based outcome of the negotiations, which will be enshrined by the presidents,” he said.

Some more context: Russia-Ukraine talks are set to resume in-person in Istanbul this week, Lavrov?said earlier on Monday during a news conference.

“These negotiations are ongoing. They will be resumed today-tomorrow in Istanbul in-person after a series of video conferences,”?Lavrov?said. “And we are interested that these negotiations would bring a result and that this result would achieve our fundamental goals,” he said.

“The fact that it was decided to continue negotiations in person is important,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday during a call with journalists.

Peskov said the talks between the two sides are likely to resume Tuesday.

People sleep outside the entrance of the Swedish Migration Agency's arrival?center?for asylum seekers, in Malmo,?Sweden in 2015.?

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Monday that a repeat of a refugee crisis such as that of 2015 must be avoided.

“We cannot repeat the situation of 2015, we took in 12% of the refugees, but we cannot do this again now,” Andersson said, speaking at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

“We have to push for an end of this war,” Andersson added. The prime minister also acknowledged Poland’s help in taking in Ukrainian refugees.

In 2015, 156,400 people sought asylum in Sweden, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Sweden was the third-highest recipient of asylum requests after Germany (441,900) and the United States (172,700), per UNHCR data.

US President Joe Biden’s 2023 budget proposal includes increased funding for security – both domestically and internationally – and reduces the deficit, the White House said Monday morning, but officials admit inflation could continue to cause problems for the overall economy.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, the proposed budget includes $6.9 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and “countering Russian aggression to support Ukraine.”

Biden is set to speak about his budget proposal later on Monday.

Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said during what “will be a decisive decade for the world,” the proposal makes “one of the largest investments in national security in US history, strengthening our military and leveraging our renewed strength at home to meet pressing global challenges.”

In order to make investments and reduce the deficit, the budget calls for a new “minimum tax on billionaires” – which includes more than just billionaires, and applies to anyone worth more than $100 million – that would ensure the wealthiest 0.01% of households pay at least “20 percent of their total income in federal income taxes.” It also increases the rate corporations pay on profits and contains “contains additional measures to ensure that multinationals operating in the United States cannot use tax havens to undercut the global minimum tax,” the White House said.?

Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, told reporters that Biden policies would decrease the expected deficit in the current fiscal year of 2022 to “$1.3 trillion smaller than it was in fiscal year ‘21, and we believe the policies in this budget will further reduce the deficit by another trillion over the next decade.” But much of that deficit reduction comes from temporary programs in the American Rescue Plan expiring.

“Stepping back, what this budget shows is that we can grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out and invest in the American people, and that we can do it in a smart fiscally responsible way,” Young, the OMB director, told reporters in a call on Monday morning.

Officials say the estimates on inflation reflected in the budget were set in November – before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has strained the economy and increased prices across the board.

“The invasion will likely put upward pressure on energy and food prices that in turn could reinforce inflation that was already an issue prior to the invasion due to the pandemic supply chain constraints and as far demand for goods,” said Rouse, Biden’s top economist. “The economics forecast … if we were updating today, we would look at it somewhat differently.”

In a statement, Biden said the budget “includes historic deficit reduction, historic investments in our security at home and abroad, and an unprecedented commitment to building an economy where everyone has a chance to succeed.” He also touted the deficit reduction as a “the direct result of my Administration’s strategy to get the pandemic under control and grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out.”

Read more about the budget here.

Russian airstrikes continue across Ukraine?a day before?representatives from Russia and Ukraine are set to meet?in Turkey for another round of talks. In an interview?with Russian independent journalists Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is?“ready”?to discuss adopting?a?neutral status, despite the Kremlin providing little hope for an agreement that would end five weeks of fighting.

Any agreement would have to be put to the Ukrainian people in a?referendum, Ukraine’s president said. But Zelensky once again stressed his desire to reach a concrete peace agreement. Zelensky reacted to Russia’s attempt to censor his interview with Russian journalists, saying Moscow was “frightened” from journalists “who can tell the truth.”??

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence head said Russian President Vladimir Putin could be?looking to carve?Ukraine in two – like North and South Korea. Russia’s operations around Kyiv have failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government, he said. Putin’s war has now focused on the south and the east of the country, the official added.?

Here are more of the latest developments from the Russia-Ukraine conflict:

The mayor of Irpin, a suburb of the capital of Kyiv, said they have reclaimed the area from Russian forces.

