Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the nation from a square in the capital Kyiv, March 11, 2022

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UPDATE 2000 GMT:

A “senior US defense official” says Ukrainian forces continue to regain territory from the Russian occupiers.

The forces recaptured the town of Trostyanets, 30 miles from Sumy, in northeast Ukraine. Significantly, they are closing on Kherson in southern Ukraine, the first city seized by the Russians.

However, the US officials could not confirm the claim of Ukrainian counterparts of the recapture of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv (see 1535 GMT).

UPDATE 1720 GMT:

The Ukraine Government says it will investigate a video claiming to show the torture of Russian POWs by Ukrainian forces.

The unverified footage purports to show Ukrainian soldiers removing three hooded Russians from a van and then shooting them in the legs.

Ukrainian military commander Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi has accused Russia of staging the video 2to discredit the Ukrainian defence forces”. However, the Zelenskiy Government said it is taking the allegations of mistreatment “very seriously”.

Presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said:

We are a European army, and we do not mock our prisoners. If this turns out to be real, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior….

I would like to remind all our military, civilian and defence forces once again that the abuse of prisoners is a war crime that has no amnesty under military law and has no statute of limitations.

UPDATE 1628 GMT:

The Russian businessman Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting in Kyiv earlier this month, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Abramovich and at least two senior members of the Ukrainian delegation suffered “red eyes and constant and painful tearing,” said “sources familiar with the matter”.

Experts who analyzed the incident said the symptoms were consistent intentional poisoning with an undefined chemical weapon. They said the dosage was likely too low to cause life-threatening damage, but was likely intended to scare victims.

The three men have since improved. Ukrain President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has met with Abramovich, was not affected.

Abramovitch had moved between Moscow, Kyiv, and Lviv in early stages of discussions about possible Ukrainian-Russian talks over Moscow’s invasion.

UPDATE 1620 GMT:

A spokesperson for Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko says almost 5,000 people, including about 210 children, have been killed by the Russian invasion and siege of the southern Ukraine city.

Ukraine Presidential advisor Tetyana Lomakina said more than 5,000 people have perished.

About 5,000 people have been buried, but interments stopped 10 days ago because of ongoing Russian shelling.

Lomakina said the death toll will be higher because bodies are still under the rubble, including the Drama Theater — used as a shelter, including by women, children, and the elderly: “We could be talking about 10,000 dead.”

UPDATE 1535 GMT:

Ukraine’s forces regained full control of the town of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, according to Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn.

Irpin has been in the spotlight because of sustained Russian bombardment and ground assaults, forcing an evacuation of most residents.

Markushyn said, “We have good news today — Irpin has been liberated. We understand that there will be more attacks on our town and we will defend it courageously.”

People who were too old, frail, or sick to leave the town have been cut off from gas, water, electricity, and almost all medicine since early March.

UPDATE 1325 GMT:

Novaya Gazeta, the Russian newspaper edited by Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov, has been forced to cease publication.

The paper said in a tweet that it will suspend its activities until “the end of the special operation in Ukraine”.

Earlier on Monday, Muratov noted the ban by Russian officials on any mention of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s on-line discussion with independent Russian journalists: “We have been forced not to publish this interview. This is simply censorship in the time of the ‘special operation.’”

UPDATE 0950 GMT:

A classical concert in a shelter in an underground station in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv:

UPDATE 0910 GMT:

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko says the besieged city, on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, must be completely evacuated.

Boichenko said about 160,000 civilians are still trapped in the city without power and will little food.

He added that 26 buses are waiting, but Russian forces are not allowing to evacuate civilians: “The Russian Federation is playing with us.

Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said there are no plans for any humanitarian corridors on Monday because of intelligence warnings about possible Russian “provocations” threatening evacuations.

UPDATE 0855 GMT:

UK defense intelligence again reports no notable advance by Russia’s offensive outside the coastal corridor in southern Ukraine:

In the last 24 hours there has been no significant change to Russian forces’ dispositions in occupied Ukraine.

Ongoing logistical shortages have been compounded by a continued lack of momentum and morale amongst the Russian military, and aggressive fighting by the Ukrainians.

Russia has gained most ground in the south in the vicinity of Mariupol where heavy fighting continues as Russia attempts to capture the port.

Ukraine’s military said Russia is withdrawing forces from the frontlines near Kyiv after suffering heavy losses.

Russia fired shells and missiles on parts of Ukraine, with a fuel depot set on fire in Lutsk and two strikes near Zhytomyr in the north of the country. In Kyiv, a house was set ablaze by debris from a downed Russian missile.

UPDATE 0840 GMT:

In his interview with independent Russian journalists, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, “I’m deeply disappointed in the large number of Russians who support [the war], for many different reasons.”

