Live: 2,135 Indian nationals evacuated on Sunday, total rises to 16,000

Russia Ukraine war live updates: India focuses its evacuation efforts in Ukrainian city of Sumy, where hundreds of Indian students have made appeals to be rescued.

9:15 PM

1 killed, 24 injured as terrorists hurl grenade at security forces in J&K's Srinagar

A civilian was killed while 24 others, including a policeman, were injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at security forces in the busy Hari Singh High Street market in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said.

 

"At about 4:20 pm, terrorists hurled a grenade upon police and security forces deployment at Hari Singh High Street," a police official said.

 

He said a policeman, identified as John Mohammad, and 24 civilians received splinter injuries in the explosion.

8:55 PM

Indian student injured in Kiev to return home on Monday

An Indian student, who was left injured after being allegedly shot with a bullet in Ukraine's capital Kiev, is set to return to India on Monday, Union Minister V.K. Singh said on Sunday.

 

The Minister shared information about injured Indian student, Harjot Singh.

 

V.K. Singh is currently in Poland to ensure the safe return of Indian nationals trapped amid the Ukraine-Russia war.

 

The Union Minister in a tweet said, "Harjot Singh is an Indian student who was allegedly shot during the war in Kiev. He also lost his passport during the firing. I am glad to inform you that he will return to India with me on Monday. Hope he has a speedy recovery soon with home made food and care."

8:48 PM

Blinken: US, allies discuss Russia oil imports

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States and its allies are having a very active discussion about banning the import of Russian oil and natural gas in the latest escalation of their sanctions in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

 

Asked about oil and gas imports, Blinken told CNN on Sunday that President Joe Biden convened a meeting of his National Security Council on the subject the day before.

 

Biden and Western allies have until now held off on sanctions against Russia's lucrative energy industry to avoid blowback on their own economies.

 

We are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil while making sure that there is still an appropriate supply of oil on world market, said Blinken.

 

That's a very active discussion as we speak.

8:21 PM

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Lviv covers all statues in city from possible attacks

Amid escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the Ukrainian city of Lviv has covered all its statues to protect its historical heritage against possible attacks.

 

Speaking with ANI a Ukrainian citizen Vlad said, "All the sculptures, statues have historical value and that's why people want to protect them. Some sculptors are more than 100 years old. They have historical importance hence people are protecting them from the damage."

 

"It's better to protect them before something happens to them," added Vlad.

 

When asked whether Ukraine is covering all the statues across the nation, Vlad said, "I don't know about whole Ukraine, but definitely, Lviv is protecting them."

7:58 PM

44 Indians left for Polish border, over 150 on way to Romanian border: Indian Embassy in Kyiv

A group of 44 Indians who began their journey from Pisochyn in Ukraine are on their way to the Polish border from Lviv while over 150 proceeded to the Romanian border amid an escalating fight between Russia and Ukraine.

 

Indian Embassy in Ukraine in a tweet shared the information and asked everyone to be strong in these difficult times. "Bringing our Indians back home group of 44 Indians who began their journey from Pisochyn are on their way to the Polish border from Lviv. Another group of 150+ have made their way to the Romanian border. Our efforts are ongoing. Be Safe Be Strong," the Embassy wrote in the tweet.

 

The Indian Embassy in Kyiv on Saturday said that they will not leave any stone unturned to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian students from the Ukrainian city of Sumy and requested them to keep some more hours of strength.

7:53 PM

Eight rockets launched by Russia destroys Vinnytsia airport in Central Ukraine: Zelenskyy

Eight rockets launched by Russia destroyed Vinnytsia airport located in Central Ukraine, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, reported The Kyiv Independent.

 

Zelenskyy called on the western nations and said, "The world has the power to close our skies for Russian rockets and aircraft." He adds that Ukraine requires aircraft, to make Ukrainian skies safe.

 

..https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1500461868229533698---

 

Vinnytsia airport is located 7.5 kilometres east of the railway station of Vinnytsia and 1 kilometre southwest of the village of Gavryshivka. It is located in the centre of Ukraine and had convenient transportation for passengers and cargo both in Ukraine and abroad.

 

The aerodrome was founded in the early '50s. For more than half a century it worked as an important transport system of Ukraine. Zelenskyy slammed NATO's decision not to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

7:34 PM

Russia cracks down on media, protests as Ukraine war rages

Russian authorities on Sunday continued to block independent news outlets and to arrest protesters in an effort to tighten control over what information the domestic audience sees about the invasion of Ukraine.

 

Several prominent independent online outlets were blocked on Sunday, on top of dozens of others that were blocked last week. Others decided to halt operation in Russia because of new repressive laws or refused to cover the invasion at all because of the pressure. Hundreds of protesters have been detained all across Russia.

 

The new additions to the list of blocked media included Mediazona, a news site that covers Russia's police and justice system and has been an indispensable source of information about political arrests and high-profile court cases; the 7x7 site covering regional news; the Troitsky Variant popular science newspaper that has published an open letter decrying the invasion; and two regional news sites that also spoke out against the attack.

7:23 PM

11-year-old boy crosses Ukraine border with phone number written on his hand

11-year-old boy crosses Ukraine border with phone number written on his hand

 

7:23 PM

1,234 Haryana students evacuated from Ukraine: CM

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said around 1,800 students from the state were stuck in the war-torn Ukraine, of which 1,234 have been evacuated. The CM said this after interacting with students who returned from that country.

 

Of the remaining students, 80 are still stuck in Ukraine cities while the others have reached the country's borders, Khattar told mediapersons.

 

Khattar said the students who have completed their course in Ukraine will be given internship opportunities. About the students who are yet to complete their studies there, Khattar said once the situation normalises, the government will talk to their colleges over the issue. For now, our priority is to bring back all Indians stuck in Ukraine, the CM said.

6:26 PM

Ukraine crisis: Erdogan urges cease-fire in call with Putin

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says he has called for an urgent cease-fire in Ukraine in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a statement following Sunday's one-hour call, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan had urged a halt to fighting to address humanitarian concerns and seek a political solution to the conflict. The war is now in its 11th day.

Erdogan called for the opening of humanitarian corridors and a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Turkey has extensive ties with both Russia and Ukraine and has sought to place itself as a mediator. It has invited both to a diplomatic forum in Antalya next week.

Erdogan's office said he told Putin that he was ready to make every contribution" to resolving the crisis.