The Government is to move to shut Irish airspace to Russian aircraft and carriers, which would affect Russian airplanes flying over Ireland and any direct flights.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia was bombarding residential areas in Ukraine as its invading forces sought to push deeper into the country.

A European Union-wide ban for Russian flights could be part of a fresh package of sanctions on Moscow to be discussed later today by EU foreign ministers, an EU official said.

Follow updates as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth day

While Ireland remains outside any military alliance, there is a clear tradition of Irish foreign policy that supports democracy and opposes breaches of international law.

Clutching a mobile phone number of a woman she had never met, Nataliya Ableyeva crossed the border from Ukraine into Hungary today, entrusted with a precious cargo - a stranger's children.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile, Seoul said, resuming a weapons-testing blitz after a month-long lull during the Beijing Winter Olympics, with the world's attention now focused on Ukraine.

From tomorrow, most Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted in Ireland.

Fianna Fáil is enjoying an increase in support, a Business Post/Red C opinion poll has suggested.

Flooding on Australia's east coast claimed another life overnight, bringing the death toll from the extreme weather to six as a "rain bomb" continued to move south.

Several hundred protesters have gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin for a third consecutive day to call for an end to the war in Ukraine.

Making the decision to leave Kyiv as an invasion was under way was never going to be straightforward.

Russia has ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine "from all directions", as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv imposed a blanket curfew and officials reported 198 civilian deaths.

The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre has said it is to cancel the upcoming performances of Swan Lake by the St Petersburg ballet theatre, due to take place from 29 March - 3 April next.

The EU plans to impose further sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including cutting off a number of Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank payments system, according to the European Commission President.

Political pressure for the Government to expel the Russian Ambassador to Ireland has increased significantly, as 35 Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators have demanded he leave.

The Government said it is not possible to estimate how many Ukrainians will come to Ireland, but it said it will work closely with other EU States and agencies to be prepared for any sudden increase in people seeking protection here.

Live updates, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine with bombardments of key cities.

The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has decreased by 47, according to the Department of Health.

"There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen."