Russian invasion of Ukraine: tanks and rocket attacks on the cities. Breaking news

The Parliamentary Assembly has called on the CoE Committee of Ministers to demand that Russia immediately withdraw from the Council of Europe.

PACE vote results: 216 in favour, 0 against and 3 abstentions.

In the Donetsk region, a Russian convoy couldn't break through the position of the Ukrainian border guards. The invaders fled after they lost a tank, a "Tigr" armored vehicle.

99 buses from Sumy Region have arrived in Poltava Region, some will head to Cherkasy Region and the rest will head to Lubny, the deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, has said.

Yesterday, 14 March, three people were shot dead by Russian occupiers in the village of Mokhnatin, Chernihiv Region. Two of the dead were 17 years old and the third was 19. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor-General.

According to Mykhailo Podolyak, the advisor to the Head of President Administration of Ukraine, the negotiations with Russia will continue tomorrow.

Mykhailo Podolyak on Twitter: "We will continue tomorrow. A very difficult and viscous negotiation process. There are fundamental contradictions. But there is certainly room for compromise. During the break, work in subgroups will be continued..."

The US and allies are considering how to strengthen Ukraine's anti-aircraft defence, US ambassador to NATO Julian Smith has announced.

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Janša have arrived to Kyiv.

President Joe Biden signed a bill to provide $13.6 billion to Ukraine.

On one front line, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Special Operations Force knocked the enemy out of their positions, destroying their equipment and freeing an important transport artery.

Right now our soldiers are preparing new "surprises" for the Russian occupiers, the Defence Ministry says.

The Telegram channel of the Azov regiment of the National Guard has published a video of the killing of a civilian in Mariupol by Russian occupiers. The occupiers shot at the defenceless man from a tank.

https://t.me/polkazov/4186

Some 20,000 people left Mariupol today in private cars through a humanitarian corridor, the deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, has said.

Of the 4,000 vehicles that left the city, 570 have already reached Zaporizhzhia.

The rest will stay overnight in settlements in Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk regions.

Aid is being provided to all.

A total of about 29,000 people have been able to evacuate from blockaded towns today via humanitarian corridors.

The head of the Mykolayiv regional state administration, Vitaliy Kim, has said that LDNR terrorists are hiding in the forest near the village of Pisky.

"They came there on foot, harassing the villages. They undressed people, searched for ' Banderivtsi' tattoos, there were photos of ATO soldiers hanging in the school - they all were found there, someone was shot dead. I think only one wounded man survived. So, with all this happiness stolen, they escaped somewhere in the woods near Pisky. I don't know what I will do with them if I catch them. I asked the military, they'll try it now. I ask the locals... if you see these scum who walk around with their loot and their guns on a string and not on a strap, these are the scum that were harassing the village. Don't let them go anywhere, but shoot them straight away," said Kim.

Battles are taking place in all directions in Mykolayiv Region, the head of the regional state administration, Vitaliy Kim, has said.

"Tomorrow we are preparing a humanitarian convoy to those villages that have been liberated. We will provide everything needed. We will relocate people within the oblast who need it," Kim said.

The Russian occupiers launched an air and ship missile attack on a settlement in Odesa Region in the morning. Two people were wounded.

Around 14:00, Russian troops fired about 90 shells at another settlement with ship-based artillery. This was reported by the head of the Odesa RMA, Maksym Marchenko.

To help Ukraine fight the Russian invaders came a British, Shane, a professional military doctor who previously served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Having seen the genocide being committed in Ukraine, I could not sit at home. I came to share my experience. Even without being on the front line, I conclude that it is much more dangerous in Ukraine now than in the war zones where I have been. The Russians are bombing indiscriminately, with no targets, just hitting cities and civilians. The UK fully supports Ukraine, people are pressing the state to get our government to help your country even more," Shane said.

Lukyanivska metro station in Kyiv continues to operate as a shelter, according to the Kyiv City State Administration.

The ground part of the station building has been damaged by the blast due to shelling.

The underground line is working, but trains at the station were not stopped today as restoration work was carried out.

An extraordinary summit of NATO member states is scheduled for 24 March, Jens Stoltenberg has said. They will discuss the war in Ukraine.

