An air strike on a residential building in Ukraine's capital killed at least one person early on Monday, the country's emergency service said, as Moscow maintained its air assault ahead of a fresh round of talks.
The strike, which injured at least a dozen people, came as Russian troops edged closer to Kyiv and kept up their siege of the southern port city of Mariupol, where officials said nearly 2,200 people have been killed.
This morning "the body of one person was found dead in a nine-storey apartment building" in the capital's Obolon district, the emergency service said in a statement, revising an earlier toll downwards.
Ukrainian and Russian representatives are set to meet via videoconference Monday
Social media site shut down
Instagram was no longer accessible in Russia on Monday after its parent company Meta was accused by Moscow of allowing calls for violence against Russians on its platforms.
Instagram's app was not refreshing on Monday. The social network also appeared on a list of online resources with "restricted access" published by Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor.
Asian stock markets mostly fell in early trading as investors tracked diplomatic efforts to bring the Ukraine crisis to an end. This week's US Federal Reserve meeting is in focus as it prepares to start lifting interest rates.
West trying to force Russian default
Russia's finance ministry on Monday accused foreign countries of wanting to force Russia into an "artificial default" through unprecedented sanctions over what Moscow calls its "military operation" in Ukraine.
"The freezing of foreign currency accounts of the Bank of Russia and of the Russian government can be regarded as the desire of a number of foreign countries to organise an artificial default that has no real economic grounds," finance minister Anton Siluanov said.
The Russian authorities, facing potential economic calamity as Western sanctions take hold, have threatened foreign companies hoping to withdraw from the country with arrests and asset seizures.
Russian prosecutors have issued warnings to several foreign entities, including Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, IBM and Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut.
The Russians have threatened to arrest officials who have criticised the Moscow government, and have said they will seize assets, including intellectual property.
Hong Kong tech stocks lose ground
Hong Kong stocks lost more than 5 percent, mostly in the tech sector, probably related to fears of a new Covid lockdown.
Oil prices dropped, providing some respite after they soared to a 14-year high last week, though the commodity remains elevated around $110 and keeping upward pressure on inflation.
Trading floors continue to be flooded with uncertainty as Russia's war in Ukraine rages, with comments from Vladimir Putin that there were "positive developments" in talks with Kyiv unable to provide much support.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is due to meet senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome later Monday, with Ukraine top of the agenda as the White House seeks help in bringing the crisis to a swift conclusion.