CNN cannot independently verify the claim.

Ukrainian soldiers stand in front of a destroyed Russian armored personal carrier (APC) on the frontline in the northern part of Kyiv region on March 28.

Just over a month?after the first ballistic missiles?slammed into Kyiv’s international airport, the?Russian campaign has been disrupted?and derailed by Ukrainian resistance — and in the last few days by?agile Ukrainian counterattacks?on several fronts.

Russian?forces retain?considerable — but not overwhelming — numerical superiority. Their armored groups have struggled against Western-supplied anti-tank weapons and Turkish-made drones. Ukrainian air defenses have punched above their weight and are now being reinforced by thousands of US-made Stinger missiles.

Poor logistical support, questionable tactics and growing evidence of poor morale among Russian battalion tactical groups have allowed the Ukrainian military to hold off Russian advances in several regions — and begin to take the fight to the enemy.

CNN analysis of satellite imagery, social media content and official statements from both sides suggests the conflict may now be moving into a new phase: a war of attrition in which the Russians may lose more ground than they gain and suffer even greater resupply issues as the Ukrainians cut into their extended lines.

There are indications that the Russian military is trying to compensate for this by greater use of missile forces and indirect fire from artillery and multiple launch rocket systems. To the north and west of Kyiv, for example, the Russians appear to be digging in rather than seeking to advance, shelling areas like Irpin and Makariv, where Ukrainian troops have established a tenuous hold.

In the last two weeks, there’s been an uptick in Russian missile strikes,?from Lviv?in the west to Zhytomyr in central Ukraine and Mykolaiv in the south, with prime targets being fuel dumps, military depots and airfields.

Read more about Russia’s position in key Ukrainian cities and the Kremlin’s shifting tactics.

Local resident Valentina Demura, 70, next to her apartment building in the besieged southern port city of?Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 27.

The mayor of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said Monday his city was “in the hands of the occupiers” after a weekslong siege by Russian forces that flattened the city, left an unknown number of civilians dead and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.?

“Not everything is in our power,” said Vadym Boichenko, the pro-government mayor of Mariupol, in a live television interview. “Unfortunately, we are in the hands of hands of the occupiers today.”

Boichenko called for a “complete evacuation” of the remaining population of Mariupol, which had a population of over 400,000 before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.?

“According to our estimates, about 160,000 people are in the besieged city of Mariupol today, where it is impossible to live because there is no water, no electricity, no heat, no connection,” he said. “And it’s really scary.”

It was unclear if there was still active fighting inside the city.

Ukrainian officials have alleged that Russian forces have prevented humanitarian convoys from safely approaching or exiting the city. A pro-Russian separatist leader on Sunday said about 1,700 Mariupol?residents were being “evacuated” daily from the city and its surroundings, but Ukrainian officials say the Russians have in fact?been carrying out what they describe as the forcible deportation of thousands to Russia.

Statistics released by Ukrainian officials on Sunday paint a grim picture of the result of weeks of shelling and urban combat in Mariupol.?

According to those figures,?90% of residential buildings in the city were damaged, of which 60% were hit directly and 40% were destroyed.

Destruction on the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 23.

Seven of the city’s hospitals — 90% of the city’s hospital?capacity — were damaged, of which three were destroyed. Also damaged were three maternity hospitals (with one destroyed), seven institutes of higher education (with three destroyed), and 57 schools and 70 kindergartens, with 23 and 28 destroyed, respectively.?

A number of factories were damaged and the city’s port sustained damage.?

According to those official statistics, up to 140,000 people left the city before it was surrounded, and around 150,000 managed to leave during the blockade. During the height of the siege, around 170,000 people remained in the city, and Ukrainian officials claim?30,000 people from Mariupol were deported to Russia.?

Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta's editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov gives an interview in Moscow on March 24, 2021.

The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta says it is suspending publication until the end of the war in Ukraine.?

It comes after Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor issued a second warning Monday to the newspaper following its interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Sunday.

Remember: Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov, who won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize for “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression,” announced last week he was auctioning the award to support Ukrainian refugees.

Six staff members at the Novaya Gazeta, including Vladimir Putin’s outspoken critic Anna Politkovskaya, have been killed since Muratov co-founded the outlet in 1993.

Russian soldiers are seen on a tank in Volnovakha district in the pro-Russian separatists-controlled Donetsk, Ukraine, on March 26.

