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18:06 29 Apr
Captured aid workers not a threat, Russia told

More now on the British aid workers Paul Urey and Dylan Healey, who are believed to have been captured by the Russian military.

The non-profit aid organisation the pair were in touch with is stressing they are "just humanitarian workers who got caught in a bad situation".

The Presidium Network says the men were mostly helping with the distribution of medical supplies and evacuations.

Dominik Byrne, one the founders, said: "We need to put pressure on the [UK] government to take this case seriously...

"But also because I know diplomatic channels are completely broken down, we use these tactics to find people by having it very public and putting pressure publicly on Russia to determine that they have got these two people and that they're safe and well."

He added: "We want to tell the Russians basically that these aren't spies. These aren't military people."

18:36 29 Apr
Ukraine given $93.5m humanitarian grant from World Bank

Ukraine has received an 88.5 million euro ($93.54m, £74.46m) grant from the World Bank, according to the Reuters news agency, citing the country’s finance ministry.

In a statement, the ministry says the grants will be used for social, humanitarian and healthcare needs as well as to support people who’ve been internally displaced in the country.

It says it expects to receive an additional 495 million euros in grants from the World Bank Trust Fund.

8:52 29 Apr
Russia behind schedule in Donbas campaign - Pentagon

The Russian campaign to seize control of the Donbas region is behind schedule and moving slowly, a senior US defence official has said.

Fierce resistance from Ukrainian troops and caution after Russia's failure to capture Kyiv has led to "slow and uneven progress" in the region, the Pentagon believes.

The official said Russian troops are wary of getting ahead of their supply lines, adding: "We believe that essentially what they're doing is continuing to set conditions for a sustained and larger and longer offensive."

The Pentagon believes the Russians "are at least several days behind where they wanted to be," the official said.

Moscow has 92 battalion tactical groups in the east and south of Ukraine now, with more poised on the Russian side of the border, according to the US department of defence.

But those groups are not necessarily full-strength after significant setbacks in the first weeks of the invasion, the official said.

19:32 29 Apr
BBC counts names of 1,899 Russian dead
Another indication now on Russian casualty figures.

The BBC's Russian service has been compiling a list of names of personnel whose deaths in Ukraine have been officially confirmed.

There are now 1,899 names on that list.

About 20% of the dead were airborne forces, and most of the dead came from deprived regions of Russia.

The BBC counted names given by regional authorities, local media and educational institutions announcing the deaths of former students.

The last time the Kremlin gave its own consolidated total was on 25 March, when 1,351 servicemen deaths were reported.

Ukrainian officials claim the true numbers are far higher. An aide to President Zelensky earlier called the figures "colossal".

But he also acknowledged his own country had taken serious losses.

19:51 29 Apr
Putin visiting depraved brutality on innocent people - Pentagon

The US has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "depravity and brutality" in his invasion of Ukraine.

Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said: "It's brutality of the coldest and the most depraved sort," Reuters news agency reported.

He told reporters. "I don't think we fully appreciated the degree to which he would visit that kind of violence and cruelty and as I said depravity, on innocent people, on non-combatants, on civilians, with such utter disregard for the lives he was taking."

He said it was hard to look at what Putin is doing in Ukraine and "think any ethical, moral individual could justify that".

20:02 29 Apr
Russia does not consider itself to be at war with Nato - Lavrov

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said his country does not consider itself to be at war with Nato, according to state news agency Ria.

He says such a development would increase the risk of nuclear war, which cannot be allowed, Ria reports.

Lavrov has also said Russia is not threatening anyone with nuclear war, but accuses Western nations of doing so.

The foreign minister blames stalled peace talks with Ukraine on what he calls Kyiv's desire to "constantly play games", Ria reports.

20:18 29 Apr
Moldovans should be worried about their future, says Russia's Lavrov

More now on Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov's latest comments.

Lavrov has said "Moldovans should be worried about their future, they are being dragged into Nato", Russian state news network Ria reports.

Mysterious explosions in Transnistria, a breakaway Russian-backed territory in Moldova bordering Ukraine, raised fears earlier this week about the conflict spreading.

A map showing Transnistria's location in eastern Moldova

Moldova borders western Ukraine and is also not in Nato or the EUImage caption: Moldova borders western Ukraine and is also not in Nato or the EU

Lavrov also says most of Russia's key partners have agreed to use Moscow's proposed payment methods for natural gas, state-run Tass news agency reports.

Russia earlier this week said it's no longer supplying gas to Poland and Bulgaria after the countries refused to pay for their supplies in roubles.

The EU has said it considers the move to be a form of blackmail.

20:32 29 Apr
Let him come home to a boring life, says captured aid worker's mother
Video content
Video caption: Paul Urey's mother sends message to those holding UK aid workerPaul Urey's mother sends message to those holding UK aid worker

More now on the UK aid workers captured by Russia in Ukraine.

Paul Urey is one of the captives, said to have been detained at a Russian checkpoint in southern Ukraine on Monday.

His mother, Linda, spoke to the BBC about her concerns for her son's welfare.

She says she's worried about his health because he has type 1 diabetes, saying he will have taken insulin with him but thinks his supply will only last for so long.

Before leaving the UK, Paul told his mother he could not sit there and "watch people dying". He has been working as a volunteer for the Presidium Network non-governmental organisation in Ukraine.

The last time she spoke to her son she says he was in a good mood and looking for petrol. He said he was going to "save a woman and her two children".

Speaking directly to those holding him, she said: "Please let him come home to me, to his kids, to his dog... so he can come back to a boring life."

[DaffyVina]

20:46 29 Apr
Zelensky ready to meet Putin despite Russian atrocities
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told Polish media he's still ready to speak to Vladimir Putin despite Russian atrocities in Bucha, Mariupol and other places.

Zelensky says he wants to meet President Putin because "a single man decides everything" in Russia.

He also said the risk of talks falling apart are high because of Russia's actions in the areas of Ukraine its forces have occupied.

"After Bucha and Mariupol people just want to kill them. When there is such attitude, it is hard to talk about anything," Zelensky said.

He went on to say he's with his people "in heart and soul" but "if there's a single chance, we should talk".

21:02 29 Apr
Mass grave with 900 bodies found in Kyiv region - Zelensky

Another mass grave containing 900 bodies has been found in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

In an interview with Polish media outlets, he accused Russian troops of "clearing the tracks" and using mobile crematoriums to burn the corpses.

"Nobody knows how many people died in total. There will be consequences, there will be an investigation," Zelensky said.

He provided no further details.

Ukraine earlier accused Russian troops of killing hundreds of civilians in Bucha, Borodyanka and Irpin - the towns near the capital Kyiv which were for weeks occupied by Russia.

Moscow rejects the allegations.

21:15 29 Apr
Why are Ukrainians calling Russians 'orcs'?
James FitzGerald

Throughout the war, ordinary Ukrainians and officials have been likening Russian troops to mythical monsters popularised by JRR Tolkien’s book The Lord of the Rings.

