The article was last updated at 21:15 PM IST

• Belarusian railway workers reportedly cut connections to Ukraine
• Australia announces increased support for Ukraine
• China says it's on the "right side of history"

Ukraine receives 500 Strela anti-aircraft missiles: report

Ukrainian government sources told Germany's Welt am Sonntag that 500 Strela anti-aircraft missiles from Germany arrived three days ago.

The Strela missiles were given over to Poland, a German Defense Ministry spokesperson said because of "operational and security aspects."

If possible, Germany is prepared to deliver more Strela missiles, according to the official.

The Soviet-designed missile comes from the supplies of the former East German armed forces.

Berlin 'Sounds of Peace' concert draws thousands

Fresh protests have been held in several German cities in opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Around 20,000 people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin for the "Sounds of Peace" concert.

Some 3,000 rallied in central Hamburg in a protest organized by the youth wings of political parties, the Fridays for Future climate movement and the city's Ukrainian community.

Other protests took place in Bremen, Bonn, Cologne and Dusseldorf, where demonstrators created a human chain in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and walked from the Rhine river to the state chancellery.

Fighting underway inside Mariupol city: report

Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces is going on inside the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Reuters news agency reported, citing a televised interview with regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The strategic port on the Azov Sea has been under Russian bombardment for over three weeks and has seen some of the worst horrors of the war.

In recent days, Russian forces have entered the city, cutting it off from the sea.

Many of the city's 400,000 residents have been trapped with no power and little food and water.

Ukrainian authorities said Russia on Saturday had bombed a school sheltering 400 people in the city.

"Yesterday, the Russian occupiers dropped bombs on art school No 12," the city council said on Telegram, adding that around women, children and elderly people had been sheltering there.

Nearly 1,000 reportedly detained in Russian antiwar protests

The Russian protest monitor OVD-Info said at least 937 people were detained across Russia in demonstrations against the war in Ukraine.

Protests took place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladivostok and elsewhere, the monitoring group said.

On Telegram, OVD-Info said fines were issued in addition to arrests being made. Opponents of the war are being targeted for criminal prosecution as well.

OVD-Info reports at least 37 active cases against 43 people who openly oppose the war in Ukraine.

Zelensky laments Ukraine's lack of NATO membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia would not have invaded if his country had been admitted to NATO earlier.

"If we were a NATO member, a war wouldn't have started," Zelensky told CNN, adding that he was grateful for the aid provided by the military alliance since the conflict started on February 24.

He said Ukraine was left in a "dubious position where we don't understand whether you can accept us or not," and urged the West not to leave the country to “straddle two worlds.”

The president also renewed his plea for talks with his Russian counterpart, conceded that negotiations were the only way to "end this war."

"I'm ready for negotiations with him," Zelensky said through a translator.

Polish trucks backed up at Belarusian border due to protest

A group of protesters blocking the Koroszczyn border point into Belarus has resulted in a line of trucks backed up trying to enter into Belarus for some 40 kilometers (25 miles).

For some two weeks, the protesters comprised of Ukrainians and Poles, have blocked access in an effort to place pressure on supply lines into Russian ally Belarus.

Early Sunday, roughly 950 trucks were waiting to enter Belarus, Michal Derus of the local tax office said.

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's Prime Minister, has asjed the EU to block land and sea trade with Russia.

Spanish farmers march against skyrocketing fuel prices

As many as 150,000 farmers have rallied in Madrid over soaring energy and fertilizer prices exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Led by tractors with their horns blasting, many of them waved Spanish flags as they walked through the central avenues of the capital.

The farmers decried what they was a lack of action by the Spanish government to offset the sudden huge cost of energy, which they say has forced them to sell their produce at a loss.

The price of fuel and electricity rose more than 70% in Spain last year, and have continued to rise since the conflict in Ukraine broke out on February 24.

Spanish lorry drivers this week began a separate open-ended strike over fuel prices, setting up roadblocks and holding protests that threatened deliveries to factories and stores.

UN says millions displaced by Russia's war in Ukraine

Russia's "devastating" war on Ukraine has driven 10 million people from their homes, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said.

"The war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million have fled either displaced inside the country or as refugees abroad," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi wrote on Twitter.

Some 6.5 million were displaced internally, while almost 3.4 million refugees have left Ukraine.

Poland has taken in more than 2 million refugees. Nearly 220,000 refugees have made their way to Germany.

