Russia allows foreign volunteers to join its armed forces to fight the war against Ukraine. Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu says that he has received around 16,000 applications, mostly from people in the Middle East. (AP)
Russia launches "high-precision" airstrikes on airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine, killing four Ukrainian service members and injuring six others. Russian Air Force jets also bomb the city of Dnipro for the first time, destroying a shoe factory and killing one person. (AP)
Two Ukrainian semiconductor-grade neon gas producers, making about half of the world's supply of the gas, have shut down their operations due to the invasion. This will likely worsen semiconductor shortages that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)
The Central Bank of Russia orders all banks not to take any commission for the withdrawal of foreign-denominated cash from bank accounts of natural persons. Additionally, all remittances from abroad can only be withdrawn after they are converted to rubles. (Meduza)
Shanghai will also close their cinemas and imposes a reduced capacity and partial restrictions for visitors at the Shanghai Disneyland to combat the spread of COVID-19. (Variety)
The government of British Columbia lifts the provincial mask mandate for most indoor public settings, citing a decreased number of hospitalizations and high vaccination rates. Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry says that masks will remain mandatory in healthcare settings and federally-regulated areas such as airports, and local businesses have the discretion of continuing to require the usage of masks. British Columbia will also repeal their vaccine card mandate on April 8. (CBC)
Kenya lifts its remaining COVID-19-related restrictions including a ban on large indoor gatherings, mandatory mask wearing, and a requirement to present a negative COVID-19 test for arriving air passengers as the number of new cases declined. (Reuters)
The EU announces that it will ban all imports of iron and steel goods from Russia, ban the export of luxury goods to Russia, and freeze Russia's cryptocurrency assets. (Reuters)
Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, says that President Zelenskyy is "ready to talk to President Putin anytime he is ready". (CNN)
2022 EB5, a small 0.8-2 meter asteroid discovered by the Konkoly Observatory, explodes in a harmless fireball over the Arctic Ocean south of Jan Mayen at 21:22 UTC. This is the smallest asteroid to be discovered before impact. (Minor Planet Mailing List)
YouTube blocks all accounts associated with Russian state-funded media outlets for violation of YouTube's policy of denialism or trivialisation of well-documented violent events. (Reuters)