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(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 23, 12:40 pm
Putin says ‘unfriendly countries’ will only be able to buy Russian gas in rubles

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his cabinet on Wednesday that Russia will require payments for natural gas in rubles, saying he will refuse to accept payments in “compromised currencies,” including the dollar and the euro, according to Russia’s state-run news agency, TASS.

Putin said Russia will continue to supply natural gas to other countries.

“I made the decision to implement within the shortest possible time the package of measures to transfer payments — we will start with that — for our natural gas supplied to the so-called ‘unfriendly’ states to Russian rubles,” Putin said.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Mar 23, 12:07 pm
Putin blocking hundreds of ships filled with wheat in the Black Sea: von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday accused Russia’s President Vladimir Putin of blocking hundreds of ships filled with wheat in the Black Sea.

“Our continent is being rocked by a tectonic shift, not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The consequences of this war on Europe’s security architecture will be far reaching. And I’m not just talking about security in military terms, but also energy security and even food security are at stake,” she said in a speech to the European Commission.

Von der Leyen addedd: “The effects of the Russian war go beyond energy of course, they also disrupting vital food supplies and driving food prices up.”

The consequences of this disruption will be felt from Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia to Africa and the Far East, according to von der Leyen.

“We should not forget that Ukraine alone provides more than half of the world food programs’ wheat supply. The shelling and the bumping makes it impossible for Ukrainian farmers to do so,” she said.

“I call on Putin to let those ships go otherwise he will not only be responsible for one death, but also for famine and hunger. Let these ships go,” von der Leyen added.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Mar 23, 11:23 am
NATO allies expected to announce major increases to forces in the east

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday that he expects allies to announce major increases to forces in the eastern part of the defense alliance at Thursday’s summit.

Stoltenberg said the first step would be the deployment of four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. With the existing forces in place, there will be eight multi-national battle groups all along the eastern flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

“We face a new reality for our security, so we must reset our deterrence and defense for the longer term,” Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg said he expects allies will agree to provide additional support to Ukraine, including cybersecurity assistance and equipment to help Ukraine protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

He added that NATO has a responsibility to make sure the conflict does not escalate beyond Ukraine, as “this will cause even more death and even more destruction.”

Stoltenberg also called on Belarus to end its complicity in the war.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Mar 23, 11:13 am
Bridge linking Chernihiv Oblast to Kyiv destroyed, governor says

The governor of Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast, Viacheslav Chaus, claimed Wednesday that Russian forces have destroyed the bridge linking the region to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

In a video posted on Telegram, Chaus shows the destroyed bridge over the Desna river, which he said effectively means that the road from Chernihiv to Kyiv is now severed.

-ABC News’ Fergal Gallagher

Mar 23, 10:53 am
Sending NATO peacekeepers to Ukraine would be ‘very reckless’, Russia warns

Russia warned Wednesday that sending NATO peacekeepers to Ukraine would be “a very reckless and extremely dangerous decision.”

Last week, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Poland will formally submit a proposal at the NATO summit on Thursday for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on Poland’s plans while speaking to reporters Wednesday.

“It would be a very reckless and extremely dangerous decision,” Peskov said. “A special military operation is going on, and any possible contact by our troops with NATO troops can lead to quite clear consequences that would be hard to repair.”

Mar 23, 10:32 am
Russia claims US isn’t interested in progress in Ukraine

Russia claimed Wednesday that the United States isn’t interested in the rapid progress of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

During a speech to students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in Russia’s capital, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Washington of wanting to keep Moscow and Kyiv “in a state of hostilities” for “as long as possible.”

“Negotiations are difficult because the Ukrainian side seems to have expressed understanding of the things that should be agreed upon during the negotiations, constantly changing its position, refusing its own proposals,” Lavrov said. “It is difficult to get rid of the impression that they are being held by the hand by their American colleagues.”

He alleged “it is unprofitable” for the U.S. “that this process be completed quickly.”

“They expect to continue pumping weapons to Ukraine. Provocative statements are being made,” he added. “Apparently they want to keep us as long as possible in a state of hostilities.”

Mar 23, 10:27 am
US military aid begins to arrive in Ukraine

The first deliveries from the $800 million-military assistance that President Joe Biden authorized for Ukraine a week ago have started to arrive, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.

The military aid package includes Stinger anti-aircraft systems; Javelin anti-armor weapons; light anti-armor weapons; AT-4 anti-armor systems and tactical unmanned aerial systems.

CNN first reported the deliveries.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Mar 23, 10:11 am
Video shows entire neighborhoods destroyed in Mariupol

Video has emerged showing the devastation in Ukraine’s besieged city of Mariupol.

Drone footage recorded Wednesday and released by a Ukrainian right-wing paramilitary group that has been incorporated into Ukraine’s National Guard shows entire neighborhoods destroyed in Mariupol. Mere shells are all that remain of buildings and smoke is still rising from some of the wreckage. The video has been verified by ABC News.

Ukrainian troops are continuing to battle persistent efforts by Russian forces to seize the strategic port city in southeastern Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Fergal Gallagher

Mar 23, 9:39 am
Russia, Ukraine agree on nine humanitarian corridors for Wednesday

Russia and Ukraine have agreed on nine humanitarian corridors to try to evacuate civilians trapped in embattled Ukrainian towns and cities on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

But the agreement does not include a safe passage from the heart of Mariupol, Vereshchuk said in an address Wednesday, adding that she hopes people wishing to leave the besieged southeastern port city can make it to nearby Berdyansk, where humanitarian aid awaits them. She said 24 buses are on standby to transport people.

Some of the previous attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol have failed after Russian forces continued to shell the city, despite agreeing to temporary cease-fires.

