Freedom of Information

[DaffyVina]

18:21 24 Apr
Russia accused of mistreating prisoners of war
Ukraine's human rights ombudswoman has accused Russia of breaking international law by housing Ukrainian prisoners of war in labour camps intended for criminals.

Lyudmila Denisova says two camps in Russia's Rostov region - close to the Ukrainian border - were vacated to make room for the new arrivals.
She claims the Ukrainian prisoners are guarded by jail wardens, and kept in conditions far worse than those set out in the Geneva Conventions' rules for the treatment of people in war.

Russia has not yet responded to the fresh accusations, but has previously denied breaking international treaties during its invasion.

19:20 24 Apr
Ukraine suggests talks at besieged Mariupol plant
Kyiv is proposing holding a special round of peace negotiations with Russia in the shadow of Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, an adviser to the Ukrainian president says.
Oleksiy Arestovych suggested the talks could aim to establish a ceasefire and determine the fate of civilians and fighters trapped in the southern port city.

For weeks a small group of Ukrainian defenders camped out in Mariupol's steel plant have prevented Russian forces from taking full control of the strategic port.
There are also reports that civilians including children are sheltering there.

19:52 24 Apr
Death toll rises after fire at Russian research centre - report
The death toll from Thursday's fire at a Russian defence research facility outside Moscow has risen to 17, Russian media report.

Six more bodies were found in the Central Research Institute of the Aerospace Defense Forces of the Russian Federation in Tver, north-west of the Russian capital, the Tass news agency reported.

Military investigators were investigating the blaze, Tass said.

20:39 24 Apr
Ukraine asks IAEA for equipment to safely run its nuclear plants
Ukraine has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for a list of equipment that is necessary for the reliable and safe operation of its nuclear facilities during the war, according to a statement on the organisation's website.

The list specifically mentions radiation measuring instruments, shielding materials, electrical power systems and diesel generators.

The IAEA delivered initial equipment to Ukraine last month, the statement says.

Another set of equipment is expected to be delivered when the IAEA Director General arrives at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant next week, the organisation says.

Since the beginning of the war, the Russian military has taken control of two nuclear power plants - Zaporizhzhia and Chernobyl - which are back in Ukraine's control.

Ukraine's letter to the IAEA states that of the country’s 15 operational reactors at four nuclear power plants, seven are currently connected to the grid, including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia NPP, two at the Rivne NPP, two at the South Ukraine NPP, and one at the Khmelnytskyy NPP.

The eight other reactors are shut down for regular maintenance or held in reserve. Safety systems remain operational at the four NPPs and they also continue to have off-site power available, Ukraine said.

21:30 24 Apr
BREAKING
Top US diplomat with Zelensky in Kyiv - Ukrainian advisor
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv and is holding talks with Ukraine President Zelensky, a Ukrainian presidential adviser says.

Oleksiy Arestovych said this in a social media video. The US has not commented.

If confirmed, Secretary Blinken would be the highest-ranking US official to visit Ukraine's capital since the Russian invasion began.

22:29 24 Apr
'My world is destroyed,' says father of baby killed in strike
Caroline Davies
Reporting from Odesa

Kira Glodan, a three-month-old baby, is one of the latest victims in the war in Ukraine. She was killed along with her mother and grandmother in a Russian missile strike in Odesa on Saturday.
The deaths - three generations of a single family - have sparked outrage and revulsion in Ukraine, a country already hardened by two months of war.

Commenting on the strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky was visibly upset.
"How did she threaten Russia? It seems that killing children is just a new national idea of the Russian Federation," he said. He described those who had planned and carried out the attack as "bastards".

Kira's father, Yuriy, saw her body for the first time when he returned to his destroyed flat on Sunday. He is now going through the wreckage to save some memories.
"All my world was destroyed yesterday by a Russian missile," he says. "What is happening is a grief for my family, for our city, for Ukraine, it's a grief for the whole civilisation. I hope our story helps to stop this war."

Picture shows mother Valeria feeding baby Kira


22:58 24 Apr
Russia planning staged referendum in Kherson - UK defence intelligence
Russia is planning a "staged referendum" in the southern city of Kherson aimed at justifying its occupation, according to the UK Ministry of Defence's latest report.

It says that the city is key to Russia's objective of establishing a land bridge to the Crimean peninsula - which was annexed by Russia in 2014 - and dominating southern Ukraine.

It adds that Russia employed this tactic in order to retrospectively justify its seizure of Crimea.

Kherson is the only major city Russia has managed to seize since it invaded in late February. But some surrounding areas have since been retaken by Ukrainian troops, and fighting in the region continues.

[DaffyVina]

Brother cared for by sister in Maidenhead after fleeing Ukraine
Published1 day ago

Photo: Nataliia and Viktor Kolodii
IMAGE SOURCE,NATALIIA KOLODII/PA MEDIA
Image caption, Nataliia (left) said Viktor has now started school in Maidenhead after fleeing Kyiv after war erupted

A Ukrainian nanny has described the struggle of getting her teenage brother to the UK while their family remains in their home country.

