Russiaʼs war with Ukraine. Russian pilots confess to their crimes, the mayor of Melitopol is taken hostage, Ukrainian troops counterattack near Chernihiv. Day 17: Babel live coverage

A press conference of Russian captive pilots bombing peaceful cities was held in Kyiv. They said they knew that their real goals are residential neighborhoods — but still carried out criminal orders. In the Melitopol city, Zaporizhzhya oblast, the Russian occupiers kidnapped the mayor Ivan Fedorov, his fate is still unknown. US President Joe Biden has announced new US sanctions — a ban on imports of alcohol, diamonds and seafood from Russia. Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counterattack in Chernihiv oblast. And Russia has blocked Instagram. Read our live coverage about the key events of March 12 (and here is the chronicle of March 11).