More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine: UN

The number of refugees who have crossed the border from Ukraine into neighboring countries has surpassed 1.5 million, the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Twitter.

The number of refugees has risen rapidly in the first 10 days of the conflict. Grandi said it is "the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II."

People fleeing the invasion have crossed into various countries, with the majority entering EU member state Poland. Warsaw says that almost 800,000 people have arrived since the beginning of the conflict.

Moldova, which shares a large border with Ukraine but is not an EU member state, said that 250,000 people, including 30,000 children, had crossed into the country and that it needed urgent international assistance to support them.

Greece also said on Sunday that some 3,700 people had arrived in the country from Ukraine. Around 100,000 ethnic Greeks live in Ukraine and Athens has pledged extra support to evacuate them. Many Ukrainians also moved to Greece after the fall of the Soviet Union and many of the new arrivals were reportedly staying with relatives, dpa new agency reported.

Zelenskyy warns of 'historic crime' in Odesa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russian forces were preparing to bombard the major port city of Odesa.

"This is going to be a military crime. This is going to be a historic crime," he said in a televised address.

Russian troops entering Ukraine from the Crimean peninsula — territory occupied by Russia since 2014 — have advanced along the coast, having taken control of Kherson and laid siege to other coastal cities, but so far Odesa has largely been spared.

Ukraine conflict could 'last months, if not years': UK deputy PM

Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday that opponents of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine will have to show "strategic stamina" if they want Russian President Vladimir Putin to fail.

"Our mission with our allies is to ensure Putin fails in Ukraine, and it's going to take some time — we're talking about months, if not years,” he told UK broadcaster Sky News.

When asked about Putin's seeming veiled threat of possibly using nuclear weapons, Raab said, "(Putin's) got a track record as long as anyone's arm of misinformation and propaganda ... this is a distraction from what the real issues are at hand — which is that it's an illegal invasion and it is not going according to plan."

Just under a week ago, Putin ordered his military to put Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert. It remains unclear exactly what this means on the ground and is seen by many as the response of a leader frustrated at the progress of his military plans amid strong Ukrainian resistance.

Ukraine claims big Russian losses

The general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces has put the number of Russian troops killed so far at 11,000. The number stood at 10,000 on Saturday, the military said. DW is unable to verify those figures.

Russian authorities on Wednesday claimed that a much lower number of soldiers had been killed in the invasion — fewer than 500.

On the 11th day of the war, Russian gains include the key city of Kherson in the south. Russian forces have also surrounded the cities of Kharkiv — Ukraine's second-largest city, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. But these remain largely or partly in Ukrainian hands.

A mileslong convoy of Russian troops and equipment that had been headed to the capital Kyiv is still blocked on the highway, according to recent reports.

Ukraine's main port city Odesa is also still under Ukrainian control, with local forces holding out against Russian ships in the Black Sea.

The dpa news agency cited the Defense Ministry in Moscow as saying that Russian troops and separatist rebels from Luhansk and Donetsk had advanced some 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) and taken control of five towns and villages.

Mariupol to make second attempt at evacuations

The city council of Mariupol, the port city close to Ukraine's eastern border with Russia, has announced a new cease-fire with the Russian forces currently surrounding the city.

The planned pause in hostilities will last from 12 p.m. local time (1000 UTC) until 9 p.m on Sunday. The authorities are hoping to evacuate the 400,000 people who are trapped in the city without access to food, water and heating.

The announced cease-fire follows a failed attempt on Saturday that was abandoned after both the Ukrainians and Russians accused each other of violations during the agreed period.

WHO condemns attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine

The World Health Organization confirmed several attacks on health care centers in Ukraine, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted on Sunday.

The attacks led to multiple deaths and injuries, he added.

Ghebreyesus said that they were investigating other similar reports and condemned the attacks on health care facilities and workers, saying they ''breach medical neutrality and are violations of international humanitarian law.''

'Fierce' fighting in Mykolaiv: Ukrainian military

Airstrikes and fighting continued in Ukraine on Sunday amid Russia's invasion, with the Ukrainian military reporting "fierce battles" with Russian troops around the southern city of Mykolaiv.

The city is important strategically, as it controls the road to the key Black Sea city of Odesa.

This comes as Russia reported that it had destroyed Ukraine's Starokostiantyniv military air-base with long-range weapons. The report has not been verified.

Fighting is also continuing for the northern city of Chernihiv, while an expected Russian advance on Kyiv has reportedly been preceded by airstrikes on the towns of Bucha and Irpin that have forced civilians to flee.

The situation in the Black Sea city of Mariupol, which is now without water or power amid Russian shelling, has meanwhile been called “catastrophic” by the organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Officials in the city said they had to delay the evacuation of civilians on Saturday after an agreed cease-fire broke down, but Moscow has contradicted their version of events, saying that it was Ukrainian “nationalists” preventing the civilians leaving.

Israel's PM returns home after surprise Russian trip

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is back in Israel after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that took place “with the blessing” of the US Biden administration, according to Bennett's office.

Bennett, whose country has been striving to maintain good relations with both Russia and Ukraine despite Moscow's invasion of its neighbor, spoke with the Kremlin leader for three hours. No details of their conversation have been released

He then spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before flying on to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

"We continue to dialogue," the Ukrainian leader tweeted after his talk with Bennett.

Bennett is expected to convene his Cabinet for its weekly meeting later on Sunday.

Israel tries to maintain good ties with Russia partly to ensure that warplanes from the two countries do not come into conflict in Syria. However, it has also delivered humanitarian aid to Ukraine.