Ukraine: The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for 19 days. Over 2.6 million people have fled from Ukraine. The mayor of Melitopol, a city in south-eastern Ukraine, has been kidnapped by Russian soldiers. A journalist from the US was also shot dead, as per reports. As many as 35 people were killed in airstrikes on a military base in Lviv on Sunday. Donetsk is a breakaway region in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russia separatists.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin had recognised the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, another rebel-held territory, which escalated tensions with Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent reported that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators decided on 10 new safe passage corridors for civilians in the provinces of Kyiv and Luhansk. However, no humanitarian corridors have been set up for the besieged city of Mariupol, which is under a barrage of attacks from Russian forces. Ukrainian authorities said they will keep trying to get a convoy of aid including food, medicines and other essential supplies to the city.
Delegates from Ukraine and Russia once again met for another round of talks on Monday, after both sides reported rare progress at the weekend, despite fierce Russian attacks. The death toll of civilians in Mariupol exceeds 2,500. Meanwhile, the Antonov aviation industry plant in Kyiv caught fire after Russia attacked the unit. Chernihiv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine was hit by Russian troops on Sunday night. Moscow sees no grounds for sending UN peacekeepers to Ukraine as the issue is not on the agenda of the Security Council of the organization.
Ukrainian rescuers reported 2 people dead after an apartment in Kyiv collapsed due to a fire. The building caught fire after Russian troops attacked it. 3 people were hospitalised. 9 more people were treated on the spot. The rescuers evacuated 63 people from the building. The fire was extinguished, but the search for survivors continues. Russian forces fired artillery strikes on suburbs northwest of Kyiv overnight and targeted points east of the capital, the head of the Kyiv region said Monday.