Nataliia Kolodii, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, is now caring for 15-year-old Viktor after he fled to Poland alone from his home in Kyiv.
He has started school in the UK but their parents and grandmother remain in the city as war rages.

Ms Kolodii said it was "impossible to explain" how she feels.
Their parents made a "spontaneous" decision to allow Viktor to leave the Ukrainian capital after the war started but "didn't know where he was going or with whom he was travelling", Ms Kolodii said.

He crossed the Polish border for Warsaw with strangers who pretended he was their nephew.
And after staying with relatives in the Polish capital, he eventually travelled to the UK when Ms Kolodii, 37, secured a visa for him.

She said Viktor has settled into life in Berkshire and has now started school and making friends.
They keep in contact with their parents and her grandmother by sending them videos of them in and around Maidenhead.

She said: "Showing the simple things makes a huge difference.

"They're locked in a box, in a house, watching the news to find out the situation but I think by sending videos, it makes them feel different, [it shows] a different reality, from a normal, peaceful world."

Ms Kolodii told BBC Radio Berkshire: "Every day I call my parents and, thank God, there's no bombing any more but I used to hear it all the time and while I was talking to Mum.

"Even during the conversation, I feared they would be the last words she would say. The bombing was very, very loud.

"I would hear it on the phone and sometimes we talked and Mum would say 'wait' because there was bombing and she tried to listen if something was coming, to explode.

"I'm happy they don't hear that any more."

[DaffyVina]

'You can't imagine the conditions' - Accounts emerge of Russian detention camps
By Toby Luckhurst & Olga Pona
BBC News, Lviv
Published1 day ago

Photo: Olena and Oleksandr
IMAGE SOURCE,BBC/JONNY DUNSTAN
Image caption, Olena and Oleksandr in the relative safety of Lviv, after escaping Mariupol

"You can't imagine how horrible the conditions were."

Oleksandr and Olena are two of the lucky few who recently managed to escape from Mariupol, which is now almost under full Russian control after weeks of bombardment.

The city is effectively sealed off from the world, and information about what is happening inside is difficult to confirm independently.

But the pair, and others, have given chilling accounts of life in Russia's so-called filtration camps, set up outside Mariupol to house civilians before they are evacuated.

Oleksandr and Olena, speaking from the relatively safe western city of Lviv, say they ended up at one of the centres when they tried to escape the city. After walking from their home to an evacuation point, they were driven to a Russian refugee hub at a former school in the village of Nikolske, north-west of Mariupol.

"It was like a true concentration camp," Oleksandr, 49, says.

The centres have been compared by Ukrainian officials to those used during Russia's war in Chechnya, when thousands of Chechens were brutally interrogated and many disappeared.

Oleksandr and Olena were fingerprinted, photographed from all sides, and interrogated for several hours by Russian security officers - "like in a prison", he says.

They worried that the Russians would look at their phones, and so they cleared all evidence from their devices of anything to do with Ukraine - including photos of their daughter in front of a Ukrainian flag.

They were right to worry. Oleksandr says that during their interrogation, Russian security officers examined photographs, phone call history and contact numbers on their devices for links with journalists or government and military officials.

"If a person was suspected of being a 'Ukrainian Nazi', they took them to Donetsk for further investigation or murder," says Oleksandr, although the BBC has not been able to verify this claim. "It was very dangerous and risky. Any small doubt, any small resistance - and they could take you to the basements for interrogation and torture. Everybody was afraid to be taken to Donetsk."

President Vladimir Putin has stated one of the aims of his invasion is to clear Ukraine of Nazis, and Russian propaganda has made numerous baseless allegations that Ukraine is somehow aligned with Nazism.

Eventually the pair were detained and put on a list for evacuation. But the ordeal did not stop there.

A secret escape
Elderly people slept in corridors without mattresses or blankets, Olena says. There was only one toilet and one sink for thousands of people. Dysentery soon began to spread. "There was no way to wash or clean," she says. "It smelt extremely awful."

Soap and disinfectant ran out on the second day they were there. Soon, too, did toilet paper and sanitary pads.

Olena and Oleksandr were told they had permission to leave on the 148th evacuation bus. But a week later, just 20 buses had left the facility.

In contrast, there were many buses organised to go to Russian territory. Authorities even tried to force the couple on to a coach heading east, they say. In the end Olena and Oleksandr felt compelled to seek the help of private drivers, who they feared could be Russians or collaborators.

"We didn't have any choice - either be forcibly deported to Russia or risk it with these private drivers," Olena says.

It's a dilemma that Mariupol's mayor, Vadym Boychenko, recognises. "Many buses of civilians go to Russian rather than Ukrainian territory," he told the BBC, over the phone. "From the beginning of war, [the Russians] didn't allow any way to evacuate civilians. It's a direct military order to kill civilians," he claimed.

Oleksandr and Olena's driver managed to get them from their filtration camp to the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk - through "fields, dirt roads, narrow pathways behind all the checkpoints", Olena says, because they didn't have the proper documents to pass a Russian inspection.

