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KYIV/KHARKIV, Ukraine, March 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv, suffered heavy bombardment on Wednesday as Russia's week-long invasion was denounced by the United Nations in a historic vote and dozens of countries referred Moscow to be probed for potential war crimes.

The biggest attack on a European state since 1945 has caused over 870,000 people to flee, led to a barrage of economic measures against Russia, and stoked fears of wider conflict in the West unthought-of for decades.

The incursion has yet to overthrow the government in Kyiv but thousands are thought to have died or been injured and it could cause another deep hit to the global economy still emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.

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For Russians, the fallout has included queues outside banks, a plunge in the value of the rouble, and an exodus of international firms. As sanctions have tightened, Russian billionaires are moving their superyachts and the owner of Chelsea sold the soccer club.

In Ukraine, the human toll was mounting in Kharkiv, a city of 1.5 million people, where bombing has left its centre a wasteland of ruined buildings and debris.

"The Russian 'liberators' have come," one Ukrainian volunteer lamented sarcastically, as he and three others strained to carry the dead body of a man wrapped in a bedsheet out of the ruins on a main square.

A U.N. resolution reprimanding Moscow was supported by 141 of the assembly's 193 members, passed in a rare emergency session, a symbolic victory for Ukraine that increases Moscow's international isolation. read more

"More is at stake even than the conflict in Ukraine itself. This is a threat to the security of Europe and the entire rules-based order," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the vote.

An investigation into possible war crimes will immediately be opened by the International Criminal Court, following requests by 39 of the court's member states, an unprecedented number.

The body will start collecting evidence for "any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed", prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement. read more

No one at Russia's foreign ministry was available for comment when contacted out-of-hours.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

The Kremlin said its forces had taken the Black Sea port of Kherson, a southern provincial capital of around 250,000 people strategically placed where the Dnipro River flows into the Black Sea. Kyiv earlier denied this.

Late on Wednesday, Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhayev said Russian troops were in the streets and had forced their way into the city council building.

An explosion also rocked the Kyiv railway station during the night, where thousands of women and children were being evacuated.

An interior ministry adviser said the blast was caused by wreckage from a downed Russian cruise missile, not a direct rocket strike. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have so far failed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow still sought Ukraine's "demilitarisation" and that there should be a list of specified weapons that could never be deployed on Ukrainian territory. Moscow opposes Kyiv's bid to join NATO.

A Ukrainian delegation had left for a second round of talks with Russian officials on a ceasefire after a first round made little progress on Monday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia must stop bombing if it wants to negotiate.

A view shows the area near National University after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released March 2, 2022. Ukrainian State Emergency Service/via REUTERS

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DISPUTED DEATH TOLL

The U.N. Human Rights Office said it had confirmed the deaths of 227 civilians and 525 injuries during the conflict as of midnight on March 1, mostly caused by "the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area".

It cautioned that the real toll would be much higher due to reporting delays.

Russia's defence ministry said 498 Russian soldiers had died and another 1,597 had been wounded since the start of the invasion, the first time Moscow put a figure on its casualties. It said more than 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers and "nationalists" had been killed, Interfax news agency reported.

Ukraine said more than 7,000 Russian soldiers had been killed so far and hundreds taken prisoner.

The figures could not be independently verified.

After failing to swiftly take major cities and subdue Ukraine's military, U.S. officials have said they believe Russia will instead seek to encircle cities, cutting off supply and escape routes, then attacking with a combined force of armour, ground troops and engineers.

At least 25 people have been killed by shelling and air strikes in Kharkiv in the past 24 hours, authorities said.

Pavel Dorogoy, 36, a photographer who lives near the city centre, said Russian forces had targeted the council building, which was empty at the time, a telephone exchange, and a television tower.

"The Russians cannot enter the town so they're just attacking us from afar," he said.

Moscow denies targeting civilians.

COMPANY EXODUS

Russia's main advance on the capital - a huge armoured column, stretching for miles along the road to Kyiv - has been largely frozen in place for days, Western governments say.

The Kremlin's decision to launch war - after months of denying such plans - has shocked Russians accustomed to viewing Putin, their ruler of 22 years, as a methodical strategist.

It has also prompted global firms such as Apple (AAPL.O), Exxon (XOM.N) and Boeing (BA.N) to join an exodus from Russian markets.

SWIFT, the dominant messaging system underpinning global financial transactions, said seven Russian institutions would be excluded from March 12. read more

Russia's rouble currency plunged to a new record low on Wednesday, a slide that will hit Russians' living standards, and the stock market remained closed.

