There will be no more live updates to this story. The Post’s coverage of the Ukraine-Russia conflict continues here . The war in Ukraine entered a sixth day on Tuesday as Russia faced deepening global isolation after invading its former Soviet neighbour. During a rare emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, ambassadors from dozens of countries backed a proposal demanding that Russia halt its attack on Ukraine. Representatives of more than 100 countries are expected to speak over three days as the global body decides if it will support a resolution that demands Russia immediately withdraws its troops from Ukraine. On Tuesday Ukrainian and other diplomats staged a walkout during an address by the Russian foreign minister to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. In Ukraine, Russian forces shelled Ukraine’s second-largest city and closed in on the capital, Kyiv, with a 60km-long convoy of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles, as talks aimed at stopping the fighting yielded only an agreement to keep talking. In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeated a request for his country to be fast-tracked into the European Union and called for a no-fly zone to stop Russian bombardment. Meanwhile, mounting global pressure on Russia saw a war crimes probe opened against Moscow, sanctions smash its economy and Fifa ban it from the World Cup. Read on for more updates. Russian convoy nearing Kyiv A huge Russian military convoy stretching some 60km was spotted on Monday by US satellite imaging company Maxar just north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which has already repulsed several assaults. Maxar said the column covered the entire stretch of road from near Antonov airport, some 28km from the capital, to the town of Prybirsk – a distance of approximately 60km. The convoy has armoured vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles. Maxar said its satellites had also captured images of “additional ground forces deployments and ground attack helicopter units” in southern Belarus, less than 32km north of the border with Ukraine. Since the start of the Russian offensive on Thursday, Ukrainian forces have defended the roads leading into central Kyiv against assaults by Russian forces that are massing around the capital. ❗️At least 70 #Ukrainian servicemen were killed in #Akhtyrka , #Sumy region, when #Russian artillery fired on a military unit. This was reported by the head of the Sumy regional administration Dmitry #Zhivitsky . pic.twitter.com/IpgtumwjIS — NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 1, 2022 According to two sources, one diplomatic and the other a security official, Moscow is preparing to launch a new military push imminently. More 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after Russian artillery hit a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, the head of the region Dmitry Zhivitsky wrote on Telegram. Photos were posted on Twitter showing the charred shell of a four-storey building and rescuers searching rubble. In a Facebook post, he said many Russian soldiers and some local residents also were killed during the fighting on Monday. The report could not immediately be confirmed. Biden says Americans shouldn’t worry about nuclear war after Putin order Diplomats walk out on Russian foreign minister Ukraine’s ambassador and diplomats from a wide number of countries staged a walkout as Russia’s foreign minister addressed the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday. The diplomats got up and left the room when Sergei Lavrov’s pre-recorded video message began to play, in protest against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu told a press conference aired on state television: “Russian armed forces will continue to conduct the special military operation until set goals are achieved,” He said Moscow aims to “demilitarise and de-Nazify” Ukraine, as well as protect Russia from a “military threat created by Western countries”. On Monday, Moscow defended the invasion at a rare emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly, where member after member called for peace and attacked the “unprovoked” and “unjustified” assault on Ukraine. “We do not feel isolated,” Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters. He reiterated Moscow’s stance, flatly rejected by Kyiv and its Western supporters, that its military operation was launched to protect residents of breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine. Russia limiting military force in Ukraine ‘but escalation still possible’ “The hostilities were unleashed by Ukraine against its own residents,” he said during his address. A vote that demands Russia immediately withdraws its troops is expected Wednesday, and it must reach a two-thirds threshold to pass. The resolution is non-binding but will serve as a marker of how isolated Russia is. Ukraine calls for no-fly zone President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to consider a no-fly zone for Russian aircraft over Ukraine after Moscow bombarded the country’s second largest city. Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks in Kharkiv, a city of 1.4 million people, had killed civilians, including children. In a video address, Zelensky said it was time to block Russian missiles, planes and helicopters from Ukraine’s airspace. Zelensky said did not specify how and by whom a no-fly zone would be enforced. The United States has ruled out sending troops to fight Russia and officials have voiced concern about further escalating tensions between the world’s two biggest nuclear powers. Such a move would require “deploying US military to enforce, which would be … potentially a direct conflict, and potentially a war with Russia, which is something we are not planning to be a part of,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said The West has been providing military aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. Australia on Tuesday said it committed A$70 million (US$50 million) to fund lethal defensive weapons , including missiles and ammunition. In Europe, allies have given Ukraine NLAW anti-tank missiles (graphic below). NLAWs, or Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapons, are designed to eliminate tanks at short range, with a powerful 150mm high-explosive warhead. China addresses humanitarian impact Russia ally China called for respecting all countries’ sovereignty and internationally recognised borders at a UN Security Council meeting that was focused on the humanitarian impact of Russia’s invasion. Ambassador Zhang Jun encouraged fostering a conducive atmosphere for Russian-Ukrainian talks and frowned on “any approach that may exacerbate tensions”. “Nothing can be gained from stirring up a new Cold War, but everyone will stand to lose,” he said. Beijing has called for dialogue and restraint on all sides, while refusing to condemn Moscow and call its act an “invasion”. China, along with India and the United Arab Emirates, abstained from a vote at the UN Security Council last Friday on a resolution meant to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Zhang said the safety of all civilians, including those of foreign nationals, and their humanitarian needs should be guaranteed. “In our view, the United Nations and the international community should provide humanitarian assistance in accordance with the principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality,” he said. 350,000 refugees enter Poland More than 500,000 people have fled the war in Ukraine to neighbouring countries, the majority of them fleeing to Poland. About 350,000 refugees have arrived in Poland since the war broke out, according to a Polish deputy interior minister. “Over the last 24 hours 100,000 people crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border,” Maciej Wasik told public broadcaster Polskie Radio 1. “In total, since Thursday, there have already been 350,000 refugees.” Zelensky vs Putin: who’s winning the PR battle? UNHCR spokesperson Chris Melzer added that hundreds of thousands of others have been displaced within Ukraine, but was unable to give a concrete figure. More money is also needed for humanitarian aid – both within Ukraine and for the refugees outside of it. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will address the international community on Tuesday. Taiwan in Swift move, also sends aid Taiwan will join moves to block some Russian banks from the Swift international payments system. Premier Su Tseng-chang said Taiwan was in lock-step with its democratic partners around the world on its sanctions decision, adding that on Swift the government will “cooperate” with what Western countries have decided. The move is largely symbolic as Taiwan’s trade with Russia is minimal. Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission said on Monday any transfers to Russia do use Swift but go via intermediary banks. Separately, the government said it had sent 27 tonnes of medical supplies to Ukraine. The first batch of aid, which was flown to Frankfurt in Germany, would be transferred to Ukraine through an appropriate channel, Taiwan said without providing further details. Ill, ‘unhinged’, or calculating? Putin keeps everyone guessing You Tube to block Russian channels YouTube said it would block channels connected to the Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik across Europe with immediate effect. “It’ll take time for our systems to fully ramp up. Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock to take swift action,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. The company’s actions follows that of Facebook parent Meta, which on Monday said it will restrict access to television network RT and news agency Sputnik on its platforms across the European Union. Twitter has also said that it would label tweets carrying content from Russian state-controlled media and reduce their visibility. Hollywood halts releases in Russia Warner Bros is halting the release of The Batman in Russia, just days before it was to open in theatres there, as Hollywood moved to cease distribution plans in the country. Warner Bros, Walt Disney Co and Sony Pictures said on Monday that they would “pause” the release of their films in Russia. Each studio has significant upcoming releases that had been set to debut internationally in the coming weeks. “In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film The Batman in Russia,” a spokesperson for the studio said. “We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.” Warner Bros’ move closely followed a similar decision Monday by the Walt Disney Co. The studio had planned to open the Pixar film Turning Red in Russia on March 10. That film is going straight to Disney+ in the US. Before Disney’s announcement, Warner Bros had been expected to proceed with the Russian release of The Batman . Russia is not a leading market for Hollywood, but the country typically ranks in the top dozen countries globally in box office. Chinese firms look to alternatives to Russian coal Chinese power plants and steelmakers are looking for alternatives to Russian coal