They then spent three days looking for a route out before finding another driver who was willing to risk everything to get them to Ukrainian-controlled territory. He managed to get around 12 Russian checkpoints and safely deliver them to Zaporizhzhia. The couple then took an overnight train to Lviv.

"From filtration camps you can only escape using these risky local private drivers," Oleksandr says. "Fortunately, there are good people among them."

Camps like 'ghettos'
Arriving in Lviv on the same day were Valentyna and her husband Evgeniy. They also managed to flee Mariupol last week. They were boarding a coach to a smaller city in western Ukraine - desperate for safety after their ordeal.

The situation in Mariupol, they said, had become dire. They survived by sheltering in a basement, living of tinned goods, a handful of potatoes they grew in their garden, and water taken from the boiler.

Mariupol voices
Image caption, Evgeniy and Valentyna managed to survive by hiding in their basement

The filtration process was speedy for them, says Valentyna, 58, perhaps because of their age and because Evgeniy has a disability. But it was far worse for younger people, she said.

"The filtration camps are like ghettos," she says. "Russians divide people into groups. Those who were suspected of having connections with the Ukrainian army, territorial defence, journalists, workers from the government - it's very dangerous for them. They take those people to prisons to Donetsk, torture them."

She and Evgeniy also say many were sent from the filtration camps to Russia. Sometimes people were told they were destined for Ukrainian-controlled territory, they say, only for the coach to head to Russian-held territory instead.

Like Oleksandr and Olena, Valentyna says it was only because of their driver that they managed to escape.

"When we finally [escaped] and saw the Ukrainian fighters and the flag, when we heard Ukrainian language, everyone in the bus started to cry," she said. "It was just unbelievable that we stayed alive and finally fled from hell."

Both couples have now escaped Mariupol, a city that has become a symbol of the resistance and the suffering of Ukraine after the Russian invasion. Now they face an uncertain future - just four of the 11 million Ukrainians displaced by the conflict.

"The city does not exist anymore," Valentyna says. "Even walls. Just huge piles of ruins. I could never have imagined such violence."

[DaffyVina]

Ukraine: Sisters describe terror of Mariupol escape
Published1 day ago

Nicole and Vira
Image caption, Nicole and Vira said it was difficult to get food and water with the city under siege

Two Ukrainian sisters working with a Kent charity to get medical supplies into their country have spoken of their terrifying escape from Mariupol.

Nicole, 21, and Vira, 27, fled to the relative safety of Kyiv last month, with Vira's five-year-old son.

The sisters described missiles flying over their heads as they made their way across open land.
"We had to lie down on the ground, then get up, take a few steps, lie down and repeat it all over again," Nicole said.

The southern port city of Mariupol has seen weeks of intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
The sisters described constant bombardment. Their neighbours house was obliterated by a Russian bomb, and a bullet was fired through their window.

'Four dead bodies'
Nicole said that as the attacks increased, it was difficult to get outside for food and water.

"Then, on 1 March, the facilities were turned off, so people were left with no running water, no electricity, no heating," Vira added.

One day, while fetching fresh water, they saw four dead bodies by a stream and knew they had to escape.

A group escaping the city (including Vira in the middle)
IMAGE SOURCE,NICOLE AND VIRA
Image caption, The sisters passed street after street of destroyed buildings and vehicles

They planned a route, but it was a perilous journey.
Footage captured by the sisters during their escape shows empty streets littered with destroyed buildings and vehicles, a constant rumble of explosions vibrating in the distance

Nicole said: "In an open area, we had to lie on the ground while all sorts of missiles and shells were flying over our heads.
"We couldn't stay there so we had to get up, take a few steps, lie down and repeat it all over again until we reached a safer place."

As they passed one house, they spotted a sniper.
"He was watching us and waving. It was very dangerous," Nicole said.

A man stands comforting a child (building and car destruction is visible in the background)
IMAGE SOURCE,NICOLE AND VIRA
Image caption, Haunting footage captured by the sisters reveals the extent of the devastation

Helped by others, they finally made it to Kyiv. But they remain worried for the people they have left behind in Mariupol.

"The war is still going on there, and they are struggling," Nicole said.
"The only way to end this horror is to stop discussing the problem and start taking action."

They hope their work with charity United with Ukraine will help those left behind.
The organisation, led by Charlie Cawsey, 25, from Kent, has sent out more than £1m worth of medical supplies to the war-torn country.

However, Mr Cawsey said bureaucracy meant things were moving too slowly.
"We need to get people to wake up to reality and speed up," he said.

[DaffyVina]

Ukraine war: Donated fire engines from Cheshire arrive at border
Published1 day ago

Fire crews with donated engines
IMAGE SOURCE,CHESHIRE FIRE SERVICE
Image caption, The service said it was proud to support firefighters in Ukraine

Fire engines from Cheshire have arrived in eastern Europe as part of a UK convoy to help firefighters in Ukraine.
The service donated two engines and a hydraulic platform which were among 21 vehicles that left Kent last week.
The vehicles would "help support Ukraine firefighters who continue to protect their communities", Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

It shared a video on social media of the arrival on the Polish-Ukrainian border being clapped by firefighters.
The convoy was the second of donated fire engines and equipment to leave the UK under the project led by UK charity Fire Aid and supported by the Home Office.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said services across the country had donated equipment which had been requested from Ukraine fire crews as they "continue their life-saving work in the most difficult conditions imaginable".

