Ukraine-Russia war day 27: Long curfew imposed in Kyiv, 10 big developments

Ukraine has turned down Russia's demand to lay down military weapons in the port city of Mariupol in exchange for a safe humanitarian corridor for civilians. The Russian military has intensified bombings in Mariupol to put pressure on Ukrainian forces, and other cities are also being attacked continuously.

Meanwhile, in the densely populated Podil district in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a shopping centre was destroyed in the shelling of the Russian army. At least eight people were killed in the attack. Ukrainian officials said a chemical plant on the outskirts of the city of Sumy was also bombed.

The bombing of the plant led to the leakage of 50 tons of ammonia gas stored in a tank. The southern city of Mariupol, located near the Azov Sea, has been facing fierce attacks by Russian forces for more than three weeks. The attack in Mariupol has been called a war crime by Ukrainian and Western officials.

Read | Russia-Ukraine war day 26: Mariupol given deadline to surrender by today, 5 big developments

10 big developments from Russia-Ukraine war

1. Kyiv's mayor Vitaly Klitschko has announced an imposition of a new and longer curfew in the Ukrainian capital as officials expect Russian forces to launch more shelling on the city. Mayor Vitaly Klitschko had previously announced a 'curfew' from 8 pm (1800 GMT) to 7 am Wednesday, which was later extended. In some parts of the city, there is repeated firing by the Russian army.

2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message that the Russian military had bombed an art school. According to officials, around 400 people had taken shelter at this place. "The people there are buried under the rubble. We don't know how many of them have survived, but we do know that we will definitely kill the pilot who bombed the art school," Zelensky said.

3. Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev said he would allow two exit corridors to depart from Mariupol, one going east to Russia and the other west to other parts of Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry said Mariupol officials could face a military tribunal if Ukraine did not agree, Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

4. Ukrainian officials say that the corridor was proposed to be opened hours after the Russian military bombed the art school. However, Ukraine has rejected Russia's offer. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said, "The question of surrendering, laying down arms does not arise. We have already informed the Russian side about this. We have asked them not to waste time on writing the eight-page letter." 

5. Mariupol officials and aid groups said the Russian military's bombing destroyed electricity, water and food supplies and cut off the city's communications with the outside world. Mariupol officials said at least 2,300 people were killed in the city as a result of Russian attacks, some of whom were buried in mass graves. Several evacuation efforts from Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities have failed or met with only partial success.

6. Russia's foreign ministry said it had summoned US ambassador John Sullivan to explain that President Joe Biden's remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed bilateral ties to the brink of collapse. Last week, Biden said Putin was a 'war criminal' for sending thousands of troops to Ukraine. 

7. Russia has been accused of deporting Ukrainians to 'filtration centres' before forcibly taking them to Siberian cities after their phones and documents were confiscated. Mariupol city council claimed that Ukrainian citizens were first placed in 'filtration camps', then deported to 'remote cities' in Russia, where they would be forced to live and work for free for years.

8. Russia will not prohibit military action against Ukraine during peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this on Monday. 

9. Ukraine's nuclear regulatory agency says radiation monitors around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have stopped working. This is the same plant that suffered the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. In its statement issued on Monday, the agency also said that there is no fire service in this area now to save the forests. The plant was taken over by the Russian troops on February 24.

10. EU member states on Monday accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine, but gave no indication of imposing new sanctions on Moscow. As the number of civilian casualties in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol soared, German Foreign Minister Annalena Bayerbock emphasised Russia's escalating attacks on civilian facilities, hospitals and theaters.