As it happened

As it happened: Day-long ceasefire around safe corridors in Ukraine as children's hospital hit by Russian air strike

Keep up-to-date with developments throughout the day.
7.45am, 9 Mar 2022
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LAST UPDATE | 9 Mar 2022

NEARLY TWO WEEKS into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fighting continues around a number of key cities, including the capital Kyiv.

Here are the latest developments:

  • A new humanitarian day-long ceasefire in a number of areas in Ukraine has been announced to allow civilians to flee.
  • Attempts to evacuate through safe corridors have been continuing – a convoy of buses has transported 5,000 people out of the city of Sumy, which was hours beforehand targeted by strikes.
  • A maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol was targeted by Russian airstrikes this afternoon.
  • The Ukrainain and Russian foreign ministers are set to meet in southern Turkey tomorrow for the first high level talks since the war began.
  • Ukraine’s energy operator says power has been entirely cut to the Chernobyl power plant.

9 Mar 2022 7:49AM

Good morning, Michelle Hennessy here with the latest on the Ukraine situation overnight:

  • Moscow announced a new humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine for this morning, starting at 7am, to allow civilians to flee. The corridors are in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol. 
  • Attempts to evacuate through safe corridors have been continuing – a convoy of buses has transported 5,000 people out of the city of Sumy, which was hours beforehand targeted by strikes.
  • The city of Mariupol has been surrounded by Russian soldiers for days and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding for its 430,000 residents.
  • The United Nations says the number of people fleeing the war now tops two million.
  • Poland has said it is ready to send MiG-29 fighter jets to a US air base in Germany so they can be delivered to Ukraine, but the plan has been rejected by the US as ‘untenable’. 
  • In a speech to the UK’s House of Commons yesterday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, invoked the wartime defiance of Winston Churchill, vowing to “fight to the end”. He received a standing ovation from MPs.
  • US President Joe Biden announced a ban on US imports of Russian oil, gas and coal.
  • The UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer transmitting data. There is now concern for staff who are working under Russian guard at the site.
  • US intelligence chiefs have described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “angry and frustrated”, warning he is likely to “double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties”.
  • Ratings agency Fitch downgraded Russia’s sovereign debt rating further, saying the decision reflects the view that a default is “imminent”.
9 Mar 2022 7:58AM

The Pentagon has rejected Poland’s offer to give the United States its MiG-29 fighter jets for use by Ukraine.

The proposal was for Poland to deliver the jets to the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said this raised the concerning prospect of jets departing from a US and Nato base to fly into airspace contested with Russia in the Ukraine war.

“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” Kirby said in a statement.

“It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it.”

9 Mar 2022 7:59AM

The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer transmitting data.

The agency voiced concern for staff working under Russian guard at the Ukrainian site.

More than 200 technical staff and guards remain trapped there and have worked 13 days straight since the Russian takeover.

IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi has reiterated an offer to travel to Chernobyl or elsewhere to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear sites.

9 Mar 2022 8:03AM

An update on the evacuations:

5,000 civilians were transported out of he northeastern city of Sumy.  Ukrainian authorities say 21 people, including two children, were killed in air strikes on the town on Monday.

Attempts to evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Mariupol failed again yesterday, with Ukraine accusing Russia of attacking a humanitarian corridor.

However a new ceasefire this morning includes corridors in Mariupol, as well as Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv.

russia-ukraine-war-day-in-photos Ukrainians cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv yesterday. Felipe Dana / PA Felipe Dana / PA / PA

The Ukrainian government and Western allies have rejected a proposal to evacuate Ukrainians to Russia and Belarus.

The UN has said the number of people fleeing the war over borders has now passed two million. Poland alone has received 1.2 million people.

9 Mar 2022 8:34AM

For Russia’s economy, there has been some concerning news overnight. 

Ratings agency Fitch downgraded Russia’s sovereign debt rating farther into junk territory from “B” to “C,” saying the decision reflects the view that a default is “imminent.”

The agency said “the further ratcheting up of sanctions, and proposals that could limit trade in energy, increase the probability of a policy response by Russia that includes at least selective non-payment of its sovereign debt obligations.”

9 Mar 2022 8:56AM

If you’ve been looking to learn more about NATO and Ireland’s involvement with the organisation’s operations, this week’s episode of The Explainer podcast was focused on just that:


The Explainer / SoundCloud

9 Mar 2022 9:07AM

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said a day-long ceasefire has been agreed around a series of evacuation corridors to allow civilians to escape the fighting. 

