Russia-Ukraine war updates LIVE – Dozens kids feared dead as Putin’s forces bomb theatre where children were sheltering

Women & babies seen sheltering in theatre days before it was bombed

Video footage shows children playing and women carrying babies in a Mariupol theatre being used as a shelter for those who lost their homes.

Yesterday – despite the word “children” being written in Russian on the ground outside of the theatre – the theatre was hit by a missile strike.

It is still unclear whether any people were killed or injured in the attack.

Theatre-shelter in Mariupol blocked by rubble

Ukrainian officials say the status of people sheltering in a theatre in Mariupol is still uncertain, because the entrance was under the rubble caused by a Russian airstrike.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional administration, said on Telegram on Wednesday evening that several hundred residents of Mariupol were sheltering in the Drama Theater.

Kyrylenko said the airstrike also hit the Neptune swimming pool complex.

“Now there are pregnant women and women with children under the rubble there. Its pure terrorism!,” the official said.

Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund

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Russia ‘could split off from global internet’

RUSSIA could split off from the global internet as the Kremlin cracks down on the web, officials fear.

A key battleground in the Kremlin’s online crackdown is the Russian internet.

Several businesses have shut down their online and physical operations in Russia.

Meanwhile, Kremlin officials led by President Vladimir Putin have blocked access to some of the platforms that have not halted service in Russia.

Instagram, which is three times as popular as Facebook in Russia, was blocked by state officials.

The Kremlin’s plans to isolate Russia from the global internet predate the invasion of Ukraine.

Read more here.

Why is Ukraine not in Nato?

Nato first floated the idea of Ukrainian and Georgian membership in 2008 under pressure from American President George W. Bush.

However, France and Germany opposed – unanimous consent is required for any nations wishing to join Nato.

As of February 25, 2022, countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine – are considered “aspiring members.”

This status is afforded to non-member nations that have “made significant contributions to Nato-led operations and missions,” such as Australia and Sweden.

However, continued Ukrainian instability – including its proximity to war-hungry Russia – makes it unlikely that their request to join the organisation will be accepted any time soon.

As it stands, their non membership means that, amid invasion, Nato’s support is limited.

Town of Izium ‘at breaking point’

The city of Izium in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region is “at a breaking point”, according to Amnesty International.

The city has been under constant bombardment from the Russian forces with its residents on “the brink of a humanitarian disaster”, said the human rights organisation.

Since the 3 March, the town of Izium has been cut off from supplies such as electricity, gas, heating and mobile communications due to constant rocket fire bombardment.

Rubizhne continually shelled all day & night

One person has been killed and five injured in Russian shelling on Rubizhne, its local governor Serhiy Haidai has said.

Haidai said the area was targeted through yesterday and last night, destroying more than 20 houses.

Rubizhne is a city in a Ukrainian-controlled part of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.

Cheap but lethal Turkish drones bolster Ukraine’s defences

Despite three weeks of Russian bombardment, Ukraine has kept up a stiff defense of its cities by using Turkish-made drones to carry out pop-up attacks on the invaders with a lethal effectiveness – that has surprised Western military experts.

The Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles, which carry lightweight, laser-guided bombs, normally excel in low-tech conflicts. Turkey has previously sold them to more than a dozen countries, including Azerbaijan, Libya, Morocco and Ethiopia.

The drones have carried out unexpectedly successful attacks in the early stages of Ukraine’s conflict with Moscow, before the Russians were able to set up their air defenses in the battlefield, said Jack Watling of the London-based Royal United Services Institute.

He said Ukrainian forces “have been essentially flying in at a low-level and then coming up and raiding with them. So striking targets of opportunity.

“And so what we are now seeing is that the Ukrainians are having to be careful as to when they commit them.”

UN Security Council meeting today

The United Nations Security Council meet again today for an open session over war on Ukraine.

A vote is expected to happen over a Russian humanitarian resolution, which has been criticised by western nations.

The six council nations that will meet for today’s UNSC meeting include the UK, US, France, Ireland, Norway and Albania.

“Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians. Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine is a threat to us all,” said the UN mission of the UK on Twitter.

Polish minister latest to brand Putin as a ‘war criminal’

The Polish deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, has told the BBC he agrees with US President Joe Biden blasting the Russian leader as a “war criminal”.

Przydacz also said that the theatre bombing in Mariupol is another sign Putin’s forces are resorting to more brutal tactics.

“In my opinion the initial plan was to destroy the military infrastructure,” Przydacz says.

“The Kremlin believed the government of Ukraine will evaporate somehow. That was not the case. Ukrainians are very brave defending their land and their values, their democracy, the country they built, they’ve been building for the last 30 years. So now Mr Putin decided to hit civilian infrastructure.

“And what’s worse, I’ve seen a photo that’s around this theatre, it was written on the pavement that there are kids inside. It didn’t stop Mr Putin from bombing this and it’s really, as President Biden called him, this is the war criminal.”

One killed in missile attack on Kyiv building

The Ukraine emergency services said that one person has been killed after a Russian missile struck Kyiv this morning.

Three others were injured in the shelling attack which struck the building, officials said.

“On arrival, rescuers found that as a result of a damaged missile remains, the 16th and technical floor of the building was demolished, and the 16th floor of the apartment was set on fire,” the emergency services said.

