Freedom of Information

[DaffyVina]

Satellite image shows signs saying 'children' in Russian at bombed theatre

Satellite image of Mariupol theatre on 14 March with the word "children" in Russian written nearby on either side.
- Copyright: Maxar Technologies/ BBC

A satellite image, taken by Maxar two days ago, shows the word "children" written in large white letters in Russian at the front and the rear of the Mariupol theatre.

As we've been reporting, local officials said the theatre was being used by hundreds of civilians for shelter before it was bombed by Russian forces today.

They said it was deliberately and cynically targeted by a Russian warplane, but the details have not been independently verified. Russia's defence ministry denied attacking the theatre.

[DaffyVina]

Lack of trust between both sides is 'biggest problem in rescuing civilians'

Lyse Doucet - Chief International Correspondent, Kyiv

Photo of Peter Maurer, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross

"The best way to stop the threat of another Mariupol is more far-reaching political conversations on peace and ceasefire negotiations," the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer told the BBC on a visit to Kyiv.

Asked about the ICRC’s description of conditions in the besieged southern port city as "apocalyptic", Maurer said it was "important to recognise this wasn't only the ICRC's voice, but the voice of so many civilians trapped in the city".

He said the lack of trust between the warring sides was "the biggest problem" in rescuing civilians stuck between front lines.

Maurer, who has been in close contact with senior Ukrainian and Russian officials, said more people were now escaping through agreed humanitarian corridors.

But he said Mariupol, a key target for Russian forces advancing on Ukraine’s southern coast, was more difficult "in military strategy and political significance". However, even there, he said some civilians were now managing to get out.

Maurer also pointed to another major worry which has brought the head of the ICRC, the guardian of the rules governing war, to Ukraine: "Respect for international humanitarian law and the obligations under the Geneva Conventions with regards to prisoners of war, dead soldiers, missing and detained civilians."

The ICRC’s special role is founded on confidential dialogue with warring sides.

Asked about accusations that Russia was targeting civilian infrastructure, Maurer replied that "basic principles of proportionality and precaution which inform the conduct of hostilities, and the Geneva Conventions, are interpreted in very different ways which is why we try to establish minimal agreement on what we mean by these words".

[DaffyVina]

Mayor freed in prisoner exchange, says Ukraine official
Photo: Residents of Melitopol held protests in the occupied city after Federov's arrest - Copyright: Reuters

The mayor of Melitopol, who was reportedly kidnapped by Russian forces five days ago, was freed after Ukraine agreed to exchange nine captured Russian soldiers for him, according to a senior Ukrainian presidential aide.

The capture of Ivan Federov - the leader of one of the first cities captured by Russia - led President Zelensky to accuse Russia of starting a "new stage of terror".

The Russian soldiers exchanged had all been born between 2002-03, making them "actually children", Zelensky press aide Darya Zarivnaya said in a televised address.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian presidential aides said that Federov had been released after an "operation", but did not provide further details.

1.24 Melitopol mayor released in exchange for nine Russian conscripts - Ukraine
Earlier, we reported that the mayor of Melitopol was released after allegedly being held hostage by Russian troops for more than five days.

Now, new reports are emerging which say Mayor Ivan Fedorov was exchanged for nine Russian prisoners.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, a press secretary to Ukraine's president said the Russian conscripts were between 18 and 19 years old.

Following Fedorov's abduction five days ago, residents of Melitopol came out to protest against his abduction.


Russia using older, less precise weapons, says UK
The UK's Ministry of Defence has released its latest update on Russia's military, saying that it has probably had to resort to using older and less precise weapons, which are more likely to result in civilian casualties.
It adds that Russia probably resorted to using these weapons as a result of failing to achieve its military objectives.

So far the UN has confirmed the deaths of 729 civilians in Ukraine, though the actual number is expected to be far higher.



Russian ballerina who criticised war quits Bolshoi
Russian prima ballerina Olga SmirnovaImage caption: Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova
Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova has left the Bolshoi Ballet, Russia's internationally renowned company, after saying she is "against war with all the fibres of my soul".

She joins the Dutch National Ballet, which describes her as one of the Bolshoi's leading stars, and that it had become "untenable" for her to continue working in Russia after she condemned the invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, she said on Telegram: "I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia, I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our cultural and athletic achievements. But now I feel that a line has been drawn that separates the before and the after.

"It hurts that people are dying, that people are losing the roofs over their heads or are forced to abandon their homes."