The usage of the Russian forces’ symbol “Z” can lead to prosecution in two German states, officials have said.

“Whosoever is publicly expressing their consent to the war of aggression of Russian President Putin must expect criminal prosecution,” Boris Pistorius, the interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony, said in a news release.

Last Friday, police in the state started to check whether the presentation of the “Z” was displayed in relation to the war in Ukraine.?

The symbol “represents the acts of the Russian army against international law,” Pistorius said.

The state of Bavaria also warned sympathizers publicly using the Russian forces’ symbol “Z”?would be in danger of being prosecuted, the Bavarian Minister of Justice Georg Eisenreich said in a news release.

Some background: Days before Russian forces launched an?all-out invasion?of Ukraine, videos and photos began circulating on social media showing tanks, communications trucks and rocket launchers emblazoned with the letter “Z” rolling toward the border. When the invasion began, what started as a mysterious military symbol has become a sign of popular support for the war in Russia, and what analysts describe as the unfurling of a chilling new nationalist movement.

Russians have daubed the “Z” on their cars, sported black hoodies emblazoned with the symbol, and fashioned makeshift “Z” brooches on lapels — a sign that there is some popular support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his efforts to expand Moscow’s sphere of influence by seizing parts of Ukraine.

Read more about the symbol here.

Ukrainian President Zelensky gives an interview to independent Russian media on March 27.

Russia is “not afraid” of an interview Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave to independent Russian media, the Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN Monday.

Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor warned Russian news outlets on Sunday against broadcasting or distributing the interview between Zelensky and a group of independent Russian journalists.

“[We’re] not afraid,” Peskov said when asked by CNN what Russia or Roskomnadzor were afraid of.

“We have laws in place, and it is very important not to publish information that would amount to a violation of these laws,” Peskov added.

Media gag: Russia recently signed a censorship law making it a crime for what Russia considers to be dissemination of “fake” information, punishable by up to 15 years in jail. The Russian government continues to present its invasion of Ukraine as a special military operation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz takes part in the final press conference after the EU summit on March 25 in Brussels, Belgium.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the invasion of Ukraine is “the return to imperialism.”

“We all have to prepare for the fact that we have a neighbor that is currently using violence. And we must prevent this to become code of practice,” Scholz said during the “Anne Will” talk show on public broadcast TV Sunday evening.

Germany was discussing the purchase of an anti-missile defense system, said Scholz.

Germany cautions Russia: Scholz issued a series of warnings to Moscow.

“Don’t dare to attack us,” he warned.

Though “Zelensky is right to demand help from everybody in the world,” Scholz said, “we will not engage with military forces – even if you call them peacekeeping troops – and we will not establish a no-fly zone.” Such measures would be the start of a “huge confrontation between NATO and Russia,” he added.

“NATO will not be part of this war,” he said.

NATO was preparing for dramatic measures in case Russia were to use use biological and chemical weapons, said Scholz.

“The use of biological and chemical weapons may not happen,” he said, but issued a direct warning to Russia: “Don’t dare to do it.”

Russia-Ukraine talks are set to resume in-person in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey?Lavrov?said Monday during a news conference.

“These negotiations are ongoing. They will be resumed today-tomorrow in Istanbul in-person after a series of video conferences,”?Lavrov?said.

“And we are interested that these negotiations would bring a result and that this result would achieve our fundamental goals,” he said.

“The fact that it was decided to continue negotiations in person is important,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday during a call with journalists.

Peskov said the talks between the two sides are likely to resume Tuesday.

Bottles of Amstel Pilsner beer move along the production line at the Heineken NV brewery in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on November 18, 2015

Dutch brewer Heineken said Monday it will exit the Russian market amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Following the previously announced strategic review of our operations, we have concluded that HEINEKEN’s ownership of the business in Russia is no longer sustainable nor viable in the current environment. As a result, we have decided to leave Russia,” the company said in a press release.

Heineken had already halted new investments and exports to Russia and had stopped the sale, production and advertising of its Heineken brand beer in the country.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened to watch the war in Ukraine continue to unfold and intensify,” said Heineken.

“We aim for an orderly transfer of our business to a new owner in full compliance with international and local laws. To ensure the ongoing safety and wellbeing of our employees and to minimise the risk of nationalisation, we concluded that it is essential that we continue with the recently reduced operations during this transition period,” it added.

