Zelensky’s office said on the Telegram app that the Ukrainian delegation included Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and other key officials, including a close adviser to the president and the deputy foreign minister. “The key issue of the negotiations is an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky’s office said. Zelensky said Sunday night that he was not optimistic about the negotiations.
The Kremlin had said it was willing to talk — on the condition that Ukraine “demilitarize and denazify,” making it clear it expected Ukraine’s capitulation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the supply of weapons pouring into Ukraine from Western countries was “extremely dangerous and destabilizing” and not conducive to restoring order in the country.
Belarus is preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine in support of the Russian invasion as soon as Monday, a U.S. official said, in a move that increases tensions. “It’s very clear Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin,” said the U.S. administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive security development.
Earlier Sunday, Russian forces pushed into Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, but it remains under Ukrainian control. According to the Pentagon, Russia is facing more resistance in the capital, Kyiv, than it was expecting. Russian forces remained about 19 miles to the north of Kyiv, according to the British government. Russian troops have moved into Ukraine from the north, south and east.
UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
Ukraine holds off Russian advances toward major cities for another night
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces continued to stymie Russia’s advance toward major cities Monday, allowing local governments to resume some level of normal activity, at least temporarily. Russian forces remained about 19 miles north of Kyiv, according to the British government. Ukrainian forces have managed to hold on to the airfield at Hostomel, a key strategic priority for the Russian advance.
The British Defense Ministry said heavy fighting continued around the cities of Kharkiv and Chernihiv but that both cities remained in Ukrainian hands. It credited “staunch Ukrainian resistance” for the slow pace of the Russian campaign, which had been predicted to take the capital within days.
Ukrainian officials hailed their success so far but said they expect the fight to continue, as delegations from Ukraine and Russia prepared to meet in Belarus. “The Russian occupiers have reduced the pace of the offensive but are still trying to develop success in some areas in the offensive against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.
Kyiv’s municipal government reported a relatively calm night Sunday and early Monday, with the exception of isolated skirmishes that it blamed on Russian “sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”
The city advised residents to stay home unless they urgently need to buy food or visit a pharmacy, but it also said grocery stores and the transit system would open for business Monday. Trains were running about every 40 minutes on Kyiv’s main subway line. Two other lines remained largely shuttered.
Kyiv streets remained largely empty Monday, but some civilians who had spent the last 36 hours indoors seized the chance to venture outside. Long lines stretched down the blocks surrounding pharmacies, grocery stores and kiosks selling cigarettes as civilians tried to stock up on supplies. More than 150 lined up for bread at one location.
Shortly after noon, an air raid siren went off downtown, forcing pedestrians to shelter in a parking garage that has been converted into a bunker equipped with makeshift beds set up for residents living nearby.
Men with yellow armbands marking them as members of Kyiv’s territorial defense force patrolled outside key buildings, holding AK-47 assault rifles. Nearby, two women in running gear jogged through a normally busy area, their Jack Russell terrier skipping behind them.
Officials warned residents heading out that they would find a city getting on its war footing. “You’ll see fortifications, tank traps, and other defensive structures that have appeared on the streets of Kyiv,” the statement said.
Residents continued to leave major population centers for safer locations in the western parts of Ukraine or in neighboring countries. In Kyiv, officials have set up a humanitarian relief center in the central rail station to facilitate crowds boarding trains and offering assistance to those staying. The center, staffed by more than 60 volunteers who speak multiple languages, features two warming centers, a field kitchen and psychological counseling, according to Ukrainian media.
In Kharkiv, there were long lines at grocery stores Monday morning, with dozens of people waiting to enter one store. But few cars or pedestrians were to be seen, as artillery explosions could be heard close to downtown. Vehicles leaving the city were moving smoothly, although some drivers were speeding and seemed to be near panic. One man was heard yelling at other drivers to go faster.
Military checkpoints have been set up on main routes, where the evidence of recent shelling was obvious. Ukrainian militias also patrolled in the area. At one gas station, armed fighters surrounded and pointed their weapons at a car carrying foreign journalists. After a few tense moments, they allowed to group to drive on.
Khurshudyan reported from Kharkiv, Ukraine, and Hendrix from Jerusalem. David L. Stern in Mukachevo, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
500,000 have fled Ukraine, U.N. refugee agency says
More than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine, the United Nations refugee agency said Monday.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi tweeted that a half-million people have fled into neighboring countries.
Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said during the opening session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that 102 civilians have been reported killed in the conflict but that she feared the real death toll was “considerably higher.”
“Most of these civilians were killed by explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems and airstrikes,” she said.
In opening remarks, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Yevheniia Filipenko, said Russia’s invasion was “unprovoked and unjustified.”
