Kremlin officials 'are privately denouncing 'clusterf**k' invasion' as Putin's forces get bogged down in snow with temperatures set to drop to -20C as landmine kills three people north of Kyiv and Ukraine claims it has killed 12,000 Russian troops
- Russian politicians and powerful business figures are privately denouncing the invasion, it has been claimed
- Comes as President Putin's invasion grinds to a bloody halt, with no significant territory captured in days
- Temperatures are set to plunge in coming days - down to as low as -20C with wind chill
- The worsening conditions will pose major difficulties for refugees and soldiers on both sides
- Kyiv claims 12,000 Russian soldiers have now been killed in fighting, with more than 300 tanks destroyed
- Russian forces continue to bomb major cities, with a strike on Tuesday morning killing 21, incl. two children
- A US military think tank warned that Russian forces could launch a major assault on Kyiv as early as tonight
- US also announced a plan to ban imports of Russian oil which has sent gasoline and oil prices skyrocketing
- UK and Germany have ruled out hitting Russia's energy sector - one of its only remaining economic lifelines, saying that more time is needed to find alternative supply before turning off the taps
- Zelensky meanwhile addressed the House of Commons today with a rousing speech reminiscent of Churchill
- He compared Ukraine's fight with Russia to Britain battling the Nazis and said his people 'became heroes'
- Click here to read MailOnline's liveblog with the latest updates on the Ukraine crisis
By CHRIS PLEASANCE and DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE and AFP
PUBLISHED: 18:29 AEDT, 8 March 2022 | UPDATED: 05:29 AEDT, 9 March 2022
Kremlin officials are privately denouncing Putin's 'clusterf***' war in Ukraine and 'in mourning' for the death of the Russian economy as his invasion grinds to a halt amid mounting casualties with a cold snap over the next few days expected to make fighting even harder, it has been claimed.
Farida Rustamova, a Russian journalist who was well-connected in government circles before fleeing Russia amid a crackdown on free speech, said sources she spoke to before leaving never believed Putin would go to war and are now making 'apocalyptic' forecasts about the weeks and months ahead as fighting grinds on and sanctions bite.
'They're carefully enunciating the word clusterf***,' one source told her when asked how Russian politicians were reacting to the news. 'No one is rejoicing. Many understand that this is a mistake, but in the course of doing their duty they come up with explanations in order to somehow come to terms with it.'
Ukraine estimates that some 12,000 Russians have now died fighting and while that number cannot be verified, casualties are almost certainly higher than Putin bargained for when he gave the order to attack 13 days ago. Captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan - with conditions set to get worse in the coming days.
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A pronounced cold snap will see temperatures drop to -10C overnight in the middle of the week around Kyiv and Kharkiv - down to -20C when wind chill is taken into account - with many Russian soldiers stuck outdoors in a 40-mile column of stalled vehicles near the Ukrainian capital.
The cold will also make life much harder for thousands of desperate refugees fleeing the fighting, some of whom have been without access to heat or water for days because their cities have been under bombardment.
In a dire warning late last night, a US military think tank warned that Russian forces could launch their assault on Kyiv as early as tonight with Vladimir Putin's troops currently threatening the capital from three fronts.
The Institute for the Study of War said the Russian military has been bringing reinforcements and supplies to its front lines, as well as carrying out air and artillery strikes on key Ukrainian military targets to weaken their position and to intimidate the city's defenders ahead of a large assault.
'The Russians are bringing up supplies and reinforcements as well as conducting artillery, air, and missile attacks to weaken defences and intimidate defenders in advance of such an assault,' the report said.
'If Russian troops have been able to resupply, reorganize, and plan deliberate and coordinated simultaneous operations along the several axes of advance around and into the capital, they may be more successful in this operation than they have in previous undertakings.'
Regions around Kyiv, such as Irpin to the north-west and the Brovary area to the east, have come under heavy fire from Russian strikes in the last couple of days, tallying with the institute's report.
In its report published overnight, the think tank said Kyiv should be prepared for an assault within the next 24 to 96 hours and warned if Russia's recent efforts to reinforce its forces have been successful, it could be more prepared than it has been in recent attacks on the capital, which has seen Ukrainian troops mount an effective resistance.
Three civilians died near Kyiv today after stepping on a landmine, a six-year-old girl died from dehydration in Mariupol after water was cut off, and hundreds of people were pictured evacuating from the city of Irpin in bitter conditions whilst snow fell.
