Freedom of Information

[DaffyVina]

6:59
Russian forces likely operating within Azovstal steel plant - think tank

For the first time, Russian forces have managed to push deep into Azovstal in Mariupol and are likely to be operating within the steel plant, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its assessment of Wednesday's military situation.

The news comes after days of fierce fighting at the steelworks, where the last of Ukraine's fighters in the city are holding out, along with hundreds of civilians.

The US-based think-tank also said Ukrainian defences have largely stalled Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces had so far prevented Russian forces from merging their offensives to the southeast of Izyum and west of the Donetsk-Luhansk frontline.

In western Ukraine, Russian attempts to disrupt aid shipments to Ukraine from Western countries and slow down weapon re-supply efforts have also proved unsuccessful, the ISW said.

Russian forces had intensified airstrikes against transportation infrastructure near railway stations in Lviv and Transcarpathia on Thursday, but ultimately failed to inflict serious damage.

[DaffyVina]

18:50
Overnight explosions in Kramatorsk injure 25 people
Andrew Harding
Reporting from Kramatorsk

Debris is cleared after overnight explosions in Kramatorsk
Copyright: BBC
Image caption: Within hours of the attacks, council workers were busy cleaning rubble from the streets


At least 25 people have been injured in a series of overnight explosions in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.

Local officials said six civilians were severely wounded. The blasts – at least some believed to be the result of air strikes – damaged apartment blocks and shops in a residential neighbourhood of the city.

One air strike appeared to have destroyed a local hot water plant surrounded by apartment blocks, leaving a huge crater perhaps four metres deep, and widespread damage to dozens of residential homes.

Damaged apartment blocks and shops in a residential neighbourhood of the city of Kramatorsk
Copyright: BBC


In a short statement, the Donestsk region’s military administration said that nine homes and a school were also significantly damaged.

Less than a month ago, at least 50 people were killed when a missile hit the city’s railway station. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of a ‘monstrous war crime’ following the strike.

Within hours of last night’s attacks, council workers were busy cleaning rubble from Kramatorsk’s streets, while mechanical diggers removed larger blocks of concrete that had been torn apart in one blast.

[DaffyVina]

7:39
Zelensky calls on UN to assist in rescuing wounded from Azovstal

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the UN for help in saving the lives of the remaining injured Ukrainians trapped in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

In a phone call with the UN's Secretary General Antonio Guterres last night, Zelensky thanked the UN for a successful evacuation from the steel plant this week - which rescued more than 100 people from the steelworks - but called on the UN to "assist in the removal of all the wounded from Azovstal".

"The lives of the people who remain there are in danger," Zelensky said.

About 200 civilians are believed to be sheltering inside the plant.

8:07
Azovstal defenders fighting 'bloody battles' - Ukrainian commander

Ukrainian forces inside Mariupol's Azovstal metal works have been fighting "difficult bloody battles" against Russian troops, the commander of the controversial Azov regiment has said.

In a video message posted on Telegram on Wednesday, commander Denis Prokopenko praised his soldiers' "superhuman efforts" to repel the Russian assault - adding that the situation was "extremely difficult."

His message came after a Ukrainian official said Russian forces had entered the territory of the plant - the final stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the shattered city of Mariupol.

President Zelensky has said efforts will continue to evacuate civilians from the vast industrial plant.

8:30
The latest updates from Ukraine

If you're just joining us, or want a re-cap, here's a roundup of today's latest developments.

In Mariupol, Russian forces have reportedly pushed into the Azovstal steelworks, according to the Institute for the Study of War think-tank
"Difficult bloody battles" are being fought within the plant, says the commander of Ukraine's Azov regiment
Russian forces are focusing their efforts on taking control of the steelworks with the use of aircraft, according to Ukraine's military
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the UN for assistance in rescuing wounded Ukrainians still trapped in the plant
More than 300 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol and other parts of southern Ukraine on Wednesday, the UN says
Russian forces are continuing their offensive in the east in order to establish "full control" over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but have been unsuccessful in trying to break through the frontline areas of Lyman, Severdonetsk and Popasnyansk, it adds
In the Kramatorsk area in Donetsk, at least 25 people were wounded during Russian shelling overnight, according to the head of Donetsk's regional military administration writing on Telegram

Ukrainian troops say they have retaken control of a number of settlements on the border of the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.

