Standing ovation at the American Congress for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in video link on the 21st day of the war: "I am proud to greet you from Kiev, a victim of Russian bombing every day, but we do not give up, like all other cities". "Our country has been living on 11 September for three weeks", he scanned on the big screen, returning to launch the now customary appeal: "We need a no fly-zone. Today you are not only helping us but also the whole Europe and the whole world to be free ".

Almost at the same time, new declarations by Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive, who has again repeated the theory according to which the inhabitants of Donbass have suffered "a real genocide" for 8 years. "Russia's goal is not to occupy Ukraine" but the operation of the Russian armed forces "is developing successfully and strictly according to plan". Russia "had no choice but to carry out the military operation in Ukraine".

Pending the new round of talks between the two sides, scheduled for today, the Financial Times releases the draft of a 15-point peace plan that would be under discussion and which includes a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops if the Ukraine declares neutrality and accepts limits on the armed forces ( WHAT IT PROVIDES ). Neutrality is a key issue in the negotiations: Kiev, after having renounced membership of NATO, for Russia should also accept a statute of neutrality, on the model of Austria or Sweden. According to the Kremlin "a compromise is possible", on the basis of a "Swedish-style demilitarized neutrality with its own army". Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov speaks of "a margin of hope to reach a compromise", stresses that a status of neutrality is "seriously considered" and explains that "this is what is currently being discussed". However, Kiev rejects the idea and says it has proposed "a model of security guarantees", with "a rigid agreement with a certain number of guarantee states that undertake with clear legal obligations to actively prevent attacks in Ukraine". "Ukraine is in a state of direct war with Russia. Therefore, the model can only be Ukrainian," said chief negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak.

Meanwhile, three weeks after the start of the Russian invasion, the cities under attack are increasingly numerous. Last night Moscow ships in the Black Sea began shelling the coasts near the city of Odessa , the country's third largest and main port. Rockets were fired and artillery shells were fired. At night, at 2.57 (local time) the "air attack" alarm went off, and civilians were invited to go to the shelters, as happened in Poltava (3 hours), Dnipro (2.56) and Ivano-Frankivsk (2.54) ) and Lviv (2.53).

But explosions have also been heard on the outskirts of Kiev as anti-raid sirens continue to sound in the capital and bombings hit residential buildings.

Mariupol , under siege by Russian forces for days, was also hit by the Sea of Azov and according to the Ukrainian army a Russian attack was also launched against fleeing civilians. In Kharkiv , there are two residential buildings destroyed following an artillery attack in the Nemyshlyansky district.

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Updates by the hour:

20.10 - Biden: "Putin is a war criminal"

Joe Biden first called Vladimir Putin "a war criminal". This was reported by journalists following the US president.

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19.30 - Moscow denies: "We did not attack the Mariupol theater"

Russia denies allegations of bombing the Mariupol theater, which housed hundreds of displaced civilians. According to the Moscow Ministry of Defense, it was the Ukrainian ultra-nationalist militia of the Azov Battalion that destroyed the building. Tass reports it.

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18.30 - Kiev: "Draft Ft contains only Russian requests"

Kiev stresses that the draft of a peace agreement in Ukraine published by the Financial Times "represents only the demands of Russia". This was stated by the adviser to President Zelensky, Mykhailo Podoliak. "Ukraine has its own positions and the only things we confirm at this stage are the ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees from a number of countries," he writes on Twitter. The 15-point draft released by the FT includes Ukraine's renunciation of NATO and a promise not to host foreign military bases or weapons.

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18.25 - The mayor of Melitopol is released

"The special operation to free the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, has just been successfully completed. Vanya is safe." This was reported by the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office Kirill Tymoshenko, quoted by Ukrinform, stressing that the mayor, who was kidnapped last Friday, will soon return to his duties.

