Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia will continue to provide military support to Ukraine, as Russia moves to draft reservists into the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the conflict overnight, including threatening the use of all weapons — which could include nuclear war.
Look back on the day's events as they unfolded in our live blog.
Key events
- Biden and Truss agree to continue support for Ukraine
- Zelenskyy's non-negotiable conditions for peace
- Australia to continue military support in Ukraine, Penny Wong says
- More than 1,300 detained in anti-mobilisation protests across Russia, rights group says
- Zelenskyy demands punishment for 'crime' committed against Ukraine
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Live updates
By Shiloh Payne
That's all for the blog
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By Shiloh Payne
'Desperate' Putin in a bad situation, Ukrainian ambassador says
The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, says Vladimir Putin's comments are a sign of weakness.
"He's desperate… and now he's in a very bad situation. His position is very bad," Mr Prystaiko says.
"He might mean it, but I don't believe that this move will be successful.
These men – 300,000, whatever the number will be in reality, they aren't prepared; And second of all they don't have the equipment to equip them with."
By Shiloh Payne
Ukrainian President appeals to world leaders amid escalating Russian nuclear threats
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on world leaders to bolster their support for Ukraine — and called out those who have claimed neutrality — amid increasing Russian aggression and nuclear threats.
"A crime has been committed against Ukraine and we demand just punishment," he said during a prerecorded video message played to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
"The crime was committed against our state borders. The crime was committed against the lives of our people."
Mr Zelenskyy called for "punishment for the catastrophic turbulence that Russia provoked with its illegal war, not only for us Ukrainians but for the whole world".
Reporting by Joanna Robin
By Shiloh Payne
More arrests across Russia
A Russian human rights organisation says the authorities have arrested more than 1400 people for demonstrating against President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilisation of reservists to fight in Ukraine.
OVD-info says there've also been protests in more than 30 cities.
Mr Putin has stressed that he'll use "all available means" to protect Russian territory.
By Shiloh Payne
Expert says Putin’s partial military mobilisation exposes weakness not strength
Dr Jessica Genauer, Lecturer in International Relations at Flinders University, says the partial mobilisiation of Russian reservists reveals Vladimir Putin's weakness.
"Yes – Russia has an almost endless supply of reserve forces – up to 25 million according to estimates. Yet, by declaring mobilisation, the first such occurrence in Russia since World War Two, Putin is breaking his social contract with the Russian population," Dr Ganeuer says.
"In his address, Putin accused Western elites of aiming to "weaken, divide and ultimately destroy" Russia."Ironically, Putin's own actions, betraying his social contract with Russians, may create the catalyst that turns Putin's greatest fear into reality."
By Shiloh Payne
'Menace to the world': Simon Birmingham on Putin
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham says the world must continue to apply maximum pressure to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"In the last 24 hours, we have seen some remarkable statements and actions from President Putin," he says.
"These actions demonstrate that President Putin is a menace to the world, that he continues to advance in ways tha tthreaten peace and stability across Europe, and that reverberate in damaging ways right around the world."
"The immoral threats in relation to nuclear weapons are nothing but reckless, destabilising, and, indeed, the types of actions that the whole world ought to roundly condemn and apply maximum pressure on him to cease from undertaking."
By Shiloh Payne
Biden and Truss agree to continue support for Ukraine
British Prime Minister Liz Truss and US President Joe Biden have agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions highlight the need for allies to continue their economic and military support to Ukraine, Ms Truss's office says.
"The leaders condemned Putin's recent belligerent statements on Ukraine," a spokesperson for Truss said following the pair's first bilateral meeting, which took place at the UN General Assembly in New York.
By Shiloh Payne
Zelenskyy thanks fighters freed in prisoner swap
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked some of the Azov Regiment fighters who were freed as a result of a prisoner exchange with Russia announced late on Wednesday.
Speaking virtually to the freed fighters, Zelenskyy said: "You have already done everything…we are grateful to you; well done, boys."
Ukraine announced that it had won freedom from Russian custody of 215 Ukrainian and foreign citizens, including the Azov Regiment fighters who had defended a besieged steel plant in the city of Mariupol for months.
By Shiloh Payne
Joe Biden condemns Russia's escalation of conflict in Ukraine
The US President has accused Vladimir Putin of violating the UN Charter in his address to the UN General Assembly.
By Shiloh Payne
Russians protesting against military draft arrested
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists.
The announcement sparked protests across dozens of Russian cities, and flights out of the country sold out.
By Shiloh Payne
Zelenskyy's non-negotiable conditions for peace
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has laid out some conditions for peace that he won't negotiate on, these are:
- punishment for Russian aggression
- restoration of Ukraine's security
- territorial integrity
- security guarantees
Mr Zelenslyy told the United Nations that a crime had been committed against his nation and Kyiv wanted "just punishment" for Russia.
By Shiloh Payne
Retreat of Russian forces prompts mixed responses amongst Ukrainian community
Ukrainian Community of Queensland president Peter Bongiorni told ABC Radio Brisbane the announcement had caused "trepidation across the community".