Archbishop of Canterbury urges Russian Patriarch to back 'peace'
Harry Farley - Religion reporter, BBC News

Photo of Patriarch Kirill and Putin -Copyright: Getty Images
Image caption: Patriarch Kirill is an ally of Vladimir Putin

The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged the head of the Russian Orthodox Church “to join him in speaking for peace in public” in the pair’s first known conversation since the war began.

Patriarch Kirill is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He has defended the Russian invasion and shortly after Russian troops entered Ukraine he called Moscow's opponents in that country "evil forces".

Lambeth Palace said Archbishop Welby had “expressed his grave concern about the war in Ukraine, which he said is a great tragedy”.
“He [the Most Rev Justin Welby] stressed the need for an end to the violence in Ukraine and said that war and violence is never an answer".

The Russian Orthodox Church said "a detailed discussion of the critical situation in Ukraine took place" between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Patriarch, adding that the pair discussed "the humanitarian aspect" of the crisis.

The Pope has also spoken to Patriarch Kirill regarding the war.


5:07 - BREAKING - One dead after missile debris hits Kyiv residential building
At least one person was killed and three wounded after the remains of a downed missile hit a residential building in the Ukranian capital, Kyiv, Ukraine's emergency service has said.

The tower was reportedly struck at 5:02 AM local time (3:02 GMT) on Thursday morning in the Darnytskyi district of the capital, before firefighters and rescue personnel were dispatched to the scene.

People have been evacuated from the eleventh floors and higher, and rescue operations are being carried out to dismantle the structures and search for those trapped underneath the rubble, the SES reported.



Japan spots Russian warships possibly heading for Ukraine
Four large Russian warfare ships have been spotted sailing close to the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido as they travelled West, possibly towards Europe, Reuters reports.
Pictures published by Japan's defence ministry showed what looked like military trucks situated on the deck of one of the passing vessels.
Asked whether they could be headed for Ukraine, a Japanese defence minister spokesperson told Reuters, "it is possible".

Russia's so-called "military operation" has not gone as well as planned so far, with military equipment likely depleted to a greater extent than it anticipated, according to military analysts.


Russia focus on targeting civilians from air as ground operations fail: Ukraine
Russian bombs continue to fall on civilian populations in Ukraine, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

In a Facebook post, Ukraine's armed forces say Russia's "unsuccessful" military operations on the ground mean that it is focusing on the battle in the air - targeting infrastructure and densely populated areas of Ukrainian cities.
Despite the aerial onslaught, Ukraine claims it is winning battles in the air and on the ground and says it has shot down 10 enemy air targets.

The BBC can't verify these claims.

The statement adds that Russia is acting "insidiously" by targeting Ukraine's online communications; including carrying out cyber attacks, destroying TV and radio broadcast buildings, and spreading misinformation about the invasion.


Russian invasion 'has stalled on all fronts'- UK
Russia's offensives in Ukraine have "largely stalled on all fronts", says the UK's Defence Ministry in its assessment this morning.
The brief adds that Russian forces have "made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days, and they continue to suffer heavy losses."

"Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands."

Ukaine's military says Russia's efforts have now switched to aerial attacks- bombing and shelling civilian populations - because they've been "unsuccessful" in their ground operations.

Moscow has only recorded about 500 troop deaths so far, but US intelligence estimates it to be closer to 7,000 personnel.

[DaffyVina]

Ukraine war: Russians grieve for fallen soldiers
By Steve Rosenberg BBC Russia Editor

Photo: A coffin in red material covering with a serviceman's cap laid on top
Image caption: In Kostroma, friends, family, and an armed guard of honour gathered for the funeral of Mikhail Orchikov

In the Church of Alexandra and Antonina lies a coffin. It is draped with a Russian tricolour. Resting on the casket: a service cap and a photograph.
Mikhail Orchikov was deputy commander of a motor-rifle brigade. He was killed in action in Ukraine. Armed Russian soldiers form a guard of honour.

An Orthodox priest walks around the casket reciting prayers and swinging an ornate metal vessel emitting burning incense. The pungent scent fills the chapel, mixing with the sweet cadences of the church choir. The dead soldier's widow, head covered in a black scarf, is being comforted by relatives.

How many Russian servicemen have been killed in Ukraine? It is a criminal offence in Russia to report anything other than the official figures.
According to information released by Russia's Defence Ministry, 498 soldiers have lost their lives in what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation". Those are the latest figures, from 2 March. There has been no update for two weeks.