Mar 23, 9:17 am
Belarus expels several Ukrainian diplomats, closes Ukrainian Consulate General

Belarus announced Wednesday its decision to expel several Ukrainian diplomats and close the Ukrainian Consulate General in Brest.

“The Ukrainian embassy will continue to work in Belarus in a 1+4 format, that is, an ambassador and four staff members,” Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anatoly Glaz said in a statement, according to the state-run news agency BelTA.

Mar 23, 8:27 am
Ukraine says 100,000 remain trapped in besieged Mariupol

Fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continued in Mariupol on Wednesday morning, with the Ukrainian government warning that as many as 100,000 people remain trapped in the besieged port city.

One Mariupol resident, who managed to escape with her elderly parents and four cats, told ABC News her home had no electricity or heat and that she would have to scavenge for food and other supplies under Russian bombardment. She recalled seeing bodies strewn in the streets because residents had no choice but to leave them there.

“We understood anytime we might be killed by the next bomb,” she said during an interview Tuesday.

Pro-Russia separatist forces from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic in Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region said Wednesday that 562 civilians, including 110 children, were evacuated from encircled Mariupol to the occupied town of Bezymenne in the past 24 hours. A total of 4,621 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol between March 5 and March 23, according to the separatist forces.

Mar 23, 7:59 am
Russia claims to have swapped prisoners with Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners twice since the start of the war, according to Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

“Two prisoner exchanges have been completed between Russia and Ukraine,” Zakharova said in a statement Wednesday.

Mar 23, 7:56 am
Poland expels 45 Russian diplomats for espionage

Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, said Wednesday that he has received a note from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding the expulsion of 45 Russian diplomats on charges of espionage.

The diplomats must leave Poland within five days, according to Andreev.

The news came after a spokesperson for Poland’s Internal Security Agency announced on Polish television that authorities had compiled a list of 45 Russian diplomats in the country who were suspected of spying.

Mar 23, 7:45 am
Two residential areas of Kyiv shelled overnight, officials say

Russian shelling hit two residential areas of Kyiv on Tuesday night, according to the city administration.

A shopping center and two private houses were damaged in the Sviatoshynskyi district of the Ukrainian capital, but no one was injured and the fires have been extinguished, officials said.

Several private houses and high-rise buildings were on fire in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where four people were injured. Rescuers and medics were still on the scene Wednesday, and the extent of the damage was under assessment, according to officials.

Mar 23, 7:32 am
Russia doesn’t believe claims of civilian deaths in Ukraine

Moscow doesn’t believe Kyiv’s claims of civilian deaths in Ukraine caused by Russian forces, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

“We don’t believe the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office. Russian troops are carrying out no strikes, aren’t firing on civilians,” Peskov told reporters during a daily call. “Russian servicemen are helping civilians and, regrettably, more and more eyewitnesses get out of the cities saying that they are being held there as human shields, and that nationalist battalions are firing — and there are plenty of such cases — on civilians.”

Mar 23, 6:42 am
Over 3.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR

More than 3.6 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency.

The tally from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) amounts to just over 8% of Ukraine’s population — which the World Bank counted at 44 million at the end of 2020 — on the move across borders in 28 days.

More than half of the refugees crossed into neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.

Mar 23, 5:45 am
Russian forces allegedly destroy Ukrainian weapons depot

Russia claimed Wednesday that its forces carried out an airstrike destroying a weapons depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also alleged that troops have destroyed 430 aircraft, including drones, as well as more than 1,500 tanks and other combat armoured vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the “special military operation” began Feb. 24.

Mar 23, 5:20 am
Talks with Moscow ‘are moving forward,’ Zelenskyy says

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “very difficult” but “moving forward,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

“It’s very difficult, sometimes confrontational,” Zelenskyy said in an early morning address. “But step by step, we are moving forward.”

Zelenskyy added that he is “grateful to all international mediators who are standing up for Ukraine.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — One of two black box recorders was found amidst the wreckage of a China Eastern Airlines flight, giving investigators hope it will shed light on why the passenger jet plummeted from the sky and crashed into a mountainside in southern China, authorities said Wednesday.

None of the 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard Flight 5735 survived when it crashed in the Guangxi region.

An official from the Civil Aviation Administration of China confirmed Wednesday that one of the recording devices was located. The official said the protective exterior of the box was seriously damaged.

During a news conference Wednesday, Chinese authorities said that they believe the recovered device is the cockpit voice recorder. It was found in the main impact point of the crash and has been sent to Beijing for repair and analysis, officials said.

Authorities publicly acknowledged for the first time that human remains were found at the crash site.

Investigators are still searching for the second recorder which stores flight data, including airspeed, altitude and wing flap positions.

Early data shows the Boeing 737-800 plunged from 29,000 feet to 8,000 feet, leveled off and then went into a freefall, exploding into a fireball that was seen and filmed by people nearby. One video showed the plane nose-diving into the ground.

The plane crashed after taking off from Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province. The flight was headed to Guangzhou, a port city northwest of Hong Kong, Chinese officials said.

Air traffic controllers made repeated attempts to radio the flight crew when they noticed the aircraft’s rapid descent but were unable to restore communications with the crew before the crash, Chinese officials said.

U.S. intelligence doesn’t have a clear theory on what led to the plane crashing. A source tells ABC News they aren’t ruling anything out, including a possible intentional downing.

As a precaution, China Eastern Airline grounded its fleet of Boeing 737-800s on Wednesday.

Members of the U.S. National Safety Transportation Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and engine-maker CFM International are all joining the probe.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 23, 10:53 am
Sending NATO peacekeepers to Ukraine would be ‘very reckless’, Russia warns

Russia warned Wednesday that sending NATO peacekeepers to Ukraine would be “a very reckless and extremely dangerous decision.”

