March 13 (Reuters) – Russian forces launched what appeared to be the westernmost attack of the war, what officials called a missile attack on a Ukrainian military facility near the Polish border. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy warned Russian forces they face a fight to the death if they try to occupy Kyiv. Read full story
MILITARY
* Russia launched a missile attack, with no apparent casualties, on the biggest military base in western Ukraine, less than 25 km (15 miles) from the Polish border, local military officials said.L2N2VG02C
* Russian forces are trying to surround Ukrainian forces in the east, advancing from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, Britain’s defence ministry said.
* Zelenskiy said around 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed during the invasion and Russia was sending more forces after suffering its biggest losses in decades.
* Washington said it was rushing up to $200 million in additional small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine.Read full story
EVACUATIONS
* Daily evacuations from a number of Ukrainian cities nearly doubled to some 13,000 people, the deputy prime minister said. Russian attacks continued in areas where Ukraine was trying to evacuate people and bring aid through humanitarian corridors, said the governors of the Kyiv and Donetsk regions.
DIPLOMACY
* Ukraine’s foreign minister said his government was willing to negotiate to end the war but would not surrender or accept ultimatums.Read full story
* France said Russian President Putin had shown no willingness to make peace, while the Kremlin said he had responded to their concerns about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
* Ukraine said Russia was planning to take full and permanent control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s biggest, but Russia denied this, according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Repairs to damaged power lines at the Chernobyl plant continued and diesel generators were providing back-up power to systems relevant for safety.Read full story
ECONOMY
* Ukraine, a major global producer of agricultural products, has banned exports of fertilisers. It has gas reserves of 9.5 billion cubic meters, with production continuing at all plants except those in areas of fighting, the prime minister said.Read full story
QUOTES
* “If they decide to carpet bomb and simply erase the history of this region … and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that’s their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves,” Zelenskiy said of Russian forces.
(Compiled by Grant McCool and William Mallard)
