Russia rejects war crime, genocide claims following Mariupol hospital attack

Ukraine has accused Russia of "genocide" by bombing a children's hospital in the city of Mariupol, which Moscow has rejected as "fake news" claiming the building was a former maternity hospital that had been taken over by troops previously.

Russia's war in Ukraine entered its third week this Thursday with none of Moscow's stated objectives having been reached despite thousands of people killed, more than two million displaced, and thousands more forced to find shelter in besieged cities under relentless Russian bombardment.

Moscow's intention of crushing the Ukrainian military and ousting the elected government of President Volodymyr Zelensky have remained out of reach, with Zelensky unshaken and Western military aid pouring across the Polish and Romanian borders.

Conversely, Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains the advance by his forces into Ukraine is going according to plan and to schedule.

The Kremlin insists on calling the invasion a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour and dislodge leaders it denounces as "neo-Nazis."

However, Western-led sanctions designed to isolate the Russian economy and government from international financial markets are beginning to impact the country's economy, with the Russian share market and rouble plummeting, forcing ordinary Russians to hoard cash.

The World Bank's chief economist says Moscow is edging close to defaulting on its debt.

Mariupol maternity hospital

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Voldomyr Zelensky has accused Russia of "genocide" after Russian aircraft allegedly bombed a children's hospital in the key port city of Mariupol on Wednesday, burying patients in rubble despite a ceasefire deal for people to flee the city.

"What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?" Zelensky said in a televised address late on Wednesday.

Wednesday's attack underscored warnings from Washington that the biggest assault on a European state since 1945 could become increasingly attritional due to Russia's early failures.

The White House condemned the hospital bombing as a "barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians".

However, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations retorted on Twitter: "That's how fake news is born,".

Mass exodus

According to the United Nations Children's Fund, among the more than two million total refugees that have fled Ukraine, there are more than one million children. UNICEF says at least 37 have been killed and 50 injured.

For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross says houses have been destroyed all across Ukraine leaving hundreds of thousands of people without food, water, heat, electricity or medical care.

Turkey opens diplomatic avenues

Amid hopes of kick-starting diplomatic dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey this Thursday.

The encounter will mark the first high-level talks between the two countries since Moscow invaded its neighbour, with Ankara hoping the negotiations could mark a turning point in the conflict.

Speaking in a video statement, Kuleba said: "Frankly my expectations of the talks are low."

Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire, liberation of its territories and to resolve all humanitarian issues, Kuleba added.

Moscow demands that Kyiv takes a neutral position and drop aspirations of joining the NATO alliance.

The meeting in Antalya comes as EU leaders are being hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at a summit in Versailles this Thursday, which will be dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the impending energy crisis.