after some domestic banks suggested they avoid purchases due to the mounting sanctions being imposed on Moscow. Some state-own firms were sent private client notes by the lenders advising them to halt buying Russian coal as tightening global restrictions could cause “unexpected damage” to China’s importers, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named as the issues are commercially sensitive. At least two of China’s largest state-owned banks are limiting financing for Russian commodities. These include Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, which has stopped issuing US dollar-denominated letters of credit from its offshore unit for Chinese firms seeking raw materials from Russia. Yuan-denominated credit lines are still available for some clients. Snake Island troops may be alive A group of Ukrainian soldiers who garnered worldwide attention after forcefully telling off a Russian warship may be alive, contrary to earlier reports, according to Ukrainian officials. The soldiers on Snake Island, a small island in the Black Sea, rose to fame last week after a Russian warship asked them to surrender or be bombed, according to a tweet from the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia. In audio of the incident, a Russian officer can be heard telling the soldiers to lay down arms to “avoid bloodshed and unjustified deaths” before one of the Ukrainian soldiers responded with an expletive. #Ukrainian militaries from the Snake Island are actually alive and captived by Russian occupants. They have not been murdered. - by BBC pic.twitter.com/htk2xcoAAj — KyivPost (@KyivPost) February 28, 2022 Ukrainian officials said last week that all 13 of the soldiers were killed. But the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said that the soldiers may have been captured by Russian forces and are still alive. The statement added that Russian media reports say the captured soldiers were sent to Sevastopol, a city in Crimea. The soldiers’ survival was also confirmed by the Ukrainian Navy. Indian students ‘held up’ at border after New Delhi abstains from UN vote World Rugby suspends Russia, Belarus Russia and Belarus were suspended from all international rugby “until further notice” on Tuesday, the world governing body said, as it announced “full and immediate” sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s membership of World Rugby was also suspended indefinitely, meaning the country’s slim hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in France are over. “World Rugby reiterates its condemnation of Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and the facilitation of this action by Belarus,” said a strongly worded statement. Earlier, Russian teams were suspended from all international soccer matches, pushing the country toward sports pariah status. Putin honorary black belt revoked Russian President Vladimir Putin had his honorary black belt in taekwondo revoked by the sport’s international governing body on Tuesday. World Taekwondo, which governs international federations for the sport, was the latest to condemn Putin, saying that Moscow’s actions went against the sport’s vision. “Peace is more precious than triumph. In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr Vladimir Putin in November 2013,” the Seoul-based body said in an official statement. It added that official taekwondo events would not be organised in Russia or Belarus. Putin does not actually do taekwondo, but is instead accomplished in judo, another martial art, and has long served as an honorary president to the International Judo Federation. On Sunday the IJF suspended his status as honorary president and ambassador to the sport. ‘6,400 arrested’ in Russia protests At least 413 people were arrested in Russia during protests against the war in Ukraine on Monday, the civil rights site OVD-Info reported, bringing the total of people arrested since demonstrations started on Thursday to 6,440. Around half of the arrests, 3,126, were made during protests in Moscow, while 2,084 were in St Petersburg, OVD-Info said on Monday night. The invasion of Ukraine is driving many in Russia to protest, and Russian security forces have responded brutally to demonstrators. Russian authorities are urging people to not take part in the unauthorised rallies. They have also repeatedly banned rallies, citing the pandemic. Shell to exit Russia, joining BP Shell is exiting its Russian gas ventures, including a massive liquefied natural gas facility, after the invasion of Ukraine changed the rules of engagement between Western companies and Moscow. The decision follows a similar move by BP, which announced on Sunday that it will dump its stake in state-run oil producer Rosneft, taking a financial hit of as much as US$25 billion. Shell is ending its partnerships with Gazprom, another Kremlin-controlled giant with a leadership closely tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Our decision to exit is one we take with conviction,” Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said on Monday. “We cannot – and we will not – stand by.” Shell’s move follows pressure from the UK government, which along with the US and other allies is seeking to squeeze Russia’s economy and convince Putin that his invasion of Ukraine will mean financial ruin. The French energy giant Total also said it would “no longer provide capital for new projects in Russia” in a statement that expressed support for the “scale and scope” of European sanctions on Russia. Additional reporting by Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg