Nigeria’s government has condemned reports that its citizens, and those of other African countries, have been stopped from leaving war-torn Ukraine. Isaac, a Nigerian man trying to get into Poland, said border staff told him they were “not tending to Africans”. “We’ve been chased back, we’ve been hit with police armed with sticks,” he told the BBC. South African foreign office official Clayson Monyela also said students had been “badly treated” at the border. There have also been numerous reports of Ukrainian security officials preventing Africans from catching buses and trains going to the border.The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Osemen, from Nigeria, told the BBC he had tried to get on a train in Lviv to take him to the Polish border but was told only Ukrainians would be allowed on board. Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said there were about 4,000 Nigerians in Ukraine, mostly students. He said one group had repeatedly been refused entry to Poland so they travelled back into Ukraine to head for Hungary instead. “All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under the UN Convention, and the colour of their passport or their skin should make no difference,” Mr Buhari said in a tweet. More than 350,000 Ukrainians have managed to flee the Russian invasion so far.(BBC)…[+]

Russia has more than doubled its interest rate to 20% in a bid to halt a slump in the value of its currency. The Bank of Russia raised the rate from 9.5% after the rouble sank 30% after new Western sanctions. The currency then eased back to stand 20% down. The collapse in value erodes the currency’s buying power and could wipe out the savings of ordinary Russians. Amid pictures at the weekend of queues at cash machines, Russia said it had the resources to ride out sanctions. Ahead of an emergency meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his economic advisers on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “These are heavy sanctions, they’re problematic, but Russia has the necessary potential to compensate the damage from these sanctions.” He said Russia would respond with its own sanctions. At the weekend, Russia’s central bank issued an appeal for calm amid fears that new financial sanctions could spark a run on its banks. It said it had the “the necessary resources and tools to maintain financial stability.”(BBC)…[+]

More than half a million people have fled their homes to escape the war in Ukraine, the UN says, as heavy fighting continues across the country. Major cities – including Kiev, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv – remain under attack from Russian forces. A government official said dozens of civilians were killed in Kharkiv as shelling continued into the morning. On the northern border with Belarus, Ukrainian and Russian officials are meeting for talks for the first time.  Hopes for a breakthrough are slim – but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was a “small chance to end the war”. The United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said millions of civilians were being forced to huddle in makeshift bomb shelters such as underground rail stations to escape explosions. Since the invasion began on Thursday, her office has recorded 102 civilian deaths, including seven children – and more than 300 injured. “The real figures are, I fear, considerably higher,” she said. In the capital, Kyiv, the bulk of Russian forces are about 30km (19 miles) outside the north of the city, slowed by fierce Ukrainian resistance, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.(BBC)…[+]