Around 30 people were evacuated from the building.

Roman Abramovich’s £1bn superyacht Eclipse

Roman Abramovich’s £1bn superyacht Eclipse, which has its own missile defence system, is part of a sanctions hunt for the billionaire’s assets.

The luxury ship may be making its way to Montenegro to join the Chelsea boss’s other superyacht after he had his assets frozen by the UK.

The Eclipse could be joining its £430m sister yacht the My Solaris, which was spotted in Tivat, Montenegro, on Saturday.

UK’s MoD: Russian invasion ‘has stalled on all fronts’

In their latest assessment, the UK’s Ministry of Defence says that Russia’s offensives in Ukraine have “largely stalled on all fronts”.

The MoD adds that Russian forces have “made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days, and they continue to suffer heavy losses.”

“Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands.”

Russia-Ukraine news you may have missed

• Russia has slapped a ban on Joe Biden and called for Alaska to become part of its territory again
• Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted Ukraine may never join Nato in a key concession that could pave the way to peace
• Putin’s troops have taken hundreds of hospital staff and patients hostage in the besieged city of Mariupol
• Dramatic footage shows the moment a Russian tank was blown to smithereens by Ukrainian forces
• Ukraine has an unexpected trick up its sleeve in the battle against Russian forces and it comes in the form of a relatively cheap drone
• A nine-year-old girl has lost her arm after Russian forces machine-gunned her family when they tried to flee Kyiv
• Oligarchs including Roman Abramovich may never be able to return to Britain, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned

Pictured: Mariupol Theatre bombed by Russians

VLADIMIR Putin’s evil troops bombed a theatre said to be sheltering up to 1,200 terrified people – despite the word “children” being written outside the building.

The Mariupol Drama Theatre was used as a safe haven from Russia’s relentless shelling of the southern port city, with meals being provided and people sleeping there overnight.

The continuous bombardment of Mariupol has forced around 20,000 Ukrainians to flee, and it’s estimated more than 2,300 citizens have been killed in the area.

The city’s deputy mayor, Serhiy Orlov, said between 1,000 and 1,200 people were inside the theatre on Wednesday when it was targeted by the Russians.

Satellite images from two days ago showed the word “children” written in large white letters in Russian outside the front and back of the building, the Maxar space technology company said.

Rescuers are searching the wreckage for survivors but the number of casualties is not yet known.

Biden brands Putin a ‘war criminal’

PRESIDENT Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” on Wednesday as theatre in Mariupol bombed.

Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s talk to Congress yesterday, President Biden spoke to reporters at an unrelated event.

“I think he is a war criminal,” the President said.

“We saw reports that Russian forces were holding hundreds of doctors and patients hostage in the largest hospital in Mariupol,” Biden continued to say.

“These are atrocities. They’re an outrage to the world. And the world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make Putin pay a very heavy price.”

Donate to The Sun’s Ukraine fund appeal

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In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.

For more information, please visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/disaster-fund

Queen’s art collection joins cultural boycott of Russia

The Queen’s official art collection has joined a ‘cultural boycott’ of Russia and refused permission for three antique swords to be displayed in Moscow.

The Royal Collection had been due to loan the 17th-century weapons at the Kremlin Museums, and was being sponsored by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

However, Usmanov has had sanctions imposed upon him by the UK over his links to Vladimir Putin.

A spokesman for the Royal Collection said the decision to postpone the loan “was made in mid-February”.

UK ‘sceptical’ over Ukraine-Russia peace talks

The UK’s Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, has said she is ‘sceptical’ over peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, adding that he must be stopped ‘at all costs’.

Truss said: “I am sceptical about the peace talks whilst Putin is still waging war in Ukraine. He has to implement a ceasefire and withdraw his troops for those peace talks to be taken seriously.”

“If we don’t make sure that Vladimir Putin loses in Ukraine, the likelihood is that he will want to go further. We have to stop him at all costs,” she added. “It’s so important that we stop Vladimir Putin, he is a real threat the world faces.”

UK ‘sceptical’ over Ukraine-Russia peace talks

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss yesterday said she is ‘skeptical’ over peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, adding that he must be stopped ‘at all costs’.

Truss said: “I am sceptical about the peace talks whilst Putin is still waging war in Ukraine. He has to implement a ceasefire and withdraw his troops for those peace talks to be taken seriously.”

“If we don’t make sure that Vladimir Putin loses in Ukraine, the likelihood is that he will want to go further. We have to stop him at all costs,” she added. “It’s so important that we stop Vladimir Putin, he is a real threat the world faces.”

Nato chief: Bloc united in support of Ukraine

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has told a meeting of delegates in Brussels that the security bloc remains in support of Ukraine.

“The world is condemning this senseless war,” Stoltenberg said. “Nato allies and partners are imposing unprecedented sanctions on Russia and we are united in our support to Ukraine.”

“For many years we have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops and provided large quantities of critical equipment to help Ukraine uphold its right to self-defence.

“Since the start of the Russian invasion allies have significantly stepped up our support for the brave Ukrainian people, government and the armed forces with military equipment, humanitarian and financial assistance and giving shelter to millions of refugees. Today it is even more important that we all support Ukraine.”