Twenty-eight Bangladeshi sailors were evacuated from the Banglar Samriddhi yesterday and taken to a safe shelter in Ukraine.

Over one million refugees have fled the conflict in Ukraine so far, with neighbouring countries opening their doors to tens of thousands of people since the Russian invasion began last week.

President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday promised Ukrainians that damage to infrastructure inflicted by invading Russian forces would be repaired and that Moscow would foot the bill.

Shells exploded nearby, shaking buildings and sending debris flying around a group of Indian students making a dash out of central Kharkiv on foot after warnings from their government to flee the Ukrainian city hit hard by the Russian invasion.

RUSSIA ADVANCES IN SOUTH

The United States ambassador to the United Nations accused Russia Wednesday of moving cluster munitions and other arms banned under the Geneva Convention into Ukraine as Moscow seeks to escalate the attack on its eastern European neighbour.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed no let-up in his invasion of Ukraine yesterday, even as the warring sides met for ceasefire talks and Zelensky said Ukrainian lines were holding.

The Bangladesh government has been considering the implications of war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by the Western countries on Russia, and the available options to move forward.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed no let-up in his invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, even as the warring sides met for ceasefire talks and Kyiv demanded safe passage for besieged civilians.

All the Bangladeshi crew members stranded on Banglar Samriddhi in Ukraine have been moved to safety, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam confirmed in a video post today.

The Moscow branch of a Chinese state bank has seen a surge in enquiries from Russian firms wanting to open new accounts, a person familiar with the matter said, as the country's businesses struggle with international sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine.

Narendra Modi’s government today secured backing of the opposition after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed the parliamentary consultative committee of his ministry on India’s neutral stance on Russia-Ukraine conflict and the evacuation of Indians from the war-hit nation.

The government is giving utmost importance to ensure the safety of the stranded Bangladeshi crew members of Banglar Samriddhi in Ukraine, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury today.

Russia has expressed condolences to the family of Bangladeshi sailor Hadisur Rahman, who was killed in a “missile attack” on board Banglar Samriddhi anchored at the Olvia port in Ukraine.

Bangladesh abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution that reprimanded Russia for invading Ukraine and demanded that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces.

Crew of Banglar Samriddhi has called for help after the ship came under a missile attack at a port in Ukraine yesterday. One Bangladeshi sailor dead in the attack.

Family members of Hadisur Rahman – a sailor of Bangladeshi flagged vessel Banglar Samriddhi who was killed after a missile hit the ship last night – have urged the government to bring his body back to Bangladesh.

Russian troops were in the centre of the Ukrainian port of Kherson on Thursday after a day of conflicting claims over whether Moscow had captured a major urban centre for the first time in its eight-day invasion.

The UN refugee agency said today that 1 million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion less than a week ago, an exodus without precedent in this century for its speed.

Senior Chinese officials told senior Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, The New York Times reported, quoting Biden administration officials and a European official who cited a Western intelligence report.