What has happened a week after the Ukraine war began?

The war in Ukraine is now into its second week, after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s invasion to the shock of the western world.

More than 600,000 civilians have fled Ukraine in the days since, according to the UN. The European Union (EU) estimates that around four million people may try to leave the country because of the devastating Russian invasion.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 350 civilian casualties have been reported so far, including at least 14 children, since last Thursday.

The United Nations human rights office also said another 400 people were wounded.

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The last seven days have seen Putin escalate threats and put his nuclear weapons on alert, while the west has responded with an ever-growing package of economic and cultural sanctions against Russia.

Here’s a rundown of what has happened a week after the Ukraine war began.

Ukrainians flee the country in their hundreds of thousands

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled their homes after fighting broke out in their home country.

The UN has estimated that the total is now well over half a million people and increasing every day.

It’s estimated that more than 280,000 have fled to Poland. Meanwhile, more than 84,000 have fled to Hungary, with more than 36,000 fleeing to Moldova, 32,000 to Romania and 30,000 to Slovakia.

Troops march on capital Kyiv, but the city holds

Armoured vehicles, hundreds of tanks and artillery are moving west towards Kyiv, according to satellite photos taken earlier this week.

A 40-mile-long convoy of hundreds of Russian tanks and other vehicles are slowly advancing on the city.

However, Kyiv is still under Ukrainian control despite Russian forces reaching the city – with the first wave of troops arriving on the second day of the conflict and heavy bombing of the city ever since.

Earlier today (March 2), five people died in a Russian airstrike that damaged Kyiv’sTV tower, as Moscow urged the capital’s residents to flee ahead of what it claimed would be “high-precision strikes”.

Russian troops have also consolidated on both the northwest and the northeast areas of Kyiv, in a move that could see them attempt to cut off supply lines arriving from European Union countries.

Peace talks take place but fighting continues

The fifth day of the conflict saw the first diplomatic discussions take place between Russia and Ukraine.

However, the conflict did not stop and fighting continued despite the meeting of representatives of both countries on the Belarusian border.

Ukrainian officials had initially rejected the Peace negotiations plan, saying any talks should take place elsewhere than Belarus – Russia’s ally and neighbour where there is a large number of Russian troops stationed.

Ukraine says Zelensky 'survives assassination plot'

Ukraine has also said its armed forces have foiled an assassination plot against president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Officials said that a unit of elite Chechen special forces, known as Kadyrovites, were involved in the plot against the country’s leader and had been “eliminated”.

“We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president,” said Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council chief Oleksiy Danilo.

Kharkiv under heavy fire

Kharkiv, a city with a population of 1.4million people in east Ukraine, has been a flashpoint over recent days.

At least 21 people were killed and 112 injured after a shelling attack on the country’s second-largest city, as Russian paratroopers attacked the city on Wednesday night.

“Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv and attacked a local hospital. There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian military was quoted by AFP as saying.

“Practically there are no areas left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet hit,” Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, earlier said on Wednesday.

Putin’s forces ‘capture Kherson city’

Russian armed forces have captured the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Russian news agency RIA reported citing Russia’s defence ministry.

Kherson is a port city on the coast of the Black Sea, close to the Crimea peninsula.

Putin calls on Ukrainian military to seize power

Putin called on the Ukrainian military to seize power and overthrow the government of Volodymyr Zelensky.

“It seems like it will be easier for us to agree with you than this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis,” Mr Putin said in a statement on Friday night, attempting once again attempting to depict the Ukrainian leadership as far-right in nature and justify his invasion.

Zelensky calls for EU membership

The Ukrainian president Zelensky has called for fast-track membership of the EU “via a new special procedure”.

“We ask the European Union for Ukraine’s immediate accession under a new special procedure,” he said in a video speech.

“Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I am sure we deserve it,” Zelensky added.

Sanctions impact on Russian economic climate

The UK, US and EU has banned top Russian banks from the Swift financial system, with economic sanctions taken following the invasion.

The rouble has plummeted and Russians have been seen struggling to get cash out of ATMs in viral videos.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Russian president “doesn’t really care” about the impact of sanctions, and also claimed that Putin was in for a “shock” since the measures had caused considerable damage to the country’s economy.

Putin ‘plotting to reinstate Yanukovych as Ukrainian president'

Vladimir Putin is reportedly plotting to replace Volodymyr Zelensky and reinstate ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

The reports stating that the Russian president is preparing to replace Volodymyr Zelensky with Yanukovych are claiming to be based on Ukrainian intelligence.

Yanukovych had been in exile in Russia after his expulsion in the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution and is now reportedly in the Belarusian capital Minsk.

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