Russia-Ukraine war live: Zelenskiy calls for further sanctions and more weapons after latest strikes | Ukraine

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who visited Ukraine last week, said IAEA monitors reported massive explosions near the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine on Thursday and renewed calls for a security zone around the plant.

But Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the head of Rosenergoatom, the company that operates Russian nuclear power plants, called the comments unfounded and called them a “provocation.”

In the past, Russia has responded to Ukrainian advances with massive airstrikes that have left millions of people without electricity, heat or water.

On Thursday, he appeared to be following that pattern. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russian attacks are targeting power plants.

“Today I held an emergency meeting on the energy situation – about the emerging outages and repairs after the terrorist strikes. Repair teams are working at these facilities,” Zelensky said on Thursday.

The Kremlin has said it sees the promised delivery of Western tanks as evidence of the growing “direct involvement” of the United States and Europe in the 11-month war, which both deny.

In his late-night address in the wake of Thursday’s deadly missile strikes, Zelenskiy called for further sanctions on Russia and on allies to supply Ukraine with more weapons.

Ukrainian civilians fled for cover on Thursday as Russia bombarded the country with rockets and drones, killing at least 11 people, a day after Kyiv received a pledge to provide tanks on the battlefield to fight Moscow’s incursion from Western countries. .

Zelenskiy said:

This Russian aggression can and should be stopped only by adequate weapons. A terrorist state will not understand anything else. Weapons on the battlefield. A weapon that defends our sky.

New sanctions against Russia, i.e. political and economic weapons. And legal weapons – we need to work even harder to create a tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Hello and welcome to the Guardian live on the war in Ukraine. My name is Helen Sullivan and I will update you with the latest news as it becomes available.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for further sanctions against Russia and more weapons for Ukraine after Russian strikes on Thursday killed 11 people and injured 11.

We will soon get more information from Zelensky’s latest address. In the meantime, here are other key recent developments:

• Ukrainian civilians fled for cover Thursday as Russia fired rockets and drones into the country, killing at least 11 people.the day after Kyiv received promises to supply battle tanks to fight Moscow’s incursion from Western countries.

• Ukrainian skeletonist Vladislav Geraskevich on Thursday criticized the International Olympic Committee. for considering the possibility of returning Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions.

• The Ministry of Finance of Russia proposed to cancel liquidity restrictions for spending on “anti-crisis” investments from the National Welfare Fund (NWF). referring to the need to support key sectors in difficult geopolitical conditions.

• The UK hopes that the Challenger 2 tanks it supplies to Ukraine will arrive in the country at the end of March. defense minister Alex Mel said Thursday.

• Russian authorities designated independent news outlet Meduza as an “undesirable organization” on Thursday. effectively banning the site from working in Russia and banning any Russian from collaborating with Meduza or its journalists.

• Foreign exchange reserves of the Central Bank of Ukraine at the end of January will amount to about 30 billion dollars. This was announced to journalists on Thursday by Deputy Governor Yuri Gelety, Reuters reports.

• The arrest of a high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence agent accused of spying for Russia has highlighted the urgent need to clean up a key country. security service, This was announced by the former deputy head of the department.