The creatures in question are orcs.

Just yesterday, two Russian spies were arrested in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region; the governor calling them "orcs" who were hatching a "treacherous plan".

In Tolkien's fantasy, orcs are seen as "brutal, aggressive and chaotic" says Ostap Slyvynsky, an associate professor at Lviv University who specialises in the literature of east-central Europe.

Some Ukrainians call Russia itself "Mordor" – alluding to a dark land in Tolkien’s work.

"I think people use these images to make clear a distinction between good and evil, and create a metaphor of what is going on in the real world," Slyvynsky explains.

"The terms are very emotionally loaded, of course."

As both a book and a film series directed by Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings has long been a popular work in Ukraine.

Slyvynsky says the fantasy has fed into the language of war since 2014 - when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed separatists seized parts of the eastern Donbas region.

Two years later, Google fixed a bug which reportedly saw its translation tool turn the term "Russian Federation" into "Mordor" when a Ukrainian-to-Russian conversion was selected. It was widely speculated that this was the result of a hack.

Some Russians are thought to be adopting the term "orc" as a badge of honour, Slyvynsky says. In return, Ukrainians are being labelled "elves" – another Tolkien allusion – because Russians believe those fictional beings embody "softness and a lack of male power".

Slyvynsky says many Ukrainians have tried to see difficult events with "a huge dose of humour", and the use of colourful language is all part of that.

"These terms are kind of euphemisms," he says. "It is better to call Russians 'orcs' than more vulgar words."

21:29 29 Apr
Poland offers to protect Slovak airspace

Rob Cameron
Reporting from Prague

Slovakia's defence minister Jaroslav Nad says neighbouring Poland is ready to guard Slovak airspace if the country decides to ground its fleet of aging Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets.

His Polish counterpart said Poland's F-16s could provide protection from bases inside Poland.

Polish jets already help to protect the Baltic states as part of Nato's air policing operations.
But the timing of this announcement - following a meeting of the two ministers in Bratislava - is significant.
It was not explicitly stated, but it suggests there are serious moves afoot to send some of Slovakia's MiGs to Ukraine.
To be fair, Slovakia has been looking for some time at ways to protect its airspace until an order of new F-16 fighters arrives from the US.

On paper Slovakia has a total of 12 MiG-29s, based at Sliac air base in Central Slovakia.
However, there have long been questions over their airworthiness.

In 2018, Bratislava signed a deal with Washington to buy some 18 F-16 fighter jets to replace them, but the global chip shortage has pushed back delivery from 2023 to 2024.

Analysts say Slovakia could either send airworthy planes or aircraft that could be cannibalised by Ukraine for spare parts.

Ukrainian pilots already fly the Soviet-era aircraft, but the Slovak MiGs reportedly contain Nato systems they may not be familiar with, and which would need to be removed to avoid falling into the hands of Russia.

An added complication is the jets are only kept in the air by a team of Russian technicians, who are - it is claimed - still based at Sliac, despite the war.

22:17 29 Apr
Russia attempts to trade civilians for military prisoners - Ukraine
Joel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv

Moscow has attempted to trade Ukrainian civilians for Russian military prisoners, according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister - a move forbidden by the Geneva Convention.

Iryna Vereshchuk told the BBC that her office, which is responsible for negotiating prisoner swaps, declined and instructed Russia to send back Ukrainian civilians it had taken.

There is growing evidence that Russia has forcibly deported large numbers of civilians across the border since it invaded the country in February.

Ms Vereshchuk said they were being used as hostages.“That's why they captured all these hostages - civilians, women, employees of local councils, to try and use them," she said.

“We know there are more than a thousand hostages there - including almost 500 women,” she said. “We know they are in prisons and pre-trial detention centres in Kursk, in Briansk, in Riazan, in Rostov."

She said Russia had also dragged its feet in sending back women civilians. “We are extracting women almost with pliers,” she said. “Now we refuse to hold an exchange with no women in the list. That is how we try to somehow rescue our women and civilians.”

In the most recent exchange, nine civilians were sent back with severe injuries, including amputations performed in Russia.

“There were badly injured people in this exchange - amputated limbs, sepsis, other severe injuries," Ms Vereshchuk said.

“There were clear signs of torture," she said. "The stories they told us are terrible."

22:46 29 Apr
Ukraine president misspoke on mass grave - spokesman

Earlier on we reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had told Polish media that a mass grave containing 900 bodies had been found in the Kyiv region.

But his spokesman, Serhiy Nikiforov, now says that - although a new mass grave was indeed discovered on Friday - the president misspoke, and was in fact referring to the total number of bodies found so far in mass graves near the town of Bucha, Ukraine's Unian news agency reports.

23:13 29 Apr
Biden's $33bn aid deal hits congressional roadblock
US lawmakers hope to approve President Joe Biden's request for a whopping $33bn (£27bn) in aid for Ukraine "as soon as possible", top Democrat Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Friday.

It comes as the legislation hits its first roadblocks in Washington, despite overwhelming support for Ukraine.
Democrats want the money to be tied to a deal approving some $10bn in domestic Covid relief funding.

Some Republicans want to tie the money to language that would prevent Biden from lifting a pandemic-related immigration order that drastically reduced the number of asylum seekers entering the US.

Pelosi, the powerful Speaker of the House of Representatives, says officials will need to "come to terms" with how to address both issues.
"We have emergencies here. We need to have the Covid money and time is of the essence because we need the Ukraine money, we need the Covid money, so I would hope that we can do that," Pelosi said.

23:27 29 Apr
It cannot be 'business as usual' with Putin for G20, says US
The US says the world cannot deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin as it has before, after Indonesia invited him - as well as Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky - to the G20 summit in November.

President Joe Biden "has expressed publicly his opposition" to Putin attending while the US has "welcomed the Ukrainians attending", White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

She indicated that the invitation to Russia to attend the summit on the island of Bali came before Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Separately, US state department spokeswoman Jalina Porter said it could not be "business as usual" with Russia on the international stage.

She did not say whether the US would still attend the summit.

Unlike Ukraine, Russia is a member of the G20, which is made up of the world's largest economies.

23:44 29 Apr
Emotional Pentagon spokesman lashes Putin

The US defence department's spokesman has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "depravity" in his invasion of Ukraine.

Apparently becoming emotional, John Kirby paused to collect himself during his remarks.

23:48 29 Apr
As rape reports rise, contraception pills delivered
A volunteer delivers supplies to mothers in Lviv, Ukraine in March
Copyright: Getty Images

Charities are working to deliver emergency contraception to Ukrainian hospitals amid rising reports of rape.

Nearly 3,000 packets of morning-after pills have been sent to areas of the country most affected by the Russian invasion.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation has provided the pills.

Caroline Hickson, from the group, says: "If you have been a victim of gender-based violence it's important you can take it as soon as possible, because being pregnant as a result of rape is incredibly traumatic."