“It was not just an attack on Ukraine, it was an attack on every U.N. member state, on the United Nations and on the principles that this organization was created to defend,” Filipenko said.
During Monday’s meeting, Ukraine urgently called for an emergency debate on the crisis later this week, a motion that passed with 29 votes in favor (including the United States), five against (including Russia and China) and 13 abstentions.
Russia’s central bank doubles key interest rate after West steps up sanctions
MOSCOW — Russia’s central bank raised its key interest rate from 9.5 percent to 20 percent on Monday, a significant hike designed to shore up the ruble as Western countries expand sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
The ruble fell nearly 30 percent in early Asian trading, trading as low as 119 per U.S. dollar.
In a statement, the Bank of Russia said the hike, one of the largest one-time increases in recent memory, was due to a drastic change in “external conditions for the Russian economy.”
Outpouring of support for Ukraine in Japan and other Asian countries
SEOUL — In the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the most severe nuclear accident since Chernobyl, Japan turned to Ukraine for its long expertise with radiation monitoring and coping with unthinkable tragedy. And now, Japanese residents are reciprocating with an outpouring of support in the form of protests and donations.
This weekend, as the Japanese government dramatically ramped up sanctions on Russia in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, the Japanese people responded, too. With the help of Japanese social media influencers and celebrities spreading news about Ukraine and calls for action going viral on social media, Japanese residents have shown up for Ukrainians in droves.
Solidarity for Ukraine could be found in many Asian countries, with symbolic protests in several capitals and Singapore and South Korea joining the sanctions against Russia. People in Myanmar and Hong Kong also recognized the Ukrainians’ struggle as similar to their own fight against oppression.
High-stakes talks on Ukraine crisis to begin in southern Belarus
MOSCOW — As casualties in Russia’s invasion mounted and tensions between the Kremlin and NATO escalated dangerously, Russian and Ukrainian delegations were due to hold talks Monday in southern Belarus near the Ukrainian border, according to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky’s office said on the Telegram app that his delegation includes Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, a close adviser to the president and the deputy foreign minister. “The key issue of the negotiations is an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky’s office said.
The Kremlin said it was willing to talk — on the condition that Ukraine “demilitarize and denazify,” making it clear it expected Ukraine’s capitulation. A Russian delegation member, lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, said Sunday that Russia was “quite uncompromising in our position” and expected swift agreement from Ukraine.
Along with accepting the loss of the eastern Donbas region, recognized as two independent states by Russian President Vladimir Putin a week ago, Putin has demanded that Ukraine end its hopes of joining NATO, remove all its weapons and recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
The planned start of the talks was delayed several times for logistical reasons related to the travel of the Ukrainian delegation, according to the leader of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky. The Ukrainian delegation was flying to the talks on a helicopter provided by Poland, according to Belarusian state news agency BelTA. “We are interested in reaching some kind of agreement as soon as possible,” Medinsky said.
A day earlier, Zelensky expressed pessimism about the talks, saying he did “not really believe in the outcome of this meeting.” But he said it was important that, as president, he tried to stop the war.
The talks are being held as Russia’s ruble is crashing and uncertainty is growing about the rapidly unfolding impact on its economy. Putin cited Western sanctions and “aggressive” statements Sunday when he put his nuclear forces on alert.
Zelensky asks to join the European Union
Ukraine has asked to join the European Union under a special procedure, according to a video message posted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.
“We appeal to the European Union for the urgent accession of Ukraine [under] a new special procedure,” he says in the video.
“We are grateful to our partners for being with us,” he continued. “But our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing. I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure we earned it. I’m sure it’s possible.”
In recent days, the 27-member bloc has made dramatic moves to back Ukraine and isolate Russia, including financing the sale and delivery of weapons to Kyiv, blocking Russian planes from E.U. skies and tough economic measures.
In an interview with Euronews on Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen again voiced support, saying Ukraine is “one of us and we want them in the European Union.”
However, von der Leyen did not offer details on if or how Ukraine might join — nor have other senior officials.
Why Kharkiv, a city known for its poets, has become a key battleground in Ukraine
KHARKIV, Ukraine — For Ukrainians, Kharkiv is a city known for poetry, art, trade, industry, scientific discovery — and now as a linchpin in the fight for Ukraine’s future.
A mere 25 miles from Russia, Ukraine’s second-largest city has faced some of the fiercest battles since Russian troops, tanks and warplanes pushed across the border Thursday. In the fog of war, there is no official casualty count for Kharkiv, where playgrounds and apartment buildings have been hit.
Russian forces briefly took control Sunday of the city of 1.5 million people, only to be expelled by Ukrainian fighters hours later in what has been an unexpectedly strong show of resistance marking the initial phase of Russia’s invasion.
But Moscow is unlikely to abandon its assault on Kharkiv, a predominantly Russian-speaking city that has become central to Russia’s advance beyond the east, especially as it faces setbacks in taking the capital, Kyiv.