Last week, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Poland will formally submit a proposal at the NATO summit on Thursday for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on Poland’s plans while speaking to reporters Wednesday.

“It would be a very reckless and extremely dangerous decision,” Peskov said. “A special military operation is going on, and any possible contact by our troops with NATO troops can lead to quite clear consequences that would be hard to repair.”

Mar 23, 10:32 am
Russia claims US isn’t interested in progress in Ukraine

Russia claimed Wednesday that the United States isn’t interested in the rapid progress of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

During a speech to students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in Russia’s capital, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Washington of wanting to keep Moscow and Kyiv “in a state of hostilities” for “as long as possible.”

“Negotiations are difficult because the Ukrainian side seems to have expressed understanding of the things that should be agreed upon during the negotiations, constantly changing its position, refusing its own proposals,” Lavrov said. “It is difficult to get rid of the impression that they are being held by the hand by their American colleagues.”

He alleged “it is unprofitable” for the U.S. “that this process be completed quickly.”

“They expect to continue pumping weapons to Ukraine. Provocative statements are being made,” he added. “Apparently they want to keep us as long as possible in a state of hostilities.”

Mar 23, 10:27 am
US military aid begins to arrive in Ukraine

The first deliveries from the $800 million-military assistance that President Joe Biden authorized for Ukraine a week ago have started to arrive, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.

The military aid package includes Stinger anti-aircraft systems; Javelin anti-armor weapons; light anti-armor weapons; AT-4 anti-armor systems and tactical unmanned aerial systems.

CNN first reported the deliveries.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Mar 23, 10:11 am
Video shows entire neighborhoods destroyed in Mariupol

Video has emerged showing the devastation in Ukraine’s besieged city of Mariupol.

Drone footage recorded Wednesday and released by a Ukrainian right-wing paramilitary group that has been incorporated into Ukraine’s National Guard shows entire neighborhoods destroyed in Mariupol. Mere shells are all that remain of buildings and smoke is still rising from some of the wreckage. The video has been verified by ABC News.

Ukrainian troops are continuing to battle persistent efforts by Russian forces to seize the strategic port city in southeastern Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Fergal Gallagher

Mar 23, 9:39 am
Russia, Ukraine agree on nine humanitarian corridors for Wednesday

Russia and Ukraine have agreed on nine humanitarian corridors to try to evacuate civilians trapped in embattled Ukrainian towns and cities on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

But the agreement does not include a safe passage from the heart of Mariupol, Vereshchuk said in an address Wednesday, adding that she hopes people wishing to leave the besieged southeastern port city can make it to nearby Berdyansk, where humanitarian aid awaits them. She said 24 buses are on standby to transport people.

Some of the previous attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol have failed after Russian forces continued to shell the city, despite agreeing to temporary cease-fires.

Mar 23, 9:17 am
Belarus expels several Ukrainian diplomats, closes Ukrainian Consulate General

Belarus announced Wednesday its decision to expel several Ukrainian diplomats and close the Ukrainian Consulate General in Brest.

“The Ukrainian embassy will continue to work in Belarus in a 1+4 format, that is, an ambassador and four staff members,” Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anatoly Glaz said in a statement, according to the state-run news agency BelTA.

Mar 23, 8:27 am
Ukraine says 100,000 remain trapped in besieged Mariupol

Fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continued in Mariupol on Wednesday morning, with the Ukrainian government warning that as many as 100,000 people remain trapped in the besieged port city.

One Mariupol resident, who managed to escape with her elderly parents and four cats, told ABC News her home had no electricity or heat and that she would have to scavenge for food and other supplies under Russian bombardment. She recalled seeing bodies strewn in the streets because residents had no choice but to leave them there.

“We understood anytime we might be killed by the next bomb,” she said during an interview Tuesday.

Pro-Russia separatist forces from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic in Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region said Wednesday that 562 civilians, including 110 children, were evacuated from encircled Mariupol to the occupied town of Bezymenne in the past 24 hours. A total of 4,621 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol between March 5 and March 23, according to the separatist forces.

Mar 23, 7:59 am
Russia claims to have swapped prisoners with Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners twice since the start of the war, according to Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

“Two prisoner exchanges have been completed between Russia and Ukraine,” Zakharova said in a statement Wednesday.

Mar 23, 7:56 am
Poland expels 45 Russian diplomats for espionage

Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, said Wednesday that he has received a note from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding the expulsion of 45 Russian diplomats on charges of espionage.

The diplomats must leave Poland within five days, according to Andreev.

The news came after a spokesperson for Poland’s Internal Security Agency announced on Polish television that authorities had compiled a list of 45 Russian diplomats in the country who were suspected of spying.

Mar 23, 7:45 am
Two residential areas of Kyiv shelled overnight, officials say

Russian shelling hit two residential areas of Kyiv on Tuesday night, according to the city administration.

A shopping center and two private houses were damaged in the Sviatoshynskyi district of the Ukrainian capital, but no one was injured and the fires have been extinguished, officials said.

Several private houses and high-rise buildings were on fire in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where four people were injured. Rescuers and medics were still on the scene Wednesday, and the extent of the damage was under assessment, according to officials.

Mar 23, 7:32 am
Russia doesn’t believe claims of civilian deaths in Ukraine

Moscow doesn’t believe Kyiv’s claims of civilian deaths in Ukraine caused by Russian forces, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

“We don’t believe the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office. Russian troops are carrying out no strikes, aren’t firing on civilians,” Peskov told reporters during a daily call. “Russian servicemen are helping civilians and, regrettably, more and more eyewitnesses get out of the cities saying that they are being held there as human shields, and that nationalist battalions are firing — and there are plenty of such cases — on civilians.”

Mar 23, 6:42 am
Over 3.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR

More than 3.6 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency.