The central bank, itself under sanctions, has doubled interest rates to 20% and Fitch downgraded Russia's sovereign credit rating to 'junk' status. read more

Forbes reported that Germany had seized Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov's mega yacht in a Hamburg shipyard, while at least five superyachts owned by billionaires were anchored or cruising in Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, data showed. read more

Roman Abramovich said he would sell London's Chelsea Football Club after 19 years of ownership and donate the money to help the victims of the war. read more

"I believe this is in the best interest of the club," he said.

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Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Natalia Zinets and Aleksandar Vasovic in Ukraine and by Reuters bureauxWriting by Peter Graff, Gareth Jones and Costas PitasEditing by Philippa Fletcher, Catherine Evans and Rosalba O'Brien

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Ukraine's second city heavily bombed as U.N. assembly denounces Russia - Reuters

As Russia is trying to cut off the flow of information in Ukraine by attacking its communications infrastructure, the British news outlet BBC is revisiting a broadcasting tactic popularized during World War II: shortwave radio.

The BBC said this week that it would use radio frequencies that can travel for long distances and be accessible on portable radios to broadcast its World Service news in English for four hours a day in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and in parts of Russia.

Its often said truth is the first casualty of war, Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC, said in a statement. In a conflict where disinformation and propaganda is rife, there is a clear need for factual and independent news people can trust.

On Tuesday, Russian projectiles struck the main radio and television tower in Kyiv. Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraines defense minister, wrote on Twitter that Russias goal was to break the resistance of the Ukrainian people and army, starting with a breakdown of connection and the spread of massive FAKE messages that the Ukrainian country leadership has agreed to give up.

Shortwave radio has been a go-to vehicle to reach listeners in conflict zones for decades, used to deliver crackling dispatches to soldiers in the Persian Gulf war, send codes to spies in North Korea and pontificate through the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. But more modern forms of radio along with the internet eventually pushed shortwave out of favor; the BBC retired its shortwave transmissions in Europe 14 years ago.

Over the last week of February, viewership of BBCs Ukrainian language site more than doubled from a year earlier to 3.9 million visitors, the broadcaster said on Wednesday. The BBC also provides news coverage in the country via its website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Viber and Espreso TV.

Millions of Russians are also turning to the BBC, the broadcaster said. The audience for the BBCs Russian language news website reached a record 10.7 million in the past week, more than tripling its weekly average so far in 2022, the company said. Visitors to BBCs English language website from within Russia surged 252 percent to 423,000.

Within the country, BBC also posts updates on Telegram, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Other Western news outlets have also experienced a surge in viewership. Visits to The Guardians digital platforms from Russian and Ukrainian audiences were up 180 percent from January.

The BBCs coverage has led to complaints from Russian officials. Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Russias Foreign Ministry, said during a briefing broadcast by RT, the Kremlin-backed Russian media outlet, that Russia was the victim of unprecedented information terrorism that was devoted to discrediting Russian actions and creating hysteria around Ukrainian events.

The BBC plays a determined role in undermining the Russian stability and security, Ms. Zakharova said, without providing evidence.

Early Friday, BBCs Russian service reported problems accessing its site in Russia.

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Why BBC Revived Shortwave Radio Dispatches in Ukraine - The New York Times

The Metropolitan Opera said on Sunday that it would no longer engage with performers or other institutions that have voiced support for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, becoming the latest cultural organization to seek to distance itself from some Russian artists amid Mr. Putins invasion of Ukraine.

Peter Gelb, the Mets general manager, said that the Met, which has long employed Russians as top singers and has a producing partnership with the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, had an obligation to show support for the people of Ukraine.

While we believe strongly in the warm friendship and cultural exchange that has long existed between the artists and artistic institutions of Russia and the United States, Mr. Gelb said in a video statement, we can no longer engage with artists or institutions that support Putin or are supported by him.

Mr. Gelb added that the policy would be in effect until the invasion and killing has been stopped, order has been restored, and restitutions have been made.

The Mets decision could affect artists like the superstar soprano Anna Netrebko, who has ties to Mr. Putin and was once pictured holding a flag used by some Russian-backed separatist groups in Ukraine. Ms. Netrebko is scheduled to appear at the Met in Puccinis Turandot beginning on April 30.