South Korea tightens export controls against Russia, joins SWIFT ban
SEOUL — South Korea is tightening export controls against Russia as part of international moves to impose economic costs on the country over Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday said the country is banning exports of strategic items while reviewing possible measures for nonstrategic items. Seoul will also join in blocking Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system, the ministry said, along with the United States, Europe and Japan.
“The South Korean government condemned Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine and, as a responsible member of the international community, decided to actively participate in the international community’s efforts including economic sanctions in order for a peaceful resolution of the situation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Korean government will pursue the additional release of its strategic oil reserves to address disruptions in international energy markets, according to the statement.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday told his aides to “participate in international sanctions against Russia while arranging firm solutions to possible problems that emerge due to the sanctions,” according to spokesman Park Kyung-mi. Moon also called on aides to take steps to boost humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
‘A pretty tricky day to celebrate’: At the SAG Awards, celebrities share support for Ukraine
At the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night, celebrities from Lady Gaga to Ariana DeBose shared support for Ukraine, while Andrew Garfield noted it was “a pretty tricky day to celebrate.”
“It’s weird, it’s definitely odd that we are dressing up in this moment,” he told Laverne Cox, host of E!’s red carpet, adding that everyone was “keeping what’s happening in Ukraine in our hearts.”
Cox, who started the pre-show by saying she was praying for the safety of “our friends in Ukraine,” agreed. “Hopefully this can be an escape, too; hopefully our work and our art can be an escape for people in these very trying times,” she said. Elsewhere, Tyler Perry and Michael Douglas attached blue and yellow ribbons to their suits to show solidarity with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and Lisa Ann Walter wore blue and yellow flowers on her dress.
After the show began, Brian Cox took the microphone when “Succession” won for best ensemble in a drama series, and he praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “wonderful comic performer.” (Zelensky was a comic actor before he became president.) Cox urged the Hollywood stars to support Russian actors who are against the invasion and face consequences for speaking up. “They are told under pain of high treason that they cannot say a word about Ukraine, and I think that is pretty awful,” he said. “And I think we should all stand together.”
Michael Keaton also called out Zelensky in his acceptance speech for “Dopesick”: “I will tell you, we have a fellow actor in Zelensky who deserves some credit tonight for fighting the fight.”
U.S. rushes to arm Ukraine, but for years it stalled on providing weapons
The current rush by the West to send weapons to Ukraine is in stark contrast to years of hesitancy that often had as much to do with domestic U.S. and allied politics, and concerns about their own relations with Moscow, than with an assessment of the Russian threat to Ukraine.
Russia’s launch last week of a full-scale invasion, with land, air and sea attacks on Ukrainian cities and military installations, has been met with what U.S. officials have described as a surprisingly robust defense. Officials in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, claim they have destroyed hundreds of Russian vehicles, including an entire column of T-72 tanks in the northeast Ukrainian town of Glukhov, near the Russian border.
Ukraine has pleaded for more help, including additional Javelin antitank weapons, and Stinger antiaircraft missiles. The Kremlin has gone “beyond all bounds and crossed all the red lines,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov beseeched Congress last week on YouTube. “It is not going to stop if we will not stop it.”
President Biden has authorized nearly $1 billion in military assistance over the past year for Ukraine, including $350 million in weapons such as antitank and antiaircraft missiles last week, and $200 million in drawdowns from U.S. arms stocks approved in December.
While the administration has moved quickly since Russian troops began massing on the border in December, its response was sluggish to earlier Russian deployments in April. Before the Russians finally moved into Ukraine in force on Thursday, Republican lawmakers and pundits accused Biden of appeasement in trying to secure a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Russia would never have dared to invade, several charged, if Biden hadn’t shown weakness by withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Financial hub Singapore, in rare move, imposes sanctions on Russia
Singapore will join the United States and the European Union in imposing “appropriate sanctions and restrictions” on Russia, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament on Monday — a rare move for the financial center that for years has been a hub for global private wealth.
The city-state is also a major producer of semiconductors and technology upon which Russia relies.
The move came as Singapore Airlines announced it would suspend flights to and from Moscow until further notice for undefined “operational reasons.” The ban will affect two flights.
Balakrishnan told lawmakers that the Southeast Asian nation “intends to act in concert with many other like-minded countries to impose appropriate sanctions and restrictions against Russia.” Singapore, he noted, was one of the co-sponsors of a draft U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which was vetoed by Russia.
Bilahari Kausikan, a former Singaporean ambassador to Russia, said the latest measures marked one of the first occasions since 1978 that Singapore has imposed sanctions without Security Council endorsement.