The tally from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) amounts to just over 8% of Ukraine’s population — which the World Bank counted at 44 million at the end of 2020 — on the move across borders in 28 days.

More than half of the refugees crossed into neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.

Mar 23, 5:45 am
Russian forces allegedly destroy Ukrainian weapons depot

Russia claimed Wednesday that its forces carried out an airstrike destroying a weapons depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also alleged that troops have destroyed 430 aircraft, including drones, as well as more than 1,500 tanks and other combat armoured vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the “special military operation” began Feb. 24.

Mar 23, 5:20 am
Talks with Moscow ‘are moving forward,’ Zelenskyy says

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “very difficult” but “moving forward,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

“It’s very difficult, sometimes confrontational,” Zelenskyy said in an early morning address. “But step by step, we are moving forward.”

Zelenskyy added that he is “grateful to all international mediators who are standing up for Ukraine.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KINGSTON, Jamaica) — As Prince William and Duchess Kate are met with protests during their arrival to Jamaica for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks the 70th anniversary of her coronation, pressure for the country to cut ties with the British monarchy continues to grow.

Roughly 350 protestors demonstrated in Kingston, where activists from the Advocates Network delivered an open letter to the British High Commission on Tuesday, calling for reparations and a formal apology from the royal family for its colonial past and ties to slavery.

The protest in the Jamaican capital comes just days after the royal couple were forced to change plans in Belize, after locals protested their initial arrival. The island of Barbados in November became a republic after officially cutting ties with Queen Elizabeth as head of state.

While the royal family attempts to strengthen its relationship with commonwealth nations throughout the Caribbean, the controversies have reignited a fierce debate in Jamaica over how and when the island would remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state.

Robert Nesta Morgan, the minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, told ABC News that there is consensus within the country, and agreement between the Jamaican government and opposition leadership that the country is “moving towards becoming a republic.”

Prime Minister Andrew Holness appointed Marlene Malahoo Forte, the country’s former attorney general, to be the minister of constitutional affairs, which took effect in January. Her new role, in part, oversees and advises the government as it seeks to transition to republic status.

Malahoo Forte told the Jamaica Observer in December that Holness gave her instructions for the constitution to be amended for the purposes of becoming a republic.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) met on Feb. 27 at the University of West Indies to discuss what a republic would look like, according to Morgan. However, disagreements on whether the country would have an executive president or a ceremonial president have stalled the referendum needed to move forward.

Unlike the Island of Barbados, which removed Elizabeth as head of state with a simple majority vote, Jamaica has entrenched provisions in its constitution that require a referendum, allowing the electorate to vote on the proposal before it heads to the legislature. The amendment to become a republic would then have to be approved by a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“It’s not a straightforward simple process. It requires a lot of planning. It requires a lot of public education and it also requires a lot of consensus between both the opposition and the government,” Morgan told ABC News.

He continued, “I think there is agreement between the two sides [Jamaica Labour Party and the People’s National Party] and there has been discussions for many decades … we want to move to a republic, but there were sticking points.”

Despite the arduous process to sever ties with the British monarchy, Morgan said he believes the appointment of a minister of constitutional affairs is “a big step.”

The minister also reacted to Tuesday’s protests led by the Advocates Network, saying the government respects the rights of its citizens to protest.

“We are a democracy and we are a country that very much values free speech. So the government does not reject or view with disdain those who are seeking to fulfill their constitutional right to protest.” Morgan said, later adding that the Jamaican government believes in the concept of reparations from Britain.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW ORLEANS) — A deadly tornado tore through homes and knocked out power in the New Orleans area on Tuesday night.

The tornado caused damage in St. Bernard’s Parish, in the eastern part of New Orleans, including the Ninth Ward, Chalmette and Arabi areas. It hit at around 7:30 p.m. local time, according to the National Weather Service.

One person was killed in Arabi, St. Bernard’s Parish President Guy McInnis told ABC News.

“First responders and police are in Arabi assessing tornado damage and helping affected residents,” St. Bernard’s Parish officials wrote on Facebook. “There is plenty of debris and downed power lines which is making the area very congested. PLEASE stay away from this area.”

Officials from Jefferson Parish, which is to the west and south of downtown New Orleans, wrote on Twitter they were not aware of any major damage or injuries. Some power lines were knocked down by the storms that moved through the area.

“State agencies are assisting local officials as needed as they assess the damage and impacts of these tornadoes,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards wrote on Twitter. “My prayers are with you in Southeast Louisiana tonight. Please be safe.”

Early spring storms churned up tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma one day earlier. At least one person was killed, a 73-year-old woman, while another 10 people were injured in Grayson County, Texas, according to Sarah Somers, the director of the county’s office of emergency.

Three dozen tornadoes were reported across three states on Monday.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 23, 5:45 am
Russian forces allegedly destroy Ukrainian weapons depot

Russia claimed Wednesday that its forces carried out an airstrike destroying a weapons depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also alleged that troops have destroyed 430 aircraft, including drones, as well as more than 1,500 tanks and other combat armoured vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the “special military operation” began Feb. 24.

Mar 23, 5:20 am
Talks with Moscow ‘are moving forward,’ Zelenskyy says

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “very difficult” but “moving forward,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

“It’s very difficult, sometimes confrontational,” Zelenskyy said in an early morning address. “But step by step, we are moving forward.”

Zelenskyy added that he is “grateful to all international mediators who are standing up for Ukraine.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — As investigators try to piece together clues on what caused a Chinese passenger plane to plunge from the sky Monday, officials told ABC News they are looking at every possible avenue, including an intentional downing.

None of the 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 survived when it crashed into the mountains in the Guangxi region of southern China.

