Ukraine: UNICEF says almost 2 in 3 children displaced by fighting — live updates

The head of the UN's children's agency told the Security Council that in more than three decades of humanitarian work, he had never seen so many children uprooted in so short a timeframe.

Nine humanitarian corridors open in eastern Ukraine

Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine's deputy prime minister, said nine humanitarian corridors are open Tuesday for civilians, including from Mariupol which has been under siege for weeks.

In a statement, Vereshchuk said five of the nine corridors were from Luhansk in the country's east, which officials have said is under heavy shelling.

WTO gives bleak outlook

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has projected world trade growth could almost halve this year.

The WTO said the war was a "severe blow" to the global economy which in the longer term could even mean a disintegration of the world's economy into separate blocs.

Japan imposes new sanctions

Japan is freezing the assets of 398 Russian figures, after the policy was endorsed by the cabinet.

The individuals targeted by the sanctions reportedly include Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughters and the wife of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Japan also intends to reduce its coal imports from Russia as a step towards a complete Russian coal embargo in the future.

Seven bodies found in Borodyanka, near Kyiv

Ukraine's state emergencies service said Monday that authorities discovered the bodies of seven people who died in the town of Borodyanka, which lies near Kyiv. The bodies were found under the rubble of two destroyed high-rise apartment buildings.

Hundreds of rescue workers are looking for missing citizens in the region after Russian forces pulled out of areas near the capital last month. The search is still ongoing.

UN: Nearly two-thirds of Ukraine's children displaced

The UN's children agency UNICEF said nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes since the beginning of Russia's attack in late February.

UNICEF Director for Emergency Operations Manuel Fontaine said 4.8 million of Ukraine's 7.5 million children have been displaced. He also said that in 31 years of humanitarian work, he had never seen such a rapid relocation of so many young people.

"They have been forced to leave everything behind — their homes, their schools and, often, their family members," he told the UN Security Council. "I have heard stories of the desperate steps parents are taking to get their children to safety, and children saddened that they are unable to get back to school."

US, UK working to investigate unconfirmed reports of chemical weapons use

The US and UK said they are working urgently to investigate unverified reports that Russia used chemical weapons in the southern city of Mariupol. 

Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush tweeted that an "unknown substance" had been used in the city, which causes respiratory failure and movement disorders.

"We cannot confirm at this time and will continue to monitor the situation closely," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in response. "These reports, if true, are deeply concerning and reflective of concerns that we have had about Russia's potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine."  

"We are working urgently with partners to verify details,' UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said of the reports. "Any use of such weapons would be a callous escalation in this conflict and we will hold Putin and his regime to account."   

However, Eliot Higgins, who runs the investigative agency Bellingcat with a history both of uncovering Russian involvement in major incidents and of demonstrating the use of chemical weapons in Syria, warned against jumping to conclusions. He quoted scientist Carl Sagan's maxim, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a Monday evening address that the Russian military could use chemical weapons, but did not say that they have already done so during the invasion.

Prominent Putin critic detained by police in Moscow

Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr. has been taken into police custody in Moscow, his lawyer said Monday.

The reasons for his arrest have not been made clear. Kara-Murza, a journalist, has frequently criticized Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Kara-Murza received medical care for poisoning symptoms in 2015 and 2017. He nearly died of kidney failure in the first incident.  

Summary of events in Ukraine-Russia crisis on Monday

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged additional weapons be sent to Ukraine in light of "horrific images" coming out of the Kyiv suburb of Bucha and in other parts of the country. German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall said it is willing to supply used tanks to Ukraine.

During an address to South Korean lawmakers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the southern city of Mariupol "has been destroyed" amid constant siege by Russian troops.

Mariupol's mayor told AP news agency that at least 10,000 civilians in the city have been killed in the siege so far.

Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Nehammer called the hour-long talk with Putin "very direct, open and tough."

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell met with the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Borrell said the bloc would provide financial assistance and help to the ICC in its investigation of war crimes in Ukraine.

Borrell also met with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. He said the bloc would continue talks on sanctioning Russia's lucrative oil and gas exports, but added that "no decision has been made today."  

Journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who boycotted the war during a Russian state-run news broadcast, will now work for Germany's Die Welt newspaper.   

A Russian parliamentary speaker suggested dissenters such as Osvyannikova should lose their citizenship.

France said it would expel "six Russian agents under diplomatic cover." The French Foreign ministry said it uncovered a "clandestine operation carried out by the Russian intelligence services on our territory."  

Warsaw seized an abandoned Russian diplomatic compound and said it would be made available to the Ukrainian community.