"The situation in our country isn't simple," the priest tells the congregation. "Everyone understands that."

The Kremlin wants the public to believe that the Russian soldiers in Ukraine are heroes and that Russia's offensive there is an act of self-defence.
In a recent edition of state TV's flagship weekly news show, the anchor claimed that if Russia "hadn't intervened now, in three years' time Ukraine would have been in Nato… with a nuclear bomb. [Ukraine] would definitely advance on Crimea, then on southern Russia." An alternative reality, in which Ukraine is the aggressor.

Photo: Russian servicemen play brass instruments during a funeral
Image caption, Mikhail Orchikov was laid to rest as "a defender of the Fatherland"

On the streets of Kostroma, many appear to believe the official Kremlin line.
That's partly due to the power of television in shaping public opinion. But also, at moments of crisis, many Russians instinctively rally around its leader - as if they don't want to believe that their president may have made the wrong decision.
"Nato wants to set up shop right next to us [in Ukraine] and they've got nuclear weapons," Nikolai tells me. "Well done Putin. He didn't let them."
"Russia needs to push on till the end," declares pensioner Nina Ivanovna.
"How much do you trust the information you're getting on Russian TV about this?" I ask her. "I trust it. Why shouldn't I? It's the internet I don't trust."
"Why not?" I ask.
"I don't know," she replies.

Not everyone supports Russia's offensive in Ukraine. In the village of Nikolskoye, I visit the home of Orthodox priest, Father Ioann Burdin. He recently delivered an anti-war sermon and voiced his criticism on the church website.
He was later detained and fined under a new law for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

Photo: Father Ioann Burdin in a close-up profile in a home
Image caption, Father Ioann Burdin says he believes bloodshed of any kind "is still a sin"

"I believe that any bloodshed, whatever the cause and however you try to justify it, is still a sin," Father Ioann tells me. "Blood is on the hands of the person who spilled it. If an order was given, it's on the hands of whoever gave the order, supported it or stayed silent."

"The worst thing of all is that hatred has appeared. It will grow deeper and deeper, because we can see that the situation [with Ukraine] isn't ending. There is no political will to stop this. Hatred on both sides will strengthen and become a wall between our peoples for decades to come."

At a cemetery in Kostroma, eight soldiers bear Mikhail's coffin to the grave. A military band plays solemn music. Then a gun salute and, to the Russian national anthem, the casket is lowered into the ground.
There is a brief speech: "The loss of a son, brother, father is always a tragedy, but we are proud that he died defending our people, our children, our country."
In Kostroma, they call Mikhail "a defender of the Fatherland".

Photo: Russian servicemen carry a coffin draped in the national flag through a snowy cemetery
Image caption, Mikhail's coffin was wrapped in the national flag before burial

And yet it was Russia's army that crossed the border into a sovereign nation and attacked Ukraine on the orders of President Putin. The Kremlin leader claims that the aim of his "special military operation" is to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine, as if the Ukrainian government is overrun with fascists - which is simply not true.

In recent days Russian officials have barely concealed their wider objectives. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that what's happening in Ukraine "…is a life-and-death battle for Russia's right to be on the political map of the world with full respect for their legitimate interests".

In other words, this is about geopolitics, and Moscow's determination to force Ukraine back into Russia's sphere of influence.
That's something the government is Ukraine is determined to prevent.

[DaffyVina]

Educational building in Merefa shelled - Ukraine emergency services
Photo: A fire truck parked outside of the burning two-storey building which was hit -Copyright: UKRAINE SES

A Russian missile slammed into the building of an educational facility at about 03:30 overnight, Ukraine's State Emergency Services said.
Authorities said the building in Merefa, a town in the region of Kharkiv in the north-west, was partially destroyed. Fire services are still extinguishing the blaze.

Local media said a school and a community centre were hit.

There are no reported victims yet.


Ukraine hopes to open humanitarian corridor from Mariupol

Ukrainian officials say they hope to open nine "humanitarian corridors" from several cities across the country, including from the besieged city of Mariupol in the south-east.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says the government is also hoping to open routes over the course of today.

The move comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had deliberately targeted a theatre in Mariupol in which hundreds of people were sheltering from shelling.

