[EN DIRECT] 18th day of war in Ukraine: here are all the latest developments

Dozens killed as a result of Russian strikes on a military base near Poland and several deaths in shelling in Mykolaiv; see all the news of this 18th day of war in Ukraine.

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Here are the latest developments, minute by minute

12:43 | Ukraine: ICRC warns of “worst-case scenario” in Mariupol

The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Sunday of “a worst-case scenario” in Mariupol, a besieged city in southeastern Ukraine, if the belligerents “do not urgently reach a humanitarian agreement” .

12:10 | Russian negotiator sees ‘progress’ in talks

A Russian negotiator estimated Sunday that the talks between Kyiv and Moscow are progressing, in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine, at a time when diplomatic contacts are increasing despite the active continuation of the fighting.

“If we compare the position of the two delegations between the start of the negotiations and now, then we see significant progress,” said Leonid Slutsky, an MP who was part of the Russian delegation and who recently met with Ukrainian negotiators in Belarus.

“My personal expectation is that this progress will lead very soon to a common position between the two delegations and to documents to be signed,” he added, quoted by Russian news agencies.

11:47 am | Over 2,100 Mariupol residents killed since start of offensive, city hall says

More than 2,100 residents of Mariupol, a besieged port city in southeastern Ukraine, have been killed since the start of the Russian offensive, the city hall announced on Sunday.

“Occupiers cynically and deliberately strike residential buildings, densely populated areas, destroy children’s hospitals and urban infrastructure […]. To date, 2,187 residents of Mariupol have died in Russian attacks,” Mariupol City Hall reported on Telegram.

11:29 am | War in Ukraine: nine dead in bombings in Mykolaiv

Nine people were killed in Russian strikes on the port city of Mykolaiv, near Odessa, in southern Ukraine, the governor of this region said on Telegram on Sunday.

“Nine people died in the bombardments of these assholes,” wrote Vitali Kim, without further details for the time being.

10:45 a.m. | Ukraine: an American journalist killed and another injured

An American journalist was killed and another wounded by bullets on Sunday in Irpin, on the northwestern edge of Kyiv, where Ukrainian forces are fighting Russian forces, we learned from concordant sources.

This is Brent Renaud, 50, photographer and director, the American newspaper said in a press release. He had worked for The New York Times in the past, but he did not work for that newspaper in Ukraine, the statement said.

09:27 | Pope Francis calls for an end to the “massacre” in Ukraine

Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to the “massacre” in Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops since February 24, saying there is no justification for attacking civilians.

09:00 | Italy: one dead in a bus accident carrying Ukrainians

A bus carrying around 50 Ukrainians overturned in central Italy on Sunday, killing and injuring one person, firefighters said.

08:06 | 100,000 more Ukrainian refugees in 24 hours

Some 100,000 people in 24 hours have added to the number of refugees fleeing fighting in Ukraine, more than two weeks after the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the latest UN count published Sunday.

07:18 | Moscow accused of using phosphorus bombs in the Donbass

A Ukrainian police officer in the Lugansk region, in the east of the country, accused the Russian army overnight from Saturday to Sunday of bombarding his town with phosphorus bombs.

07:00 | War in Ukraine: 35 dead in strikes on a military base near Poland

A military base near the Polish border in western Ukraine, hitherto relatively untouched by Russian strikes, was shelled overnight, killing at least 35 local authorities said on Sunday, while southern country continues to be shelled and that Kyiv fears an encirclement.

04:36 | Ukraine: Russian strikes against a base near the Polish border, says Kyiv

Russian forces on Sunday bombed a military base in western Ukraine, near the Polish border, an area hitherto relatively spared from the conflict, Ukrainian authorities said.

03:41 | Ukraine: Kyiv prepares for siege, Mariupol hopes for humanitarian aid

Ukraine fears an encirclement of Kyiv and promises a “relentless defense” of its capital against Russian forces, which, according to local authorities, bombarded a military base in the Lviv region, located near the Polish border and hitherto relatively spared.

READ | The first lady: unsuspected weapon

From a rather reserved wife to a courageous first lady, Olena Zelenska is playing an increasingly important role in the information war alongside her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky.

While thousands of women have taken up arms in the streets of Kyiv or Mariupol, the 44-year-old is active in the digital battlefield to draw global attention to the horrors and victims of war .

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