* Ukrainian authorities evacuated almost 40,000 people from five cities, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, but none from the encircled southern city of Mariupol, and Russian planes bombed an institute in Kharkiv that is home to an experimental nuclear reactor.
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* The Russian defence ministry said it would declare a ceasefire on Friday and open evacuation corridors from five cities.
* After international condemnation of a Russian strike on a hospital in Mariupol and Moscow's claims the building no longer served as a healthcare facility, the Kremlin said it would investigate further. The defence ministry later denied hitting the hospital.
* President Vladimir Putin said sanctions on Russia would rebound against the West and Moscow would solve its problems and emerge stronger.
* IMF head Kristalina Georgieva said the war and sanctions have triggered a contraction in global trade and sent food and energy prices sharply higher, which will force the IMF to lower its global growth forecast next month.
* Rio Tinto became the first major miner to announce it was cutting all ties with Russia.
* European soccer champions Chelsea are now effectively controlled by the British government after sanctions were imposed against Russian owner Roman Abramovich and the sale of the club is on hold.
* European Union leaders agreed to phase out buying Russian oil, gas and coal, a draft declaration showed.
* More than 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine so far, according to the latest UN tally, about half of them children.
* Russian forces were operating with "reckless disregard" for civilians as they faced stronger-than-expected resistance in Ukraine, US spy chiefs said.
QUOTES
"Air strikes started from the early morning. Air strike after air strike. All the historic centre is under bombardment. They want to absolutely delete our city, delete our people. They want to stop any evacuation," Petro Andrushenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor, told Reuters by phone.
"We will do everything to ensure that we never again depend on the West in those areas of our life which have a significant meaning for our people," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Australian Associated Press