The specifics will be announced at a later date but will include export controls on items that can be used to aid in war against Ukraine, as well as restrictions on certain Russian banks and transactions, the foreign minister said.
Singapore is among the few countries in Southeast Asia that quickly and decisively condemned the Russian invasion. Only two, Singapore and Timor-Leste, were among the co-sponsors of the Security Council resolution that was vetoed by Russia. Ukraine’s ambassador to Singapore said earlier that the two countries were “on the same page” when it came to protecting international order.
Balakrishnan acknowledged the measures will have “some cost and implications” on Singaporean businesses.
Singapore has refrained from imposing sanctions on other human rights violators around the world, including its regional neighbor Myanmar, which was slapped with punishing Western sanctions in the wake of a military coup last year.
“However, unless we as a country stand up for principles that are the very foundation for the independence and sovereignty of smaller nations, our own right to exist and prosper as a nation may similarly be called into question one day,” Balakrishnan added.
Analysis: Putin’s invasion of Ukraine could be backfiring
Even as he puts his nuclear forces on high alert and his troops close in on Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reason to worry: His war on Ukraine appears to be backfiring.
Unmasked as an unpredictable, even existential threat in the view of governments around the world, Putin has emerged as a dangerous symbol of tyranny, stoking the biggest European defense reassessment in decades. A reinvigorated NATO is emerging. Resurgent Western unity — wounded under former president Donald Trump — has enabled sanctions on Moscow that are some of the harshest ever imposed. With Germany suddenly off the fence in what is shaping up to be a historic realignment against Moscow, Putin faces new, as opposed to neutralized, security challenges in Russia’s backyard.
Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has called Putin his “best friend,” welcomed him to Beijing. But reportedly taken aback by the speed, scope and force of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Beijing is proving a more reluctant ally than Putin might have hoped, with Xi urging Putin to settle the conflict at the negotiating table. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine will meet near the Belarus border for their first talks since Russia launched its invasion Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Putin’s supportive oligarchs live in a shrinking world — their foreign mansions, super yachts and billions under threat of seizure. “Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft” are banned from E.U. airspace. Amid stirring images of the Russian bombardment — and the rise of Zelensky as a global cause celebre — foreign leaders who had cozied up to Putin before the invasion are suffering repercussions at home.
With Russian nuclear forces on alert, Ukraine crisis enters more dangerous phase
President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put Russian nuclear forces on alert thrust the crisis over Ukraine into a more volatile phase on Sunday, fueling the potential for deadly miscalculation as the West’s campaign of economic reprisal increases the chances the Russian leader could see his survival and that of the Russian state at risk.
U.S. officials were scrambling in the hours following Putin’s order, issued as Russian troops face stiff resistance in the fourth day of their invasion of Ukraine, to decode what the enigmatic leader’s decision meant in practice. Experts said it was the first time the Kremlin, which has the world’s biggest nuclear stockpile, had made such an announcement since the Russian Federation was established in 1991.
Putin described the move as a response to what he called “aggressive statements” from the West and its escalating package of economic retaliation. The sanctions, including new steps unveiled Saturday that would cut off Russia’s financial institutions from the global economy and cripple its central bank, have already sent the ruble tumbling to a record low, raising questions about how Russia’s economy can hold on.
Biden administration officials condemned Putin’s order as a warning over Ukraine, where Putin has depicted his invasion as a security imperative rather than a signal of his intent to employ a nuclear device. They noted that Russia, just last month, was one of the nations signed on to a declaration saying that atomic war could not be won and should never be fought.
“This is just an attempt, an escalatory attempt, to justify further action on their part,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC. “We have the ability, of course, to defend ourselves, as does NATO. But I think we all need to be very clear-eyed and call this out for what it is.”
Facebook, Twitter contended with service disruptions in Russia throughout the weekend
Facebook’s services, which include WhatsApp and Instagram, continued to be blocked or slowed down over the weekend in Russia, causing users there to switch to Telegram, according to reports by locals.
Netblocks, a civil society group that monitors Internet traffic worldwide, reported late Sunday that Facebook’s content servers have been severely restricted by Russian Internet providers, making it so that content either no longer loads or loads extremely slowly, the group said. People can use special software to bypass some of the restrictions, Netblocks said, but most people do not have access to such software.
Twitter’s services were also restricted, Netblocks said.
Facebook’s president for global affairs, Nick Clegg, tweeted Sunday that the Russian government was already “throttling our platform” to prevent people from using the company’s services to “protest and organize against the war and as a source of independent information.”