She said Moscow had vowed to respect the truce from 9am until 9pm local time around six areas that have been heavily hit by fighting, including regions near Kyiv, in Zaporizhzhia in the south, and some parts of Ukraine’s northeast.

9 Mar 2022 9:18AM

Companies all across the globe are continuing to sever ties with Russia. The latest this morning is Heineken, which said it will cease the production and sale of its beer in Russia.

In a statement this morning, the company said it is shocked and saddened to watch the tragedy in Ukraine unfold.

“We stand with the Ukrainian people and our hearts go out to those affected,” it said. “The Russian government’s war against Ukraine is an unprovoked and completely unjustified attack.”

The company said it will take immediate steps to ring-fence its Russian business from the wider company to stop the flow of monies, royalties and dividends out of Russia. Heineken said it is assessing strategic options for the future of its Russian operations.

9 Mar 2022 9:40AM

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said Irish students who have fled Ukraine will be facilitated to continue their studies in Ireland:

9 Mar 2022 9:47AM

Just in: Amnesty International has said its investigation of an air strike that killed 47 civilians in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has concluded the attack was most likely a Russian strike.

The organisation said its team concluded at least eight unguided aerial bombs, known as ‘dumb bomb’, were used in the attack on 3 March.

“The air strike that hit the streets of Chernihiv shocks the conscience. This was a merciless, indiscriminate attack on people as they went about their daily business in their homes, streets and shops,” said Joanne Mariner, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Director.

The Chernihiv Regional Administration reported that 47 people (38 men and 9 women) were killed in the strike.

chernihiv-ukraine-07th-mar-2022-rescuers-dismantle-rubble-from-a-destroyed-school-after-russian-troops-shelled-the-city-of-chernihiv-ukraine-on-monday-march-7-2022-dozens-of-civilians-are-bein Alamy Alamy

Amnesty International was not able to identify a legitimate military target at, or close to, the scene of the strike.

It said satellite imagery from 28 February shows a queue of people outside the building that was impacted by the strike. Based on this imagery and testimony gathered from witnesses, Amnesty International believes the majority of victims were queuing for food when the missiles struck.

9 Mar 2022 9:50AM

Speaking to EuroParl radio, Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has defended his decision to travel to Ukraine, despite it going against government advice. Kelleher said he had good reason to go and bring back a strong message.

He spent time near the border where he witnessed the stream of refugees queuing to cross over into other European countries.

Now back in the European Parliament, he spoke in the first debate this morning calling for more EU support.

9 Mar 2022 10:22AM

In a press briefing this morning, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, said negotiations with officials from Kyiv were making headway.

She said the Russian military had not been tasked to “overthrow the current government.”

Zakhorava also accused the US of carrying out biological programmes in Ukraine, adding that she has seen documents to back up the claims. These documents have not been publicly shared and the claims have not been independently verified.

9 Mar 2022 11:04AM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Western powers to urgently resolve a Polish offer that would see his country supplied with fighter jets.

“When will there be a decision? Look, we’re at war!” Zelensky said in a video on his Telegram channel. “We ask you again to decide as soon as possible. Send us planes.”

Yesterday the US rejected a plan put forward by Poland to send its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via a US air base in Ramstein, Germany.

9 Mar 2022 11:26AM
Chernobyl power cut

Ukraine’s energy operator Ukrenergo has announced that power has been entirely cut to the Chernobyl power plant and its security systems.

The nuclear power plant “was fully disconnected from the power grid,” it said in a statement on its Facebook page, adding that military operations meant “there is no possibility to restore the lines”.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned earlier today that the plant – which is the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster – is no longer transmitting data.

9 Mar 2022 12:00PM

The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine increased by more than 140,000 in 24 hours, according to freshly released United Nations figures.

More than 2.15 million people have now fled since Russia invaved its neighbour on 24 February.

“Behind the monolithic statistics are two million stories of separation, anguish, and loss,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said.

Families have been “senselessly ripped apart”, plunged into “despair and unimaginable suffering” by the “brutal war”, he said.

warsaw-poland-08th-mar-2022-a-woman-is-feeding-her-baby-at-the-central-train-station-in-warsaw-thousands-of-ukrainian-refugees-occupy-the-central-train-station-dworzec-centralny-in-warsaw-asyl Thousands of Ukrainian refugees occupy the Central Train Station in Warsaw. SOPA Images Limited / Alamy Live News SOPA Images Limited / Alamy Live News / Alamy Live News

9 Mar 2022 12:10PM

The Guardian’s eastern Europe correspondent Shaun Walker – who wrote a fascinating book on Putin’s Russia– reports from Lasi airport in Romania where flights full of Ukrainian refugees are heading to EU countries including Ireland, Poland and Austria.