Fire engines queuing in Kent
IMAGE SOURCE,NFCC
Image caption, A convoy of 21 vehicles left Kent last week for the Polish-Ukrainian border

Some Ukrainian firefighters have died trying to protect communities and about 250 engines and 100 stations have been destroyed in the war, the NFCC said.

The Cheshire service said nine firefighters and officers had delivered the vehicles along with hundreds of pieces of surplus equipment, including helmets and hose reels.
The vehicles are no longer in use by the service, which is sending two more engines next month.

They also sent a video of a Ukrainian-speaking firefighter explaining how to use the hydraulic platform.
Mark Cashin, Cheshire's chief fire officer, said they were proud to offer support and their thoughts were with Ukrainian firefighters.


War in Ukraine: Yorkshire-built armoured ambulances arrive in Lviv
Published1 day ago

Ambulances arriving in Lviv
Image caption, Fourteen of the Yorkshire-built ambulances have arrived in Lviv

The first shipment of ex-British Army vehicles which have been converted by a Yorkshire company into military-grade ambulances has arrived in Ukraine.

Manufacturer Venari Group is transforming dozens of vehicles at its two factories in Goole and Brighouse.
The firm said the vehicles provided "ballistic protection from small arms fire on the front line" and could carry more casualties.
The ambulances were also equipped with run-flat tyres, it said.

Armoured ambulance
Image caption, The former British Army vehicles are being transformed at two factories in West and East Yorkshire

According to Venari, Ukraine is losing ambulances at a rate of 10 per day.
Company spokesperson Emma Eastwood said: "These vehicles are going into war zones because standard ambulances that shouldn't be shot at are being taken out at every point."

Production began earlier this month after the firm was contacted by Andrew Percy, Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole, and staff at the Ukrainian embassy.
Fourteen of the Yorkshire-built ambulances have since arrived in Lviv.

"To think the design for these ambulances didn't exist until a few weeks ago - all of that has been achieved through force of will here by all of the guys on the ground," Mr Percy said.

Two armoured ambulances lined up behind each other in a factory
Image caption, The new ambulances are "designed to carry greater numbers of casualties", the firm says

Venari Group CEO Oliver North said: "As the UK's oldest and largest ambulance builder, we truly feel it is our duty to deliver on this project, with as much passion, precision, and speed as we possibly can."
Funding for the project has come from a number of wealthy Ukrainian businessmen and UK-based blue chip organisations.

[DaffyVina]

Ukraine: Facing the Russian Army on the front line in Donbas
By Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent, Eastern Ukraine
Published1 day ago

Lt Denys Gordeev
Image caption, Lt Denys Gordeev and his men are facing the full force of the Russian Army

Ukrainian forces have been holding the line in Donbas since 2014, against Russian-backed separatists. They're still holding the line, but what was sporadic fighting has now turned into a full-blown war.

Lieutenant Denys Gordeev is used to war, but not like this. "It's become much harder," he says. "We have bomb attacks, rocket attacks every day, all the time, every hour." Though he has spent eight years battling Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas, now he and his men are facing the full might of the Russian army.

After its retreat from Kyiv three weeks ago, Russia has refocused its military efforts in Eastern Ukraine - with its goal of taking the whole of the Donbas region. It has redeployed many of its units to the east. Western officials estimate that Russia now has about 76 Battalion Tactical Groups in the region - each of which has about 800 men.

They also say there's some evidence Russia's been addressing some of its early mistakes, helped by the fact they're now fighting on fewer fronts, and under a unified command.

The result is that Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold a 300-mile front in the Donbas. They've already lost ground to the Russians and are likely to lose more in the days ahead. Russian forces have been conducting probing attacks to find weak points in Ukraine's defences.

A map of the eastern front

So far they've been gaining ground around the city of Izium in the north, and around Severedonetsk and Popasna to the east. The attacks are coming from multiple directions, though as yet there's been no major Russian breakthrough.

Lt Gordeev says he and his men are experiencing the effects.

The day before we visited, one of his men was killed and another five wounded. It's just a fraction of the casualties Ukrainian forces are now taking every day, though there are no official figures. We tried to visit a field hospital nearby but were told they were too busy.

So is this the big Russian surge that has been widely forecast? Or is this just a prelude to such an onslaught?

It's not clear. For now the invading army is mostly using its artillery and rockets to grind down Ukraine's defences. Some military analysts expect a major assault is still to come.

And Ukrainian forces, including Lt Gordeev and his unit, appear to be holding the line, although Western experts say they are already outnumbered three to one. They also concede that Ukraine will probably have to trade space and ground in open areas to defend key cities where the Russians will find it more difficult to fight.