Zelensky’s office said on the Telegram app that the Ukrainian delegation included Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and other key officials, including a close adviser to the president and the deputy foreign minister. “The key issue of the negotiations is an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky’s office said. Zelensky said Sunday night that he was not optimistic about the negotiations.The Kremlin had said it was willing to talk — on the condition that Ukraine “demilitarize and denazify,” making it clear it expected Ukraine’s capitulation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the supply of weapons pouring into Ukraine from Western countries was “extremely dangerous and destabilizing” and not conducive to restoring order in the country.Belarus is preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine in support of the Russian invasion as soon as Monday, a U.S. official said, in a move that increases tensions. “It’s very clear Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin,” said the U.S. administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive security development.Earlier Sunday, Russian forces pushed into Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, but it remains under Ukrainian control. According to the Pentagon, Russia is facing more resistance in the capital, Kyiv, than it was expecting. Russian forces remained about 19 miles to the north of Kyiv, according to the British government. Russian troops have moved into Ukraine from the north, south and east.UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICTUkraine holds off Russian advances toward major cities for another nightReturn to menuKYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces continued to stymie Russia’s advance toward major cities Monday, allowing local governments to resume some level of normal activity, at least temporarily. Russian forces remained about 19 miles north of Kyiv, according to the British government. Ukrainian forces have managed to hold on to the airfield at Hostomel, a key strategic priority for the Russian advance.The British Defense Ministry said heavy fighting continued around the cities of Kharkiv and Chernihiv but that both cities remained in Ukrainian hands. It credited “staunch Ukrainian resistance” for the slow pace of the Russian campaign, which had been predicted to take the capital within days.Ukrainian officials hailed their success so far but said they expect the fight to continue, as delegations from Ukraine and Russia prepared to meet in Belarus. “The Russian occupiers have reduced the pace of the offensive but are still trying to develop success in some areas in the offensive against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.Kyiv’s municipal government reported a relatively calm night Sunday and early Monday, with the exception of isolated skirmishes that it blamed on Russian “sabotage and reconnaissance groups.”The city advised residents to stay home unless they urgently need to buy food or visit a pharmacy, but it also said grocery stores and the transit system would open for business Monday. Trains were running about every 40 minutes on Kyiv’s main subway line. Two other lines remained largely shuttered.Kyiv streets remained largely empty Monday, but some civilians who had spent the last 36 hours indoors seized the chance to venture outside. Long lines stretched down the blocks surrounding pharmacies, grocery stores and kiosks selling cigarettes as civilians tried to stock up on supplies. More than 150 lined up for bread at one location.Shortly after noon, an air raid siren went off downtown, forcing pedestrians to shelter in a parking garage that has been converted into a bunker equipped with makeshift beds set up for residents living nearby.Men with yellow armbands marking them as members of Kyiv’s territorial defense force patrolled outside key buildings, holding AK-47 assault rifles. Nearby, two women in running gear jogged through a normally busy area, their Jack Russell terrier skipping behind them.Officials warned residents heading out that they would find a city getting on its war footing. “You’ll see fortifications, tank traps, and other defensive structures that have appeared on the streets of Kyiv,” the statement said.Residents continued to leave major population centers for safer locations in the western parts of Ukraine or in neighboring countries. In Kyiv, officials have set up a humanitarian relief center in the central rail station to facilitate crowds boarding trains and offering assistance to those staying. The center, staffed by more than 60 volunteers who speak multiple languages, features two warming centers, a field kitchen and psychological counseling, according to Ukrainian media.In Kharkiv, there were long lines at grocery stores Monday morning, with dozens of people waiting to enter one store. But few cars or pedestrians were to be seen, as artillery explosions could be heard close to downtown. Vehicles leaving the city were moving smoothly, although some drivers were speeding and seemed to be near panic. One man was heard yelling at other drivers to go faster.Military checkpoints have been set up on main routes, where the evidence of recent shelling was obvious. Ukrainian militias also patrolled in the area. At one gas station, armed fighters surrounded and pointed their weapons at a car carrying foreign journalists. After a few tense moments, they allowed to group to drive on.Khurshudyan reported from Kharkiv, Ukraine, and Hendrix from Jerusalem. David L. Stern in Mukachevo, Ukraine, contributed to this report.Updates continue below advertisement500,000 have fled Ukraine, U.N. refugee agency says Return to menuMore than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine, the United Nations refugee agency said Monday. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi tweeted that a half-million people have fled into neighboring countries.Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said during the opening session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that 102 civilians have been reported killed in the conflict but that she feared the real death toll was “considerably higher.”“Most of these civilians were killed by explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems and airstrikes,” she said.In opening remarks, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Yevheniia Filipenko, said Russia’s invasion was “unprovoked and unjustified.”