Walker reports that the only flight not filled with Ukrainian people is one to the UK, as they would not be allowed board without visas. 

“Feels quite shameful as a Brit,” he said.

9 Mar 2022 12:20PM

The European Union has agreed to add 146 members of Russia’s upper house of parliament and 14 Kremlin-linked oligarchs and relatives to its sanctions list over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“We are further tightening the net of sanctions responding to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen wrote in a tweet.

9 Mar 2022 12:43PM

Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba has said the only electrical grid supplying the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and all its nuclear facilities is “damaged”. 

It was reported earlier that Ukraine’s energy operator Ukrenergo announced power has been entirely cut to the Chernobyl power plant and its security systems.

Kuleba said the plant has “lost all electric supply”. 

“I call on the international community to urgently demand Russia to cease fire and allow repair units to restore power supply,” he tweeted. 

“Reserve diesel generators have a 48-hour capacity to power the Chernobyl NPP. After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent,” he said. 

“Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately.” 

9 Mar 2022 1:02PM

The British Government will send more weapons to Ukraine for the country to defend itself against Russian aggression.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told MPs this afternoon: “On 17 January, I announced to the House the Government’s intention to supply military aid to the Ukrainian armed forces.

“The initial supply was to be 2,000 new light anti-tank weapons, smaller arms and ammunition.

“In response to further acts of aggression by Russia we have now increased that supply.

“I can update the House as of today we will have delivered 3,615 NLAWs (anti-tank missiles) and will continue to deliver more.

“We will shortly be starting the delivery of small consignments of anti-tank Javelin missiles as well.”

Wallace stressed the British Government was “bound by the decision to supply defensive systems” and not escalate the war.

9 Mar 2022 1:15PM

prime-ministers-questions Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons today House of Commons House of Commons

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted calls from Kyiv and within his own party to drop visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the violence, insisting the security checks were vital to prevent Vladimir Putin sending agents to the UK.

Johnson said a thousand visas had been granted under the scheme allowing relatives of people in Britain to flee the war zone to join their families and he promised another programme allowing individuals to offer a home to Ukrainians would be set out in “the next few days”.

The UK Government has come under pressure to do more to take in refugees fleeing Ukraine as Putin’s forces continue to bombard towns and cities.

The EU has allowed visa-free travel – this includes Ireland – but Johnson insisted that the UK was right to require the paperwork to be completed.

“We’ve already got 1,000 people in under the existing scheme, that number will climb very sharply,” Johnson said. “No-one has been turned away.”

But he added: “We know how unscrupulous Putin can be in his methods, it would not be right to expose this country to unnecessary security risk and we will not do it.

“We are going to be as generous as we can possibly be, but we must have checks.”

9 Mar 2022 1:26PM

Just in: The UN atomic watchdog has said it saw “no critical impact on safety” from the loss of power at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

“Ukraine has informed IAEA of power loss,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a tweet, adding that “in this case IAEA sees no critical impact on safety”.

9 Mar 2022 1:30PM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has “full faith” in Priti Patel despite widespread criticism over the handling of visas for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

Asked if Johnson has lost faith in the UK Home Secretary’s ability to handle the issue, a spokesman for the British Prime Minister said: “No, that’s not correct. The PM has full faith in both the Home Secretary and the Levelling-Up Secretary.

“As we’ve said, this is a cross-Government effort to help the Ukrainians who are fleeing a war zone.”

9 Mar 2022 1:58PM

Here’s a map outlining Ukrainian territory believed to be controlled by Russia as of last night: 

2.65749029 PA Graphics PA Graphics

9 Mar 2022 2:23PM

Women and children boarding a train heading for Krakow after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland today.

poland-russia-ukraine-war Visar Kryeziu Visar Kryeziu

9 Mar 2022 2:38PM

berlin-germany-09th-mar-2022-canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-gives-a-press-conference-at-the-chancellors-office-in-berlin-after-talks-with-chancellor-scholz-credit-odd-andersenpool-afp Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau giving a press conference at the Chancellor's Office in Berlin after talks with Chancellor Scholz Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Canada will send an additional $50 million worth of military equipment to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today in Berlin.