The organisation has also been sending medical abortion pills, which can be used up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

[DaffyVina]

0:02 30 Apr
Zelensky thanks UK ambassador for returning to Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the UK's ambassador for returning to Kyiv on Friday.

Zelensky also thanked the other 27 foreign diplomatic missions currently operating in the capital, saying it is "an extremely important gesture of support for Ukraine".

"Such gestures, together with strong defensive, financial and political support from the free world, mean that the need to end the war is becoming more and more obvious to Russia," he said.

"The defeat of the occupiers is unalterable."

He added that Russians in the occupied city of Kherson are preparing to transition the local monetary system there to Russian roubles and also praised a Ukrainian journalist who died when a missile struck her building on Thursday.

Zelensky also thanked the US Congress for passing a bill that allows the American president to lend or lease military equipment to Ukraine.

Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 is named after the World War II programme that saw the US send weapons to the UK and allied nations. The legislation overwhelmingly passed Congress this month, and is now awaiting President's Biden's signature.

Zelensky said the lend-lease programme "will be very helpful in the fight against Russia," adding that it "helped a lot in the fight against the Nazis during World War II".

8:34 30 Apr
Welcome back to our live coverage
We're resuming our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here's a round-up of the latest developments:

• Russia still faces considerable challenges and has been forced to merge and redeploy depleted and disparate units from the failed advances in north-east Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence says

• Fighting continues in the Donbas region in the east. But the Russian campaign to seize it is behind schedule and moving slowly, a senior US defence official has said

• The Pentagon has accused the Russian president of "depravity and brutality" in his invasion of Ukraine

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the chances of peace talks ending are "high" because of Russia's "playbook on murdering people", Interfax reports

• More than a million people have been "evacuated" from Ukraine to Russia since the invasion began, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says

• Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of deporting people against their will – and using them as hostages

• Russia has attempted to exchange Ukrainian civilians for captured Russian soldiers in violation of the Geneva Convention, according to Ukraine's deputy prime minister

8:54 30 Apr
Russia redeploying depleted units in Donbas - UK defence ministry
We have been reporting in recent days on increased fighting in the eastern region of the Donbas, which is made up of Donetsk and Luhansk. Part of it was controlled by Russian-backed separatists before the invasion began, and Russia has said it aims to to take control of the whole region.

But the UK Ministry of Defence's latest intelligence report says Russian forces still face "considerable challenges".
"Russia has been forced to merge and redeploy depleted and disparate units from the failed advances in north-east Ukraine", it says, and "many of these units are likely suffering from weakened morale".

"Russia hopes to rectify issues that have previously constrained its invasion by geographically concentrating combat power, shortening supply lines and simplifying command and control," the MOD says.
But it adds that Russian forces still faces "shortcomings in tactical co-ordination", a "lack of unit-level skills" and "inconsistent air support".


10:39 30 Apr
Russia trying to destroy all life in Donbas - Zelensky
Russia is doing everything it can to destroy "any life" in the Donbas region in the east, Ukraine's president has said.

In his nightly address, Volodomyr Zelensky accused Russia of constant strikes at infrastructure and residential areas that "show that Russia wants to make this area uninhabited".

He also spoke about the rocket attacks on Kyiv during the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's visit this week.

"Unfortunately, the brutal humiliation of the United Nations by Russia was left without a powerful response," he said.

Separately, he also told Polish media that the chances of peace talks collapsing are "high" because of Russia's "playbook on murdering people".

However he said he was still ready to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin because "a single man decides everything" in Russia.

10:59 30 Apr
What's happening on the ground?
Map of south and east of Ukraine

Ukraine's military says it has been continuing to repulse attempts by Russian forces to advance in parts of the eastern Donbas region, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

It said fighting was continuing as Russia was trying to complete the capture of two towns in Luhansk - Rubizhne and Popasna.

Ukraine's army also says Russia is bringing in reinforcements to the area around the city of Izyum - a key battleground in the Kharkiv region n the north-east of the country.

Russia meanwhile says it hit several Ukrainian military sites in missile strikes overnight, including depots for ammunition and fuel.

11:46 30 Apr
Hospital and apartments hit overnight in Kharkiv - emergency services
Damaged building in Kharkiv
Copyright: Ukraine State Emergency Services

A hospital and residential areas in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv were hit in overnight shelling, Ukraine's State Emergency Services say.

As a result, apartments in two nine-storey apartment buildings were set on fire, and a man who owned one of the apartments was injured and taken to hospital, they say.

Concrete structures and window frames were damaged in the hospital, and a fire broke out on the 5th floor but there were no casualties.

The BBC has not been able to confirm this independently.

12:01 30 Apr
Ukraine accuses Russia of stealing grain
Ukraine's deputy agriculture minister has accused Russia of stealing several hundred thousand tonnes of grain from territory its forces occupy.
Taras Vysotskyi, speaking on Ukrainian national TV, said he feared Russia might steal most of the 1.5m tonnes of grain in areas now under its control.

Russia has not commented on the allegation, but its military has inflicted huge economic losses.
Russia’s widespread shelling and its blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports have disrupted grain production, raising international concern about soaring food prices. Ukraine is one of the world’s top exporters of grain and vegetable oils. It has been nicknamed Europe’s “bread basket”.

Vysotskyi has assured Ukrainians however that they will not suffer food shortages because of the disruption.
A cargo ship carrying over 71,000 tonnes of Ukrainian corn left the Romanian port of Constanta on Thursday - the first since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
Constanta is handling Ukrainian exports in a Romanian gesture of solidarity, as the Russian navy is blockading Odesa, Ukraine’s main export hub.

Grain is a hugely sensitive issue in Ukraine, where many families have bitter memories of the 1930s famine (“Holodomor”), caused by Soviet deportations of richer peasants (“kulaks”) and seizure of farms.

13:15 30 Apr
Two evacuation buses have gone missing - military official

Andrew Harding
Reporting from the Donbas

Two buses sent to rescue civilians from a Ukrainian town under heavy attack by Russian forces are reported to have gone missing.

A military official from Popasna, in the Donbas region, said one of the two buses, driven by volunteers, had come under fire inside the small town.

Mikola Khanatov said there was no news about the second vehicle - a school bus driven by a local history teacher.

One of the volunteers, Galina Kroshka, said three buses had been sent to Popasna on Friday to help with the evacuation of hundreds of civilians.

Two buses failed to return to the town of Bakhmut. Earlier in the day 31 civilians had been brought to safety.

“We’re very worried. Our buses didn’t come back, and we’ve had no contact with them since yesterday. We can’t go to Popasna ourselves until the situation is clearer,” said Galina, who, with her husband, has been ferrying civilians, and humanitarian aid, between the towns for several weeks.

Popasna has been fiercely contested in recent weeks, but there are reports that Russian forces now control almost the entire town.

13:49 30 Apr
Russia repels Ukrainian plane entering its air space - governor

Two shells hit an oil refinery in a region bordering Ukraine when Russian air defence units repelled a Ukrainian warplane attempting to enter Russian airspace, the Bryansk regional governor has said.