[DaffyVina]

Marina Ovsyannikova: Protesting journalist says Russians zombified by propaganda
By Caroline Davies - BBC News, Moscow
Published7 hours ago

Media caption, WATCH: Marina Ovsyannikova says none of her interrogators thought her TV protest was her idea

A Russian journalist who interrupted a live TV news programme to protest against the war in Ukraine says Russians are "zombified" by propaganda.
Speaking to the BBC, Marina Ovsyannikova said Russians should stop listening to state media coverage.
"I understand it's very hard... to find alternative information, but you need to try to look for it," she said.
Ms Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel 1, was detained after her protest on Monday.

She ran onto the set of one of Russia's most-watched news programmes, Vremya, holding a sign reading: "No war, stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here."
She could also be heard repeating the words "no war, stop the war".

"I was aware that if I went to protest in [Moscow's] central square I would be arrested like everyone else and thrown into a police van and be put on trial," Ms Ovsyannikova said on Thursday.
"Half the poster was in Russian, half the poster was in English. I really wanted to show the Western audience that some Russians are against war," she said.
"I feel of course some responsibility lying on me. I was an ordinary cog in the propaganda machine. Until the very last moment I didn't think about it too much," she said.

Media caption, Watch: Anti-war demonstrator disrupts Russia's state TV news

Ms Ovsyannikova also responded to various allegations in Russian media about her motivation for staging the protest. "There are lots of conspiracy theories building up about me," she said.
"That's why I had to explain to the world what really happened, the fact that I am just a normal Russian woman, but I could not remain on the sidelines."
Before her protest she recorded a video in which she said she was ashamed to work for what she called Kremlin propaganda.

The journalist said she was detained and questioned by police for 14 hours, and fined 30,000 roubles ($280; £210) for the video. The authorities had been convinced she had been acting on someone else's behalf, she said.
"Nobody believed it was my personal decision. They suggested it could be conflict at work, relatives who were angry about Ukraine or that I was doing it for Western special services."
"They couldn't believe that I had so many objections to the government that I could not stay silent," she said.

Russian state television news has long been controlled by the Kremlin and independent viewpoints are rare on all the major channels.
It is also unusual for employees of state-controlled news organisations to express an opinion that differs from the official Kremlin position.
But since the war in Ukraine began, a number of journalists have resigned from top Russian TV channels: Zhanna Agalakova from Channel 1, and Lilia Gildeyeva and Vadim Glusker from NTV.
State-controlled Russian media refer to the war as a "special military operation" and paint Ukraine as the aggressor, describing Ukraine's elected government as neo-Nazis.

[DaffyVina]

Kherson: Russian-occupied city stays angry and defiant
By Andrew Harding -BBC News, Odesa
Published1 day ago

Media caption, Ukraine war: Russians fire warning shots at Kherson rally against occupation

More than a fortnight after falling under Russian occupation, the residents of Kherson are wrestling with acute shortages of medicine and holding daily protests against the Kremlin's forces. They are also worried that increased shelling on the outskirts might signal the start of a Ukrainian push to recapture their southern city, which is a key port.

A series of loud explosions rattled the windows of Yuri Stelmashenko's office in a government building in the centre of Kherson on Tuesday afternoon, as the city's deputy mayor was on a phone call, busy explaining they had less than a week's supply of food and medicine left.
"Can you hear the shelling outside? Not far off. Unfortunately, we're having to get used to this terrifying reality," said Stelmashenko calmly.
"We're looking at a real humanitarian catastrophe here," he said.
"We've been left here alone - there's no other legitimate authority apart from the mayor. Russian officials came to our office and we agreed that we would continue working. But it's not clear how long that will continue."

There have been reports that Russia might stage a referendum in Kherson on independence from Ukraine - as they previously did in Crimea after it was annexed in 2014, as well in the Russian-backed separatist areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Screengrab of video of protests in Kherson -IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
Image caption,Residents of Kherson have held repeated protests against the Russian occupation

But Stelmashenko rejected the idea of this happening in his city, saying it was clear there was no support for Moscow's actions among the largely Russian-speaking population.
Video footage showing a small pro-Russian demonstration in Kherson has been dismissed as a Kremlin propaganda stunt by locals.

On the streets nearby, there were queues for milk, and frustration in local pharmacies which have reportedly run out of most essential drugs.
"There's no medicine left for people with heart conditions, or asthma. The hospitals are working but there's just no medicine," said a medic, speaking by telephone. She asked that we only use her first name, Galina.