Early data shows the Boeing 737-800 plunged from 29,000 feet to 8,000 feet, leveled off and then went into a freefall, exploding into a fireball that was seen and filmed by people nearby.

On the ground, crews have found few clues as to what caused the disaster. The plane’s black boxes haven’t been recovered.

American intelligence agencies don’t have a clear theory on what led to the plane crash, an official told ABC News. U.S. authorities studying satellite and radar data aren’t ruling anything out, including a possible intentional downing, the official told ABC News.

Chinese officials said Tuesday that the plane’s crew didn’t answer calls from air traffic control when they noticed the rapid descent during its flight from Kunming to Guangzhou.

Eastern Airlines grounded its fleet of Boeing 787-800 planes as a precaution.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has called in the assistance of several international groups, including ones from the U.S., to find out what happened.

Members of the U.S. National Safety Transportation Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and engine-maker CFM International are all joining the probe.

“The NTSB is in contact with the CAAC investigator-in-charge and we will support their investigation with our technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and CFM in all ways necessary,” the NTSB said in a statement.

ABC News’ Amanda Maile contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Prince William and Duchess Kate are facing protests as they continue their week-long tour of the Caribbean to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.

William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were forced to cancel one of their first stops in Belize over the weekend when protests broke out ahead of their arrival.

The protests, led by indigenous people, some holding signs against colonialism, prompted the couple to visit another local cocoa farm instead of the one they originally planned to tour in the foothills of the Maya Mountains.

As William and Kate arrive in Jamaica on Tuesday, another protest is planned in that country.

A group known as The Advocates Network, which describes itself as a “non-partisan alliance of individuals and organizations advocating for human rights and good governance,” has published an open letter protesting the royals’ visit, saying that British rule has “perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind.”

“During her 70 years on the throne, your grandmother has done nothing to redress and atone for the suffering of our ancestors that took place during her reign and/or during the entire period of British trafficking of Africans, enslavement, indentureship and colonialization,” reads the letter, which was signed by 100 individuals.

The group has also taken to Twitter, publishing in a thread 60 reasons why they say an apology is due to the country, a nod to Jamaica celebrating the 60th anniversary of its independence later this year.

William and Kate have so far not commented on the controversy.

As monarch, Queen Elizabeth is the head of the British Commonwealth, representing 54 nations, including Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, which William and Kate will visit next.

Another Caribbean country, Barbados, became a republic last year, no longer pledging allegiance to the queen.

Queen Elizabeth’s oldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, delivered a speech in Barbados at its independence ceremony, referencing Britain’s colonial past during which people were trafficked from Africa to the Caribbean.

“From the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude,” said Charles. “Emancipation, self-government and independence were your way-points. Freedom, justice and self-determination have been your guides. Your long journey has brought you to this moment, not as your destination, but as a vantage point from which to survey a new horizon.”

William and Kate’s visit to the Caribbean this week is meant to thank people there for their support of Queen Elizabeth during her 70-year reign, the longest in Britain’s history.

“It’s more to support them and say thanks for all the support they’ve given the queen,” said Robert Jobson, an ABC News royal contributor, adding that William and Kate are implementing “soft-power diplomacy” on the tour.

In Belize, in addition to visiting a cocoa farm, William and Kate danced with locals and attended a special reception held by the country’s governor general.

In Jamaica, William and Kate are scheduled to meet with the governor general of Jamaica as well as the prime minister, in addition to other engagements, including visiting a school and hospital.

The Caribbean tour marks William and Kate’s first joint foreign tour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago.

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(LONDON) — The jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been sentenced to an additional nine years, in a fresh trial roundly criticized by human rights organizations as politically motivated.

Navalny is already imprisoned on a two-and-a-half-year sentence, incarcerated since he was immediately arrested on his return to Russia following treatment in Germany in January of last year, after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in August 2020.

Prosecutors sought a new 10-year sentence on fresh charges of embezzlement and contempt of court that were announced in February, granted by the court, which means Navalny will remain incarcerated until President Vladimir Putin is entering his 80s.

The charges, which are widely viewed as politically motivated, accuse Navalny of embezzling donations from his Anti-Corruption Foundation, the organization that produces his high-profile investigations into the alleged ill-gotten gains of Putin and his elite.

Navalny was made to stand for hours as the judge detailed the new convictions, with the opposition activist cutting a noticeably thinner figure after his time in jail alongside his lawyers. Last year, Navalny’s team said he was “fighting for his life” after he fell ill in prison after a protracted hunger strike.

9 years. Well, as the characters of my favorite TV series “The Wire” used to say: “You only do two days. That’s the day you go in and the day you come out”
I even had a T-shirt with this slogan, but the prison authorities confiscated it, considering the print extremist.

— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) March 22, 2022

The dissident’s political organizations were formally designated as “extremist,” placing them alongside groups such as ISIS in Russia, meaning that anyone publicly supporting Navalny could face prison sentences and be barred from running in elections.

Navalny is often labelled as one of Putin’s most difficult domestic critics. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his official social media accounts have posted regular messages criticizing the war and calling on Russians to stage weekly protests against the invasion.

As Navalny’s legal team was handed down the new sentence, his organization posted a new investigation that alleged a huge super-yacht under construction in Italy belongs to Putin and should be seized as Western countries clamp down on assets linked to the Russian state.

The new sentencing of Russia’s most prominent pro-democracy activist comes as the Kremlin is drastically clamping down on civil society organizations and the free press in the country following its invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, Facebook and Instagram were also formally designated as “extremist” groups as the Kremlin sought to control the narrative around the war.

Putin has issued repeated warnings against pro-Western “traitors” and “scum” seeking to bring about “the destruction of Russia.”