He said he spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day and “told him that Canada will soon be sending highly specialised equipment to them”.

Canada had on 14 February already said it would deliver $7.8 million (€5.5 million) worth of lethal equipment and ammunition, before adding another pledge of $25 million in non-lethal protective gear.

Beyond equipping Ukraine, Trudeau said three million dollars will go towards tackling Russian disinformation about Ukraine.

“We need to stand up for truth and be vigilant against disinformation that tries to mislead us and more tries to divide us,” he said.

9 Mar 2022 2:46PM

featureimage Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee Brian Lawless Brian Lawless

More than 2,500 Ukrainian refugees have already arrived in Ireland, with children comprising a third of that number.

Speaking at Dublin Airport alongside Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys today, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said around 400 Ukrainians are arriving in Ireland every day as they flee the Russian invasion of their country.

McEntee said that two thirds of those arriving were female – many of whom had left husbands and fathers behind in Ukraine.

McEntee and Humphreys today met with some of the people who had arrived from Ukraine.

Humphreys said: 

“Both departments have worked hard over last few days to put it all together.

“They have come from extremely, extremely difficult situations and they are so relieved to be here.

“They’re also very concerned – they’ve left their husbands, their fathers behind them.

“It is a very difficult situation for them. We want to make sure that when they arrive here, they get all the support they can.”

McEntee said that a very significant number of Ukrainians will continue to arrive in the weeks to come.

“We are trying to process this as quickly as possible,” she said.

9 Mar 2022 3:01PM

Dublin Airport’s original terminal building has today opened as a reception area for people arriving from Ukraine. 

9 Mar 2022 3:34PM

The family of Irish medical student Racheal Diyaolu, who was living in the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine when the country was invaded, has said that she has reached the EU border.

Racheal’s sister Christiana said the 19-year-old reached the border this afternoon after four days of travelling.

She said her sister was currently making her way into the EU, but said she would not share her current location until they made it through safely.

9 Mar 2022 4:04PM
Zelenskyy claims Russian strike hits maternity hospital in Mariupol

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that Russian troops have bombed a maternity hospital in Mariupol. 

Zelenskyy said children were under the wreckage, calling it an “atrocity”. 

He repeated his call to Western powers for a no-fly zone to be implemented over Ukraine, asking: “How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror?”

“You have power but you seem to be losing humanity.”

9 Mar 2022 4:15PM

The Kremlin has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have discussed diplomatic ways to settle the Ukraine conflict and the implementation of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians.

“In the context of the developing situation around a special military operation to protect Donbas, various political and diplomatic efforts have been discussed, in particular a third round of talks between a Russian delegation and representatives of the Kyiv authorities,” the Kremlin said in a statement, referring to eastern Ukraine.

9 Mar 2022 4:54PM

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said there are “few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless” after the Ukrainian president said children were among those under the wreckage of a “direct strike” at a maternity hospital in Mariupol.

Johnson tweeted: “There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless.

“The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold (Vladimir) Putin to account for his terrible crimes.”

9 Mar 2022 5:05PM

Our reporter Lauren Boland is in Strasbourg again today, where Irish MEP Billy Kelleher was speaking about supports for refugees from Ukraine and the impact that sanctions against Russia will have within the EU.

He said that priority “from an Irish point of view and from the European Union’s point of view, is the immediate needs of the Ukrainian refugees and supporting the countries they’re coming into”. 

9 Mar 2022 5:17PM

Just in: AFP are reporting that 17 staff of a Mariupol children’s and maternity hospital have been injured in the missile strike that hit the building earlier this afternoon

9 Mar 2022 5:32PM

The main photo for the Liveblog has just been changed, showing Ukrainians fleeing from Irpin during the evacuation operation today.

ukraine-irpin-evacuation Xinhua News Agency / PA Images Xinhua News Agency / PA Images / PA Images

9 Mar 2022 5:39PM

We’re getting some more updates now on the air strike in Mariupol now.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, a local official in Mariupol, has said current reports show that 17 staff were injured in the air strike.

There were no kids injured and no deaths are currently being reported.

Kyrylenko provided the update in a video on Facebook.

9 Mar 2022 5:45PM

Zelenskyy speaks to Michel

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken with European Council President Charles Michel this afternoon.

Zelenskyy confirmed the call in a tweet, saying that he spoke with Michel about further sanctions against Russia, as well as Ukraine’s desire to join the EU.

He also raised adding additional pressure on Russia to ensure humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave are respected.