Lada Danik -IMAGE SOURCE,LADA DANIK
"No-one is starving here," said a local university lecturer, Lada Danik, who praised the mayor's office for focusing on trying to support residents of the city without appearing to endorse the Russian occupation.
"The situation is quite stable. We have electricity, water, and there is central heating and transport."
But Danik condemned officials in other occupied cities who have submitted to Russian rule. "If they want to make our city Russian, then it's treason," she said.

In Melitopol, to the east, the Ukrainian mayor was reportedly abducted by Russian forces last week and has not been seen since.
A local pro-Russian official, Galina Danilchenko, has now claimed that she is Melitopol's new mayor and recorded a video message urging residents "to adapt… to the new realities, so we can begin to live in a new way".

But in Kherson, thousands of residents, including Danik, have continued to take part in peaceful daily protests outside government offices in the city centre.
Video footage shows large crowds screaming "fascists… have you no shame?" and "go home" at Russian troops.

"The quantity of soldiers is getting bigger. But they're not military now. They wear different, grey uniform. Like a kind of police," said Danik.
"There were so many people at today's protests that the Russian troops started shooting into the air. It seemed to me they were afraid. I was crying to them: 'Go home, go to your mother.' Two of [the Russian soldiers] were laughing. I was really furious, so I just cried out some curse words.
"I'm not an activist, but I want people to understand what's happening here. I'm in my homeland, not doing anything wrong. I'm trying to protect my daughter."

To the east, another key city, Mykolaiv, has so far managed to hold off a Russian advance.
Mykolaiv's governor, Vitaliy Kim, hinted that Ukrainian forces near Mykolaiv were now looking to recapture Kherson, too.
"Fighting is taking place, clearing out several villages [of Russian forces]…The occupiers are fleeing, and people all say that the troops are running away. It's true. They run," he said in a post on social media.
"Kherson residents, we are with you. Wait! Together we'll be victorious."

[DaffyVina]

Mariupol theatre: 'We knew something terrible would happen'
By Hugo Bachega & Orysia Khimiak
BBC News, Lviv, Ukraine
Published8 hours ago

Media caption, Video shows Mariupol theatre destroyed in bombing.

Civilians are said to be emerging alive from the ruins of a theatre that, according to Ukrainian authorities, was bombed by Russia in the city of Mariupol. Despite pictures of devastation at the scene, many who were sheltering there are thought to have survived in a basement that withstood Wednesday's attack.

For 10 days, that basement was a refuge for Kate, a 38-year-old Mariupol native, and her son, who is 17. Their own home, like many others in the besieged city, had been destroyed by Russian attacks, and they thought the Donetsk Regional Theatre of Drama was a place where they would be relatively safe.
Mother and son squeezed in the building's dark rooms, corridors and halls with dozens of other families. Some women, Kate said, carried babies that were just four or five months old.

"In the beginning, it was really tough, because we didn't have a well-organised food supply. So on the first two days, adults didn't have any food," Kate, who used to work at the city's zoo shop and did not want to give her full name, said. "We gave food only to the children."
They slept on improvised beds made with soft parts of auditorium seats which had been put together on the floor. The seats made of wood, she said, were cut in parts and used as firewood for them to cook. "Around the theatre there wasn't enough trees we could use, and it was too dangerous to go outside".

Image shows before and after the attack

For almost three weeks, Mariupol has been under constant shelling by Russian forces, which have completely surrounded the city. About 300,000 people are trapped, with no electricity, gas or running water. Food and medicine are running low, as Russia has prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Four days after she arrived, Kate said, Ukrainian forces managed to send some food supplies and a field kitchen to the theatre, and "we [started] cooking something". They would have soup, and sometimes oatmeal, for lunch, and tea with biscuits for dinner.

The imposing Soviet-era building in Mariupol's city centre, next to the Sea of Azov waterfront, had been designated as a shelter for civilians. Sergei Orlov, the city's deputy mayor, said up to 1,200 people had been there. Human Rights Watch, citing interviews with evacuees, put that number at between 500 and 800.
As Russia's relentless assault continued, Kate said the buildings around the theatre had been either damaged or destroyed. "We knew we had to run away because something terrible would happen soon," she said.

A satellite image from Maxar Technologies taken on 14 March shows an aerial view of the Mariupol Drama Theatre which was bombed on 16 March. The word "children" (in Russian) can be seen written in large white letters visible from above outside the building

A day before the attack, Kate and her son left the site. "We jumped in a car while the theatre and the area were being shelled," she said. They shared the vehicle with a family of four, who had brought four dogs and a cat.
"We asked to go with them, because we didn't have our own [car]," she said. They were part of convoy of about 2,000 cars that escaped Mariupol on Tuesday.