I was allowed to visit Lt Gordeev's forward position during a brief lull in the fighting. They've built a religious shrine at a command post. They're praying for victory. But it's not the place for contemplation or peace. You could still hear the regular blast of artillery.

A shrine in a trench
Image caption, Ukrainian soldiers have made this shrine at a frontline position in the Donbas

On the short walk to his trench line, he tells me mortar and sniper fire are constant threats. Their closest position is within 600m of Russian forces.

The landscape is mostly wide open countryside. Tree lines provide some cover but we're close enough to hear the occasional burst of small arms fire.

The Russians "are coming and coming and coming into territory of Ukraine. And we don't know when they will stop. We don't know when their journey ends," says Lt Gordeev. He was a lawyer before he joined the Ukrainian army. One day he hopes he can return to that life. But for now, he says, he's focused on winning this war.

Down in the trenches, out of sight of the enemy, the mood is more relaxed, though the tired faces of soldiers clearly show the strains of recent fighting.

They show us some of the weapons they've been using - a DschK Soviet heavy machine gun, still used in conflicts around the world, and a variety of rocket-propelled grenades. It's mostly older Soviet-era kit. but also they proudly show off their one British-made and supplied anti-tank missile - a NLAW (Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon).

A Ukrainian soldier carries a UK made and supplied anti-tank missile
Image caption, A Ukrainian soldier carries a UK made and supplied anti-tank missile

One of Lt Gordeev's men was trained in how to use it by British troops just before the war started. They've already employed it to destroy a Russian tank, they say.

"We need these weapons," says Lt Gordeev repeatedly. Russia, he says, is a "military state" - in contrast, Ukraine's ability to keep its own weapons flowing has been severely damaged. What the West supplies, or does not, will heavily influence the outcome of this war.

And Lt Gordeev says the morale of his troops remains high. They're fighting for their homeland.

But President Putin wants and needs something he can call a win, and soon - possibly by 9 May for Russia's victory day parade. Ukraine may have time on its side - but only if the flow of Western weapons continues and if they can hold back the expected Russian onslaught.

[DaffyVina]

0:24 A quick recap
If you're just joining us, here's a round-up of the latest events in Ukraine.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Western arms shipments to Ukraine mean Nato is "in essence engaged in war with Russia" and there is "considerable" risk of the conflict going nuclear

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responds that Lavrov is just trying to "scare the world off supporting Ukraine"

• Russia earlier said it had attacked six railway facilities in central and western Ukraine, with the aim of blocking the supply of foreign weaponry to Ukraine

At least five people were killed and 18 wounded in the attacks, local officials said

• President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address to the nation that it is impossible to predict when the war will end, but he claimed Ukraine's victory was inevitable

• In Kherson, the only major city that Russia has taken and continues to occupy, Russian armed men seized control of the council building, the mayor said

• Officials in the Russian-backed separatist region of Transnistria in neighbouring Moldova reported explosions at the state security ministry, saying it appeared to have been hit with rocket-propelled grenades

But Ukraine's defence ministry said it was a "planned provocation" by Russia aimed at fomenting war in the region

• Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed the UK is giving Ukraine "a small number" of Stormer armoured vehicles, fitted with launchers for Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles

• The UK also said it estimated that about 15,000 Russian military personnel had been killed since the war began and a quarter of the invasion force was no longer "combat-effective"

Photo: An railway electricity substation near Lviv was damaged in a Russian strike aimed at halting the supply of foreign weapons
Copyright: Getty Images

[DaffyVina]

1:11 Why India has rebuffed pressure to shun Russia
A MiG-29 on display at an air base in india
Copyright: Getty Images

India has been under pressure to help isolate Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. But it has long-standing defence ties to Moscow.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, visiting the US, has said that while India would like to be a "good friend" to Western countries, it needed to protect its interests and ensure its security.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows that India is one of the world’s largest buyers of weapons. And since 1992, about two-thirds of its military equipment has come from Russia.

It has diversified its sources of weapons in recent years, buying more equipment from other countries.

But if you look at the period from 2016-21, Russia continued to be by far the largest supplier of weapons to India, accounting for twice as much as the next biggest supplier, France.

1:31
Finland and Sweden to unveil Nato bids in May - reports
Finland and Sweden are gearing up to announce at the same time in May that they want to join Nato, local media report.

Both Nordic nations are militarily non-aligned, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted increasing public support for joining the Western defensive alliance.

Finnish newspaper Iltalehti says it believes the leaders of Finland and Sweden plan to meet in the week of 16 May and announce that they will apply to join Nato.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto declined to comment, but repeated his view that he would prefer it if Finland and Sweden made similar choices, Reuters reported.

The Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, citing sources close to the matter, also said it believed the two countries would make announcements that week, at the same time as each other.

It cited sources saying the US and Britain had promised Sweden increased military presence and "strong political" support during the application process.

Russia has warned of a nuclear build-up in the Baltic should Finland and Sweden join Nato.

4:45
UK drops tariff on all goods from Ukraine
The British government announced that it had dropped tariffs on all goods from Ukraine while imposing a ban on the export of products and technology to Russia that could be used to repress Ukrainians.