Pope calls for an end to the 'senseless massacre' in Ukraine

Pope Francis has denounced the conflict in Ukraine as an unjustified "senseless massacre" and asked leaders to stop "this repugnant war."

"The violent aggression against Ukraine is unfortunately not slowing down," he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his weekly Sunday address and blessing.

"It is a senseless massacre where every day slaughters and atrocities are being repeated," he said.

On Friday, the Pontiff told European Catholic representatives that Ukraine had the right to exist as a sovereign state and defend itself against the Russian invasion.

Germany and Netherlands deploy air defense systems in Slovakia

The first units deploying Patriot air defense systems from NATO partner countries have arrived in Slovakia.

Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Facebook the US-made system would initially be deployed at the Sliac airport.

German and Dutch soldiers would operate them as part of NATO moves to strengthen air defenses in Eastern Europe.

Nad stressed they wouldn't replace Slovakia's Russian-made S-300s.

Earlier in the week, he said Slovakia's was prepared to send long-range surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine provided that Western allies give them a "proper replacement."

Shelling hits Mariupol art school, sheltering 400 civilians

Authorities in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said Russian forces bombed an art school in which 400 residents had taken shelter.

City officials say the building was destroyed on Saturday night, but the number of casualties was not yet known.

This follows the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol where civilians took shelter last week.

Hundreds of people were trapped beneath rubble in a basement shelter.

Mariupol has been encircled by the Russian troops, cut from energy, food and medical supplies.

Local authorities have said the siege has killed at least 2,300 people and some of them had to be buried in mass graves.

Russia says it has fired more hypersonic missiles

The Russian military said it has used more hypersonic missiles to attack Ukraine's military infrastructure.

"Kinzhal aviation missile systems with hypersonic ballistic missiles destroyed a large storage site for fuels and lubricants of the Ukrainian armed forces near the settlement of Kostyantynivka in the Mykolaiv region," the Russian defense ministry said.

On Saturday, Russia claimed to have used a hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time since it began its invasion of Ukraine. The launch took place on Friday close to the border with Romania, who is a NATO member.

Hypersonic weapons can travel much faster than five times the speed of sound, making them difficult to detect and posing a challenge to missile defense systems.

Zelensky suspends 11 pro-Russian parties

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has suspended 11 political parties allegedly tied to Russia.

"Given a large-scale war unleashed by the Russian Federation and links between it and some political structures, the activities of a number of political parties is suspended for the period of the martial law," he said.

Included on the list is the Opposition Platform for Life, one of the largest pro-Russian parties represented in Ukraine's parliament. Russian President Vladimir Putin is godfather to the party's chairman Viktor Medvedchuk's daughter.

Also on the list is the Nashi (Ours) party led by Yevheniy Murayev. Before the Russian invasion, the UK said Russia wanted to install Murayev as the leader of a puppet government in Kyiv. He denied the charge.

Zelenskyy said, "activities by politicians aimed at discord and collaboration will not succeed.''

UK warns of further shelling and civilian casualties

British defense intelligence said Russia has made only limited progress in Ukraine over the past week.

An intelligence update said Russia would likely continue to "use its heavy firepower to support assaults on urban areas" and risk further civilian casualties.

In a similar assessment, the US-based Institute for the Study of War said a stalemate now persists in Ukraine.

One of Europe's biggest steel works damaged by Russian siege

According to Ukrainian officials, the Azovstal iron and steel works in Mariupol has been badly damaged as the city faces a siege from Russian forces.

Azovstal is one of the biggest iron and steel works in Europe.

"One of the biggest metallurgic plants in #Europe destroyed. The economic losses for #Ukraine are huge. The environment is devastated," Ukrainian lawmaker Lesia Vasylenko said in a tweet.

Azovstal is part of the Metinvest group, which is controlled by Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov. Akhmetov was considered pro-Russian before Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but has since accused Russian forces of "crimes against humanity."

War will have "adverse effect on the global economy"

Chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Beata Javorcik, told the AFP news agency that the war in Ukraine will have a major "adverse effect on the global economy."

Javorcik said that although large parts of Ukraine are still functioning, the figure of $100 billion (€90 billion) for rebuilding estimated by the Ukrainian government is equivalent to about two thirds of the country's GDP. She added that around half of Ukrainian firms have closed down.

Javorcik estimated that the number of refugees from Ukraine could reach 6 million if the conflict continues. She added that in the aftermath of the war Ukrainian refugees could stay in their new countries of residence and "serve as a bridge" to Ukraine and help strengthen economic ties.