The brewer said it will pay salaries to its 1,800 employees in Russia until the end of 2022 and “will do our utmost to safeguard their future employment.”

Financial implications: Heineken expects to take a 400 million euros ($439 million) hit from the move.

“Upon completion of the transfer HEINEKEN will no longer have a presence in Russia,” the company said.

Ukraine has slowed some of Russia’s advances, but multiple cities are being hit with missiles, a presidential adviser said. Russian forces continued missile strikes across Ukraine Sunday evening, including the cities of Lutsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and?Rivne, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, while shelling has been reported around the outskirts of Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Zelensky said he is ready to accept a neutral, non-nuclear status as part of a peace deal with Russia.

Here are the latest developments:

Russian forces attempting ‘corridor’ around Kyiv, officials say: Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said Monday that Russian forces were attempting to establish a “corridor” around the Ukrainian capital to block supply routes, amid continued fighting around Kyiv’s suburbs.

Russian strikes continue:?Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podoliak said the cities of Lutsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and?Rivne were among?the locations?hit by Russian missiles on Sunday. “More and more missiles every day. Mariupol under the ‘carpet’ bombing,”?he said. “Russia no longer has a language, humanism, civilization. Only missiles, bombs and attempts to wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth.” A loud explosion followed by sirens were also heard in Kyiv early Monday, according to CNN teams on the ground.

Most Russian gains in Mariupol area are in the south: Most?of?Russia’s military?gains near the port city of Mariupol are in the?southern areas, according to the UK’s latest intelligence update. Further to its report, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said?there was?“no significant change to Russian Forces dispositions in occupied Ukraine.”

Kremlin concerned by Biden’s remarks: The Kremlin is concerned by US President Joe Biden’s comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, adding that Biden’s comments would continue to be monitored. Biden said on Saturday that Putin?“cannot remain in power.” Biden and White House officials later sought to walk back and clarify the President’s comments, adding that he was not calling for regime change in Russia.

Peace talks will resume Tuesday: Russia-Ukraine negotiations are set to resume in-person in Istanbul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey?Lavrov?said Monday.?Zelensky said in a video posted to social media that peace and the restoration of normal life are the “obvious” goals of Ukraine. “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory,” he said. Zelensky also told journalists Sunday that a?neutral, non-nuclear status?for Ukraine in the form of a “serious treaty” was acceptable as part of a deal with Russia, but any agreement would have to be put to a referendum.

Ukraine promises “immediate investigation” after video surfaces:?An almost?six-minute-long video?shows what appear to be Ukrainian soldiers shooting men who are apparently Russian prisoners in the knees during an operation in the Kharkiv region. Asked about the video, a senior presidential advisor, Oleksiy Arestovych, said: “The government is taking this very seriously, and there will be an immediate investigation. We are a European army, and we do not mock our prisoners. If this turns out to be real, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior.” CNN is not showing the video.

Putin eyeing “Korean scenario”:?Ukraine’s military intelligence head said Putin could be looking to?carve Ukraine in two?– like North and South Korea. Brig. Gen. Kyrylo?Budanov said Russia’s operations around Kyiv had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government. Putin’s war was now focused on the south and the east of the country, he said.?”[Russian forces] will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine,” he said.

Satellite imagery shows burning buildings and craters near Irpin and Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 25.

Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said Monday that Russian forces were attempting to establish a “corridor” around the Ukrainian capital to block supply routes, amid continued fighting around Kyiv’s suburbs.

“The enemy is trying to make a corridor around Kyiv and block transport routes,”?said Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, in televised remarks.

“The defense of Kyiv continues. Ground forces, Air Assault Forces, special operations forces, territorial defense are involved. Kyiv residents are also very active in the defense of Kyiv. It is very difficult for the enemy. But we must speak honestly: the enemy is not letting up attempts to seize Kyiv after all. Because taking Kyiv essentially means taking Ukraine. So that is their goal.”

The Kyiv regional military administration said in a statement Monday that areas around the western suburbs of Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel and Makariv as well as the route from and to the city of Zhytomyr to the west and areas north of Vyshhorod remained very dangerous and prone to shelling by Russian forces.

“Over the past 24 hours, there have been more than 40 incidents of shelling by Russian troops of housing estates and social infrastructure,” the statement said.