Alexander Bogomaz said the blast wave from the incident damaged parts of the oil terminal but there were no casualties.

It was not clear from his post on Telegram whether the blasts were a result of Russian air defence fire or came from missiles fired from the Ukrainian military plane.

Earlier this week, the governors of both Bryansk and the neighbouring Kursk region said that two border checkpoints were shelled "from Ukraine".

The BBC is unable to verify this information independently.

14:09 30 Apr
France promises to increase military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine

President Emmanuel Macron says France will step up military and humanitarian support to Ukraine, following a conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky.

Macron also reiterated his "strong concern" over Russia's bombing of Ukrainian cities and the "unbearable situation" in the southern port city of Mariupol.

The US, France and other allies have provided Kyiv with hundreds of long-range artillery pieces to help it counter Moscow's offensive in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

The French presidency also says aid to Ukraine amounts to "more than 615 tonnes of equipment, including medical equipment, generators for hospitals, food aid, shelter aid and emergency vehicles".

14:39 30 Apr
It seems there’s been a concerted effort to take out Ukraine’s petrol stations
Joe Inwood
Reporting on the road to Lviv

The wreckage of a petrol stations near Kyiv
Copyright: BBC

It’s lucky our drivers filled up before we left Kyiv.

We are heading west, and the road is dotted with scenes of absolute devastation, sites of missile strikes. A disproportionately high number of them are petrol stations.

We’ve already passed dozens of burned out buildings, their roofs mangled metal, the gas tanks twisted shells. It doesn’t feel random.

There are other buildings that have been targeted, but in general it seems there’s been a concerted effort to take out Ukraine’s petrol stations.

There have also been strikes on refineries and other infrastructure, as well as a sea blockade. The cumulative effect is starting to bite.

It’s something President Zelensky addressed directly when he spoke to the Ukrainian people yesterday. He said they would solve the problem, but admitted “queues and rising prices at gas stations are seen in many regions of our country”.

That too was evident on our drive west. Any petrol station that wasn’t destroyed or shut had a huge line of cars outside.

It’s just another example of the impact it is having on ordinary people, even far from the front lines.


15:09 30 Apr
WATCH: National Guard says video shows strikes on Russian convoy

Ukraine's national guard has released footage appearing to show strikes being carried out against a Russian armoured military convoy near Izyum in eastern Ukraine.

The video shows what the Ukraine National Guard said were tanks and armoured personnel carriers being hit.

The BBC has verified the location of the footage but not the details of the incident.

[DaffyVina]

15:44 30 Apr
Bodies of three men found in a pit near Bucha - Ukrainian police

The bodies of three men have been found in a pit near Bucha, Ukrainian police have said.

The bodies were found on Friday in the town close to Kyiv that has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes.

"The victims' hands were tied, cloths were covering their eyes and some were gagged. There are traces of torture on the corpses," Kyiv regional police said in a statement.

The BBC has not been able to confirm this independently.

Moscow has denied any crimes were committed in Bucha, which was under the control of the 64th motorised infantry brigade for more than a month at the start of the war.

Ukraine has launched a hunt for 10 Russian soldiers accused of war crimes in Bucha.

Read about that here.
Ukraine launches hunt for Russian soldiers accused of Bucha war crimes

By Flora Drury
BBC News
Published 2 days ago

Forensic technicians carry pull the body of a civilian who Ukrainian officials say was killed during Russia's invasion, then buried and exhumed from a mass grave in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv
Image source, Reuters
Image caption, Mass graves were discovered in Bucha after Russian troops left

Ukraine has launched a hunt for 10 Russian soldiers accused of war crimes in Bucha - the town outside of the capital Kyiv where civilians were tortured, raped and murdered.

The Ministry of Defence - which shared pictures of the soldiers - described them as "the despicable 10".
Prosecutors say they are being investigated for "premeditated murder".

They are also accused of holding innocent civilians hostage, beating them and looting homes.

Moscow has denied any crimes were committed in Bucha, which was under the control of the 64th motorised infantry brigade for more than a month at the start of the war.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin gave the brigade an honorary title - recognising what he says was "mass heroism and valour, tenacity and courage" - on its return home.

But in the time the brigade controlled Bucha, hundreds were killed. A mass grave was discovered at the church after the town's liberation, while bodies had been left lining the streets where they fell. Thousands of war crimes were documented by investigators.

One of those who survived, Vitaliy Zhyvotovskyi, recalled the screams he heard to news agency AFP.
"We had no hope," he said, remembering how they used to tremble "not because of the cold, but due to fear because we could hear what the Russians did to the captives".

On Thursday, Ukraine's prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova announced they had identified the 10 suspects in particular, sharing pictures of the young men.
In a Facebook post, she explained they "are suspected of cruel treatment of civilians and other violations of laws and customs of war".
"The suspects will be declared wanted in order to detain them and bring them to justice," the statement added, appealing for any other information.

Will they ever face trial?

Stephen Wilkinson, the manager of the Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre in Sweden, points out that the chance of a successful prosecution is quite low if they are in Russia.

However, the 64th motorised infantry brigade is now back Ukraine, having moved east to Izium - on the frontline of the battle for the Donbas region. According to reports, it has suffered heavy losses.
If the 10 are still with the brigade - and still alive - it is not impossible they will be found and tried.

Indeed, back in 2014, Ukraine successfully prosecuted two Russian soldiers for "terrorism" after they were captured in the east. They were later handed back to Russia in a prisoner exchange.

"Domestic prosecutions are often the best and quickest way," Mr Wilkinson adds, despite the focus on international mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

The fact they are "foot soldiers" rather than commanders may also make prosecution easier, Mr Wilkinson says - although "that doesn't remove the need to look into criminal responsibility of the commanders".

Media caption, Watch: UN chief stands outside destroyed buildings near Kyiv, calling the war "an absurdity in the 21st century"

However, there are elements of the Ukrainians fight for justice which have raised some cause for concern for Mr Wilkinson. In particular, the way the photos have been distributed online.

"Even if you know there is strong evidence, the law states innocent until proven guilty. What about a free and fair trial? There is a lot of emotion behind this. I would say it puts it at risk, although doesn't fundamentally undermine it."

It has also emerged that an earlier list of the brigade released by Ukrainian authorities may have included a number of names of people from Tajikistan who were no longer serving in the unit.

"It is not known how many Tajiks in the brigade were in Ukraine, but eight Tajiks, whose names were mentioned in the list, and their relatives claim that they were not there," Radio Liberty's Tajik Service Ozodi said.

None of the names mentioned match the list released on Thursday.

[DaffyVina]

16:32 30 Apr
People stranded in steel plant 'between life and death' - Mariupol mayor
Hugo Bachega
Reporting from Dnipro

Efforts continue to organise the safe evacuation of thousands of civilians who remain in the city of Mariupol, which could include people trapped at the sprawling Azovstal steel plant.