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18.20 - Moscow denies the attack on civilians in line for bread

Russia denies that it is responsible for the raid in which at least 10 civilians were killed in line for bread in Chernihiv, 150 km north of Kiev, near the border with Belarus. "I want to emphasize that there were and there are no Russian troops in Chernihiv. All Russian military units are outside Chernihiv, blocking the roads, and they are not carrying out any offensive action on the city," said the spokesman for the Defense Ministry. of Moscow, Igor Konashenkov, quoted by Interfax, speaking of "propaganda of the Kiev regime".

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18.10 - Biden: "In Kiev also drones and anti-aircraft weapons"

The United States grants Ukraine an additional $ 800 million in military aid. This was announced by American President Joe Biden. Drones and long-range anti-aircraft weapons are also included in the new military aid package to Ukraine. "We are committed to supplying weapons to Ukraine, we will supply more," Biden said.

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5.50 pm - Raid on Mariupol theater, it was a civilian refuge

Russian forces bombed a dramatic art theater "in the heart of Mariupol", which had been converted into a refuge for hundreds of civilians. This was reported in a statement by the City Council of the city in southern Ukraine, quoted by Ukrinform. "It is still impossible to assess the extent of this horrific and inhumane act, because the city continues to be bombed in residential areas," the statement read.

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17.20 - Russia has blocked the BBC

Russia blocks the BBC website and promises further retaliation in the "information war".

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16.50 - The Cig: "Russia must suspend 'operation' in Ukraine"

The International Court of Justice believes that Russia must "immediately suspend the military operation launched on February 24, 2022 on the territory of Ukraine". The president of the court, Joan Donoghue, said about Kiev's requests for "interim measures".

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16.35 - NATO, Stoltenberg: "We will continue to supply arms to Ukraine"

"Ministers today agreed that we must continue to provide significant support" to Ukraine, "including military supplies, financial aid and humanitarian aid." This was stated by NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, at a press conference at the end of the defense ministerial of the Atlantic Alliance. At the same time, however, "the allies are united" in saying "that NATO should not deploy its forces on the territory or in the airspace of Ukraine, because we have a responsibility to ensure that this war does not escalate beyond Ukraine". "We see death, destruction and suffering in Ukraine, but this can get worse if NATO intervenes with an action that could transform" the conflict "into a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia."

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16.20 - Di Maio: "Cluster bombs even in populated areas"

"The United Nations has received reliable reports on the use of cluster munitions by Russian forces, including in populated areas. We strongly condemn the use of these hateful weapons, banned internationally: they also affect the civilian population indiscriminately." Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said this in a report to the Chamber.

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16.10 - EU: "13 million Ukrainians affected by war, 2 million displaced"

"There are 13 million people in Ukraine affected in various ways by the war, of which 2 million are internally displaced". Thus the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Ylva Johansson, in a hearing in the European Parliament.

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3.50 pm - Patriarch Kirill speaks with Pope Francis

Russian Patriarch Kirill spoke about the conflict in Ukraine with Pope Francis. The Moscow church reports.

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3 pm - Zelensky to the CPI: "Recognizing Russia as a terrorist state"

"The world is already beginning to understand that without the recognition of Russia as a terrorist state it will be impossible to restore justice for Ukraine, it will be impossible to restore international order." Thus Ukrainian President Zelensky in his speech at the meeting with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan. "Russian troops have inflicted damage on Ukraine hundreds of times greater than that caused to Donbass in eight years of war. The most affected areas are those that Russian propagandists have always defined as the place of residence of people particularly close to Russia".

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2.40 pm - USA: "Horrible to see civilians queuing for bread killed"

“Today Russian forces shot and killed 10 people in line for bread in Chernihiv. These horrific attacks must stop. We are considering all available options to ensure accountability for any heinous crime in Ukraine. "The US embassy in Kiev wrote on Twitter.