A CNN team visited Novi Petrivtsi, a town north of Vyshhorod on Sunday, and saw first-hand the damage done by Russian artillery. Several houses had been completely destroyed. Residents and local authorities reported near-daily explosions in the area.

US President Joe Biden delivers a speech about the Russian war in Ukraine at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, on March 26.

The Kremlin is concerned by US President Joe Biden’s comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

Biden said on Saturday during a visit to Poland that Putin should no longer remain in power.

White House officials later downplayed the remark, saying Biden wasn’t calling for regime change.

But the Kremlin issued its own affronted response, saying Russia’s ruler is “not to be decided by Mr. Biden.”

“These statements are certainly causing concern,” Peskov said Monday on a regular conference call with journalists when asked about Biden’s comments.

“We will continue to closely monitor the statements of the US president. We carefully note them and will continue to do so,” Peskov added.

Firefighters battle a blaze at an industrial facility after a Russian military attack in the area on March 26, in Lviv, Ukraine.

At least five people were reportedly injured over the weekend after at least?two missiles struck Lviv, a city in western Ukraine that had been previously spared the worst of Russia’s brutal onslaught, local officials said.

One of the strikes hit a fuel storage facility, causing it to catch fire, and a later strike caused “significant damage” to the city’s infrastructure facilities, according to the city’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi.

For a better sense of the situation on the ground, we posed a few questions to?CNN’s John Berman, who’s been covering the invasion from Lviv. His responses, sent via email on Sunday, are below:

Read the full story here:

Smoke rises in the air in Lviv, western Ukraine, Saturday, March 26, 2022.

Related article Analysis: 'This invasion is horrifying': On the ground in Lviv following Russian missile attacks

A man walks across what would normally be a busy road during the curfew in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 27.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Monday announced a slight easing of the curfew in the Ukrainian capital.

In a post on his Facebook account, Klitschko said: “Friends! Important information! Curfew is changing in Kyiv and the region.

“As of today, March 28, the curfew will begin an hour later and end an hour earlier.?And will last from 21:00 (9:00 pm local) to 6:00 am.”

Local authorities previously announced schooling in the capital would resume in an online format Monday. Klitschko also canceled a plan for an extended curfew over the weekend.

Some background: Ukraine’s military intelligence head said Russian President Vladimir Putin could be?looking to carve?Ukraine in two – like North and South Korea. Russia’s operations around Kyiv had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government, he said.

Strikes continue: A loud explosion followed by sirens were heard in Kyiv early Monday, according to CNN teams on the ground. Shelling intensified around the city on Monday morning, the teams said.

A woman walks past tank wreckage in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 25.

Most?of?Russia’s military?gains near Mariupol are in the?southern areas, according to the UK’s latest intelligence update.

“Russia has gained most ground in the?South in the vicinity of Mariupol where heavy fighting continues as Russia attempts to capture the port,” the UK Ministry of Defence said on Twitter Monday.

Further to its report, the ministry said?there was?“no significant change to Russian Forces dispositions in occupied Ukraine.”

“Ongoing logistical shortages have been compounded by a continued lack of momentum and morale amongst the Russian military, and aggressive fighting by the Ukrainians,” it continued.

Some background: Mariupol has been a primary target for the Russians due to its strategic port, and has been destroyed by constant bombardment since the invasion began.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday called the Russian siege of the port a “humanitarian catastrophe,” claiming that Russian forces had taken more than 2,000 children out of the city as part of what Ukrainian officials have described as a wave of civilian deportations to Russia.

Ukrainian officials reported Russian strikes in western and west-central Ukraine overnight, citing preliminary information.?

“Last night there were two very powerful explosions near Zhytomyr,” said Serhii Sukhomlyn, mayor of the city in west-central Ukraine.

The head of the Volyn regional military administration in western Ukraine, Yuriy Pohuliaiko said a missile struck a fuel depot and had been fired from neighboring Belarus, according to the military.?Belarus has been a base and staging area for Russian military forces.

The missile flew at a low altitude, eluding detection by radar, he said.

Some context: The Russian military has targeted fuel supply points around Ukraine in recent days, with Russia confirming strikes on fuel depots in Lviv and outside of Kyiv Saturday.

Smoke rises in the air in Lviv, western Ukraine, Saturday, March 26, 2022. With Russia continuing to strike and encircle urban populations, from Chernihiv and Kharkiv in the north to Mariupol in the south, Ukrainian authorities said Saturday that they cannot trust statements from the Russian military Friday suggesting that the Kremlin planned to concentrate its remaining strength on wresting the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region from Ukrainian control.

