Ukraine: What happened today, Thursday, March 31?
A Ukrainian serviceman takes a selfie photograph standing on a destroyed Russian tank after Ukrainian forces overran a Russian position outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Russia's President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to halt contracts supplying Europe with a third of its gas unless they are paid in roubles, his strongest economic riposte so far to crushing Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine.
The continent's biggest recipient of Russian gas, Germany, called the ultimatum for Friday "blackmail".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s forces are preparing for Russia to mount a new offensive in the south-east region of Donbas as Russian forces continued shelling the strategically important Ukrainian city of Chernihiv despite promises to scale back operations.
The Russian defence ministry said it would open a humanitarian corridor from the besieged city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia on Friday, Tass news agency reported.
There seems little faith in Russia and Ukraine will resolve the conflict soon, particularly after the Russian military’s U-turn and its most recent attacks.
Around Kyiv, Russian forces continue to hold positions to the east and west “despite the withdrawal of a limited number of units”, meaning “heavy fighting will likely take place in the suburbs of the city in coming days”.
In Mariupol, the southern port which has been a key target for Moscow’s forces, “heavy fighting continues”, however, the centre of the city remains under Ukrainian control.
The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Russia, targeting the technology sector, a sanctions evasion network and what it called "malicious cyber actors".
Meanwhile, talks between Ukraine and Russia are set to resume Friday by video, according to the head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamia.
- Russians ‘leaving Chernobyl after radiation exposure’.
- Kremlin demands roubles for gas, but leaves currency loophole.
- US targets Russia's technology sector in fresh sanctions.
- Ukrainian refugees encouraged to find jobs as war exodus slows.
- Human traffickers preying on refugees at Ukraine borders.
- Ukraine economy 'to shrink by 20% this year before bouncing back' if ceasefire struck soon.
- Russian forces continue to shell Chernihiv despite pledge to scale back, according to UK intelligence.
Russian forces have continued shelling the strategically important Ukrainian city of Chernihiv despite promises to scale back operations.
UK defence intelligence analysts also believe only a “limited number” of units have withdrawn from around Kyiv following Russia’s announcement at talks in Istanbul on Tuesday that it would reduce military activity near the capital and Chernihiv.
Civilians trapped in besieged cities have shouldered some of the worst suffering, though both sides said on Thursday that they would attempt another evacuation from the port city of Mariupol.
Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in Mariupol, the mayor's office estimates, and about 170,000 people remain trapped amid ruins without food, heat, power or running water.
Many more have fled Mariupol has been targeted in an apparent attempt by Russia to create a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, and pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. It calls its actions a "special operation."
Russian bombardment of areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv and intensified attacks elsewhere in the country further undermined hopes for progress toward ending the bloody conflict.
At the borders, human traffickers are preying on women and children fleeing Ukraine.
A national communications officer with the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) mission in Ukraine said they were extremely concerned about human trafficking.
President Joe Biden is ordering the release of one million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months, the White House said.
The move is a bid to control energy prices that have spiked after the United States and allies imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian troops began leaving the Chernobyl nuclear plant after soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the highly contaminated site, Ukraine’s state power company said.
Energoatom, the company, gave no immediate details on the condition of the troops or how many were affected.
But it said the Russians had dug in in the forest inside the exclusion zone around the now-closed plant, the site in 1986 of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
Micheál Martin said the war on Ukraine has generated an extraordinary response from the Irish people.
There is no limit to the number of Ukrainian refugees Ireland will take in as we are part of a Europe-wide protective measure, but Mr Martin acknowledged that it was the largest crisis the country had ever responded to in terms of refugees.
It comes after Tánaiste Leo Varadkar suggested Fine Gael members should come out in opposition of the triple-lock system of sending Irish troops abroad.
Speaking at a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday evening, Mr Varadkar said the party should take a separate stance on the neutrality mechanism to coalition partners in a bid to differentiate itself from Fianna Fáil and the Green Party.
The triple lock ensures troops are not sent on peacekeeping missions without the approval of the UN Security Council, Government and the Dáil.
Asked about Mr Varadkar's comments, Ms McEntee said: "I think the Tánaiste and my own party has been clear in particular in recent times with what's happening in Ukraine, we need to have further discussions on our Defence Forces capability and around the security of this country."
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