KYIV: Russian forces destroyed a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of people were sheltering Wednesday and rained fire on other cities, Ukrainian authorities said, even as the two sides projected optimism over efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting.
The airstrike ripped apart the center of the once-elegant building, where hundreds of civilians had been living since their homes had been destroyed in the fighting, Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Many people were buried in the rubble, the statement said, though there was no immediate word on how many had been killed or injured.
Satellite imagery from Monday showed the word "CHILDREN" written in Russian in large, white capital letters on the pavement in front of and behind the building, the Maxar space technology company said.
"My heart breaks from what Russia is doing to our people," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address, calling for more sanctions on Russia after the bombing.
Ukrainian military forces have dealt a punishing blow to the airport in Kherson, which Russian troops had seized early in the war, the General Staff said late Wednesday.
It said the Russians were trying to remove any surviving military equipment.
Ukraine's military said it hit the airport on Tuesday.
Satellite photos taken afterward by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The Associated Press show helicopters and vehicles on fire at the airbase.
Russia seized the southern port city without a fight in the first days of the war.
Control over Kherson allows Russia to restore fresh water supplies to Crimea; Ukraine cut off the water after Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014.
The General Staff said Russia's ground offensive on major Ukrainian cities has largely stalled.
The Russian defense ministry denied bombing the theatre or anywhere else in Mariupol on Wednesday.
In Kyiv, residents huddled in homes and shelters during a citywide curfew that was set to run until Thursday morning, as Russian troops shelled areas in and around the city, including a residential neighbourhood 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the presidential palace.
A 12-story apartment building in central Kyiv erupted in flames after being hit by shrapnel.
And 10 people were killed while standing in line for bread in the northern city of Chernihiv, the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's Office said.
Earlier Wednesday, Zelenskyy went before the U.S. Congress via video and, invoking Pearl Harbor and 9/11, pleaded with America for more weapons and tougher sanctions against Russia, saying: "We need you right now."
U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. is sending an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons and drones.
He also called Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" in his sharpest condemnation of the Russian leader since the invasion began.
International pressure against the Kremlin mounted and its isolation deepened as the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, ordered Russia to stop attacking Ukraine, though there was little hope it would comply.
Also, the 47-nation Council of Europe, the continent's foremost human rights body, expelled Russia.
While Moscow's ground advance on the Ukrainian capital appeared largely stalled, Putin said during a speech Wednesday that the operation was unfolding "successfully, in strict accordance with pre-approved plans."
He also decried Western sanctions, accusing the West of trying to "squeeze us, to put pressure on us, to turn us into a weak, dependent country."
And he accused Russians who are sympathetic to the West or have adopted Western lifestyles of being a "so-called fifth column" and "national traitors."
The anti-Western speech came as Russian law enforcement announced the first known criminal cases under a new that allows for prison terms of up to 15 years for posting what the Kremlin deems is false information about the war.
Among those charged was Veronika Belotserkovskaya, a Russian-language cookbook author and popular blogger living abroad.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia resumed talks via video on Wednesday, with Zelenskyy adviser Mikhailo Podolyak saying Ukraine was demanding a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and legal security guarantees for Ukraine from several countries.
"This is possible only through direct dialogue" between Zelenskyy and Putin, he tweeted.
An official in Zelenskyy's office told The Associated Press that the main subject under discussion was whether Russian troops would remain in the two separatist regions of eastern Ukraine after the war and where the borders would be.
Just before the war, Russia recognized the independence of two regions controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014 and extended the borders of those regions to areas Ukraine had continued to hold, including the strategically important port city of Mariupol, which has endured a brutal siege.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said Ukraine was insisting on the inclusion of one or more Western nuclear powers in the negotiations and on the signing of a legally binding document with security guarantees for Ukraine.
In exchange, the official said, Ukraine was ready to discuss a neutral status.
Russia has demanded that NATO pledge never to admit Ukraine to the alliance or station forces there.
After Tuesday's negotiations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a neutral military status for Ukraine was being "seriously discussed" by the two sides, while Zelenskyy said Russia's demands for ending the war were becoming "more realistic."
Hopes for diplomatic progress to end the war rose after Zelenskyy acknowledged Tuesday in the most explicit terms yet that Ukraine is unlikely to realize its goal of joining NATO.
Putin has long depicted Ukraine's NATO aspirations as a threat to Russia.
Lavrov welcomed Zelenskyy's comment and said "the businesslike spirit" starting to surface in the talks "gives hope that we can agree on this issue."
"A neutral status is being seriously discussed in connection with security guarantees," Lavrov said on Russian TV.
"There are concrete formulations that in my view are close to being agreed."