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2.30 pm - Mayor of Skadovsk released by the Russians

Oleksandr Yakovlev, the mayor of Skadovsk, an occupied Ukrainian port city in Kherson province, says he was released in a video posted on Facebook quoted by The Kyiv Independent. Yakovlev, who had been kidnapped by the Russian military along with his deputy Yuri Palyukh - as Kiev Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reported on Twitter - said the Russian occupiers promised to release more detainees and asked residents not to panic.

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14.01 - "The Russians shoot peaceful demonstrators in the square"

Russian soldiers opened fire and used tear gas to disperse peaceful Ukrainian protesters gathered in the square in front of the city council to demand the release of local leaders detained in the occupied Skadovsk area of Kherson Oblast. The Kyiv Independent reports it.

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1.10 pm - 10 civilians killed in line for bread north of Kiev

Russian troops killed at least 10 civilians in line for bread in Chernihiv, north of Kiev, near the border with Belarus. This was reported by the correspondent for Suspilne news on the spot quoted by The Kyiv Independent. The attack took place around 10 in the morning.

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1 pm - Russians kidnap the mayor of Skadovsk and his deputy

Russian forces kidnapped the mayor of the Ukrainian port city of Skadovsk, Oleksandr Yakovlev, and his deputy Yuri Palyukh, according to Kiev's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba.

Writing on Twitter, Kuleba added: "Nations and international organizations must ask Russia to immediately release all kidnapped Ukrainian officials."

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12.50 pm - Ukraine: Vinnytsia television tower hit

Russian bombing hit the television tower in Vinnytsia, a city on the banks of the Buh River in central Ukraine. The Kyiv Independet reports it. According to Vinnytsia Oblast governor Serhiy Borzov, the Russian attack damaged the tower, leaving residents with no TV signal. No casualties are reported.

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12 pm - "Zelensky rejects the Swedish model of neutrality"

Ukraine rejects the idea of an Austrian or Swedish model of country neutrality and wants security guarantees. This is what Ukrainian President Zelensky says as reported by press agencies.

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11.30 - Ukraine: the premieres of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have returned from Kiev

"The Polish, Slovenian and Czech delegations have returned safe and sound from Kiev to Poland". This was announced in a tweet by Piotr Muller, spokesman for the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki.

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11 am - Kremlin: "A possible compromise on the Sweden-Austria model"

A "compromise" on neutral Ukraine according to the Swedish or Austrian model "is possible". The Kremlin announces it. "This is an option that is being discussed now and that can be seen as a compromise," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

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10.30 - Russia: "Kiev available for neutrality like Austria or Sweden"

According to the Russian chief negotiator in the talks with Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, Kiev would be willing to assume a status of "demilitarized neutrality, like Austria or Sweden, with its own army". Interfax writes it. "A whole range of issues relating to the size of the Ukrainian army are under discussion," he said.

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10 am - Lavrov: "Kiev's neutrality is seriously considered"

The Russian Foreign Minister, Serghiei Lavrov, reiterated that for Russia the key points in the negotiations with Kiev are the security of the Russian-speaking populations in eastern Ukraine and its demilitarization. For the minister, some formulations of an agreement with Ukraine are "close" to an agreement, while the neutral status for Kiev is "seriously considered".

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8.32 am - Gazprom, gas supply through Ukraine continues smoothly

The Russian state giant Gazprom says that its gas supplies to Europe in transit to Ukraine are regular, even if the demand has decreased by 13%. Gazprom spokesman Serghei Kupriyanov said this, adding that the current demand is 109.6 million cubic meters.

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8 am - Zelensky: "Negotiations with Russia are now more realistic"

The talks with Russia continue and now seem "more realistic": Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in his speech delivered late at night, reported by the media. "All wars end with an agreement", said Zelensky, recalling how the negotiations between the Moscow and Kiev delegations underway are "difficult", but "of fundamental importance". "And they tell me that the positions in the talks now sound more realistic," he said and "there is definitely room for compromise." "We still need time for the decisions to be made to be in Ukraine's interest," concluded Zelensky.

( HERE all the articles on the crisis)

( HERE all the videos of the conflict)

(Unioneonline)

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