Irpin has been the scene of some intense clashes as Russian forces try to take it on their mission to surround and besiege Kyiv, with one commander reporting hand-to-hand fighting as Putin's men battle street-to-street.
'In some places, there is hand-to-hand combat,' an officer who gave his name only as Stas said. 'There is a huge column - 200 men, 50 light armoured vehicles, several tanks,' he said of the Russian threat. 'We are trying to push them out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it.'
Vitaliy Shichko, resident of nearby Bucha, said Russian forces have been attacking the town since last week - initially throwing in men 'they weren't afraid of losing' but increasingly moving in better armed and equipped troops to capture and hold ground. 'Basically special forces,' he said.
Others said that Russians had cleared residents out of their homes so they could set up sniper positions, with some alleging that civilians had been fired at as they tried to flee. Ukrainian artillery is now being brought to bare on Russian forces as they set up the next phase of their attack, commanders said.
Ukraine's commanders say Putin's invasion has 'slowed significantly' in recent days, with American intelligence saying he has now committed all of the forces he built up along the border to the fight.
Ukraine's military, giving an overview of combat as the war entered its 13th day, said defensive operations continue in the north, east and south of Ukraine, with all major cities other than Kherson - which fell last week - in Ukrainian hands. Russian troops are 'demoralised and increasingly tend to looting and violations of international humanitarian law,' commanders added.
It has also emerged that another Russian commander - Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army - was killed in Kharkiv on Monday, just the latest in an increasingly long line of senior military figures to lose their lives in Ukraine.
Kyiv claimed today that 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armoured vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine's losses are unknown.
Strikes on civilian areas also continued Tuesday morning, with the city of Sumy - in the east - struck by bombs which the local mayor said killed 21 people including two children and left others wounded. Ukraine's parliament published a photo of a bloodied infant they said was hurt in the attack.
Russia again offered to open up 'humanitarian corridors' today to allow civilians to flee bombarded cities - but the move was swiftly dismissed by Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of 'cynicism', saying its troops have laid mines across the routes and blown up buses intended to be used as transports.
'There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines,' Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram. 'They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras.'
At least one of the corridors - out of Sumy - was operating today despite the fatal Russian strikes early in the morning. Nearly 3,500 civilians were evacuated from the northern Ukrainian city under a temporary ceasefire that mostly held, said regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky in a televised interview.
Around 1,700 of the evacuees were foreign students studying at universities in Sumy, he said, adding the ceasefire was broken only once by a shooting near a checkpoint.
But Ukraine's foreign ministry said the route out of Mariupol, which has been without water or electricity for the best part of a week, was shelled.
In Bucha, to the northwest of Kyiv, the mayor said the city is under such heavy shelling that medics cannot get into the streets to retrieve the bodies of the dead - which are now being 'pulled apart' by stray dogs. 'It's a nightmare,' he added.
The United Nations said the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine has already reached 2 million - the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II. One million were children, UNICEF spokesman James Elder tweeted, calling it 'a dark historical first.' Most others were women.
A children's playground is seen in front of an apartment building hit by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022
A photograph taken on March 8, 2022 shows the destruction of a nursery following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv
The fire at the warehouse after a Russian Kalibr missile debris was shot down over Kalynivka village, near Brovary, the eastern frontline of Kyiv region, Ukraine, 08 March 2022
A Ukrainian firefighter in action trying to extinguish the fire at the warehouse in Kalynivka village, near Brovary, Ukraine, 08 March 2022
A woman walks past an apartment building hit by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022
An elderly woman placed in a shopping trolley is carried over a destroyed bridge as she is evacuated from the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, as snow falls on Tuesday morning
An elderly Ukrainian woman, placed inside a shopping trolley, is carried over a destroyed bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the capital Kyiv, which has been the scene of brutal street-to-street fighting
People flee the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, on Monday as Russian forces pummelled d Ukrainian cities from the air, land and sea
People carry a wounded woman during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
A police officer says goodbye to his son as his family flees from advancing Russian troops as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin
Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls
Heavy snow falls as Ukrainian civilians flee across a river in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where heavy fighting is going on
Ukrainian soldiers help an elderly woman to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
A person is carried on a stretcher during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv
A woman carrying a swaddled baby walks down a motorway near the city of Irpin as she evacuates amid heavy snowfall
An elderly woman wrapped in blankets is wheeled down the highway in Irpin, Ukraine, as civilians evacuate
A wheelchair-bound woman is covered in snow as she is evacuated from Irpin while temperatures plunge
Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls
A woman carries her dog during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
People displaced from their homes carry what belongings they can as they flee from the city of Irpin, near Kyiv
A man and his dogs are helped across a river on the outskirts of Irpin, near Kyiv, as civilians evacuations continue
People file across a makeshift river crossing below a destroyed bridge as they flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin
A woman carries a dog to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee crossing the Irpin river in the outskirts of Kyiv
A woman prays as she watches her relatives cross a destroyed bridge on their way out of Irpin, to the west of Kyiv
Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today channeled Winston Churchill as he delivered a historic address to the House of Commons
Mr Zelensky was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his speech in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, responding to the speech made by Mr Zelensky, told the House of Commons: 'Never before in all our centuries of our parliamentary democracy has the House listened to such an address. 'In a great European capital now within range of Russian guns President Volodymyr Zelensky is standing firm for democracy and for freedom'
The Ukrainian President was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his address in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany.