“Putin is intensifying his actions to destroy Russia and is essentially announcing the start of mass repressions against those who don’t agree with the regime,” he posted on Twitter. “This has happened in our history before, and not only ours.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”

Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance. Heavy shelling and missile attacks, many on civilian buildings, continue in Kyiv, as well as major cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol. Russia also bombed western cities for the first time this week, targeting Lviv and a military base near the Poland border.

Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 22, 4:40 pm
Russia claims more than 360,000 people evacuated from Ukraine to Russia

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday that it has evacuated 366,182 people from Ukraine to Russia since the invasion began.

Russia said 19,442 people, including 3,448 children, were evacuated from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions to Russia on Monday, without the participation of Ukrainian authorities, Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center, claimed in a press briefing.

Mizintsev claimed more than 68,000 residents were also evacuated from Mariupol without the Ukrainian authorities’ involvement.

He claimed these people “are now completely safe under the Russian Federation’s protection, and all those in need are receiving necessary aid.”

Russia claimed it opened humanitarian corridors from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv on Tuesday.

Mar 22, 3:55 pm
No signs China has given Russia military aid: US official

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said there are no signs that China has given any military assistance to Russia to help with the war in Ukraine.

President Joe Biden held a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday and Sullivan met with his counterpart in Rome on Monday over U.S. concerns that Beijing would aid Moscow.

Over a week ago, the U.S. confirmed that Russia asked China for military support and other aid since the invasion began.

“What I can tell you is we have not seen … the provision of military equipment by China to Russia,” Sullivan said. “The president made clear to President Xi the implications and consequences of any such provision of equipment, and they very well understand one another.”

When pressed on whether NATO allies would “put specific concrete steps in place” if China does provide assistance, Sullivan said Biden would be consulting with NATO and the EU.

“On April 1, the European Union is having a summit with China. And so this will be an opportunity, Thursday, for the United States and our European partners, to coordinate closely on what our message is. We believe we’re very much on the same page with our European partners, and we will be speaking with one voice on this issue,” Sullivan said.

-ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze

Mar 22, 3:44 pm
Biden, allies to roll out new coordinated plans on Thursday

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said President Joe Biden and NATO allies will roll out new coordinated plans on Thursday in response to Russia’s continued invasion.

Sullivan said Biden is traveling to Europe “to ensure we stay united” with our allies and to send a message that they are committed to help Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”

“There will be hard days ahead in Ukraine. Hardest for the Ukrainian troops on the front lines and the civilians under Russian bombardment. This war will not end easily or rapidly,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said NATO allies will announce new sanctions, tighten existing ones, adjust troops on the Eastern Flank and outline plans to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.

Sullivan did not disclose any specific details about the sanctions but hinted that new ones will focus on a joint effort to crack down on countries helping Russia “undermine, weaken or get around the sanctions,” calling it an “important part” of this next phase.

“We have applied an enormous amount of economic pressure, and in order to sustain and escalate that pressure over time, part of that is about new designations, new targets, but a big part of it is about effective enforcement and evasion, applying the lessons that we’ve learned from other circumstances where we have, in fact, imposed sanctions on countries,” Sullivan said.

In Poland, Sullivan said Biden will “engage” with U.S. troops, hold a bilateral meeting with President Duda and meet with experts involved in the humanitarian response.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Mar 22, 3:14 pm
Zelenskyy addresses Italian lawmakers, saying Russia’s ‘goal is Europe’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Italy’s Parliament on Tuesday, warning that “Ukraine is the gateway to Europe for Russian troops.”

He called for more sanctions so Russia “is looking not for military reserves or mercenaries somewhere in Libya or Syria, but for peace.”

“This is a war that Russia has been preparing for a long time. Which one person has been preparing for a long time. One! For decades,” Zelenskyy said. “Their goal is Europe.”

Zelenskyy compared the Russian invasion to the Nazis, saying, “The last one who did something like this in Europe were the Nazis, when they invaded other countries.”

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Mar 22, 3:07 pm
Russia’s combat capability likely below 90%: US official

For the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s combat capability has likely fallen below 90%, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters. The official said there are no tangible indications of reinforcements being brought in from elsewhere in the country.

“[This is] combat power that they assembled in Belarus and in the western part of their country prior to the invasion. It is not an assessment of all Russian military power,” the official said.

The official said there are “indications” that Ukrainian resistance is trying to retake some territory seized by Russian troops, such as the town of Izyum.

“What we’re starting to see are indications that they are now able and willing to take back territory that the Russians have taken,” said the official. “Whether this is a part of some sort of larger operational plan, we can’t say for sure.”

In Mykolaiv, northeast of Odessa, the Russians have been forced to reposition themselves to the area south of the city because Ukrainian resistance was so strong north of the city, the official said.

The logistical and resupply issues continue to plague Russian troops with the official noting that Russia now has concerns about fueling its ships in the Black Sea. Frostbite has also become an issue for Russian troops who continue to be inadequately supplied.

Ukrainian forces have mounted a strong resistance inside of Mariupol against the “significant number” of Russian forces that have made their way into the city, according to the official.

“The Ukrainians are fighting very, very hard to keep Mariupol from falling,” said the official.

Russia has fired more than 1,100 missiles in Ukraine, according to the official.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Mar 22, 2:21 pm
Russian Defense Ministry claims forces are making advances

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces pursued the retreating Ukrainian units of the 54th separate mechanized brigade, and advanced 4 kilometers on Tuesday, approaching the settlement of Novomikhailovka.

Russian-backed Donetsk troops took control of the settlement of Verkhnetoretskoe and continues to attack units of the 25th Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.

Russia claims two tanks, five infantry fighting vehicles, three field artillery pieces and seven off-road vehicles were destroyed.