“It was not just an attack on Ukraine, it was an attack on every U.N. member state, on the United Nations and on the principles that this organization was created to defend,” Filipenko said.During Monday’s meeting, Ukraine urgently called for an emergency debate on the crisis later this week, a motion that passed with 29 votes in favor (including the United States), five against (including Russia and China) and 13 abstentions.Updates continue below advertisementRussia’s central bank doubles key interest rate after West steps up sanctionsReturn to menuMOSCOW — Russia’s central bank raised its key interest rate from 9.5 percent to 20 percent on Monday, a significant hike designed to shore up the ruble as Western countries expand sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.The ruble fell nearly 30 percent in early Asian trading, trading as low as 119 per U.S. dollar.In a statement, the Bank of Russia said the hike, one of the largest one-time increases in recent memory, was due to a drastic change in “external conditions for the Russian economy.”Updates continue below advertisementOutpouring of support for Ukraine in Japan and other Asian countriesReturn to menuSEOUL — In the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the most severe nuclear accident since Chernobyl, Japan turned to Ukraine for its long expertise with radiation monitoring and coping with unthinkable tragedy. And now, Japanese residents are reciprocating with an outpouring of support in the form of protests and donations.This weekend, as the Japanese government dramatically ramped up sanctions on Russia in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, the Japanese people responded, too. With the help of Japanese social media influencers and celebrities spreading news about Ukraine and calls for action going viral on social media, Japanese residents have shown up for Ukrainians in droves.Solidarity for Ukraine could be found in many Asian countries, with symbolic protests in several capitals and Singapore and South Korea joining the sanctions against Russia. People in Myanmar and Hong Kong also recognized the Ukrainians’ struggle as similar to their own fight against oppression.Updates continue below advertisementHigh-stakes talks on Ukraine crisis to begin in southern BelarusReturn to menuMOSCOW — As casualties in Russia’s invasion mounted and tensions between the Kremlin and NATO escalated dangerously, Russian and Ukrainian delegations were due to hold talks Monday in southern Belarus near the Ukrainian border, according to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.Zelensky’s office said on the Telegram app that his delegation includes Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, a close adviser to the president and the deputy foreign minister. “The key issue of the negotiations is an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky’s office said. The Kremlin said it was willing to talk — on the condition that Ukraine “demilitarize and denazify,” making it clear it expected Ukraine’s capitulation. A Russian delegation member, lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, said Sunday that Russia was “quite uncompromising in our position” and expected swift agreement from Ukraine.Along with accepting the loss of the eastern Donbas region, recognized as two independent states by Russian President Vladimir Putin a week ago, Putin has demanded that Ukraine end its hopes of joining NATO, remove all its weapons and recognize Crimea as part of Russia.The planned start of the talks was delayed several times for logistical reasons related to the travel of the Ukrainian delegation, according to the leader of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky. The Ukrainian delegation was flying to the talks on a helicopter provided by Poland, according to Belarusian state news agency BelTA. “We are interested in reaching some kind of agreement as soon as possible,” Medinsky said.A day earlier, Zelensky expressed pessimism about the talks, saying he did “not really believe in the outcome of this meeting.” But he said it was important that, as president, he tried to stop the war.The talks are being held as Russia’s ruble is crashing and uncertainty is growing about the rapidly unfolding impact on its economy. Putin cited Western sanctions and “aggressive” statements Sunday when he put his nuclear forces on alert.Updates continue below advertisementZelensky asks to join the European UnionReturn to menuUkraine has asked to join the European Union under a special procedure, according to a video message posted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.“We appeal to the European Union for the urgent accession of Ukraine [under] a new special procedure,” he says in the video.“We are grateful to our partners for being with us,” he continued. “But our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing. I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure we earned it. I’m sure it’s possible.”In recent days, the 27-member bloc has made dramatic moves to back Ukraine and isolate Russia, including financing the sale and delivery of weapons to Kyiv, blocking Russian planes from E.U. skies and tough economic measures.In an interview with Euronews on Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen again voiced support, saying Ukraine is “one of us and we want them in the European Union.”However, von der Leyen did not offer details on if or how Ukraine might join — nor have other senior officials.Updates continue below advertisementWhy Kharkiv, a city known for its poets, has become a key battleground in UkraineReturn to menuKHARKIV, Ukraine — For Ukrainians, Kharkiv is a city known for poetry, art, trade, industry, scientific discovery — and now as a linchpin in the fight for Ukraine’s future.A mere 25 miles from Russia, Ukraine’s second-largest city has faced some of the fiercest battles since Russian troops, tanks and warplanes pushed across the border Thursday. In the fog of war, there is no official casualty count for Kharkiv, where playgrounds and apartment buildings have been hit.Russian forces briefly took control Sunday of the city of 1.5 million people, only to be expelled by Ukrainian fighters hours later in what has been an unexpectedly strong show of resistance marking the initial phase of Russia’s invasion.But Moscow is unlikely to abandon its assault on Kharkiv, a predominantly Russian-speaking city that has become central to Russia’s advance beyond the east, especially as it faces setbacks in taking the capital, Kyiv.Updates continue below advertisementSouth Korea tightens export controls against Russia, joins SWIFT banReturn to menuSEOUL — South Korea is tightening export controls against Russia as part of international moves to impose economic costs on the country over Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday said the country is banning exports of strategic items while reviewing possible measures for nonstrategic items. Seoul will also join in blocking Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system, the ministry said, along with the United States, Europe and Japan.