The site, completely surrounded by Russian troops, is the last pocket of refuge for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. They are sheltering in the plant’s vast network of underground shelters and tunnels while food supplies quickly run out.

Mariupol’s mayor, Vadym Boychenko, told the BBC that people there were “on the borderline between life and death”. “[People] are waiting, they are praying for a rescue… It’s difficult to say how many days or hours we have to save their lives.”

Boychenko, who is no longer in the city, said there were about 1,000 civilians at the plant “begging to be evacuated”, and that 600 of them had been injured. Some of them, the mayor said, had been there since the first days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February.

Mariupol has been almost totally destroyed in the war, and the remaining residents have no electricity, water or heating. With the phone network inoperative in most of the city, it is hard to independently verify information or videos that circulate online.

Footage posted by the Azov Battalion, originally a far-right group that was later incorporated into the country’s National Guard, showed women and children in crowded rooms and corridors. In one of them, a girl said she had left her house with her mother and grandmother on 27 February. Since then, she said, they had not seen the sky or the sun.

“People stuck there have almost no chance to save their lives,” the mayor said. “They have no opportunity to breathe fresh air. They entered bomb shelters and are waiting for their lives to be saved.”

17:13 30 Apr
Russia preparing to increase military action in east - Ukrainian defence ministry

Russian troops are gradually increasing the intensity of their offensive in eastern Ukraine, a spokesman for the Ukrainian defence ministry has said.

Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said in a briefing there were "signs that the aggressor is preparing for an even bigger activation of military actions".

"We are seeing signs that Russia is also building up its grouping in the eastern operating zone... and is now increasing its desire to seize as much Ukrainian territory as possible," he said.

Motuzyanyk said Russia was continuing air strikes on the southern port city of Mariupol.

"The main efforts of the occupants are concentrated on blocking our units near the Azovstal plant, he said, though some troops were being redeployed further east, he said.

Motuzyanyk accused Russian troops of forcibly taking residents from the Kharkiv region to the Russian Federation.

Earlier, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said more than a million people had been "evacuated" from Ukraine to Russia since the invasion began.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of deporting people against their will – and using them as hostages.

17:50 30 Apr
Odesa airport hit by missile attack
Caroline Davies
BBC News, Odesa

Three loud explosions were heard across Odesa late this afternoon, emanating from the south west of the city. Images on social media show smoke rising on the horizon.

Shortly after, the head of the press centre for the southern defence forces put a message on social media saying that the runway of Odesa airport had been damaged as a result of the missile attack and its further use was impossible.

Ukrainian air space has been closed to commercial flights since 24 February.

20:06 30 Apr
Twenty civilians leave besieged Azovstal steel plant

Ukrainian fighters besieged by Russian forces inside Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant have confirmed that a group of civilians have been able to leave the site.

The deputy commander of Ukraine's Azov battalion, Sviatoslav Palamar, said the group of 20 - including women and children - had been transferred to a "suitable place".

Earlier, Russian state media said 25 people had been evacuated. It is not clear where they have been taken to.

Moscow has been under intense international pressure to allow civilians to leave.

Hundreds are thought to be sheltering in the plant - the last place controlled by Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol. Moscow has demanded they surrender. Ukraine's military says Russian airstrikes have continued.


20:29 30 Apr
Risks of nuclear war should be minimised - Russia
The Russian foreign ministry's head of nuclear non-proliferation has said nuclear war should never be unleashed, and that Russia is clearly following understandings between nuclear powers to prevent it.

Vladimir Yermakov has told the Russian Tass news agency that the risks of nuclear war "must be minimised, in particular, by preventing any armed conflict between nuclear powers".

He cited an agreement

pledging to seek to avoid nuclear war, reached in January by the US, Russia, China, France and the UK.

But he said the Western nuclear "troika" [the US, UK and France] were "slipping into other positions", as was Nato in "positioning itself as a nuclear alliance".

"Such 'balancing on the brink' is fraught with the most serious consequences," he said.

Yermakov also said dialogue on strategic stability with the US was currently "frozen on the American side".

Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West not to underestimate the risks of nuclear conflict.

But yesterday a senior US defence official said the US does not believe there is a threat of Russia using nuclear weapons.

20:44 30 Apr
Taking missiles out of suburban living rooms
Video content
Video caption: Clearing bombs with their hands: The bomb disposal unit saving a city.

Less than 20 miles from the front lines is the city of Mykolaiv. On the Black Sea coast, it stands between the Russian army and Odesa.

The city’s being shelled almost daily. But the attacks themselves aren’t the only threat because the pieces of artillery left behind can be just as fatal.

The BBC followed the city’s bomb disposal unit around the city.

[DaffyVina]

8:26
Hope for more evacuations from Mariupol steelworks

Hugo Bachega
Reporting from Dnipro

Efforts are under way to secure the safe evacuation of more people trapped in the sprawling Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

Sviatoslav Palamar, the deputy commander of the Azov regiment at the plant, said in a video on Telegram on Saturday that a group of about 20 women and children had managed to leave amid a local ceasefire.

“We’re getting civilians out of the rubble [within the plant] with ropes – it’s the elderly, women and children,” he said. He hoped the people would be taken to the city of Zaporizhzhia, where an evacuation centre has been set up for civilians fleeing the fighting.

The site, completely surrounded by Russian troops, is the last pocket of refuge for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, who are sheltering in a vast network of underground shelters and tunnels as food and water supplies run out.

UN-backed talks have been happening in recent days after several failed attempts to create safe corridors, with Ukraine blaming Russia for continued shelling.

The mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, told the BBC an estimated 1,000 civilians remained at the steel plant, and that 600 of them were injured. Ukrainian officials have not said how many fighters are there.


8:57
US Speaker Pelosi meets Zelensky in Kyiv
Nancy Pelosi meeting President Zelensky in Kyiv, 1 May 22
Copyright: @ZelenskyyUa
Image caption: Nancy Pelosi meeting President Zelensky in Kyiv

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made a surprise visit to Kyiv and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In a tweet with a video clip showing Pelosi in the streets of the Ukrainian capital

, President Zelensky said “the United States is the leader in strong support for Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression”.

“Thank you for helping to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state!”

Pelosi was accompanied by fellow senior Democrat Adam Schiff and three other Congressmen. She is yet to comment on the visit.

A visit to Kyiv by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin last weekend was only officially confirmed by the White House after they had left the country.


9:17
Russia seeking long-term influence in Kherson, says UK military

In its latest daily briefing, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) says Russia is intent on exerting "strong political and economic influence" in Kherson.

The southern Ukrainian city was captured by Russian forces in early March, and will help Russia to improve its control over Crimea, along with its military push to the north and west, the MoD said in a tweet.

From today, in an effort to strengthen its control of the region, Russia is introducing a four-month currency transition from the Ukrainian hryvnia to the Russian rouble.

9:40
'Better to survive in Russia than perish on our soil' - Zelensky tells Russian soldiers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is trying to ramp up pressure on Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region.