Mariupol city council said a Russian plane dropped a bomb on the theatre, calling the attack "deliberate and cynical". Russia denied it had targeted the site but, in Mariupol alone, its attacks had already hit several civilian buildings including a hospital, a church and countless apartment blocks.
Satellite images released by the US company Maxar taken on Monday showed that the Russian word for "children" had been marked on the ground in large letters in two locations outside the building, to warn Russian jets away.

convoy of evacuees from mariupol in Zaporizhzhia, 16/3 -IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Image caption, A convoy of cars carrying evacuees from Mariupol arrives in the city of Zaporizhzhia

Video of the aftermath showed smoke billowing from the building's collapsed façade. But with communications with the city almost completely cut off, the numbers of survivors or possible casualties were still not clear, almost 20 hours later.

Dmytro Gurin, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and originally from Mariupol, said the shelter in the basement of the building withstood the attack, and that teams were trying to clear the rubble which covered the entrance to the site. "It looks like most of them have survived and are OK," he said.
But the rescue efforts were tricky, he said, as Russia had continued to attack the area. "Shelling never stops and artillery never stops and airplanes are dropping bombs," he said, "so it's really difficult".

The city council estimates about 80% to 90% of the city's buildings have either been damaged or destroyed by Russia, which has attacked the city almost non-stop since it invaded Ukraine, three weeks ago. Entire neighbourhoods have been turned into wasteland.

Local authorities say at least 2,400 people have been killed in Mariupol, although they acknowledge this is likely to be an underestimate. Many of the dead are being buried in mass graves.

After leaving Mariupol, Kate was headed to the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, a region that has been largely spared of attacks. "The first day after we managed to get out, I couldn't talk. We all just cried", she said. "But now it feels like there are no tears left. I don't think this pain will ever disappear."

[DaffyVina]

Ukrainian journalists to get helmets and vests from Unesco

Ukrainian journalists are to be given personal protective equipment and training for working in hostile environments by Unesco, the UN agency has said.
Unesco said it would provide an initial batch of 125 sets of bullet-proof vests and helmets to help displaced Ukrainian journalists continue their work and support the free flow of information during war.
It said thousands of journalists were reporting from the ground in Ukraine, many without the necessary protective equipment or training, having been thrust into the role of war correspondent.

The equipment will be distributed from next week by Reporters Without Borders, via its Press Freedom Centre in Lviv, and the International Federation of Journalists, Unesco said.

Audrey Azoulay, director-general of Unesco, said: “Every day, journalists and media workers are risking their lives in Ukraine to provide life-saving information to local populations and inform the world of the reality of this war.
"We are determined to support and protect them in every way possible."

The war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of some journalists.



Beginning of last chapter of Putin's Russia - Akunin
Jessy Kaner -BBC News Russian
Image caption: Boris Akunin left Russia after it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014

Bestselling Russian crime writer Boris Akunin has predicted the invasion of Ukraine is the endgame for Putin and that Russians must come together to present another, better Russia to the world and do everything they can to help Ukrainian refugees.
Along with dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov and economist Sergei Guriev, he has launched an initiative to raise money for Ukrainian refugees called TrueRussia.org.

Boris Akunin, whose real name is Grigory Ckhartishvili, is the author of the popular Fandorin detective novels and has lived in the UK since 2014. Mikhail Baryshnikov defected from the Soviet Union to Canada in 1974 and Sergei Guriev is a Paris economics professor who fled Russia in 2013.
Akunin told the BBC that Ukrainian TV stations were calling him every day to appear on their programmes.
"But now I must talk to Russians. Maybe we can't stop the war, but we can help in the humanitarian crisis, and we must unite and do everything we can to get rid of Putin, so we can rebuild a normal Russia.”

Akunin said all Russians who made good after the fall of the Soviet Union shared responsibility for the current regime and should now deal with the new reality.
“I have the feeling I’m living in a dystopian novel and for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I’m afraid there’s a real threat of nuclear war.”




European Space Agency suspends joint Russia Mars project
Image caption: A working prototype of the ExoMars rover at a centre in Stevenage, England

The European Space Agency (Esa) has suspended a Mars programme it was working on in conjunction with Russian space agency Roscosmos.
In a statement posted on its website, Esa said it would be impossible to continue co-operating with Roscosmos on its ExoMars rover mission, which aims to carry out further research on the surface of Mars.