Russia also claimed it fired air and sea-based high-precision long-range weapons at Ukrainian military facilities. It claimed it destroyed depots of fuel, lubricants, rocket and artillery weapons and ammunition.

The country’s defense ministry said its operational-tactical and army aviation hit 83 military facilities of Ukraine. Among them: four command posts, four anti-aircraft missile systems, three depots of rocket and artillery weapons and ammunition, as well as 68 places of military equipment accumulation.

Russia claimed air defense systems shot down 6 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the air, including one Bayraktar TB-2 near the village of Merefa, Kharkiv region.

In total, since the beginning of the attack, 236 unmanned aerial vehicles, 185 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1,547 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 154 multiple rocket launchers, 612 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 1,343 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed, Russia claims.

Mar 22, 1:11 pm
Hungarian president-elect visits town on border with Ukraine

Hungarian President-elect Katalin Novak visited the small town of Beregsurany on Tuesday. The town is a mile from the border with Ukraine.

Beregsurany, which has a population of about 600 people, has seen an influx in refugees fleeing Ukraine. Some days as many as 3,000 people pass through it.

The town has responded by setting up a local welcome center to facilitate registration, offering temporary beds until more permanent homes become available and providing counseling and care.

Novak is a member of Hungary’s far right, populist political party and closely works with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, known for his hardline stance on immigration and strict asylum policies.

Novak met with reporters after handing out pancakes to some of the refugees, a tradition started by a group of local women who make hundreds of pancakes daily for everyone coming over the border.

Novak said Hungarians are a welcoming people and want to help those who are fleeing violence and forced to leave their homes.

When pushed on why the politics are different for these refugees, compared to refugees from other countries like Syria, she said Hungary will always welcome people fleeing violence, but the country’s stance on mass migration remains the same.

She did not explain why certain people are considered “mass migration” and others are “seeking asylum.”

-ABC News’ Maggie Rulli

Mar 22, 12:50 pm
International Chess Federation imposes 6-month ban on Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin

Russian chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin was found guilty of breaching an article in the FIDE Code of Ethics relating to public statements he has made in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Three days after the invasion, Karjakin published an open letter on his verified Instagram account expressing his support for the Russian regime.

“I express to you, our Commander-in-Chief, my full support in protecting the interests of Russia, our multinational Russian people, eliminating threats and establishing peace! I wish you a speedy fulfillment of all tasks assigned to our valiant army,” he said in the post.

Karjakin has 21 days to appeal the decision.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Mar 22, 12:42 pm
Save the Children calls for immediate halt on intercountry adoptions

Save the Children is calling for an immediate ban on intercountry adoptions of children uprooted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to protect them from human traffickers or child abusers.

The international children’s charity warned in a statement Tuesday that “during mass movement of refugees, well-meaning people may attempt to ‘rescue’ children from the crisis-affected area in the mistaken belief that they will be better cared for in other environments.” But Save the Children stressed that “the best place for children is with their families and communities, and adoption is not an appropriate response for unaccompanied children until authorities and agencies have made all efforts to trace and reunite them with their families.”

The organization also warned that “not everybody attempting to foster or adopt children from Ukraine does so with the best intentions.”

Save the Children is calling on states to support a moratorium on all adoptions “until appropriate safeguards are in place” for the unaccompanied children who have fled Ukraine as well as those who have been uprooted within the country. Ukraine has suspended its intercountry adoption program until further notice in the wake of the ongoing war. But Save the Children noted that “it is important for receiving countries to also suspend intercountry adoption proceedings to ensure the appropriate international standards and safeguards.”

Save the Children staff in Romania have reported seeing some kids arriving from Ukraine unaccompanied, while others have been separated from their families in the chaos of fleeing their homes. The organization said many are under 14 and showing signs of psychological distress.

“There is so much upheaval in a child’s life during this time that the best place for them is with their families, relatives, and communities, rather than being removed to a foreign country and language. The most protective environment for a child is the safety and stability of their own family,” Amanda Brydon, global head of child protection advocacy for Save the Children, said in a statement. “At this stage of this crisis, an immediate moratorium on intercountry adoptions is critical to ensure that children are safe and that where possible and in their best interests, they are reunited with their caregivers or verified family members. Sending funds to trusted humanitarian agencies for their response to this crisis is one of the best ways to be able to support such children currently.”

Mar 22, 12:10 pm
US, St. Jude airlift 4 Ukrainian children with cancer

The U.S. Department of State announced Tuesday that it has coordinated with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital “to provide necessary life-saving and immediate care to four Ukrainian children whose ongoing cancer treatment was disrupted” by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The State Department helped airlift these pediatric cancer patients and some of their immediate family members from Poland to the international airport in Memphis, Tennessee, where they were subsequently transported to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“There, the patients will be able to safely resume critical cancer therapy disrupted by the Kremlin’s aggression,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. “They will receive the specialized care they desperately need, and their family members will be afforded sustenance, security, and support from St. Jude.”

Over 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, and more than half went to neighboring Poland, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency.

“Children are among the most vulnerable in a crisis, and these pediatric oncology patients need urgent and highly specialized medical care. We are proud to stand with European partners who are also treating children whose life-saving care in Ukraine has been made impossible by Putin’s war,” Price added. “We recognize, however, that the children transported represent a small proportion of the thousands of patients whose cancer treatment has been interrupted and, who, even amid a pandemic and with compromised immune systems, were forced to flee their homes. That is why, together with our allies and partners, we will continue to support our Ukrainian partners as we seek to save lives and bring this needless war to a close.”

-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan

Mar 22, 10:57 am
Nobel winner to auction medal to benefit refugees

Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov announced Tuesday that he and independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta have decided to auction off their 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Medal and donate the proceeds to the Ukrainian Refugee Fund.