In his nightly video address on Saturday evening he said they are "gathering additional forces for new attacks there" but he had a defiant message which he addressed directly to Russian soldiers.

"It is better for you to survive in Russia than to perish on our soil," he said.

“We know that the Russian command is preparing for new big losses. In those units, whose personnel was weakened in March-April, new people are being recruited with little motivation, little combat experience,” he said.

"Every Russian soldier can save his own life,” he said.

Zelensky said Ukraine was doing "everything" to ensure a mission is carried out to evacuate hundreds of stranded civilians and fighters from the southern city of Mariupol.

He said Ukraine was working with partners to increase sanctions on Moscow and expects to see a decision on further oil restrictions "in the near future".

He said the destroyed runway at Odesa airport would be rebuilt and pledged that Russian-occupied cities, including Kherson, Melitopol and Berdyansk would be liberated.

9:56
Russia: 46 civilians have left Mariupol steelworks area

Two groups of civilians left residential buildings near the Azovstal steelworks in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Saturday, the Russian defence ministry has said.

Twenty-five people came out in the afternoon, as has been reported, but a further 21 left after dark, it said in a post on Telegram.

They have received food, accommodation and medical care, it said.

The BBC has not been able to confirm this independently. The Ukrainian government has not commented.

The mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, says an estimated 1,000 civilians remained at the steel plant and some people there are “on the borderline between life and death”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to seal off the plant, trapping the last remaining Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, as part of an attack that has razed the city and killed thousands of civilians.

10:17
Counter-attacks push Russians back around Kharkiv - Ukrainian military
People walk at a damaged area inside a burning plant, following Russian shelling, Kharkiv, Ukraine 30 April
Copyright: Reuters
Image caption: Air and artillery strikes on Kharkiv continued on Saturday, the Institute for War Studies said

The Ukrainian military said on Saturday it had recaptured four settlements to the north and east of the eastern city of Kharkiv - Upper Roganka, Ruska Lozova, Slobidske and Prelesne.

The Institute for War Studies says this has been part a series of successful counter-attacks

out of the city in recent days.

Ukrainian forces have "recaptured a ring of suburbs north and east of the city" which it says may alleviate pressure on residential areas of the city that have faced intensive Russian shelling.

It also says these counter-attacks may force Russia to redeploy units which had been intended for operation in the region around Izyum to the south-east.

"Russian forces appear increasingly unlikely to achieve any major advances in eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces may be able to conduct wider counter-attacks in the coming days," the ISW assessment says.


10:31 Post update
US Speaker Nancy Pelosi says her delegation had the “great honour to meet with the President of Ukraine yesterday.”

She says the discussions centred around “security, humanitarian assistance and economic assistance and eventually rebuilding when victory is won.”

Pelosi says she was proud to convey “a message of unity from the Congress of the United States, a message of appreciation from the American people for his leadership and admiration to the people of Ukraine for their courage.”

She adds: “It is with great sorrow that we come here, but with great pride we leave with a firmer understanding… of what needs to be done.”

10:59
Do not be bullied by bullies - Pelosi

US Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked by a journalist about where the US draws the line in terms of rhetoric and supplying weapons without "provoking something far worse".

She replies: "Let me just speak for myself. Do not be bullied by bullies. If they're making threats you cannot back down. We're there for the fight, and you cannot fold to a bully."

11:09
Mariupol evacuations a glimmer of hope - Ukrainian adviser

More now on the evacuation of a small group of civilians from the Azovstal industrial complex in Mariupol - an adviser to the Ukrainian minister of defence has told the BBC it is a "glimmer of hope".

Yuri Sak said: "These are of course just small numbers because there are more than 1,000 civilians who are still trapped in Azovstal steelworks and additionally there are also over 500 wounded soldiers who also need to be evacuated to receive the necessary medical assistance."

"The situation, while there is a glimmer of hope, continues to be extremely difficult," he added.

Ukrainian soldiers say 20 people left the steelworks - the final part of the southern city still in the hands of Ukrainian troops - yesterday, but it's not clear where they have been evacuated to.

Russia's defence ministry says two groups, of 25 and then 21 people, left residential buildings near the steelworks, but this has not been confirmed independently.

The defence ministry released a video showing a convoy including several buses driving in the dark - at least one of them transporting people. It shows a Red Cross vehicle and two UN vehicles.

Neither the UN or Red Cross has given any confirmation.


11:36
Russia says it has shot down two Ukrainian bombers

Russia's defence ministry says its air defence systems shot down two Ukrainian Su-24m bombers over the Kharkiv region overnight, according to the Reuters news agency.

It also said it had struck at weapons supplied to Ukraine by the US and European countries and claimed to have destroyed a runway at a military airfield near the Ukrainian city of Odesa.

The ministry said it used high-precision Onyx missiles to strike the airfield, after Ukraine accused Russia of knocking out a newly-constructed runway at the main airport of Odesa.


11:51
Mariupol evacuation possible today - Ukrainian officials

An evacuation of civilians from Ukraine's mostly Russian-controlled southeastern port city of Mariupol could be possible on Sunday, local officials said on Telegram.

Mariupol's city council and the local governor told residents who wished to leave for the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia to gather at 1600 local time (1300 GMT) at the Port City Mall.

They added: "We pray that everything works."

[DaffyVina]

12:06
Mariupol announcement could signal a breakthrough
Laura Bicker
Reporting from Zaporizhzhia

Mariupol City Council has announced that it will be possible to evacuate civilians from the besieged city today.

This may signal a breakthrough in the operation to free more than 1,000 people from the besieged Azovstal steelworks, the final part of the southern city still in the hands of Ukrainian troops.

But it’s unclear how people will get to the gathering point. And negotiations between the Ukrainians and the Russians have been described to me as delicate and complicated.

The concern on the faces of officials waiting here at the refugee centre in Zaporizhzhia speaks volumes. No-one wants to endanger a deal for a humanitarian corridor at such a critical moment.

Earlier an adviser to the Mariupol mayor said no more information on evacuations would be released. They are calling for radio silence. The mayor of the city has told the BBC that people there are on "the borderline between life and death".

The Russian ministry of defence says 46 civilians have already been evacuated and published video apparently showing people being transported at night in buses, with vehicles from both the Red Cross and United Nations present.

The UN has not confirmed these details, but Ukrainian officials said at least 20 civilians left the plant – a ‘glimmer of hope’ they called it.

Videos released in recent weeks apparently filmed in the maze of tunnels underneath the steel plant show children asking to be allowed out to play in the sunshine, toddlers using nappies made of plastic bags and a frail elderly woman clutching bandages to her head. They have endured more than 60 days of Russian bombardments while sheltering in the vast underground chambers.

Here in Zaporizhzhia, aid workers and hospitals stand ready to help. Everything is in place. And so, amid the official silence, people here continue to wait and hope.