Prospects for a diplomatic breakthrough were highly uncertain, however, given the gulf between Ukraine's demand that the invading forces withdraw completely and Russia's suspected aim of replacing Kyiv's Westward-looking government with a pro-Moscow regime.
The fighting has led more than 3 million people to flee Ukraine, by the United Nations' estimate.
The overall death toll remains unknown, though Ukraine has said thousands of civilians have died.
Speaking to Congress, Zelenskyy said Russia "has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death."
But Biden has rejected Zelenskyy's requests to send warplanes to Ukraine or establish a no-fly zone over the country because of the risk of triggering a war between the U.S. and Russia.
Amid the vast humanitarian crisis caused by the war, the Red Cross has helped evacuate civilians from besieged areas and has delivered 200 tons of aid, including medical supplies, blankets, water and over 5,200 body bags to help "ensure the dead are treated in a dignified manner."
Nowhere has suffered more than Mariupol, where local officials say missile strikes and shelling have killed more than 2,300 people.
The southern seaport of 430,000 has been under attack for almost all of the three-week war in a siege that has left people struggling for food, water, heat and medicine.
Local authorities said Russian forces took hundreds of people hostage at a Mariupol hospital and were using them as human shields.
Using the flashlight on his cellphone to illuminate a hospital basement, Dr.
Valeriy Drengar pulled back a blanket to show the body of an infant 22 days old.
Other wrapped bodies also appeared to be children, given their size.
"These are the people we could not save," Drengar said.
Nearly 30,000 people managed to escape the city Tuesday in thousands of vehicles by way of a humanitarian corridor, city officials said.
Zelensky said 6,000 more left on Wednesday, including 2,000 children, but evacuations elsewhere were stopped because of Russian shelling.
Kyiv regional leader Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces had intensified fighting in the Kyiv suburbs and a highway leading west, and across the capital region, "kindergartens, museums, churches, residential blocks and engineering infrastructure are suffering from the endless firing."
In other developments, the mayor of the city of Melitopol, who was seized by Russian forces five days ago, has been freed, said Zelenskyy chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
No details were given about how he became free.
A senior U.S. defense official said the Russians were still making little tangible progress in much of the country, but have begun shelling the suburbs of Odesa, Ukraine's third-largest city and a major naval and shipping hub.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. military assessments, said Russia's aims weren't clear, but Western officials have long worried about a ground assault on the coastal city.
Ukraine also appeared to have successes, with satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by the AP showing helicopters and vehicles ablaze at the Russian-held Kherson airport and airbase after a suspected Ukrainian strike on Tuesday.
The mayor of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol has been freed after he was seized by Russian forces five days ago, a Ukrainian official said Wednesday.
Andriy Yermak, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, announced the news but did not release details about how the mayor became free.
Surveillance video last week showed the mayor of the occupied city being marched out of city hall apparently surrounded by Russian soldiers.
Prior to the start of the invasion, US President Joe Biden's administration had warned of Russian plans to detain and kill targeted people in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy himself likely top target.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has categorically ruled out any role for the military organisation in setting up and policing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect against Russian airstrikes.
Stoltenberg says "NATO should not deploy forces on the ground or in the air space over Ukraine because we have a responsibility to ensure that this conflict, this war, doesn't escalate beyond Ukraine."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed for NATO to set up a no-fly zone given Russia's air superiority, as civilian casualties mount three weeks into the war.
Speaking Wednesday after chairing a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Stoltenberg conceded that "we see human suffering in Ukraine, but this can become even worse if NATO (takes) actions that actually turned this into a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia."
He says the decision not to send air or ground forces into Ukraine is "the united position from NATO allies."
Earlier Wednesday, Estonia urged its 29 NATO partners to consider setting up a no-fly zone.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the operation in Ukraine is unfolding "successfully, in strict accordance with pre-approved plans" and decried Western sanctions against Russia, describing them as "aggression and war with economic, political, information means."
At the same time Putin said that the West has failed to wage "an economic blitzkrieg" against Russia.
"In effect these steps are aimed at worsening the lives of millions of people," Putin said of the sanctions that have delivered a crippling blow to Russia's economy.
"One should clearly understand that the new set of sanctions and restrictions against us would have followed in any case, I want to emphasize this. Our military operation in Ukraine is just a pretext for the next sanctions," Putin told a government meeting Wednesday.
The Council of Europe on Wednesday expelled Russia from the continent's foremost human rights body in an unprecedented move over its invasion and war in Ukraine.
The 47-nation organisation's committee of ministers said in statement that "the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership."
The decision comes on the heels of weeks of condemnation of Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Early in the week, the group's parliamentary assembly already initiated the process of expulsion and unanimously backed that Russia would be kicked out.