Related article Lviv, western Ukrainian city until now spared from Russian assault, rocked by powerful explosions

International companies that left Russian markets will be given a “Peace Award” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his presidential office announced Sunday.

Yermak called on other companies to “make the right choice.”

“It is impossible to support war crimes, it is inadmissible to conduct trade with war criminals and make money on the killing of civilians,” he said.

Some context: Since the invasion, many international corporations have ceased business within Russia across a multitude of industries, including energy, transportation, finance and technology.

In an address to the French parliament last week, Zelensky called for several business giants in France to leave the Russian market and “stop being the sponsors of Russia’s war machine.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Governor of Novgorod region at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 22, 2022. (Photo by Mikhail KLIMENTYEV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Russia is breaking market rules left and right | CNN Business

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a video message on March 2

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to Russia’s attempt to censor his interview with independent Russian journalists, saying Moscow was “frightened” by journalists “who can tell the truth.”?

“Strong people of our strong country, today is the day when I’m convinced over and over again how far we are from the Russian Federation,”?Zelensky said in his latest video address Sunday.?

Some context: Moscow’s media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, issued a statement Sunday warning Russian?news outlets against rebroadcasting or distributing the interview.

The lengthy video interview, posted in full on Zelensky’s Telegram channel, featured questions from some of Russia’s most prominent independent journalists, including author Mikhail Zygar and Tikhon Dzyadko, the editor-in-chief of the recently shuttered channel TV Rain.

Just nine unscripted words put an already jittery world on edge again.

US President Joe Biden’s suggestion in Poland on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s onslaught on Ukraine should disqualify him from power triggered an international political storm.

Back in Washington Sunday evening, Biden told reporters that he was not calling for regime change in Russia — echoing a message spelled out multiple times by his subordinates even before he had returned to the US.

But the global reverberations from the remarks leave the administration facing grave questions.

Some are strategic and could impact the future course of the war and so-far elusive hopes for a ceasefire. Others are political and relate to Biden’s standing at home, amid a torrent of Republican criticism, and internationally, as he seeks to keep the Western coalition together.

Read the full analysis here:

WARSAW, POLAND - MARCH 26, 2022 - US President Joe Biden holds a briefing outside the Royal Palace, Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Anna Voitenko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via AP)

Related article Analysis: How Biden's 9 unscripted words could impact the war in Ukraine

When Russian forces first rolled across the border into Ukraine last month, Sayed and Masuma Hosseini were calm.

The former Afghan soldier and his wife, who had been living in Kyiv with two of their children since late 2021, had seen more wars than most will in a lifetime.

Forced to flee their homeland three separate times before due to conflict, they had received an unwelcome education in the complex nature of violence, and a sharpened sense of perceived versus real danger.

But the Hosseinis would soon find themselves refugees for yet a fourth time, rapidly packing only what they could carry, and setting off in what they prayed was the opposite direction of flying bombs and bullets.

Read the full story here:

Hosseini family

Related article They fled Afghanistan's takeover by the Taliban last year. Now they've fled Ukraine, refugees again

The images of suffering grow more heart-rending every day, the appeals from besieged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky more urgent.

And every day, US President Joe Biden faces the same leadership challenge: saying no to direct US military action against Russian forces to stop the carnage Vladimir Putin has wrought.

“No” is not the answer that the American public, let alone Zelensky, wants to hear. But it’s the answer that decades of experience have ingrained not only in Biden but also in many of those charged with protecting America’s national security throughout the nuclear age.

“This is the Cold War scenario we’ve avoided for 75 years, finally coming to life,” observed Tom Nichols, a leading authority on Russia and US nuclear doctrine. “The most important thing for Biden is to ignore all the public noise. That’s hard to do.”

Fear of triggering a catastrophic third world war kept the US and Russia from engaging in direct hostilities throughout the Cold War. Today it undergirds Biden’s determination to avoid pitting allied forces against Russians beyond NATO borders.

Read the full analysis here:

US President Joe Biden arrives at Warsaw Chopin International Airport on March 25, 2022, in Warsaw, Poland. - Biden is due to meet US soldiers stationed in the area and non-governmental organisations helping Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia's invasion. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Biden's challenge on Ukraine: Resisting pressure to do more | CNN Politics

Mila?Kunis?speaks to the audience at the 94th Academy Awards?on Sunday.

