NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Ukrainian troops have slowed Russia’s advance and held onto the capital of Kyiv and other key cities — at least for now. In the face of stiff resistance and devastating sanctions, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s nuclear forces put on high alert, threatening to elevate Europe’s largest land conflict since World War II to a terrifying new level. Explosions and gunfire that have disrupted life since the invasion began last Thursday appeared to subside around Kyiv overnight, as Ukrainian and Russian delegations prepared to meet Monday on Ukraine’s border with Belarus. Terrified Ukrainian families have huddled in shelters, basements or corridors, waiting to find out what those talks may yield. Hundreds of thousands more have fled the country altogether.
Monday, Feb. 28, 2022
10:03 - At least 44 injured in city of Kharkiv
Ukrainian authorities say at least 44 people have been wounded in fighting in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, and that seven of them died in hospitals.
It wasn't clear if the casualties, which covered the past 24 hours, were all civilians. The state emergencies agency said the casualties could be higher because the damage from Monday's shelling of residential areas is still being assessed.
Ukrainian social networks featured videos showing residential quarters hit by a series of powerful explosions amid fighting with Russian forces.
The Russian military has consistently denied targeting residential areas despite abundant evidence of shelling of residential buildings, schools and hospitals.
9:35 a.m. - Olympic body calls for Russia to be excluded from sports
The International Olympic Committee has made a sweeping move to isolate and condemn Russia because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The Olympic body has urged others to exclude the country's athletes and officials from international events.
The IOC says it's needed to "protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants."
It opens the way for FIFA to exclude Russia from a World Cup qualifying playoff match on March 24.
Poland has refused to play the scheduled game against Russia. The IOC's call also applied to athletes and officials from Belarus because that country has abetted Russia's invasion.
8:18 a.m. - Russia closes its airspace to 36 nations
Russia has closed its airspace to carriers from 36 nations, including European countries and Canada, responding in kind to their move to close their respective airspaces to all Russian aircraft.
The move, announced Monday by the state aviation agency, follows a decision by the EU and Canada over the weekend to close their skies to the Russian planes in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
It added that planes from those countries could only enter Russia's airspace with special permission.
7:34 a.m. - State Department shutters US embassy in Belarus
The State Department has closed the U.S. Embassy in Belarus and is allowing non-essential staff at the U.S. Embassy in Russia to leave the country due to the war in Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the suspension of operations at the Minsk embassy and the authorized departure from Moscow in a statement on Monday.
"We took these steps due to security and safety issues stemming from the unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces in Ukraine," he said.
7:31 a.m. - US cuts off Russian central bank, sanctions state investment fund
The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions that would immobilize any assets of the Russian central bank in the United States or held by Americans. The Biden administration estimated that the move could impact “hundreds of billions of dollars” of Russian funding.
“The unprecedented action we are taking today will significantly limit Russia’s ability to use assets to finance its destabilizing activities, and target the funds Putin and his inner circle depend on to enable his invasion of Ukraine,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “Today, in coordination with partners and allies, we are following through on key commitments to restrict Russia’s access to these valuable resources.”
Biden administration officials said Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Japan, European Union and others will join the U.S. in targeting the Russian central bank.
6:30 a.m. - Ruble collapses after West hits Russia with sanctions
Russia's Central Bank scrambled to shore up the tanking ruble, which plunged to a record low of less than 1 U.S. cent after Western nations moved to block some Russian banks from a global payments system.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused markets to swing wildly, given the vast potential economic impact, especially on inflation and energy supplies.
The Russian central bank raised its key rate to 20% from 9.5% in a desperate attempt to shore up the plummeting ruble and prevent a run on banks. That brought a temporary reprieve for the Russian currency, which bounced back to the level it was at last week, but only briefly.
It fell as low as 119 to the dollar and by midday in Europe was down 14% at 95.75 to the dollar.
6:15 a.m. - 102 civilians killed so far in Ukraine violence: UN
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet says her office has confirmed that 102 civilians, including 7 children, have been killed, and 304 others injured in violence in Ukraine since Thursday, as she cautioned that the tally was likely a vast undercount.
“Most of these civilians were killed by explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and air strikes,” Bachelet told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. “The real figures are, I fear, considerably higher.”
Bachelet said millions of people have been “forced to huddle in different forms of bomb shelters."
The Kremlin has denied that the Russian military targeted populated areas in Ukraine despite abundant evidence that residential buildings, schools and hospitals have been hit during the Russian invasion.
Bachelet cited updated U.N. figures that more than 500,000 people have fled the country in the last several days.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi gave the estimate in a tweet. The latest and still growing count had 281,000 people entering Poland, more than 84,500 in Hungary, about 36,400 in Moldova, over 32,500 in Romania and about 30,000 in Slovakia, UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo said.
6:00 a.m. - Ukraine’s president posts new video message
Ukraine’s president says 16 Ukrainian children have been killed and another 45 have been injured in the Russian invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message Monday that “every crime, every shelling by the occupiers bring our partners and us even closer.”
He hailed the sanctions that the West slapped on Russia, saying they have brought the Russian currency down. Zelenskyy asked the European Union a special quick path to membership.
Zelenskyy said that over 4,500 Russian troops have been killed and called on Russian soldiers to lay down their guns and leave. “Don’t trust you commanders, don’t trust your propaganda, just save your lives,” he said.
U.S. officials say they believe the invasion has been more difficult, and slower, than the Kremlin envisioned, though that could change as Moscow adapts. The British Defense Ministry said Monday that the bulk of Putin’s forces are about 20 miles north of Kyiv, their advance having been slowed by Ukrainian forces.
5:30 a.m. - UN General Assembly, Security Council to hold meetings on Ukraine
The two major bodies in the United Nations will hold separate meetings Monday on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The meetings of the 193-nation General Assembly and the more powerful 15-member Security Council reflect widespread demands for a cease-fire and escalating concern for the millions of Ukrainians caught up in the war.
The Security Council gave a green light Sunday for the first emergency session of the General Assembly in decades. It will give all U.N. members an opportunity to speak about the war and vote on a resolution that U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said would “hold Russia to account for its indefensible actions and for its violations of the U.N. Charter.”
Both meetings follow Russia’s veto of a Security Council resolution demanding that Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops. The vote Friday was 11-1, with China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstaining.
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