[DaffyVina]

Ukraine war: Resistance to Russian rouble in Kherson

By Caroline Davies
BBC News, Odesa
Published 20 hours ago

Large Russian Trucks with white Z painted on them drive down a street
Image source, Konstantin.S
Image caption, Russian military vehicles on the streets of Kherson.

The Russian rouble will be used in Kherson from Sunday, according to Russia-backed forces that have taken control of the southern Ukrainian city.

However, Kherson's Ukrainian mayor, Ihor Kolykhaiev, who has now been overthrown by Russian authorities, has said that he doesn't believe this will be possible while the only working banking system in the region is Ukrainian, not Russian.

Despite being occupied for 60 days, many residents are trying to find small ways to defy the Russian forces - like exchanging any roubles they receive back into Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia.

But there are very few ways to safely snub the Russian army when it occupies your streets.

Z signs - a Russian pro-war symbol - have appeared around the city. Russian flags hang above Kherson's government buildings. Ukrainian TV has been mostly cut off, changed to Russian news. Russian soldiers drive armoured vehicles through the city centre, between a network of check points.

Now, changing the region's currency is yet another bid to erase Ukrainian identity from the city.

"I think most people will leave here if the rouble is introduced," Olga, who didn't want to use her real name, told me from inside Kherson.

"At the moment there are still currency exchanges operating in the city. If I am paid in roubles, I think I will just go and exchange it for hryvnia, I think others will too. It's just a small act of protest."

Olga is not the only one with this plan. Ukrainian news reports have said that some pensions have been handed out in roubles around Kherson, but that people have already exchanged it back into Ukrainian hryvnia.

Life in Kherson has become increasingly difficult. Many now feel nervous about even speaking to a journalist. When we reach Olga and ask how she is feeling, she sighs.

"I'm alive and I have food," she says.

Around 40% of the population have fled in the two months since this key, strategic city was taken by Russia, according to the mayor.

Many residents tell us about their struggle to pay for what few goods there are, as supermarket shelves lie empty. They say that shops, restaurants and businesses have closed and parts of the economy have ground to a halt, cut off from much of the world.

Earlier this week, Russian forces appointed a new administration in Kherson because Mr Kolykhaiev was "not cooperating" with the occupied forces, according to Russian state news agency Ria.

man in a blue shirt listening while on a video call
Image caption, The Ukrainian mayor of Kherson, Ihor Kolykhaiev, has now been replaced with a Russian administration

Speaking on video call from somewhere in the region, with piles of binders and a toy camouflage jeep sitting on shelves behind him, Mr Kolykhaiev says he has not stopped working. He is sceptical of whether Russia can successfully introduce the rouble.

"I have no confirmation that it's been introduced," he says. "When can it appear? When the treasury and the banking system of Ukraine will stop working? Anything can happen under occupation, I can't get into Russia's head to find out what they are thinking. If they do try to introduce the rouble zone here, we would be plunged back into 1992 when Ukraine gained its independence."

Ukrainian authorities had suggested that Russia could try to hold a referendum in the region on 1 May, asking voters whether they want independence from Ukraine. Any attempt to do this would be seen as a way to legitimise Russia's intervention, suggesting that residents no longer want to be part of Ukraine and painting Russia as liberators.

Russia held a referendum in Crimea after Moscow annexed it in 2014, and also in the Russian-backed separatist areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia has denied plans to hold a vote in Kherson, and for now residents in the city say they've seen no sign of it.

Rumours swirl on social media channels about what could happen. Some Ukrainians are worried that Russia will simply fake the result and use records of their identity documents - which they fear the Russians could gain access to in the administrative buildings they now occupy - to back it up.

"I'm not sure they even need the population here to know that there is a referendum," says Olga. "I guess they can do it without us. Maybe I already voted."

Routes to safety shut off
Several people inside Kherson told us that the routes out to safer parts of Ukraine have now been shut altogether. The only road available is through Crimea which means travelling into Russian territory, something several Ukrainians told us they would not be prepared to do.

Maxim felt this was his only route to safety. He didn't want his name to be used as his family are still inside the city. At the border he was subject to a long interrogation as a security guard inspected his body for tattoos.

"It was like a film," he said. "You sit on a suitcase under the scorching sun to be interrogated. I would never have imagined I would have to go through this. I was really horrified, because it's scary - people with machine guns are walking past you."

His favourite artist almost got him into difficulties.

"They were asking me the same questions on repeat," he says. "I have a David Bowie lightning tattoo and they asked me 'Is that Azov?'" The Azov battalion are a controversial regiment that was originally a far-right group later incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard.

Shelves in a Ukrainian supermarket seen empty
Image caption, Many supermarket shelves in Kherson are empty

Maxim says that many of the cars in the queue had Kherson number plates. He has since safely travelled through Georgia and on to Europe.

"Reaching Georgia was like being released from jail," he says. "You feel like you've got your human rights back."

For those still in Kherson there are deep fears about the future.

"I am afraid of a humanitarian catastrophe," says Mr Kolykhaiev. "I am worried for the people who are still in the city today. They are all hostages.

"It's like we started with 100 litres of petrol in the car tank and we are driving until the gas runs out. I want to calculate how long we can keep driving. How long can we carry the city?"

[DaffyVina]

13:15
Images show evacuees arriving in Donetsk

We've been reporting that the Russian defence ministry says 46 civilians were evacuated yesterday from the residential areas around the Azovstal steelworks, the last part of the city of Mariupol controlled by Ukrainian forces.
It said they had been taken to the village of Bezimenne, east of Mariupol in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian soldiers have so far only said that 20 people have left the steelworks.
Now Reuters is reporting that a group of about 40 people, who have come from the area near Azovstal, have arrived at a temporary accommodation centre in Bezimenne.

Images from the news agency show a group including men, woman and a child arriving by bus.
People arrive at a temporary accommodation centre in the village of Bezimenne in the Donetsk region
Copyright: Reuters


People arrive at a temporary accommodation centre in the village of Bezimenne in the Donetsk region
Reuters


14:01
Fourteen more people evacuated from Azovstal plant - reports
Civilians who left the area near Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol walk at a temporary accommodation centre in Bezimenne
Copyright: Reuters


It's reported a group of 14 more people have arrived at a temporary accommodation centre after leaving the area around the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, according to a Reuters photographer.

As we've already reported, the news agency said earlier that a group of around 40 civilians, who it said have come from the area near Azovstal, were pictured arriving today at the facility in the village of Bezimenne in the Donetsk Region.

Ukrainian soldiers only said that 20 people have left the steelworks so far.

The BBC has not been able to confirm the figures independently.


14:29 Breaking
Mariupol evacuation under way - Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed that a process to evacuate civilians from Mariupol is under way.

"The ICRC confirms that a safe passage operation is ongoing, in coordination with the UN and the parties to the conflict," a spokesman said.

"The convoy to evacuate civilians started on 29 April, travelled some 230 kilometres and reached the plant in Mariupol on Saturday morning, local time.