Ms. Netrebko has tried to distance herself from the invasion, posting a statement on Saturday on Instagram saying she was opposed to this war. She added a note of defiance, writing that forcing artists, or any public figure, to voice their political opinions in public and to denounce their homeland is not right.

It was unclear if her statement would satisfy the Mets new test.

The companys decision will also likely mean the end of its collaboration with the Bolshoi, including on a new production of Wagners Lohengrin that is scheduled for next season. The Met was relying on the Bolshoi for the stagings sets and costumes, but now it might have to change course.

Were scrambling, but I think well have no choice but to physically build our own sets and costumes, Mr. Gelb said in an interview on Sunday evening.

He added that he was saddened that the Bolshoi partnership, which began five years ago, would likely come to an end at least for the moment.

Its terrible that artistic relationships, at least temporarily, are the collateral damage of these actions by Putin, he said.

The Mets decision comes as performing arts institutions grapple with the ongoing fallout from Mr. Putins invasion. In recent days Russian artists, long ubiquitous in classical music, have come under pressure to condemn Mr. Putins actions or face the prospect of canceled engagements.

Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Philharmonic last week dropped two Russian artists, the conductor Valery Gergiev and the pianist Denis Matsuev, from a series of planned concerts because of the two mens ties to Mr. Putin. Mr. Gergiev is also in peril of losing several key posts, including as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and as honorary conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

On Sunday, Mr. Gergievs manager announced he was ending his relationship with his client.

It has become impossible for us, and clearly unwelcome, to defend the interests of Maestro Gergiev, one of the greatest conductors of all time, a visionary artist loved and admired by many of us, who will not, or cannot, publicly end his long-expressed support for a regime that has come to commit such crimes, the manager, Marcus Felsner, who is based in Munich, said in a statement.

The Royal Opera House in London said on Friday it would cancel a residency by the Bolshoi Ballet planned for this summer.

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What Happened on Day 4 of Russias Invasion of Ukraine - The New York Times

Employees put wooden shields on the window of Louis Vuitton shop in Kyiv on February 24, 2022 as Russia's ground forces invaded Ukraine from several directions today, encircling the country within hours of Russian President announcing his decision to launch an assault.

Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images

Rising inflation and global supply chain strains remain top of mind for retailers as they navigate the post-holiday earnings season. But also making its way into conversations with analysts and investors is Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which entered its second week on Thursday.

A number of retailers have temporarily halted operations in Russia, either as a signal of corporate condemnation of the war or because these companies are unable to carry on business in the country due to imposed sanctions impacting logistics.

Some, such as Victoria's Secret, are warning that uncertainty created by the war could weigh on business in the first quarter and potentially beyond.

The biggest concern for many retailers will likely be the duration of the crisis, said Chuck Grom, an analyst with Gordon Haskett.

"You have to think the longer it goes on, the more problematic" it gets, Grom said. "In other words, the consumer spends more time getting absorbed with the situation."

Retailers are already trying to gauge future demand in still unpredictable times and keep shelves stocked without ordering too much merchandise. Businesses are trying to lure consumers back into their stores as Covid cases wane and immunity increases. Yet it could prove to be trickier than this time a year ago, when President Joe Biden and Congress signed off on stimulus payments to families.

Pittsburgh-based clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters said Wednesday it is taking the war between Russia and Ukraine into consideration when forecasting its outlook for the year, though it didn't offer specifics on how much of a financial impact the war could have on consumer demand. American Eagle doesn't operate any brick-and-mortar shops outside of North America and Hong Kong, but it ships merchandise to 81 countries.

Chief Financial Officer Michael Mathias said on an earnings conference call that the retailer is cognizant of multiple factors currently at play: Rising inflation, the fact that American Eagle is beginning to lap a period during which stimulus payments were issued to many consumers last spring, and continued disruption in the global supply chain, "including the war in Ukraine."

"Againstthisbackdrop,we'retakingacautiousview," Mathias said.

American Eagle warned that its earnings will decline in the first half of the year compared with prior-year levels, in large part due to heightened freight costs. It does expect earnings to rebound in the back half.

Lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret, which has a small presence in Russia, also made a slight mention of the war. When it reported its fiscal fourth-quarter results Wednesday, it said inflation and "global unrest" will create a challenging environment in the coming months. Victoria's Secret issued a disappointing outlook for the first quarter but said it believes the third quarter will be an inflection point for better results.

Kohl's Chief Executive Michelle Gass was asked Tuesday, on an earnings conference call with analysts, about the situation in Ukraine and how it might hurt the department store chain's business.

