Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

RUSSIA declared a partial ceasefire from 0700 GMT to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.

* Media crackdown - Russia blocked Facebook and some other websites and passed a law that gave Moscow much stronger powers to crack down on independent journalism, prompting the BBC, Bloomberg and other foreign media to suspend reporting in the country.

* No damage to reactors - The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - was undamaged by what U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi said he believed was a Russian projectile. Moscow blamed Ukrainian saboteurs for the attack.

* U.S. weighs cutting Russian oil imports - The Biden administration is considering cutting U.S. imports of Russian oil and ways to minimise the impact on global supplies and consumers.

* City of Mariupol has no water, heating - The eastern Black Sea port is without water and heating, and food is scarce, its mayor said, appealing for military help. "We are simply being destroyed."

* Ukraine still has most of its warplanes - Ukraine retained a "significant majority" of its military aircraft nine days after the invasion started, a U.S. defence official said.

* Bread prices to be forced up by war - Russia's invasion of Ukraine, one of the world's biggest wheat growers, will drive up the price of bread, eroding food security for millions of people, the World Food Programme said.

* INSIGHT

Russians, Ukrainians seek asylum at U.S.-Mexico borderA growing number of Russians and Ukrainians are travelling to Mexico, buying throwaway cars and driving across the border into the United States to seek asylum.

* SANCTIONS

Singapore, in a rare move by the Asian financial hub, is sanctioning four Russian banks and banning exports of electronics, computers and military items. Microsoft Corp MSFT.O, Birkin bag maker Hermes HRMS.PA, Cartier owner Richemont CFR.S and Danish brewer Carlsberg CARLB.CO all took steps against Russia.

* QUOTES

After NATO rejected Ukraine's appeal for no-fly zones, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: "It was clear that not everyone considers the battle for Europe's freedom to be the number one goal.

"U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the world had narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe. She warned an emergency Security Council meeting of "imminent danger", saying the attack reflected a "dangerous new escalation" in Russia's invasion.

READ MORE: Russia-Ukraine crisis: What led to the attacks and the latest developments