It came in response to a direct request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to support the Ukrainian economy, the UK's international trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said in a statement.

The UK had reduced all tariffs on goods from Ukraine, including key Ukrainian exports like barley, honey, tinned tomatoes and poultry, Trevelyan said.

"We stand unwaveringly with Ukraine in this ongoing fight and will work to ensure Ukraine survives and thrives as a free and sovereign nation," she said in a statement.

The UK also announced an export ban on products and technology to Russia. The products targeted could include interception and monitoring equipment and "will close any existing loopholes to ensure that Russia is not buying these goods from the UK."


5:23
US wants to see a weakened Russia
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he hopes Russian losses in Ukraine will deter its leadership from repeating its actions elsewhere.

Ukraine can still win the war if given the right support, he said.

He also announced the US would allocate an extra $713m (£559m) of military aid to Ukraine and other European nations.

At a news conference in Poland after the visit, Mr Austin told reporters the US wants to see "Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine".

Mr Austin, a retired four-star general, was speaking after meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Also involving Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the visit marked the highest-level trip to Ukraine by US officials since the invasion began over two months ago.

The meeting between the US and Ukrainian parties, which ran for over three hours, comes as Russia escalates its military campaign in the south and east of the country.


6:08
Ukraine's Kreminna city falls - UK Defence Ministry
The city of Kreminna in Luhansk has reportedly fallen, the UK Ministry of Defence has said in its daily update, though it did not give any more details on this.

Earlier reports had already suggested that Russian forces were in control of Kreminna, a town of around 18,000.

The MoD added that heavy fighting was reported in the south of the city of Izyum, as Russian forces attempt to advance towards the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk from the north and east, it said.

The update also said Russian forces are likely attempting to encircle heavily fortified Ukrainian positions in the east of Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have been preparing defences in Zaporizhzhia in preparation for a potential Russian attack from the south, it added.

The BBC could not independently verify this information.


6:35
UN chief Guterres to meet Russia's Putin today
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow later today but expectations from the meeting are said to be low after several failed diplomatic efforts so far.

The talks between Putin and Guterres are expected to focus on the besieged city of Mariupol where, despite declaring a victory, Russian forces have failed to take the Azovstal steelworks.

Ukraine forces said earlier on Tuesday that Russia continued to blockade its units at the plant.

Ukraine has asked Guterres to guarantee a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians sheltering inside Azovstal.

The UN chief is also expected to travel on to Kyiv on Thursday where he will meet President Volodomyr Zelensky.

The US is also set to kick off Ukraine-related defense talks with dozens of countries today, with US defense secretary Lloyd Austin playing host in Germany.

These talks come as Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned the risk of a World War III "is serious" and criticised Kyiv's approach to floundering peace talks

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, however, responded that Lavrov was trying to "scare the world off" from supporting the country.

[DaffyVina]

War in Ukraine: The village with Russia and Belarus on its doorstep
Published15 hours ago

Photo: Nina Malenok

The village of Senkivka in Ukraine is situated at the nexus of the border crossing between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. Once the site of festivals that celebrated the friendship between the three countries, it's now a war front line, and its residents tell of families separated across borders living in fear. With rare access to the village, Yogita Limaye has seen first-hand the impact of a community torn apart by war.

Russian forces withdrew from northern Ukraine at the start of April, but mortar shelling and grenade attacks continue in Senkivka. Prior to the invasion, it was home to a little more than 200 people. Now there are just a handful who've stayed back.

Nina Malenok's home is just by the side of a road that Russian troops used as they began their invasion of Ukraine, on their way to the northern city of Chernihiv, and the capital Kyiv.

Wedged into the yard of Nina's home is the tail of a rocket fired in the early hours of the 24 February - the day the war started.

"I heard it land in my yard. There was fire and smoke everywhere. My lights went off. I jumped out of bed and ran out my house," said Nina.

In the days that followed, hidden in a cellar, she heard planes flying overhead, heavy vehicles driving in and whistles being frequently blown.

On 8 March, Russian TV journalists came to her home accompanied by Russian soldiers.

"They were filming everything here, all the shells and everything. They told me Ukraine was attacking itself. Then they sent the numbers [printed] on the rocket to someone in Russia, and received a response right away that it was one of theirs."

Photo: A rocket in a street in Senkivka

Many such rockets are scattered all over the village. Experts who've seen images of the rockets have told the BBC that they could have been carrying cluster bombs, banned in other parts of the world for the devastation they cause. Both Russia and Ukraine have been accused of using them.

Even after the withdrawal, Nina does not feel safe.

"It's scary to live like this, but I'm used to my house. Where will I go? I can hear the shelling. I can show you from my yard the Russian checkpoint," she said.

Her home, and others in the village are visible from Russia. Its troops can see what they have been firing at.

For Lidiya Bilousova, it's the second time in her life she saw tanks at her doorstep.

Photo: Lidiya Bilousova
Image caption, Lidiya Bilousova is 91 years old.

Born in 1930, she vividly remembers World War Two and German soldiers coming into their village.