"Even if the war stopped today, the consequences of this conflict would be felt for months to come," Javorcik said, adding that commodity prices are likely to continue increasing and that higher energy prices will lead to inflation.

"The conflict happened at a time when there was already a slowdown in the global economy, so higher energy prices are going to put more brakes on growth."

"This has implications for poverty and political stability," Javorcik added.

Javorcik said that the short-term impact of sanctions in Russia will include less international trade and lower consumer confidence. She added that even after the conflicts ends Russia could be seen as a "risky destination for investment."

Foreign Minister: China on "right side of history"

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a Saturday statement that Beijing stands "on the right side of history" in its position on the war in Ukraine.

The comments come after US President Joe Biden warned China of the "consequences" it could face if it gave support to Russia.

"We have always stood for maintaining peace and opposing war," Wang said.

"China's position is objective and fair, and is in line with the wishes of most countries. Time will prove that China's claims are on the right side of history."

Meanwhile, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said that Western sanctions against Russia were increasingly "outrageous."

Ukraine bans pro-Russian parties

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council has banned pro-Russian political parties from operating in the country while martial law is in place.

"Any activities of politicians aimed at division or collusion will not succeed, but will receive a harsh response," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Saturday video address before listing the banned parties.

Among the groups affected is the Euroskeptic party Opposition Platform – For Life and Opposition Bloc, which became the country's largest opposition party after winning 43 out of 450 seats in the 2019 parliamentary election. A total of 11 parties have been banned by the move.

Australia increases support for Ukraine

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced further financial, material and humanitarian support for Ukraine, according to the public broadcaster ABC.

Morrison said that Australia will provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with an additional AU$21 million (€14 million, $15.6 million) in military assistance. This brings Australia's total military support to Ukraine up to around AU$91 million (€61 million, $67.5 million).

Morrison also announced that Australia would add AU$30 million (€20 million, €22.3 million) in emergency humanitarian assistance to the AU$35 million (€23.5 million, $26 million) already provided.

Australia's prime minister said that the country had already granted 5,000 visas to Ukrainians and was putting Ukrainian applications at the top of the list. Ukrainian arrivals will be offered a temporary humanitarian visa valid for a period of three years and which gives visa holders the right to work, study and access public healthcare.

Morrison said that Australia would also donate 70,000 tones of thermal coal to Ukraine.

Australia's government has also imposed an immediate ban on Australian exports of bauxite, alumina and aluminium to Russia. Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite according to the Australian Aluminium council.

Ukrainian authorities: 260 dead in Kharkiv region since start of war

Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday night that at least 260 civilians have been killed in the fighting around the country's second-biggest city, Kharkiv, since the start of the Russian invasion.

Among the dead were 14 children, Ukrainian authorities said.

Kharkiv continues to be shelled by artillery and several residential buildings were hit on Saturday evening, Ukraine's UNIAN news agency reported.

Ukrainian authorities said that three civilians had died over the past 24 hours as a result of Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region.

Belarusian rail connections to Ukraine reportedly cut

Belarusian railway workers have reportedly cut off all rail connections between their country and Ukraine.

Ukrainian railway chief Olexander Kamyshin thanked Belarusian railway workers for this claimed act of sabotage on Saturday.

"As of today, I can say there is no rail traffic between Belarus and Ukraine," Kamyshin was quoted as saying by Ukraine's Unian news agency. Kamyshin said that he would not give further details.

Franak Viacorka, advisor to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, tweeted about the incident and said that it had been confirmed by Belarusian railway workers, while declining to provide details.

Summary of Saturday's events in Ukraine-Russia crisis

The Russian invasion has brought 30% of the Ukrainian economy to a standstill, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.

Vitaly Kim, the head of the regional administration of Mykolaiv, said Saturday that Russian air raids were taking place over the southern Ukrainian city.

Ukraine said it had evacuated 6,623 people through humanitarian corridors on Saturday.

The deputy head of the president's office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said that 4,128 had been evacuated from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, besieged by Russian forces.

In a bid to secure alternatives to Russian energy, Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck travelled to Qatar. Habeck recently visited Norway and is soon to visit the UAE.

The UN human rights office said 847 civilians were killed in Ukraine since the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine was launched.

China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said the Cold War was at the root of the war in Ukraine and attacked Western sanctions against Russia.

Russia's defense ministry claimed it used hypersonic weapons to destroy targets in Ukraine.

Although Russia has moved many of its troops and military equipment into Ukraine through Belarus, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has not committed Belarusian troops to the offensive.