9 Mar 2022 5:50PM

US missile batteries moved to Poland

Two US surface-to-air missile batteries have been moved from Germany to Poland as part of plans to further reinforce NATO territory.

The move was announced by senior officials in the Pentagon, with the batteries being moved at Poland’s invitation, according to AFP.

Pentagon officials have said that the move is “a purely defensive deployment being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to US and Allied forces in NATO territory”.

9 Mar 2022 5:58PM

Ukraine and Russian Foreign Ministers to meet

The first set of high-level talks between Ukraine and Russia are set to be held tomorrow.

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba will hold the talks face to face in southern Turkey.

Kuleba confirmed that the talks would take place in a video on Facebook today, but he did couch his expectations, saying that they were “limited”.

9 Mar 2022 6:07PM

The UN has said that health facilities should never be targets during war, following the Russian air strike on a children’s hospital in Mariupol.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric called for an “immediate halt to attacks on health care, hospitals, health care workers, ambulances”.

Officials in Mariupol have reported that there were 17 staff members injured in the air strike.

9 Mar 2022 6:22PM

Taoiseach condemns air strike on children’s hospital

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has condemned the air strike that destroyed a children’s hospital in Mariupol earlier this afternoon that left 17 people injured.

In a twee, Martin said that the attack made the “indiscriminate cruelty” of the invasion “crystal clear”.

He said that the “war on civilians must end”.

9 Mar 2022 6:54PM

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said US involvement in installing a no-fly zone over Ukraine could “prolong” the conflict, expand it and make it “even deadlier”.

His comment came in response to another plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a no-fly zone in the wake of an attack on a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol, tweeting: “How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror?”

Blinken, speaking at a joint press briefing with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in Washington, said: “Our goal is to end the war, not to expand it, including potentially expanding it to Nato territory.

“We want to make sure it is not prolonged, to the best of our ability. Otherwise, it is going to turn even deadlier, involve more people and I think potentially even make things harder to resolve in Ukraine itself. So, as the Foreign Secretary said, we have exactly the same perspective on that.

“Introducing, in our case, American service members in Ukraine, on Ukrainian territory or soil, or American pilots into Ukrainian airspace, whether on a full or limited basis, would almost certainly lead to direct conflict between the United States, between Nato and Russia.

“And that would expand the conflict, it would prolong it and make it more deadlier than it already is and that would be neither in the interest of our countries or in the interest of Ukraine.”

9 Mar 2022 7:08PM

The European Union has started the procedure of consideration of Ukraine’s application for membership, according to the country’s parliament. 

9 Mar 2022 7:33PM

White House condemns air strike on maternity hospital

The White House has condemned the “barbaric” use of force against civilians after an apparent Russian air strike destroyed a maternity hospital in Mariupol this afternoon.

“It is horrifying to see the type of, the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters when questioned about the strike.

9 Mar 2022 7:45PM

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency will travel to Turkey tomorrow for a meeting with the country’s foreign minister. 

Rafael Mariano Grossi said he will meet Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Antalya to make progress on the “urgent issue of ensuring the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities”.

9 Mar 2022 7:52PM

Ukrainian father and daughter Mykola Marchenko and Olena Marchenko were among protesters gathered outside the European Parliament Liaison Office in Mount Street in Dublin today.

Mykola is from Kyiv, and arrived in Ireland on Sunday after he spent three days travelling with his wife to the border, before getting a flight from Budapest. They joined Olena, who lives in Dublin.

The Marchenkos, alongside other members of the Ukrainian community in Ireland, are calling on Irish people to support Ukrainian membership in the EU. 

Ukraine Protest 001 Sam Boal Sam Boal

Ukraine Protest 003 Sam Boal Sam Boal

9 Mar 2022 8:23PM

Zelenskyy says Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia alone

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Sky News that his country cannot stop the war against Russia alone and reiterated his call for a no-fly zone to be implemented. 

He said that Western nations need to act now against what he called “the Nazism” before it is “too late”. 

“If you are united against the Nazism and this terror, you have to close. Don’t wait for me asking you several times, a million times. Close the sky. You have to phone our people who lost their children and say: ‘Sorry we didn’t do it yesterday’,” he said.

You can watch the full interview below.

9 Mar 2022 9:04PM

With that, we’re going to wrap up the Liveblog for tonight. Be sure to keep an eye on our main site for any further breaking news on Ukraine.

-With reporting from PA and AFP.

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