“The South Korean government condemned Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine and, as a responsible member of the international community, decided to actively participate in the international community’s efforts including economic sanctions in order for a peaceful resolution of the situation,” the ministry said in a statement.The Korean government will pursue the additional release of its strategic oil reserves to address disruptions in international energy markets, according to the statement.South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday told his aides to “participate in international sanctions against Russia while arranging firm solutions to possible problems that emerge due to the sanctions,” according to spokesman Park Kyung-mi. Moon also called on aides to take steps to boost humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.Updates continue below advertisement‘A pretty tricky day to celebrate’: At the SAG Awards, celebrities share support for UkraineReturn to menuWhen HBO’s “Succession” won the award for best drama ensemble, Brian Cox used the spotlight to express his support for Ukraine during the SAG Awards on Feb. 27. (The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards)At the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night, celebrities from Lady Gaga to Ariana DeBose shared support for Ukraine, while Andrew Garfield noted it was “a pretty tricky day to celebrate.”“It’s weird, it’s definitely odd that we are dressing up in this moment,” he told Laverne Cox, host of E!’s red carpet, adding that everyone was “keeping what’s happening in Ukraine in our hearts.”Cox, who started the pre-show by saying she was praying for the safety of “our friends in Ukraine,” agreed. “Hopefully this can be an escape, too; hopefully our work and our art can be an escape for people in these very trying times,” she said. Elsewhere, Tyler Perry and Michael Douglas attached blue and yellow ribbons to their suits to show solidarity with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and Lisa Ann Walter wore blue and yellow flowers on her dress.After the show began, Brian Cox took the microphone when “Succession” won for best ensemble in a drama series, and he praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “wonderful comic performer.” (Zelensky was a comic actor before he became president.) Cox urged the Hollywood stars to support Russian actors who are against the invasion and face consequences for speaking up. “They are told under pain of high treason that they cannot say a word about Ukraine, and I think that is pretty awful,” he said. “And I think we should all stand together.”Michael Keaton also called out Zelensky in his acceptance speech for “Dopesick”: “I will tell you, we have a fellow actor in Zelensky who deserves some credit tonight for fighting the fight.”U.S. rushes to arm Ukraine, but for years it stalled on providing weaponsReturn to menuThe current rush by the West to send weapons to Ukraine is in stark contrast to years of hesitancy that often had as much to do with domestic U.S. and allied politics, and concerns about their own relations with Moscow, than with an assessment of the Russian threat to Ukraine.Russia’s launch last week of a full-scale invasion, with land, air and sea attacks on Ukrainian cities and military installations, has been met with what U.S. officials have described as a surprisingly robust defense. Officials in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, claim they have destroyed hundreds of Russian vehicles, including an entire column of T-72 tanks in the northeast Ukrainian town of Glukhov, near the Russian border.Ukraine has pleaded for more help, including additional Javelin antitank weapons, and Stinger antiaircraft missiles. The Kremlin has gone “beyond all bounds and crossed all the red lines,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov beseeched Congress last week on YouTube. “It is not going to stop if we will not stop it.”President Biden has authorized nearly $1 billion in military assistance over the past year for Ukraine, including $350 million in weapons such as antitank and antiaircraft missiles last week, and $200 million in drawdowns from U.S. arms stocks approved in December.While the administration has moved quickly since Russian troops began massing on the border in December, its response was sluggish to earlier Russian deployments in April. Before the Russians finally moved into Ukraine in force on Thursday, Republican lawmakers and pundits accused Biden of appeasement in trying to secure a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Russia would never have dared to invade, several charged, if Biden hadn’t shown weakness by withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan.Financial hub Singapore, in rare move, imposes sanctions on RussiaReturn to menuSingapore will join the United States and the European Union in imposing “appropriate sanctions and restrictions” on Russia, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament on Monday — a rare move for the financial center that for years has been a hub for global private wealth.The city-state is also a major producer of semiconductors and technology upon which Russia relies.The move came as Singapore Airlines announced it would suspend flights to and from Moscow until further notice for undefined “operational reasons.” The ban will affect two flights.Balakrishnan told lawmakers that the Southeast Asian nation “intends to act in concert with many other like-minded countries to impose appropriate sanctions and restrictions against Russia.” Singapore, he noted, was one of the co-sponsors of a draft