"We're prepared that there's going to be an environment of a lot of uncertainty. We certainly contemplated that as we guided this year," Gass said on the call. "We'll stay close and be responsive."

All of this could weigh heavily on the American consumer. Companies, from food producers to auto makers, will likely bear greater burdens from skyrocketing oil prices and ongoing supply chain headaches. Price increases are often passed on to the customer.

"There are implications for U.S. retailers in the higher cost of energy, because of the interruption of and disruption in energy markets," said David French, senior vice president of government relations at the National Retail Federation, the leading retail trade group. "And there are implications for U.S. retailers in food prices, because of the significance of Ukraine and Russia ... as major agricultural regions."

"Those are probably the biggest first-order effects," he said, adding that many U.S.-based retailers have modest exposure to Russia and Ukraine, if any. He did mention Ukraine being a major hub for companies outsourcing IT help, however, which could become a larger issue if the crisis persists.

French emphasized that even during the pandemic, consumers have been reporting that their confidence is down but at the same time they're shopping as if consumer confidence is way up. Holiday retail sales in 2021 surged a record 14.1% from prior-year levels, according to NRF, in spite of inflation and the spreading omicron variant.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Simeon Siegel echoed this sentiment. "Setting aside what it says about humanity, as we learned with Covid, people are really good about not letting things bother them until it knocks at their door," Siegel said.

At the same time, companies have been quick to take a stance on the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

Furniture retailer Ikea said Thursday it is closing all of its stores in Russia, stopping production in the country and halting all exports and imports to and from Russia and Belarus.

"The war has both a huge human impact and is resulting in serious disruptions to supply chain and trading conditions, which is why the company groups have decided to temporarily pause Ikea operations in Russia," the company said in a statement.

Nike, fast-fashion retailer H&M, and coat maker Canada Goose have all said they're suspending sales in Russia, too.

A statement on Nike's website in Russia says the sneaker giant can't currently guarantee product delivery in Russia. A Nike spokeswoman told CNBC that given the rapidly evolving situation, along with increased operational challenges, Nike decided to pause its business in the region.

"We are deeply troubledbythedevastatingcrisis in Ukraine and our thoughts are with all those impacted, including our employees, partners and their families in the region," the spokeswoman said.

British online fashion retailers Boohoo and Asos have also both suspended sales in Russia. On Thursday, the off-price retailer TJX said in a securities filing that it would be selling its 25% stake in the low-cost Russian apparel retailer Familia, which has more than 400 stores in Russia. As a result of the sale, TJX said it may have to report impairments charges.

Craig Johnson, founder of the retailer consulting group CGP, said he expects that retailers or brands with a presence in central and eastern Europe are likely already developing, if not implementing, contingency plans.

"Contingency plans are most critical for in-store and back office employees and hours ofoperations," Johnson said. "But they also include plans for physical and cyber security, vendor and public communications, and trimming or delaying merchandise receipts as warranted."

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

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Retailers start to warn of business impact from Russia's invasion of Ukraine - CNBC

The whole point of the march is to feel union and show union, demonstrate that were strong, were together, that were going to be OK, she said before the rally.

In the morning, she was on the phone with her mother in Ukraine, overhearing the sound of air-raid sirens. It was time for her mother and father, along with the dozens of fellow Ukrainians they were hosting at their home outside Kyiv, to seek safety in a shelter. We have no idea whats going to happen, Ms. Zlotnikova said.

During the event, during which dozens of people held sunflowers, Ukraines national flower, organizers spoke out for compassion and peace despite what they said was a cruel, inhumane attack from Russia.

The evil hearts of those who initiated this are poisoned with hatred, one organizer said. But hate will always lose to love.

On a warm, sunny day in Apopka, Fla., a community outside Orlando, what was originally planned as a gleeful weekend festival celebrating the culture of Ukraine became something far different.

There were the usual hallmarks of a happy gathering: a bandura player plucked at his instrument on an amphitheater stage. Pierogies and holopchi sold under a makeshift tent. Families dressed in yellow and blue. But instead of joy, there were red-rimmed eyes, deep sighs, fatigue and fear.

All of my friends and family are in Ukraine, said Myroslava Semerey, 58, tears dripping down her face. She came from Washington, D.C., to sell clothes and baubles at the festival, but by the time she arrived, the three-day event had turned into part rally, part vigil.

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Thousands in the U.S. Rally in Support of Ukraine - The New York Times