'We'd been warned by our retreating soldiers that they would be coming. So we hid in the trenches with dry bread in cloth bags. At dawn, they were in our streets, with their horses and machinery, crossing our gardens with machine guns. But there was no mass shelling like there is now," she said. "Back in the day, I could run away. Now I'm old. I can't anymore."

"Here's what I'll tell you, there is nothing good about war," Lidiya said. "After the last war [World War Two] what were we left with?"

The shelling frightens her, but she is unwilling to leave the home she's lived in for most of her life.

Map showing Senkivka's close proximity to Belarus and Russia.

Prior to Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014, the three-way border crossing would be opened and a unity festival would be celebrated at the point where the countries meet, where a monument dedicated to the friendship between them called "Three Sisters" still stands.

'It was a beautiful festival. We, the Russians, the Belarusians would celebrate together. People from all over, important dignitaries would all come," she said.

Lidiya's late husband was Belarusian.

"The three countries were friends for years, we visited each other, married each other. Now it's over."

Families and friendships spread across borders have been divided, both in thought and in distance. After 2014, crossing the border became harder for people on all sides. Now, it's impossible.

Photo: Adults from left: Lidiya Bilousova, Anatoliy Bilousova and Mykhaylo Dudko
Image caption, Mykhaylo Dudko (far right), is one of the few remaining people in the village of Senkivka

Mykhaylo Dudko's two brothers, a sister, nephews and nieces live in Russia. He hasn't met his family in years. Now, he's unable to understand them.

"My sister told me it was us who started the war. But we had no such intention. It was Russia which invaded us. I want my family to use their heads, to look at the situation independently," he said.

Nina Malenok said she's stopped talking to her brother who lives in Belarus.

"He says it's America who attacked you, and you blame Russia. He's just five miles away across the border, and he doesn't believe what's really happening," she said. " I want to cross him out of my life because of that."

[DaffyVina]

Analysis
Posted at 7:44
Russian rhetoric ramping up
Jenny Hill
Reporting from Moscow

We've heard overnight from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has repeated what is actually a fairly consistent narrative here - that peace talks are failing or not doing well, and that this is the fault of the Ukrainian side.

But when you look at what is coming out of Moscow, and what Russian people are now being told, the narrative is really ramping up in terms of putting across that this isn't just about Ukraine - the West is wading in and turning this into a full-blown conflict.

Lavrov himself has said this could turn into World War Three.

None of this is shocking or surprising to Russians, who are being prepared for the long haul by Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin media machine.

The fact that Ukrainians will be blamed for any failure in peace talks is simply part and parcel of that narrative.


8:06
Russia trying to intimidate West with WWIII warning - Ukraine minister

Russia "senses" its defeat in Ukraine and is therefore trying to intimidate the West against supporting Kyiv by warning of the threat of World War III breaking out, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has tweeted.

"Russia loses last hope to scare the world off supporting Ukraine. Thus the talk of a 'real' danger of WWIII. This only means Moscow senses defeat in Ukraine.

"Therefore, the world must double down on supporting Ukraine so that we prevail and safeguard European and global security."

Kuleba's tweet, written in English, came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western arms shipments to Ukraine meant Nato was "in essence engaged in war with Russia" and there was "considerable" risk of the conflict escalating.


8:36
Nato provocation claims nonsense, says UK defence minister
Moscow's claims that Western allies could be provoking a wider conflict by supplying Ukraine with weapons have been dismissed as "utter nonsense" by a UK defence minister.

Responding to the suggestion from Russia's foreign minister that the shipments meant Nato was "in essence engaged in war", armed forces minister James Heappey maintained the organisation was not donating arms.

He told Sky News: "Sergei Lavrov might also reflect that the reason there is a war in Ukraine right now is because Russia rolled over the borders of a sovereign country and started to invade their territory.

"All of this noise from Moscow about somehow their attack on Ukraine being a response to Nato aggression is just utter, utter nonsense."


8:51
Russian soldiers blockading Ukraine forces at Azovstal plant
Russian soldiers have continued blocking Ukrainian units at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, Ukraine's Armed Forces have said in a daily update.

The plant is the last part of Mariupol that is not under Russian control.

Here's what else was said in the update:

An ammunition warehouse and a "large number of enemy personnel warehouses" have been reportedly destroyed by Ukrainian soldiers, with an estimated 70 people killed in the attack
Ukraine said it has repelled six enemy attacks in the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk in the past 24 hours.
Russian troops were moving their control points closer to the line of combat in the regions of Donetsk in the east and Tavrian in the south, the update said.
The BBC could not independently verify these claims.


9:05
Legitimate for Ukraine to target supply lines in Russian territory - UK minister
UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has said it is "entirely legitimate" for Ukraine to carry out strikes within Russia to disrupt its supply lines.

He was speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme following warnings from Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about Nato supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Heappey says the West has been very careful about the donation of military aid, saying it was not a "purely Nato endeavour".

Asked about reports that Ukraine has targeted a fuel depot in Russian territory, Heappey continues: "The question is, is it acceptable for our weapons to be used against legitimate Russian military targets by the Ukrainians?