It said Esa's ruling council had made the decision unanimously in response to the situation in Ukraine.
"We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine," the statement reads. "While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, Esa is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its member states."

The British-built Rosalind Franklin Mars rover was due to launch on a Russian rocket in September and land eight months later using Russian hardware.
Last month, Esa said "sanctions and the wider context" on Russia's invasion of Ukraine had put a big question mark next to the mission.




Schwarzenegger tells Russian people: 'You are not being told the truth'
Arnold Schwarzenegger has posted a video message to Twitter urging Russians to push back against the pro-war narrative being presented by the Russian government.

In a clip which runs for over nine minutes - which has been viewed over a million times in little more than two hours - Schwarzenegger speaks of his love for Russia and recalls trips to the country during his career as a bodybuilder.

The film star and former California governor tells Russians that they are "not being told the truth about the consequences of this war" and informs them that "bombs are raining down on innocent civilians".
Listing a host of Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities, Schwarzenegger tells Russians that as a result of the humanitarian crisis Vladimir Putin's invasion has unleashed "Russia is now isolated from the society of nations".

He adds that "thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed" after being caught between Ukrainian forces "fighting for their homeland and the Russian leadership fighting for conquest".
The Terminator star concludes by heaping praise on the thousands of Russia protesters detained by police in recent weeks, telling them "the world has seen your bravery", adding "you are my heroes".

[DaffyVina]

Some 30,000 people reported to have fled Mariupol
Authorities in Mariupol say around 30,000 people have left the city so far, according to Reuters.
The local council estimates that more than 350,000 people are still sheltering in the city.

The port city is encircled by Russian forces and has seen some of the fiercest bombardment of the conflict.
Reuters reports long queues of cars heading north from Mariupol, some with signs in the windscreens with the word "children" written in Russian.

Ukrainian officials say residents have been trapped in the city by Russian shelling without heating, electricity and running water for most of the past two weeks.

The city's council adds that work is ongoing to establish the number of possible casualties from the strike on the Mariupol theatre where more than 1,000 people - mainly women and children - were hiding in a bomb shelter.


Russia having to adjust to grinding warfare - western officials

Paul Adams -BBC diplomatic correspondent

The situation on the ground in Ukraine is not changing dramatically, Western officials have told journalists - and it is possible that Ukraine could fight Russia to a standstill.

“We’re continuing to see that Russian forces are making little bits of progress here and there but they’re not achieving a strategic breakthrough at any point,” an official said during a briefing.
“Not only is it not going the way it was planned, but even as they have adjusted to a rather more grinding form of warfare, that is stalling as well.”

The officials said one estimate that 7,000 Russian troops had been killed was "not in any sense an implausible" one.
The question now, they said, was whether Mr Putin decides to “double down with greater brutality.”

They also said:
Russian aircraft were having to move with "considerable caution" to avoid Ukrainian air defences.
Russia's attempt to bring in more forces was “clearly not part of the original plan and… demonstrates the extent to which Russia has got bogged down.”
Morale among Russian troops was extremely low.

Asked whether Russia might have to change its war aims in the face of current losses, officials said it was very hard to tell.
However, one said: “I don’t have the impression at the moment that Russia is close to a point at which it could not prosecute its war aims.”
The officials pointed out that Ukraine is suffering losses too, and that it is not clear "how long they can hold out".

On peace talks, officials said both sides were taking them seriously, but the gaps between them were still large and they couldn’t say if they would bear fruit.



'This isn't a childhood'
Photo: Children evacuated from an orphanage are led to safety -Copyright: AERIAL RECOVERY GROUP

Children in Ukraine are being denied their childhoods, says a representative from the UN children's agency Unicef.

Joe English, who is in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, tells the BBC that Unicef has verified the deaths of 50 children since Russia invaded.
"It's likely that the true toll is far higher," he says.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities said at least 107 children had been killed.

With children playing in a park nearby him in Lviv, English says it feels as though "this could be any scene in Europe or elsewhere in the world".
"But just further over to the right there's a bomb shelter, and when we have sirens here these kids know what to do. They know that it's time to drop everything and get into these shelters," he says.
"This isn't a childhood. We need to be providing these kids with peace and an opportunity to start rebuilding their lives."