One Russian who is challenging that assessment is the writer Mikhail Shishkin:

There was no de-Stalinization in Russia and there were no Nuremberg trials for the Communist party.

Now Russia’s fate depends on de-Putinization. Just as the “ignorant” German population was shown concentration camps in 1945, so “ignorant” Russians must be shown destroyed Ukrainian cities and the corpses of children. We Russians must openly and courageously acknowledge our guilt and ask for forgiveness.

UPDATE 0830 GMT:

The Dutch brewer Heineken is pulling out of Russia completely.

The company said in a statement, “We have concluded that Heineken’s ownership of the business in Russia is no longer sustainable nor viable in the current environment.”

Heineken had previously announced that it would halt new investments and exports to Russia, but would remain in the country.

Danish brewer Carlsberg followed with a similar statement of withdrawal, 2We have taken the difficult and immediate decision to seek a full disposal of our business in Russia, which we believe is the right thing to do in the current environment. Upon completion we will have no presence in Russia.”

Carlsberg owns Russia’s Baltika Brewery, whose employees are 20% of Carlberg’s global workforce. The Danish company said, “We deeply regret the consequences of this decision for our 8,400 employees in Russia.”

ORIGINAL ENTRY: In a 92-minute interview with independent Russian journalists, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has set terms for peace while maintaining the country’s firm stance against Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Zelenskiy also spoke of the bravery of people in Mariupol, the port city in southeast Ukraine, withstanding the “humanitarian disaster” of Russian siege and killing. And he addressed Russia’s political and military difficulties, expressing his belief that Vladimir Putin had been misled into thinking that his invasion would be welcomed as “liberation” by Ukrainians.

The President said he was willing to discuss a “neutral status” — as well as that of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, controlled in part by Russian proxies — to secure an end to Putin’s war.

However, he set notable conditions. Foremost was a rejection of any discussion of Ukraine’s demilitarization, and a vote by Ukrainians in a referendum on neutrality.

The Ukrainian activist Yulia Marushevska noted on Monday morning, “In the end, it is the Ukrainian people who will decide — and Ukrainians now want to be part of NATO.”

Marushevska also noted widespread support throughout Ukraine for accession to the European Union.

Zelenskiy followed up in his late-night video address to the nation, saying he wants “peace without delay” while pressing for new sanctions on Russia if Putin continues his assault.

He explained, “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory.”

“You Still Have to Be Human”

Zelenskiy spoke at length with the Russian journalists about the internal situation in Russia, with a pessimistic assessment both of Putin and of the response of the country’s people to the invasion.

Explaining the stalled Russian offensives except for the coastal strip in southern Ukraine, the President said, “I believe [Putin] was told that we are waiting for you with flowers and smiles, the situation is very bad, the current President and party are not supported. I believe that 99.9%.”

He referred to talks for exchange of prisoners and then spoke about Putin’s lack of sensitivity over — or wish to cover up — Russian losses.

We’ve asked Russians to come pick up their dead troops. They aren’t doing it. Even dead cats and dogs are treated better. I hate them because they invaded, but you have to still be human. What are their parents thinking?

This is scary because if this is how they treat their own, how will they treat others?

Zelenskiy expressed concern about the future for Ukraine and Russia with “relations broken everywhere”.

I’m deeply disappointed in the large number of Russians who support [the war], for many different reasons. I don’t want to say this is all brainwashing or propaganda. On the one hand, yes, but let’s be honest, it’s also justification. You can’t just not notice a war that has been going on for so many years.

This isn’t like just one day, like what happened on 9/11 or the Moscow apartment building bombings. It’s not one attack. It’s 8 years damn it.

Bearing out Zelenskiy’s words, Russian authorities — who have introduced prison sentences of up to 15 years for reporting on the war — forebade any reference to his interview.

Dmitry Muratov, the Nobel Prize-winning editor of Novaya Gazeta, noted:

Zelenskiy responded, “It would be funny if it wasn’t tragic. This means that they are nervous. Perhaps they saw that their citizens are beginning to question the situation in their own country.”

“We Won’t Leave the Wounded and Dead”

Zelenskiy said of besieged Mariupol, where up to 150,000 residents are still holding out against occupation after month:

Humanitarian convoys are being shot at, drivers are being killed. Many of the trucks were forced to return back. Civilians were moved east [to Russian-controlled areas]. Based on our information, over 2,000 children were moved. We view that as kidnapping.

He said he was speaking to defenders of the city twice a day:

I told them that if they need to leave, and that it’s the right thing to do to save their lives, I understand how that may look as a soldier, but you should do it. I gave them that choice. They told me, “Listen, we can’t. There are wounded people here. We won’t leave them, and we won’t leave the dead.”