20,000 flee Mariupol along humanitarian corridor asEU leaders visit Kyiv

The UN said close to 700 civilians in Ukraine have been confirmed killed, but the true figure is probably much higher

A firefighter walks outside a destroyed apartment building after a bombing in a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Russia’s offensive in Ukraine has edged closer to central Kyiv with a series of strikes hitting a residential neighborhood as the leaders of three European Union member countries planned a visit to Ukraine’s embattled capital. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Russia has stepped up its bombardment of Kyiv, smashing apartments and a subway station, while 20,000 people fled Mariupol along a humanitarian corridor in what was believed to be the biggest evacuation yet from the besieged port.

On the diplomatic front, talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives have become “more constructive”, according to Kyiv, and the leaders of three European Union countries — including Poland, a Nato member on Ukraine’s doorstep — visited the embattled capital in a bold show of support.