'I would like to remind you of the words the UK has already heard, but need to hear again,' Mr Zelensky said, before he drew on Churchill's iconic rallying remarks and declared that Ukrainians will fight against Moscow's forces on land, sea and in the air.
Mr Zelensky said: 'We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.'
He said Ukraine is fighting a 'war that we didn't start and we didn't want' as he told MPs 'we do not want to lose what we have, what is ours'.
'The Ukrainian people became heroes.'
Comparing Ukraine to Britain in World War Two, Mr Zelensky said people in the UK in the 1940s 'didn't want to lose your country when Nazis started to fight your country'.
He also said more than 50 children have now been killed in the invasion, telling the Commons: 'These are the children that could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us,' before going on to appeal for an increase in sanctions against Russia and further aid from the Government.
'We are looking for the help of civilised countries. I am grateful to you, Boris. Please increase the sanctions against Russia, recognise this country as a terrorist state. Please make sure you do what needs to be done,' he said.
Boris Johnson, responding to the speech made by Mr Zelensky, told the House of Commons: 'Never before in all our centuries of our parliamentary democracy has the House listened to such an address.
'In a great European capital now within range of Russian guns President Volodymyr Zelensky is standing firm for democracy and for freedom.'
People walk across a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
A Ukrainian soldier helps to carry a child during the evacuation of Irpin, which is under heavy attack by Russian forces
Two men carry a woman as people flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin
Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls in Irpin
Ukrainian soldiers check documents of men leaving the city of Irpin because those aged between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving, to join the war against Russian forces
Ukrainian soldiers detain a man they think is a Russian spy in the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
A couple crosses a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls
An Ukrainian serviceman holds a grenade launcher as people cross a destroyed bridge as they evacuate the city of Irpin
Ukrainians cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv
Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls
Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains - capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack
Kyiv claims these are the losses that its forces have inflicted on Russia in the first 12 days of fighting. While Moscow has acknowledged casualties, none of these figures have been verified
Ukrainian servicemen inspect a charred Russian tank that was destroyed on the outskirts of Sumy, eastern Ukraine
A charred Russian tank is seen on the outskirts of Sumy, a city in the east of the country, as Putin's invading force continues to suffer losses without a significant gain in territory
The burned-out remains of a Russian infantry fighting vehicle are seen on the outskirts of Sumy, where fighting has been ongoing since the first day of the war
A Ukrainian tank is seen next to the ruins of a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Sumy
A destroyed Russian tank is seen by the side of a road in Luhansk, in images captured by Ukrainian soldiers in the region
Ukrainian soldiers in Luhansk, in the country's east, captured images showing destroyed Russian military vehicles
Russia has today offered to reopen 'humanitarian corridors' for civilians to flee besieged cities which has been dismissed as little more than a PR stunt by Kyiv because routes, most of which lead to Russia, have been attacked
A child injured in a Russian airstrike on the city of Sumy overnight, which the major said killed more than 10 people with infants among the dead. Ukraine's forces say Russia is increasingly resorting to 'war crimes' as its invasion slows
Injured in result of shelling civilian woman is seen at a hospital in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
Smoke rises into the night sky over Sumy, eastern Ukraine, as the besieged city was hit by Russian airstrikes which the mayor said killed more than 10 people including children
Destroyed houses are seen in Sumy, eastern Ukraine, which has come under heavy Russian bombardment even as Moscow offers to open a 'humanitarian corridor' - dismissed as a 'cynical' stunt by Kyiv
Buildings flattened by Russian artillery are pictured in the city of Sumy, in eastern Ukraine, as Kyiv's commanders say the invasion has 'slowed' with Putin's men increasingly resorting to 'war crimes'
Volodymyr Zelensky has openly defied Russian forces trying to encircle Kyiv, posting his location and saying he is 'not afraid' of soldiers attacking the Ukrainian capital
Morale collapses among Russia's troops with many deserting, POW claims
A captured Russian soldier has described how he was shot at and his comrade killed after fellow troops opened fire on them when they tried to protect Ukrainian civilians.
