12:54
In a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the Ukrainians were trying to delay the peace talks. An official statement from the Kremlin said: “The regime in Kiev is trying in every way possible to delay the negotiation process, making more and more impossible proposals.” However, the Kremlin statement also said that “the Russian side is ready to continue to seek a suitable solution in accordance with all the approaches known to both sides.”
12:37
Pablo Kirilenko, the head of the Donetsk district administration, announced that at least two Ukrainian civilians had been killed when a Russian missile hit a building in Kramtorsk in eastern Ukraine. Rescuers are still evacuating the damaged building and some are injured.
In the morning, the Russians launched a missile strike on Kramatorsk.
They hit a residential building and an administrative building.
It is currently known about 2 dead and 6 wounded, other details are being established. pic.twitter.com/8iHJj2L9er
– Pavlo Kirilenko (@Pavlo_Kyrylenko) March 18, 2022
In Kharkiv, one person was killed in a shelling of an apartment and education complex in the city. Kharkiv authorities report that a 6-story education building was destroyed and two blocks from an apartment complex were damaged, firefighters are handling a fire that started on the spot and rescue forces are rescuing the wounded from the rubble.
In Lviv, authorities report that the source of the morning explosions was Russian shelling of a spare parts factory for aircraft. Six missiles were fired from the direction of the Black Sea, with two of them intercepted, according to the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
In Mariupol, rescue work from the municipal theater that was bombed last night has been stopped due to continued Russian military shelling. Authorities at the scene point out that there may be trapped people among the rubble yet.
At the same time, 9 humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from Ukrainian cities badly damaged by Russia’s shelling were agreed this morning by both sides. One of the corridors will link Mariupol, which is under siege, to Zaporizhia, which is still under Ukrainian control. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Varchuk said the plan is to move urgent humanitarian aid to the cities of Balakia and Izumi, southeast of Kharkiv.
08:19
CNN reports explosions and black smoke rising on the outskirts of Lviv, near the city’s airport, in western Ukraine. It is still unclear if this is a shelling. The mayor of Leviv wrote on his telegram channel that a building near the airport had been shelled.
⚡️ #Russian missiles hit area of Lviv airport.#UkraineUnderAttack
– ???????? Ukraine | War News 24 (@ukrainewar24) March 18, 2022
Ukrainian rescue services began a rescue operation for the bombed-out residents of Kyiv and evacuated over 1,000 civilians and 300 children from the city.
Kyiv region↘️
We meet a convoy of vehicles with evacuated citizens. 28 buses and 70 cars transported the population.
More than 1,000 citizens and 330 young Ukrainians are now in a safe place. Everyone is provided with the necessary and qualified assistance. pic.twitter.com/LkpgGuMt6v
– DSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) March 17, 2022
More than 350,000 people are still trapped in Mariupol, which is under siege by the Russian military, according to the district authorities, while the rescue operation from the Russian-shelled municipal theater continues. Last night about 130 people were rescued from the rubble, while Russia has officially denied that it is targeting a civilian population. About 30,000 people have fled Mariupol since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
Chernihiv County Governor updates that 53 civilians have been killed in the city in the past day, including a U.S. citizen waiting in line for bread.
The UN Commission on Humanitarian Affairs has announced 780 Ukrainian citizens have been killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion, noting that the verified number is expected to be significantly higher. Nearly 3 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries and are now in refugee status.
The OECD estimates that if the war continues at its current pace, it could drop more than one percent of global growth by 2022.