March 7, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

zelensky saturday address 0305
'Green light for further bombing': Zelensky slams NATO for rejecting no-fly zone
01:25 - Source: CNN

What we covered here

  • A Russian strike hit a civilian evacuation point outside Kyiv, reportedly killing eight people, including two children, as they tried to flee their homes.
  • Fears are mounting for civilians trapped in the cities of Mariupol, Volnovakha and Kyiv as the Russian onslaught continues.
  • Russia has proposed a new ceasefire starting 10 a.m. Moscow time Tuesday (or 2 a.m. ET) in five Ukrainian cities. Ukraine has yet to formally agree to the proposal. 
  • At least 1.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion, the UN estimates.
  • Want to help? Learn how to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine here. 
  • Having connection issues? Bookmark CNN’s lite site for fast connectivity. You can also read updates at CNN Español here.
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Our live coverage of the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has moved here.

Russian families turn to Ukrainian hotline in desperate search for lost soldiers

These are excerpts from audio recordings made to a Ukrainian government-run hotline. Mothers and fathers, wives, siblings and others are engaged in a desperate search for their loved ones as Russia’s war with Ukraine extends seemingly without end.

The shaky voices at the end of the line are not calling to search for Ukrainians, however – they are looking for information on Russian soldiers.

In recordings shared exclusively with CNN by the Ukrainian officials operating the hotline, the desperation and uncertainty in the callers’ voices sheds light on how tightly Moscow is controlling communications about the war.

The recordings indicate that many Russian soldiers seemed to not have known what their plans were or why they were being deployed, and bolster reports of Russian soldiers being denied communication with their families.

Videos have appeared online since the invasion began on February 24 showing Ukrainian civilians and soldiers allowing Russian soldiers to call home and speak with their parents.

The hotline, called “Come Back From Ukraine Alive,” was established by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, which has acknowledged that the initiative is both a humanitarian and a propaganda tool.

Read the full story here:

Kristina, a psychologist by training, takes calls from Russians seeking information about their relatives in the Russian Army.

Russian families turn to Ukrainian hotline in desperate search for lost soldiers

Australia places more sanctions on Russia

Australia is placing further sanctions on Russia targeting senior military officers and state propagandists for “trying to legitimatise Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified invasion with false narratives such as the ‘de-Nazification’ of Ukraine,” said the country’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a