In a video, the POW described how he and a lieutenant tried to save a woman in her 20s, and her mother, after Russian soldiers were given orders to fire on civilians on February 24 in Kharkiv.
In the clip, the captured soldier claimed he was shot in the foot, and the lieutenant killed, when other troops realised the pair weren't shooting at civilians.
It comes as a separate video showed a POW describing how 'many' Russian troops are fleeing the war - despite warnings from above that they face seven years in jail for desertion.
In the first video, the soldier describes how people started hiding when Russian troops opened fire.
'Then your (Ukrainian) forces began to shoot at ours. And then, while ours were being shot at, me and my lieutenant were helping civilians.'
He said the two men 'decision to save civilians, Ukrainian civilians'.
Speaking about the two women they helped, the soldier said: 'The lieutenant ran over to them, began to take them out of the car, shouting 'come over over here'.
'In about 20 minutes, they noticed me and the lieutenant were saving civilians and an order was given to shoot me and the lieutenant and the civilians.
'The lieutenant was killed, then they began shooting at the mother. She died with him too.
'Me and the daughter began to retreat. My forces began to shoot me in the legs.
'If it wasn't for this garage, they would have killed me the same as they had with the mother and lieutenant.
'Me and the daughter sat behind this garage. We hid until it quietened down and the daughter suggested to drive away, call for forces.
'She went to find her mother, who was next to the lieutenant. Got the keys (to the car).
'I crawled to the car and she put me in the backseat. She started the car and drove.'
It's understood the man lost consciousness and when he came to, woke up thirsty, explaining the civilian was able to get him some water before they got medical attention.
At The Hague, Netherlands, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russia's invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes.
Russia 'is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance,' said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine's legal team.
Russia snubbed the court proceedings, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.
The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths addressed the Security Council and urged safe passage for people to go 'in the direction they choose'.
The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
The fighting has sent energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting, and threatens the food supply and livelihoods of people around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the fertile Black Sea region.
The UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher. The invasion has also sent 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine.
On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia and recognise the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent. It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it won't join international bodies like Nato and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected those demands.
Mr Zelensky has called for more punitive measures against Russia, including a global boycott of its oil exports, which are key to its economy.
'If (Russia) doesn't want to abide by civilized rules, then they shouldn't receive goods and services from civilization,' he said in a video address.
Addressing the Security Council, the UN's top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths said civilians must be allowed to leave in the direction they wish.
At least 406 civilians have died since the start of Russia's assault on its ex-Soviet neighbour, according to the UN, although it believes the real figures to be 'considerably higher'.
Ukrainian forces said Tuesday they had repulsed a Russian attack on Izium city in the Kharkiv region, and outgunned troops have been trying to hold back a Russian push up from the east and south in an attempt to encircle Kyiv.
Russian forces 'suffered losses and retreated' in Izium after they 'reigned terror in the city by bombing civilian premises and infrastructure,' the military said.
AFP journalists witnessed thousands of civilians on Monday fleeing fighting via an unofficial escape route from Irpin, a suburb west of Kyiv, towards the capital.
Children and the elderly were carried on carpets used as stretchers on the route, which leads over the makeshift bridge and along a single path secured by the army and volunteers.
Desperate people abandoned pushchairs and heavy suitcases to cram on buses out of the war zone.
'We had no light at home, no water, we just sat in the basement,' Inna Scherbanyova, 54, an economist from Irpin, told AFP.
'Explosions were constantly going off... Near our house there are cars, there were dead people in one of them... very scary.'
Refugees trying to escape the city using agreed escape routes were left stranded as the road they were directed towards was mined, the ICRC said on Monday.
One Ukrainian paratrooper told of 'hand-to-hand' combat in Irpin, saying 'we are trying to push (Russian soldiers) out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it'.
An international legion of volunteers has descended on Ukraine to fight the Russians.