He said the retreat of Russian forces had prompted a mixed reaction from the Ukrainian community.
"Obviously there's a lot of joy in the fact we've been able to retake and liberate people in parts of Ukraine that have been occupied by the Russian forces for over six months," he said.
"There's countless videos online where you can see the people in these villages that have been liberated like so happy to see Ukrainian soldiers freeing them from this.
"But also we've all seen the reports around the actual devastation of these cities that have been decimated and the mass graves, as recently as this week in Izium.
"So very mixed emotions and feelings around things because yes we're taking back territory but there's been such atrocities in the territories that we're now discovering."
Reporting by Antonia O'Flaherty
By Shiloh Payne
What does Putin's partial mobilisation mean?
Defence editor of The Economist, Shashank Joshi, says a loss of manpower has been one of Russia's biggest problems.
By Shiloh Payne
Trudeau: Putin 'failing and flailing' in response to war
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to mobilise hundreds of thousands of Russian reservists in its war against Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Mr Trudeau vowed Canada's continued support for Ukraine against the Russian aggression.
"Putin was wrong and he is right now failing and flailing in his response to this situation. We need to continue to demonstrate the strength and solidarity not just of countries around the world, but of people around the world," Mr Trudeau said.
By Shiloh Payne
Russia just toughened the laws for deserting troops
The Kremlin-controlled lower of house of parliament voted to toughen laws against desertion, surrender and looting by Russian troops in the lead up to Mr Putin's speech.
Deputies also approved possible 10-year prison terms for soldiers refusing to fight.
If approved, as expected, by the upper house and then signed by Mr Putin, the legislation would strengthen commanders' hands against failing morale reported among soldiers.
"This urgency is likely driven by fears of imminent Ukrainian attack and an expectation of greater security after formally becoming part of Russia," the UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
"Russian forces in Ukraine continue to experience personnel shortages.
"This is likely intended to limit the number of desertions and refusals and thereby to mitigate some of the immediate pressures."
By Shiloh Payne
In pictures: Demonstrations break out across Russia
By Bridget Judd
EU executive tells Vladimir Putin to stop 'reckless' nuclear gamble
The Russian President's latest steps show his desperation, the European Union's executive says.
"This is just another proof that Putin is not interested in peace, that he's interested in escalating this war of aggression," a foreign policy spokesman for the European Commission, Peter Stano, told a regular news briefing.
"This is also yet another sign of his desperation with how his aggression is going against Ukraine ... he is only interested in further advancing and continuing his destructive war, which has had already so many bad consequences worldwide."
Mr Stano said the global food and energy crises were driven by Russia's war and that Mr Putin's "very dangerous nuclear gamble" could trigger even more consequences for the world.
"Putin is doing a nuclear gamble. He's using the nuclear element as part of his arsenal of terror, it's unacceptable," he said.
By Shiloh Payne
Arrests in Russia as people protest against mobilisation
Hundreds of people across Russia have been detained at protests against the country's partial military mobilisation.
By Shiloh Payne
Putin's announcement a 'desperate grab' at opportunity, expert says
Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst in Defence Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told ABC Radio Brisbane that Vladimir Putin's announcement indicated he recognised Russia was losing the war.
"I think what you are seeing is essentially a desperate grab at another opportunity to try and turn the tide but it's not going to work," he said.
"What we will see is that this partial mobilisation will go ahead but it will take a long time to produce any effective combat capability and it will encounter a great deal of internal opposition from the Russian people.
"This is essentially reinforcing the case that Russia is losing the war, it's certainly not a case of Russia winning the war."
Mr Davis said he believed the greater concern is the risk Russia begins to use low-yield tactical nuclear weapons as the mobilisation fails to deliver victory for Putin.
"The thinking is that Russia would use one or perhaps a few of these weapons to try to force the Ukrainians to the negotiating table to end the war on Russia's terms and basically use them as warning shots," he said.
But if Russia were to use nuclear weapons, "NATO would be forced to intervene," Mr Davis said.
"They couldn't just simply just sit back and do nothing, it's quite likely that at that point NATO would intervene at the conventional level," he said.
"Then we have the risk of it escalating up to a high-level conflict."
Reporting by Antonia O'Flaherty
By Shiloh Payne
Biden: Russia’s Ukraine abuses ‘make your blood run cold’
US President Joe Biden says Russia has "shamelessly violated the core tenets" of the UN with its war in Ukraine.
Mr Biden tells the United Nations that reports of Russian abuses against civilians and its efforts to erase Ukraine and its culture "should make your blood run cold."
Mr Putin's new nuclear threats against Europe showed "reckless disregard" for Russia's responsibilities as a signer of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Mr Biden says.
He also criticised Russia for scheduling "sham referenda" this week in territory it has forcibly seized in Ukraine, AP reports.
"A permanent member of the UN Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the UN charter," Mr Biden says.
"We will stand in solidarity against Russia's aggression, period," Biden said.