U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which was vetoed by Russia.Bilahari Kausikan, a former Singaporean ambassador to Russia, said the latest measures marked one of the first occasions since 1978 that Singapore has imposed sanctions without Security Council endorsement.The specifics will be announced at a later date but will include export controls on items that can be used to aid in war against Ukraine, as well as restrictions on certain Russian banks and transactions, the foreign minister said.Singapore is among the few countries in Southeast Asia that quickly and decisively condemned the Russian invasion. Only two, Singapore and Timor-Leste, were among the co-sponsors of the Security Council resolution that was vetoed by Russia. Ukraine’s ambassador to Singapore said earlier that the two countries were “on the same page” when it came to protecting international order.Balakrishnan acknowledged the measures will have “some cost and implications” on Singaporean businesses.Singapore has refrained from imposing sanctions on other human rights violators around the world, including its regional neighbor Myanmar, which was slapped with punishing Western sanctions in the wake of a military coup last year.“However, unless we as a country stand up for principles that are the very foundation for the independence and sovereignty of smaller nations, our own right to exist and prosper as a nation may similarly be called into question one day,” Balakrishnan added.Analysis: Putin’s invasion of Ukraine could be backfiringReturn to menuEven as he puts his nuclear forces on high alert and his troops close in on Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reason to worry: His war on Ukraine appears to be backfiring.Unmasked as an unpredictable, even existential threat in the view of governments around the world, Putin has emerged as a dangerous symbol of tyranny, stoking the biggest European defense reassessment in decades. A reinvigorated NATO is emerging. Resurgent Western unity — wounded under former president Donald Trump — has enabled sanctions on Moscow that are some of the harshest ever imposed. With Germany suddenly off the fence in what is shaping up to be a historic realignment against Moscow, Putin faces new, as opposed to neutralized, security challenges in Russia’s backyard.Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has called Putin his “best friend,” welcomed him to Beijing. But reportedly taken aback by the speed, scope and force of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Beijing is proving a more reluctant ally than Putin might have hoped, with Xi urging Putin to settle the conflict at the negotiating table. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine will meet near the Belarus border for their first talks since Russia launched its invasion Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.Putin’s supportive oligarchs live in a shrinking world — their foreign mansions, super yachts and billions under threat of seizure. “Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft” are banned from E.U. airspace. Amid stirring images of the Russian bombardment — and the rise of Zelensky as a global cause celebre — foreign leaders who had cozied up to Putin before the invasion are suffering repercussions at home.With Russian nuclear forces on alert, Ukraine crisis enters more dangerous phaseReturn to menuRussian President Vladimir Putin announced on Feb. 27 that he had put his nuclear deterrence forces into alert, blaming the West’s “aggressive statements.” (Reuters)President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put Russian nuclear forces on alert thrust the crisis over Ukraine into a more volatile phase on Sunday, fueling the potential for deadly miscalculation as the West’s campaign of economic reprisal increases the chances the Russian leader could see his survival and that of the Russian state at risk.U.S. officials were scrambling in the hours following Putin’s order, issued as Russian troops face stiff resistance in the fourth day of their invasion of Ukraine, to decode what the enigmatic leader’s decision meant in practice. Experts said it was the first time the Kremlin, which has the world’s biggest nuclear stockpile, had made such an announcement since the Russian Federation was established in 1991.Putin described the move as a response to what he called “aggressive statements” from the West and its escalating package of economic retaliation. The sanctions, including new steps unveiled Saturday that would cut off Russia’s financial institutions from the global economy and cripple its central bank, have already sent the ruble tumbling to a record low, raising questions about how Russia’s economy can hold on.Biden administration officials condemned Putin’s order as a warning over Ukraine, where Putin has depicted his invasion as a security imperative rather than a signal of his intent to employ a nuclear device. They noted that Russia, just last month, was one of the nations signed on to a declaration saying that atomic war could not be won and should never be fought.“This is just an attempt, an escalatory attempt, to justify further action on their part,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC. “We have the ability, of course, to defend ourselves, as does NATO. But I think we all need to be very clear-eyed and call this out for what it is.”Facebook, Twitter contended with service disruptions in Russia throughout the weekendReturn to menuFacebook’s services, which include WhatsApp and Instagram, continued to be blocked or slowed down over the weekend in Russia, causing users there to switch to Telegram, according to reports by locals.Netblocks, a civil society group that monitors Internet traffic worldwide, reported late Sunday that Facebook’s content servers have been severely restricted by Russian Internet providers, making it so that content either no longer loads or loads extremely slowly, the group said. People can use special software to bypass some of the restrictions, Netblocks said, but most people do not have access to such software.Twitter’s services were also restricted, Netblocks said.Facebook’s president for global affairs, Nick Clegg, tweeted Sunday that the Russian government was already “throttling our platform” to prevent people from using the company’s services to “protest and organize against the war and as a source of independent information.”