Ukrainians pick their way through the rubble of a destroyed street in Kharkiv, in the east of Ukraine, after shelling by Russia
A children's playground is seen in front of an apartment building hit by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine
A woman walks past an apartment building hit by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine
A view shows buildings damaged by recent shelling during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Kharkiv, Ukraine
Destroyed residential building after shelling is seen in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
Destroyed after shelling residential building is seen in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
President Zelensky winks to the camera as he reveals that he is still in Kyiv, while welcoming in the first day of spring
A Russian military vehicle explodes after being struck by Ukrainian artillery near Kyiv, as commanders say Moscow's forces continue to suffer heavy losses across the country
Ukrainian soldiers keep their spirits up by singing in a trench near Irpin, on the western outskirts of the capital Kyiv
Ukrainian soldiers stand ready to defend against Russian forces in Irpin, Ukraine
Ukrainian soldiers take cover from incoming artillery fire in Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv
A Ukrainian soldier takes cover from incoming Russian artillery fire in Irpin, which has been under heavy bombardment
Ukrainian volunteers help remove a dead body as Russian forces continue to besiege residential areas of Irpin, near Kyiv
A pedestrian walks amid debris in a street following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv
A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces looks at destructions following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv
Firefighters extinguish a fire of a damaged residential building after Russian troops shelled the area in the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
A rescuer is seen next to a residential building damaged by shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Mykolaiv
The booster section of a Russian Smerch rocket is seen embedded in the side of a car in Kharkiv, Ukraine
Members of Ukrainian military together with other people carry an elderly woman in a wheelchair to cross the destroyed bridge as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region
Rescuers carry a civilian injured during shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks his plane as he arrives for his visit to Tallinn, Estonia
A burning Russian tank is seen in the midst of night as fighting takes place outside the Ukrainian city of Sumy
But the Pentagon said Monday that Moscow was on a recruiting mission for its own foreign fighters - Syrians who fought for President Bashar al-Assad.
'We do believe that the accounts of them - the Russians - seeking Syrian fighters to augment their forces in Ukraine, we believe there's truth to that,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said he will not send conscripts or reservists to fight in the conflict.
Zelensky has recalled all servicemen working abroad to fight the invading forces, according to the Ukrainian parliament.
He again vowed to remain in place as Russian forces near the capital.
'I am staying in Kyiv. Not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone,' he said in a video late Monday.
He said his government will do 'as much as it takes to win this war!'
The World Bank on Monday approved an additional $489-million package in support for Ukraine, to be made available immediately and dubbed 'Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine,' or 'FREE Ukraine.'
It came as Zelensky renewed calls for the West to boycott Russian exports, particularly oil, and to impose a no-fly zone to stop the carnage.
NATO countries have so far rebuffed Kyiv's demand for a no-fly zone, fearing a widening war against nuclear-armed Russia.
Western allies have instead imposed unprecedented sanctions against businesses, banks and billionaires in a bid to pressure Moscow to halt its assault.
But the leaders of Germany, Britain and the Netherlands warned Monday against a ban on Russian oil, saying it could put Europe's energy security at risk.
US President Joe Biden's spokeswoman said no decision had been taken, while Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned any oil ban would have 'catastrophic consequences' on prices that have already headed towards a 2008 record high.
Putin has equated sanctions with a declaration of war and put nuclear forces on alert, pledging the 'neutralisation' of Ukraine 'either through negotiation or through war'.
Despite harsh punishments for those voicing dissent, protests in Russia against the Ukraine invasion have continued, with more than 10,000 people arrested since it began.
People stand next to a coffin with a body of a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii, who was killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Members of the Honour Guard stand next to a coffin with a body of the member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii, who was killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Hanna Bespalko, 54, cries over her deceased son Denys Hrynchuk in Bila Krynytsia, near Kherson, in Ukraine
Hanna Bespalko, 54, holds the hands of her dead son Denys during his funeral service in the village of Bila Krynytsia, Ukraine
Ukrainian soldiers pictured carrying the coffin of 24-year-old Ukrainian soldier Denys Hrynchuk during his funeral in Ukraine
The arrival of war refugees from southern Ukrainian cities at the Zahony railway station on the Hungarian border
Refugees disembark a train at Zahony, Hungary, after fleeing the fighting in Ukraine. 1.7million have fled so-far
A woman carries her dog off a train as she disembarks in Hungary having fled the fighting in Ukraine