As Monday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that thousands of Russian troops are massing for a new offensive in eastern Ukraine — an assessment backed by Western governments. A senior American defense official says the U.S. continues to see signs of Russian command-and-control elements, support battalions, infantry and helicopters moving into the Donbas region from just across the border in Russia.
Ukrainian officials say at least 1,200 civilians have been killed in the Kyiv area. Recovery efforts continue in the suburbs, cities and towns outside the capital. Bodies have been found in basements and manholes and being recovered from destroyed buildings and homes.
Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the first face-to-face exchange between Putin and a Western leader since Russia invaded Ukraine. As a nonaligned European country, Austria has traditionally played a unique role between NATO member states and Russia. "This is not a friendly visit," said Nehammer in a statement. "My most important message to Putin was that this war must finally end, because in a war there are only losers on both sides." The Kremlin did not comment.
Russia's war could shrink the Ukrainian economy by 45% this year, the World Bank warns. Sanctions imposed on Russia are expected to cut its output by 11.2%, economists say. Emerging and developing countries in this region already had been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, a World Bank report notes.
Russia's Defense Ministry accused the U.S. of aiding Ukraine in what Russia said were efforts to fake atrocities against civilians and place the blame on Russian forces. Faced with a growing body of evidence that Russian forces carried out summary executions of Ukrainian civilians near Kyiv and other cities, Russia continues to dismiss the atrocities as fakes or "provocations." In Monday's statement, the ministry said: "The United States, which has many years of experience in organizing provocations with human victims, continues its campaign to create and promote false 'evidence.'" It did not provide evidence to back up its claims.
A Russian woman who interrupted a live news broadcast to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been hired as a freelance reporter by Germany's Welt media group. Marina Ovsyannikova was an editor at Russia's state Channel One when she jumped onto the set holding a sign that denounced the war and Kremlin propaganda promoting it. She was detained and fined for doing so. "At a crucial moment, Marina Ovsyannikova had the courage to confront Russian viewers with an unembellished view of reality," said Ulf Poschardt, Welt's editor-in-chief in a statement. Ovsyannikova will cover Russia and Ukraine.
In-depth
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John Lennon's son Julian performs "Imagine" for the first time in support of Ukraine.
Earlier developments
You can read more news from Monday here, and daily recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find NPR's full coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.
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