“There are already over 10 million of refugees,” Muratov wrote on the Novaya Gazeta website, “I ask the auction houses to respond and put up for auction this world-famous award.”

Muratov is the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta and won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with journalist Maria Ressa.

Mar 22, 10:00 am
Russian troops fire gas at peaceful protesters in Kherson

Russian troops fired gas into a crowd of peaceful protesters in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Tuesday.

Video from the scene, taken by journalists, shows projectiles landing in a square in central Kherson where residents had gathered to protest Russia’s occupation of the city. Loud bangs can be heard and the crowd suddenly disperses as people attempt to flee the smoke and gas emitting from the canisters around them. People are seen coughing and covering their faces as they run away.

-ABC News’ Julia Drozd and Fergal Gallagher

Mar 22, 7:58 am
Several loud explosions heard in Kyiv amid curfew

ABC News’ team in Kyiv reported hearing several loud explosions just before 1 p.m. local time.

The Ukrainian capital was reported to be relatively quiet earlier Tuesday, which marks the first full day of a 35-hour curfew, set to expire Wednesday morning.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that Ukrainian troops expelled Russian forces from Makariv, a suburb of Kyiv, after a fierce battle. However, Russian forces pushing toward Kyiv were able to take partial control of other northwestern suburbs, Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, according to the defense ministry.

Mar 22, 7:57 am
Pope Francis calls Zelenskyy, gets invited to Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he received a telephone call from Pope Francis on Tuesday.

Zelenskyy made the comment at the start of his 11-minute impassioned speech to Italy’s parliament via video link, after which he received a standing ovation.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andryi Yurash, later took to Twitter to confirm the call, saying Zelenskyy had a “very promising” conversation with the pontiff and invited him to visit Ukraine.

The Holy See Press Office has not yet released a statement on the call.

Mar 22, 7:44 am
Several loud explosions heard in Kyiv

ABC News’ team in Kyiv reported hearing several loud explosions just before 1 p.m. local time.

The Ukrainian capital was reported to be relatively quiet earlier Tuesday.

Mar 22, 7:22 am
Several fires reported in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Several fires have erupted within the area around Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to a press release from the Ukrainian parliament, which cited satellite images from the European Space Agency.

The Ukrainian parliament said the fires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a 1,000-square-mile restricted area of deserted land surrounding the shuttered plant, were likely caused by “shelling or arson” at the hands of Russian forces, which seized the site last month.

Mar 22, 7:06 am
Over 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR

More than 3.5 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency.

The tally from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) amounts to just over 8% of Ukraine’s population — which the World Bank counted at 44 million at the end of 2020 — on the move across borders in 27 days.

More than half of the refugees are in neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.

Mar 22, 6:50 am
At least 925 civilians, including 75 children, killed in Ukraine: OHCHR

At least 925 civilians, including 75 children, have been killed in Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Meanwhile, at least 1,496 civilians, including 99 children, have been injured, OHCHR figures show.

The tallies are civilian casualties that occurred in Ukraine from Feb. 24 to March 20 and have been verified by OHCHR, though the agency cautioned that the true numbers are believed to be “considerably higher.”

“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” OHCHR said in a statement late Monday. “OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, especially in Government-controlled territory and especially in recent days, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration.”

Mar 22, 6:43 am
Russia claims to have captured nine more localities in Ukraine

Russia claimed Tuesday that its troops have captured nine more localities in Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, units of the Russian Armed Forces have advanced another 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) and have taken control of the southeastern village of Urozhaine in the Donetsk oblast, some 65 miles north of the besieged port of Mariupol where many civilians remain trapped under Russia bombardment.

Meanwhile, the defense ministry said Russia-backed separatist forces of southeastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region have also advanced and captured eight more areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Mar 22, 6:28 am
Russia responds to Biden on biological, chemical weapons, claiming it has neither

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Tuesday denied allegations that Russia might be planning to use biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine.

“We have neither of these,” Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow. “What the Americans are saying are malicious insinuations — we’ve heard them all the time and we’ve given exhaustive answers to them for a long time. The problem is, the U.S. has no habit of listening to anyone but itself.”

Ryabkov’s comments came after U.S. President Joe Biden accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of falsely claiming that the United States and Ukraine are developing biological or chemical weapons for use against Russia — rhetoric that Biden said shows Putin is considering using those types of deadly weapons in Ukraine.

“He’s already used chemical weapons in the past, and we should be careful of what’s about to come,” Biden said Monday during remarks at the Business Roundtable’s CEO Quarterly Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Mar 22, 4:25 am
Russia-US relations ‘on the brink of a breakup,’ diplomat warns

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned Tuesday that the United States should stop supplying Ukraine with weapons and making threats to Moscow in order to “preserve relations” with Russia.

“They simply need to stop in their escalation, both verbal escalation and in terms of stuffing the Kyiv region with weapons. They need to stop producing threats to Russia,” Ryabkov said while answering questions from reporters in Moscow. “Meanwhile, if they do manage to somehow positively influence Kyiv, something that I not just doubt, but I am confident that it will not happen, unfortunately, then I think there will be a certain prospect for normalizing relations.”

“For now, we see a downward tendency in relations with our country through the fault of the U.S.,” he added. “We regret it, but it does not impact our determination to move toward accomplishing the goals of the special military operation and to adapt to the circumstances related to the American sanctions and the sanctions imposed by European satellites of the U.S. at its behest.”

When asked whether Moscow plans to recall its ambassador, Ryabkov told reporters that the future of Russia-U.S. relations depends on Washington.

“A note of protest was passed to the American ambassador yesterday. It said that the current developments put these relations on the brink of a breakup,” he said. “There is nothing here beyond what was said there: that the question is about a policy that the U.S. will choose.”

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