"The ICRC insists on the fact that no details can be shared until the situation allows, as it could seriously jeopardize the safety of the civilians and the convoy. Relevant local authorities are communicating with the civilians about practical details."

14:39
UN also confirms Mariupol evacuation

A United Nations spokesperson has also confirmed that an operation to evacuate civilians from the southern port city of Mariupol is taking place.

Earlier Russia said groups of 25 and 21 people had been evacuated from the area near the Azovstal steelworks, the last remaining part of the city under the control of Ukrainian troops.

Ukrainian soldiers have said 20 people left the steelworks yesterday.

Ukrainian officials say there about 1,000 civilians and more than 500 wounded soldiers trapped at the industrial complex.

However, there are also an estimated 100,000 residents living without water, gas or communications in the wider city, which has been heavily bombed in weeks of Russian attacks.

On Thursday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said "intense discussions" were taking place to agree an evacuation operation, after meetings with President Zelensky in Kyiv and President Putin in Moscow.

[DaffyVina]

15:07
Hell exists and it’s in Mariupol - mayor
Hugo Bachega
Reporting from Dnipro

Resident cooking outside damaged buildings in Mariupol
Copyright: Reuters

An operation is under way to move civilians from the Azovstal steelworks - the last part of the city of Mariupol controlled by Ukrainian forces.

But street after street, building after building, most of the city now lies in ruins. Mariupol has seen some of fiercest fighting in this war. Thousands have died although exactly how many is still unclear. Bodies are said to remain in the streets. Others have been buried in mass graves, unceremoniously and unidentified.

Russian forces moved in during the early days of the invasion, imposing what has been described as a medieval-like siege. Roads, electricity, communications and gas were cut off. Residents were forced underground amid constant bombardment and shelling.

From the city’s pre-war population of 450,000, an estimated 100,000 remain there. The mayor, Vadym Boychenko, told the BBC that the situation was “very difficult” and that there were almost no food and water supplies left.

Boychenko, who is no longer in the city, said about 20,000 people had been killed since the start of the invasion. With the phone network inoperative in most of the city, it is hard to independently verify information.

“The citizens who left the city say that hell exists and it’s in Mariupol,” the mayor said.

Mariupol is strategically significant for Russia. Capturing it would help Moscow create a land corridor between the pro-Russia separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine, and Crimea, which Russia invaded and annexed in 2014.

15:51
First group of 100 people leaves Azovstal - Zelensky

The Ukrainian president has tweeted that the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal steelworks in the southern city of Mariupol has begun, with a group of about 100 people the first to leave.

He said they're expected to arrive in the town of Zaporizhzhia tomorrow.

16:13
Our defenders were greeted with tears - Kharkiv military official

Sophie Williams
Reporting from Lviv

The head of the military administration in Kharkiv has confirmed to the BBC that four settlements have been re-captured from the Russians.

Oleg Sinegubov said Ukrainian soldiers have regained full control over Kutuzovka, Verkhyna Rohanka, Slobidske and Prelensne.

“In Kutuzovka, about one hundred people, most of them elderly and children, lived in cold basements for two months without light, gas and food supplies,” Sinegubov said. “Today our defenders were greeted with tears”.

But while the situation has somewhat improved for people in those regions, the shelling has continued, he said.

Kharkiv, in Ukraine's north-east, was one of the places to come under early Russian assault.

16:59
Evacuees from Mariupol handed to UN and Red Cross - Russia

Evacuees from Mariupol who wanted to go to Ukrainian-controlled regions have been handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Reuters news agency reports citing Russia's defence ministry.

The ministry says 80 civilians had been moved from the vast Azovstal plant after weeks under siege.

The massive industrial area is the last hold-out of Ukrainian troops in the strategically significant city.

Earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said around 100 civilians have been evacuated from the besieged steel plant in southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that the group is on its way to Zaporizhzhia, which Ukraine maintains control of.

17:31
Evacuation from other parts of Mariupol postponed

As well as the fighters and civilians trapped in the Azovstal steelworks in the southern city of Mariupol, there are also an estimated 100,000 residents in other parts of the city.

They have been trying to survive without mains water, electricity or gas for weeks.

Earlier we reported that Mariupol City Council had invited these residents to gather at a mall at 1600 local time (1300 GMT) as an evacuation could be possible on Sunday.

But now the council has said in a post on Telegram
that this evacuation has been postponed for security reasons until 0800 local time (0500 GMT) tomorrow.

17:57
Angelina Jolie 'moved' by stories from child evacuees
Sophie Williams
Reporting from Lviv

Angelina Jolie pictured with children in Lviv
Copyright: Reuters

After a surprise visit to a Lviv coffee shop on Saturday, more details have been revealed about Angelina Jolie’s trip here.

The actress met with a number of displaced Ukrainians including children who were injured in the attack on Kramatorsk railway station. At least 52 people were killed and dozens injured after rockets hit the station as people waited to board evacuation trains.

Lviv's regional governor Maxim Kozytski confirmed Jolie's visit on Telegram, adding that "she was very moved by the children's stories".
Jolie also met people at the city’s train station, including volunteers who were helping evacuees.

Lviv, in the west of Ukraine, has become a hub for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing other parts of the country.

Angelina Jolie meets a child at Lviv's railway station
Copyright: Reuters

18:50
Chernobyl getting reliable power, Ukraine says
A Ukrainian soldier guarding the Chernobyl plant, 26 Apr 22
Copyright: EPA

Ukraine’s state electricity operator Ukrenergo says it has restored reliable power to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, the site of the 1986 nuclear accident.

Ukrenergo says the last 330 kV power line has been reconnected there.

Earlier, it says, another 330kV line came back on stream, north of Kyiv, which “made it possible to improve the reliability of power supply to the capital”.

In a Facebook post, Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said the Russian military occupation of Chernobyl – which has now ended – had caused much disruption at Chernobyl.

“After the departure of the Russians, our repairmen immediately after the sappers investigated dozens of kilometres of lines, restored the resistance and other equipment,” he said.

An exclusion zone covering about 2,600 sq km (1,000 sq miles) was imposed around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the catastrophic explosion there in 1986.


19:18
How Ukraine's 'Ghost of Kyiv' legendary pilot was born
Laurence Peter
BBC News

Ukraine's fighter pilots are vastly outnumbered by the Russians, and have become legendary - thanks in part to the story of an alleged flying ace called "Ghost of Kyiv".
This hero is said to have downed as many as 40 enemy planes - an incredible feat in an arena where Russia controls the skies.

But now the Ukraine Air Force Command has warned on Facebook that the "Ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend whose character was created by Ukrainians!"
"We ask the Ukrainian community not to neglect the basic rules of information hygiene," the message said, urging people to "check the sources of information, before spreading it".

Earlier reports had named the ace as Major Stepan Tarabalka, 29. The authorities confirmed that he was killed in combat on 13 March and honoured with a Hero of Ukraine medal posthumously.
Now, the air force stresses that "Tarabalka is not 'Ghost of Kiev', and he did not hit 40 planes".