Russia-Ukraine war: What happened today (March 22)

As Tuesday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:

Russia's push to capture the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol now includes long-range shelling from naval ships in the Sea of Azov, according to a senior U.S. defense official. Intense fighting continues inside the city, too. If Russian troops took control of Mariupol, they would hold most of the stretch between the Donbas region in the east and Crimea in the south.

President Biden and other Western leaders are prepared to announce new economic sanctions on Russia this week, according to the White House. Biden plans to travel to Brussels, to meet NATO leaders, G-7 leaders and the European Council on Thursday.

Japan is protesting Russia's decision to pull out of stalled talks for a peace treaty to formally end hostilities in World War II. Russia's move came after Japan's new sanctions. The two countries have a long-running dispute over four islands, known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.

A Moscow court sentenced jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to nine additional years in high-security prison. Navalny was convicted on charges of fraud and contempt of court in a trial held at the prison where he's already serving a 2 1/2-year sentence. Navalny and his supporters argue his case has long been politically motivated.

Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov will auction off his medal to raise money for Ukrainian refugees. Muratov, one of last year's winners, is the editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, known for its investigative reporting.

The war keeps reverberating through the world of sports. A top Ukrainian boxer — two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko — turned down a title match abroad to stay with his family and defend Ukraine. Russian chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin was suspended over his comments about the war in Ukraine. And Russia's soccer team has been effectively banned from the World Cup.

In-depth

Two Ukrainian mothers struggle to stay in touch with their children in front-line cities.

Refugees from other wars see themselves in fleeing Ukrainians.

Putin's puffy coat and Zelenskyy's T-shirts show the power of fashion in war.

An economic "shock therapy" created Russian oligarchs and paved the path for Putin.

How children are coping in Ukraine — and how parents can help: A comic.

Earlier developments

You can read more news from Tuesday here, as well as more in-depth reporting and daily recaps here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.

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