Stars of the film industry recognized and honored Ukraine and its citizens at the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, took a moment while introducing a best song of the year nominee and performance to address the anguish in her homeland.

Kunis, who along with her husband Ashton Kutcher has raised millions for Ukraine, introduced Reba McEntire singing “Somehow You Do,” a “song of resilience” from the film “Four Good Days.”

After the performance, the following words flashed on the screen:

Ukraine has slowed some of Russia’s advances, but multiple cities are being hit with missiles, a presidential adviser said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to accept a neutral, non-nuclear status as part of a peace deal with Russia.

Here are the latest developments in the war on Ukraine:

Russian strikes continue: Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podoliak said the cities of Lutsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and?Rivne were among the locations hit by Russian missiles on Sunday. “More and more missiles every day. Mariupol under the ‘carpet’ bombing,”?he said. “Russia no longer has a language, humanism, civilization. Only missiles, bombs and attempts to wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth.” A loud explosion followed by sirens were also heard in Kyiv early Monday, according to CNN teams on the ground.

Zelensky insists on sovereignty in talks: With a new round of peace talks slated for Tuesday in Istanbul, Zelensky said in a video posted to social media that peace and the restoration of normal life are the “obvious” goals of Ukraine. “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory,” he said. Zelensky also told journalists Sunday that a neutral, non-nuclear status for Ukraine in the form of a “serious treaty” was acceptable as part of a deal with Russia, but any agreement would have to be put to a referendum.

Biden says he was not calling for regime change: Trying to stem reaction from remarks made Saturday, US President Joe Biden said, “No,” in response to a question from a reporter asking if he was calling for regime change. Biden had earlier said Russian President Vladimir Putin?“cannot remain in power.” Other Biden administration officials have sought to walk back and clarify Biden’s comment.

Ukraine promises “immediate investigation” after video surfaces: An almost six-minute-long video shows what appear to be Ukrainian soldiers shooting men who are apparently Russian prisoners in the knees during an operation in the Kharkiv region. Asked about the video, a senior presidential advisor, Oleksiy Arestovych, said: “The government is taking this very seriously, and there will be an immediate investigation. We are a European army, and we do not mock our prisoners. If this turns out to be real, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior.” CNN is not showing the video.

Putin eyeing “Korean scenario”: Ukraine’s military intelligence head said Putin could be looking to carve Ukraine in two – like North and South Korea. Brig. Gen. Kyrylo?Budanov said Russia’s operations around Kyiv had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government. Putin’s war was now focused on the south and the east of the country, he said.?”[Russian forces] will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks with members of independent Russian media via video on Sunday.

Ukraine is ready to accept a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday in?an interview?with Russian independent journalists.

Zelensky told the journalists that, “this was the first point of principle for the Russian Federation, as I recall. And as far as I remember, they started the war because of this.”?

Any agreement would have to be put to the Ukrainian people in a?referendum, he said. But Zelensky once again stressed his desire to reach a concrete peace agreement.

Zelenksy also said, “the issues of Donbas and Crimea must be discussed and solved” in peace talks.

Some context:?Zelensky’s comments come as the Turkish presidency said the?next round of talks?between Russian and Ukrainian delegates will be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Tuesday.

Earlier, Zelensky told the Russian journalists he would?refuse to sit down?with Russia’s negotiators if they seek to solely discuss the “denazification” of Ukraine. He said Ukraine will not discuss the terms “denazification” and “demilitarization” at all during talks with Russia.?

A Ukrainian flag torn by fragments after Russian shelling flutter in Mykolaiv, a key city on the road to Odessa, Ukraine's biggest port on March 27.

Peace and the restoration of normal life are the “obvious” goals of Ukraine as the country enters into a new round of talks with Russia next week, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.?

Speaking in a video message posted to social media, Zelensky said as a new round of face-to-face negotiations kick off Tuesday in Istanbul, Ukraine is looking for peace “without delay.”

“Our priorities in the negotiations are known,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory. Our goal is obvious: peace and the restoration of normal life in our native state as soon as possible.”

During a Sunday call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the need for ceasefire in Ukraine “and peace between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible,” according to the Turkish presidency.

Russian forces continued missile strikes across Ukraine Sunday evening, according to Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky.

He mentioned the cities of Lutsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and?Rivne in a Twitter post.

“More and more missiles every day. Mariupol under the ‘carpet’ bombing,”?he said.

“Russia no longer has a language, humanism, civilization. Only missiles, bombs and attempts to wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth,” he said.

President Joe Biden addresses media representatives in Brussels on March 24.

US President Joe Biden told reporters Sunday he was not calling for regime change in Russia in?his off-the-cuff remarks?a day earlier.

“No,” Biden said, in response to a shouted question from a reporter in the press pool?asking if he was calling for regime change.

The question stemmed from Biden’s comment Saturday at the conclusion of an address delivered outside the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland.

“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Other Biden administration officials have sought to walk back and clarify Biden’s comment.

“The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region,” a?White House official said. “He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”

The next round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Tuesday, according to the Turkish presidency.

A statement from the?Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate said during a phone call on Sunday that Turkish President?Recep Tayyip Erdogan?and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “agreed that the next meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will be held in Istanbul.”

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told CNN International Anchor Becky Anderson on Sunday that the talks will take place Tuesday.?

However, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia?said earlier that the meeting would take place Monday. Previous negotiations have yielded little result.

Erdogan and Putin discussed the “latest situation in the Russia-Ukraine war” and the negotiation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, according to the Turkish Presidency readout of the call.

Video has surfaced showing what appear to be Ukrainian soldiers shooting men who are apparently Russian prisoners in the knees during an operation in the Kharkiv region.

On the almost six-minute-long video, the Ukrainian soldiers are heard saying they have captured a Russian reconnaissance group operating from Olkhovka, a settlement in Kharkiv roughly 20 miles from the Russian border.

Asked about the video, a senior presidential advisor, Oleksiy Arestovych, said in an interview posted on YouTube Sunday: “The government is taking this very seriously, and there will be an immediate investigation. We are a European army, and we do not mock our prisoners. If this turns out to be real, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior.”

In a separate briefing, Arestovych said, “We treat prisoners in accordance with the Geneva Convention, whatever your personal emotional motives.”

CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for comment. In response, the ministry sent CNN a statement from the Armed Forces chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The statement did not refer directly to the incident, but said, “In order to discredit Ukraine’s defense forces, the enemy films and distributes staged videos showing inhuman treatment by alleged ‘Ukrainian soldiers’ of ‘Russian prisoners.’?

It’s unclear which Ukrainian unit may have been involved. The soldiers speak in a mixture of Ukrainian and Russian with Ukrainian accents.

The video comes as Ukrainian forces make gains east and south of Kharkiv. CNN geolocated and verified a long video uploaded on a Telegram Saturday showing a successful assault by Ukrainian troops of the Azov Battalion, in which they took a number of Russian prisoners in a rapid assault on Olkhovka, also known as Vilkhivka.

Some of the prisoners were stripped and blindfolded.

That video was posted by Konstantin Nemichev, a Kharkiv regional official who took part in the attack on Olkhovka. He told CNN he was not associated with the footage that emerged showing Ukrainian troops kneecapping Russian prisoners.

“This is not our location … I have not seen such a location,” he told CNN on Sunday.

He suggested the video was shot “maybe somewhere in the [Kharkiv] region.”

In the first response from Russian authorities, the chairman of the investigative committee of the Russian Federation, A.I. Bastrykin, said an investigation would be launched “to establish all the circumstances of the ill-treatment of captured soldiers by Ukrainian nationalists.”

CNN is not showing the video.

Ukraine’s military intelligence head says Russian President Vladimir Putin could be looking to carve Ukraine in two – like North and South Korea.?

Brig. Gen. Kyrylo?Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency,?said Russia’s operations around Kyiv had failed and it was now impossible for the Russian army to overthrow the Ukrainian government. Putin’s war was now focused on the south and the east of the country, he said.?

“There is reason to believe that he is considering a ‘Korean’ scenario for Ukraine. That is, [Russian forces] will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country. In fact, it is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine.”?

Budanov?said Russia remained intent on establishing a land corridor from the Russian border to Crimea, and said he expected to see an attempt to unite Russian-occupied territories into a single entity.?

“We are already seeing attempts to create “parallel” authorities in the occupied territories and to force people to give up [the Ukrainian] currency,”?Budanov?said, adding that he expected Ukrainians to resist Russia’s political efforts.?