"I have convened an extraordinary summit on 24 March at NATO headquarters. We will consider Russia's invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine and further strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence. At this critical time, North America and Europe must continue to stand together," the Alliance Secretary General wrote.

Ukrzaliznytsia has drawn up a schedule of additional evacuation trips as of 16 March.

It became known today that the regional intensive care hospital on Troitskaya Street in Mariupol has been seized by Russian troops, the Azov National Guard regiment has reported.

"Staff and patients are being held hostage by Putin's monsters. The citizens continue to be driven off the street there by shelling from the windows of the medical facility in an attempt to provoke Mariupol defenders," according to the report.

The Parliament of Ukraine passed Bill 7151 which enables the volunteers of the Territorial Defence Forces to be recognised as combatants, also providing them a status of individuals with disabilities as a result of war (if it is the case).

Small groups of fighters are trying to reach Ukraine from Syria to join the war on Russia's side. This was stated by General Frank Mackenzie, commander of the US Central Command.

The number of checkpoints on Ukrainian roads has been reduced to 1,500, Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyy has said.

The head of the Interior Ministry stated that experts involved in this work consider the optimal number of up to 800 checkpoints on main roads and in the cities.

"They must be equipped in accordance with all the rules for the formation of checkpoints. There should be organized clear work which will be ensured by the representatives of the National Police together with the Territorial Defence units and the National Guard, but it is the police officers who will be in charge and will form the work at these checkpoints," the minister said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have shot down another enemy aircraft near Kharkiv, the Land Forces have reported.

Operational information provided by the General Staff as of 18:00 15 March

The enemy has been stopped. Having failed to reach their objective within the stipulated time frame, they suffer casualties in manpower and equipment.

Deployed AFU reserve units in certain directions regrouped and switched to a counter-offensive.

The combat actions are ongoing for the liberation of the outskirts of Mariupol. The Azov regiment has defeated one of the units of the 22nd Independent Special Forces Brigade of the Russian Federation Armed Forces.

In Luhansk Region, Ukraine's defenders destroyed five BM-21 Grad MLRSs with ammunition, three T-72 tanks, one IFV-3 and over 15 enemy servicemen during the day. These numbers are to be specified.

Ukrainians can cross the border with Moldova and Poland using their IDs in Ukrainian app Diya, the State Border Service has said.

The head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, described the Israeli leadership's decisions aimed at restricting the admission of Ukrainians as an unfriendly step.

"We are grateful for the Israel's efforts in bringing peace to Ukraine.

However, the recent decisions of the Israeli leadership aimed at restricting the admission of Ukrainians are, to put it mildly, surprising. We consider the suspension of the visa-free entrance and the introduction of an electronic permit system by the Interior Ministry, needed for Ukrainian citizens to enter Israel an unfriendly step that needs to be corrected immediately.

We will respond harshly and promptly to any steps that harm the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians.

Let me remind all our partners: your peoples have been clearly showing you for quite a while what should be done. See and hear your constituents. They have made their choice. They support Ukraine. They are with us. And what about you?

We will win. We will win, no matter what. Together with the peoples of the world. And if necessary, against the wishes and decisions of foreign officials."

During the past 24 hours, the border guards allowed 699 vehicles to pass with humanitarian cargo.

A total of 9,550 vehicles that deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine were allowed to pass since February 24, - the State Border Service has reported.

Report from the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, Oleh Sinegubov.

In the afternoon, the occupiers attempted to storm Kharkiv from Pyatikhatky. The AFU inflicted significant losses on the enemy. The enemy was pushed back beyond its previous positions.

The first half of the day was fiercely fought with the occupiers in Russkiye Tishki. The clash lasted for over an hour. The Ukrainian military also forced the enemy to retreat to their previous positions.

Enemy combat losses are being calculated.

Russian invaders have taken hostage the doctors and patients in the Regional Intensive Care Hospital of Mariupol. The information was relayed by one of the hospital’s employees, Donetsk Regional Military Administration informs.