"Firstly, it's Ukrainians that take the targeting decision, not the people who manufacture or export the kit in the first place. And secondly, it is entirely legitimate to go after targets in the depth of your opponents to disrupt their logistics and supply lines."

He adds that it is also "perfectly legitimate for the Russians to be striking targets in western Ukraine to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines. That is very much a part of war".


9:16
Nato and EU defence ministers discuss support for Ukraine
Defence ministers from Nato and European Union countries are meeting in Germany to discuss further military assistance for Ukraine.

The meeting is taking place at the US Air Force base at Ramstein.

On Monday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is chairing the meeting, said Washington wanted to see Russia weakened to the point where it would no longer be capable of an invasion like in Ukraine.

Ahead of the meeting, reports suggested that Germany would pledge to supply anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. The Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported that Germany's defence minister was set to offer the weapons at Tuesday's meeting.

For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking Western allies for more weapons - saying his forces can turn the tide of the war with more firepower.

Nato countries have pledged support including defensive weapons, but western powers have been reluctant to deepen their involvement, for fear of sparking a wider conflict against nuclear-armed Russia.


9:32
Russia claims to have killed around 500 Ukrainian servicemen overnight
The Russian defence ministry claims it killed 500 Ukrainian soldiers overnight after its air force hit 87 military targets in Ukraine.

Two arms depots in the Kharkiv region are said to be among the targets hit.

The ministry also posted a video on their website of reportedly showing a storage and repair base for the Ukrainian armed forces that they claim to have taken.

Military tanks and other vehicles can be seen in the clip.

It is said to contain ammunition, weapons, documentation and other equipment belonging to the Ukrainian military.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.


10:12
Germany ready to send anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine - reports

Among the countries expected to announce an increase in military support for Ukraine at the meeting of Nato and EU defence ministers today is Germany.

According to reports, the German government is set to back sending mobile anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.

The Gepard twin-cannon system has been in service with the German army since the 1970s and is based on the chassis of the Leopard tank.

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht is expected to give details at the meeting of Western defence ministers on Tuesday, at the US Ramstein airbase in Germany.

It is not clear how many will be delivered but it would be the first direct delivery of a German heavy weapon to Ukraine.

The German government has been accused of delaying arms supplies to Ukraine, in contrast with the US, UK and Ukraine’s east European neighbours.

German media say there are also plans to deliver about 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine and some old Leopard battle tanks.

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany is boosting its defence budget this year by €100bn (£84bn; $113bn) - a major policy change.


10:24
Moldova holding security meeting over blasts in breakaway region
Yesterday we brought you reports of several explosions in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, which borders western Ukraine and is backed by Russia.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu is now convening a meeting of the country's Supreme Security Council over the incidents.

The president's press office said the council would meet from 13:00 (10:00 GMT), after which Sandu will hold a press briefing.

Blasts hit the state security ministry in Transnistria on Monday, according to the interior ministry. The building appeared to have been hit with rocket-propelled grenades, but no-one was injured, it said.

Two explosions also hit a radio tower re-broadcasting Russian stations near the Ukrainian border early on Tuesday, the interior ministry said.

The BBC has not been able to verify these reports.

It comes days after a Russian general suggested Moscow wanted to take full control of southern Ukraine, giving Russia access to the separatist region of Moldova which it supports.

The small Russian-speaking area of Transnistria claimed independence after the fall of the Soviet Union but is not recognised internationally and officially remains part of Moldova.


Analysis
Posted at 10:33
Little optimism over today's UN peace talks in Moscow
Jenny Hill
Reporting from Moscow

Few foster any illusions that a great deal will come out of the talks between UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today.

We don't even know how long Putin will speak with Guterres, who has already tried in vain to secure a ceasefire during the weekend just gone, when both Russians and Ukrainians celebrated Orthodox Easter.

But it’s important to recognise that Putin and his Kremlin propaganda machine are preparing Russians for the long haul, accusing the West of deliberately prolonging the conflict by supplying weapons and, in effect, transforming Putin’s "special military operation" into a full-blown war.

Putin - for whom Ukraine is the enemy, but the West is the real villain - is defiant, unrepentant, and seems absolutely convinced he's in the right. He appears to be determined to continue in his mission.

It's likely today’s talks will focus on the southern port city of Mariupol and the potential for humanitarian corridors for civilians - particularly those sheltering in the besieged Azovstal steel plant.

But given Russia's continued aggression and its belligerent tone, there is little optimism that we'll see any significant developments today.


10:41
UN secretary general in Moscow to meet Putin and Lavrov

United Nations' Secretary General Antonio Guterres is in Moscow for meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Guterres is currently meeting Lavrov and the pair are scheduled to hold a press conference at 11:30 BST (10:30 GMT).

Guterres will then meet Putin.

Talks are expected to focus on humanitarian corridors out of the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Yesterday, Russia's first deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyanski, said he saw no point in a ceasefire in Ukraine.

We'll bring you updates from those meetings in Moscow when we get them.