Israel's Bennett emerges as a mediator in Russia-Ukraine war
Just a year ago, Naftali Bennett was struggling for his political survival as Israel headed toward its fourth consecutive election.
Today, the Israeli prime minister is at the forefront of global efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Just as Bennett took advantage of unique circumstances to become the most unlikely of prime ministers, he has managed to leverage Israel's good relations with both Ukraine and Russia and his personal rapport with their leaders to turn himself into an unexpected mediator.
Although he has not yet delivered any major diplomatic breakthroughs, he is one of the few world leaders to speak regularly to both sides, providing a rare glimmer of hope for ending the 3-week-old war.
Bennett himself has said little in public about his mediation since making a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin on March 5.
His office says there have been two more phone calls with Putin and six with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Bennett describes his efforts as a moral obligation to do whatever is possible to end the fighting.
Underscoring that message, Bennett flew to Moscow to meet Putin on the Jewish sabbath, when observant Jews like himself do not travel unless it is a life-saving situation.
"Israel will continue to act to prevent bloodshed and bring the sides from the battlefield to the conference table," Bennett said this week.
While Israel is well over 1,000 miles from the war zone, its involvement isn't entirely surprising.
Israel's ties with Russia and Ukraine run deep.
Both countries have large Jewish communities, and over 1 million Jews from the region have moved to Israel since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.
Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, appears to have an affinity for Israel, while the Israeli and Russian militaries have maintained close communications in recent years to prevent clashes in the sky over Syria.
Russia has provided support to Syrian President Bashar Assad in the civil war, while Israel often strikes what it says are enemy Iranian and Hezbollah targets aligned with Assad on the territory of its neighbour.
Beyond Israel's geopolitical strengths, Bennett's personality also appears to be a factor.
In last year's election, Bennett's tiny Yamina party barely squeaked into parliament with just seven of the chamber's 120 seats.
But through some creative wheeling and dealing, Bennett positioned himself as a kingmaker, providing the critical votes to form a majority coalition.
That allowed him to become prime minister in a power-sharing agreement that ousted his former mentor, Benjamin Netanyahu, from the top job.
Bennett, a former high-tech executive who led two companies that were later sold in nine-figure deals, has shown similar creativity in office.
Long before the war, he moved quickly to establish good working relations with world leaders, including President Joe Biden as well as Putin and Zelenskyy.
His mediation efforts were first encouraged by Germany, and he carefully coordinates his activities with Washington and other Western allies.
This calibrated approach appears to have gained the trust of both sides.
Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, this week pinned hopes on Israeli negotiating efforts.
"Israel took upon itself the difficult but noble mission of mediator in the search of peace and an end to Russia's aggression against Ukraine," he said.
Zelenskyy previously said he believed Bennett could play an "important role" and even suggested that Israel might be a host for future cease-fire talks.
That would mark a major accomplishment for Bennett.
Toward that end, Bennett has been careful to maintain a relative air of neutrality.
While Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion, Bennett's criticism has been muted.
Israel has delivered humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but has not joined its Western allies in sending military assistance or imposing sanctions on Russia and the many Russian-Jewish oligarchs who have second homes in Israel.
At times, Bennett's refusal to be tougher against Russia has drawn criticism at home and abroad.
But it appears to have allowed him to retain Putin's trust.
Israeli officials have been careful not to exaggerate Bennett's role and say he is not actively making proposals or pressuring the sides.
Instead, they describe him as a channel of communication, passing messages from the sides in what they describe as a frank and realistic manner.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing diplomatic efforts, say there has been a "positive shift" in the rhetoric from both sides.
They declined to elaborate.
Zelenskyy acknowledged in the most explicit terms yet Tuesday that Ukraine's goal of joining NATO is unlikely to be met, while Putin appears to have backed away from earlier comments questioning Ukraine's right to exist as an independent country.
Vera Michlin-Shapir, who previously worked on Israel's National Security Council and published a book on Russia last year, said Bennett's main advantages are that he is seen as neutral and that Israel is a small country far removed from the conflict.
Putin "obviously has some sympathy for Israel," she said, in part because of its large Russian-speaking minority and its Christian holy sites.
The military relations in Syria, while sometimes strained, have "added depth to the relationship."
Nadav Eyal, an Israeli journalist and author of the book, "Revolt: The Worldwide Revolution Against Globalization," described Bennett as a good listener, fast learner and straight shooter.
These skills, and his close ties with the White House, position him to be an effective mediator.
But he said ultimately that only Putin will decide when "to climb down the ladder" and end the war.
"Bennett might be a useful tool in order to bring the Russian side back to some sort of civility in its approach to Ukraine," he said.