“It is impossible to leave the hospital. We are under heavy fire and hiding in the basement. Vehicles have been unable to reach the hospital for two days already. The blocks of flats around us are in flames... The Russians drove 400 people from nearby houses to our hospitals. We can’t leave,” the contact in the hospital said.

The other day, Russian invaders almost destroyed this hospital. After their shelling, floor slabs collapsed in its primary building. However, medical personnel and patients remain in the outfitted basement, working and undergoing treatment.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to the Canadian parliament.

Russia exits the European Council and plans to denounce the European Convention on Human Rights. Russian reps have announced they are doing it “on their own volition”. Previously, the European Council initiated the preparations to oust Moscow.

The National Bank of Ukraine has announced a competitive selection of sketches dedicated to the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian Army and the entire Ukrainian people to military aggression by the Russian Federation.

The best sketches will be used by the National Bank of Ukraine for commemorative coins of Ukraine and other numismatic products.

In connection to the war, Ukraine is changing its economic model, which, among other things, provides for maximum freedom of business, PM Denys Shmyhal said.

Taxes will be lowered, all regulations removed, access to funds simplified, and labour relations liberalized.

The Ministry of Defence talks about the specifics of mobilization in Ukraine.

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski was killed in Ukraine, and his colleague Benjamin Hall injured. According to Anton Herashchenko, Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshinova died together with Zakrzewski.

Ukrainian assault troops keep destroying the Kremlin invaders.

“They are bombing us from the air. They are shelling us with mortars and Grad missiles. [They are firing] from all the mortar carrier vehicles they have. Entire neighbourhoods get destroyed. It is a relentless genocide,” Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov commented on what happened in the city.

Read our interview with the mayor, who has been living under continuous shelling since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

Russia has imposed sanctions on the US President Joseph Biden, the US secretary of state Antony Blinken, and other US high officials.

President Zelenskyy has appointed Hero of Ukraine and Commander of the Joint Forces Operation Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk as the Head of Kyiv Regional Military Administration.

Major General Eduard Moskaliov will replace him as the Commander of the Joint Forces Operation.

Russian invaders have bombed a construction compound set up to build a belt route in Mykolaiv.

Zelenskyy: We are fighting for our lives. To save ourselves, we are fighting missiles, airborne bombs, artillery, tanks, mortars, and all the rest that Russians are throwing at us to destroy us. Everything with which Russia is ruining itself now, too. Therefore, every shot fired at Ukraine, every strike that hits Ukraine is yet another step on Russia’s way to self-destruction.

Israel has cancelled the visa-free access for Ukrainians and will not be accepting refugees.

Spanish authorities have seized the Lady Anastasia yacht owned by Alexander Mikheev, a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

The 48-metre-long yacht under the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flag is parked in the Port Adriano marina of Mallorca. It is the same vessel that a Ukrainian seaman submerged in retaliation for Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The Ministry of Culture gathers information on the damage to and destruction of cultural heritage sites by the invading Russian forces.

Ukraine and Russia have resumed negotiations, advisor to the Head of the Office of the President Mykhailo Podolyak informs.

“The talks continue. The consultations have resumed on the primary negotiation platform. The general conflict resolution, ceasefire, and withdrawal of [the Russian] troops from the territory of Ukraine [are being discussed]...”

Перемовини тривають. Відновлено консультації на головній переговорній платформі. Загальні питання врегулювання, припинення вогню, виведення військ із території країни…

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 15, 2022

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has extended the martial law for 30 days starting March 26, a source from among the DPs told LIGA.net.

Zelenskyy said that, admittedly, Ukraine would not become a NATO member.

“Ukraine is not a NATO member, and we understand it. We are all sensible people here. We have been told about the open door for years already, and now we have heard it is not for us to enter. It is the truth that we need to admit. I am happy that our people are starting to realize it, relying only on themselves and the partners that do help us out”.

Investigators are documenting the Russian invaders’ war crimes.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has revoked Illia Kyva’s deputy mandate, Ukrayinska Pravda reports.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has expanded the list of critical import goods with about 70 new positions, according to Resolution No. 266 of 13 March.

The National Bank of Ukraine permits buying foreign currency to purchase the goods on the list created on 24 February, which has seen multiple expansions already.