8:47
Russia could inflate threat of Belarusian military drills - UK Defence Ministry

The latest intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defence

focuses on the situation in Belarus, north of Ukraine, where it was reported yesterday that large-scale military drills were taking place.

The MoD said that Belarusian land forces had been observed deploying from garrisons to the field for exercises, and that this was likely part of the country's winter training cycle.

It said that Russia would "likely seek to inflate the threat posed to Ukraine by these exercises in order to fix Ukrainian forces in the north" and prevent them from being committed to the battle for the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas.

Belarus, a longtime ally of Russia, has been sanctioned by the UK for "facilitating the invasion from within its borders".

9:07
Fall of Mariupol would be 'devastating' - Ukraine politician

A Ukrainian politician says the fall of Mariupol would be "devastating".

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Integration of Ukraine to the EU, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, said Russia's assault of the Azovstal steelworks from the ground and air "would definitely be very painful, devastating for us. But we are resolute to get all of our territories back."

Klympush-Tsintsadze said Russian forces have been trying to get inside the steelworks through the underground tunnels "by finding a traitor" to show them the way, but said that so far they had been unsuccessful.

There are some suggestions that Russian soldiers are already inside the plant, but it is unclear how accurate these reports are.

Klympush-Tsintsadze added that Ukraine is "waiting for a miracle to happen" so that the civilians still trapped in the plant can be rescued.

Russia has said it will implement a ceasefire today to allow more civilian evacuations from the Azovstal plant.

Asked how credible she thought Russia's claim was, she said Russia has been "violating" its word when agreements have been reached, but that it would be "a great possibility to save the lives of additional civilians".

10:08
600 Ukrainians killed overnight - Russian MoD

Over 600 Ukrainians were killed overnight, according to claims made by Russia's Ministry of Defence.

In a post on Telegram
, it said Russian artillery had struck multiple Ukrainian military posts and equipment overnight, including aviation equipment at the Kanatovo airfield in the central Kirovohrad region, and a large ammunition depot in the southern city of Mykolaiv.

10:32
Russia is 'trying to destroy' Mariupol defenders, says Azov fighter

Russia is "trying to destroy" remaining Ukrainian soldiers holed up in the Azovstal steelworks plant in Mariupol, the Ukrainian army says.

There are some reports that Russian soldiers have been successful at infiltrating the plant, which is the last hold out for Ukrainian troops in the besieged city.

"The situation is extremely difficult but despite this we continue to execute the order to hold the defence," Denys Prokopenko, a commander of the Azov battalion, says in a video on Telegram.

The Azov battalion are some of the last Ukrainian defenders believed to be inside the plant.

10:59
Hundreds of Mariupol evacuees reached Zaporizhzhia - Zelensky

In his nightly video address on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said some 344 evacuees from the city of Mariupol and its suburbs had arrived in Zaporizhzhia.

Many came with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, officials said, and were now receiving help including psychological support.

"We hope to continue rescuing people from Azovstal, from Mariupol. There are still civilians there. Women, children," Zelensky said. "To save them, we need to continue the ceasefire. The Ukrainian side is ready to provide it.

"It takes time to just lift people out of those basements, out of those underground shelters," he added. "In the current conditions, we cannot use special equipment to clear the debris. Everything is done manually."

[DaffyVina]

11:10
Strikes target infrastructure used to bring in western weapons
Sophie Williams
Reporting from Lviv

Here in Lviv, in western Ukraine, near the Polish border, we’ve just had our third air raid siren in about 12 hours. Throughout the week, the frequency of these alarms have increased as Russian missiles target infrastructure used to bring western arms into the country.

On Tuesday, missiles hit three electrical sub stations on the outskirts of the city. The governor confirmed that anti-missile defence systems stopped a further two missiles.

There were a series of strikes yesterday evening in other areas. A missile hit a bridge in Dnipro in the east of Ukraine used for key transport. While in Kramatorsk, further east, more than 25 people were wounded during a missile attack on the city. Russia also claimed to have hit a large ammunition depot in southern Mykolaiv.

Kyiv was also targeted but defence systems were able to shoot the missile down.

Russia has said it is targeting rail infrastructure to disrupt the supply of weapons into Ukraine as it continues its main offensive in the east of the country, which analysts say hasn't made much ground.

But a US defence official, quoted by the Associated Press, says strikes near Lviv - a key way-point for weapons - have had "no appreciable impact" on the effort

11:27
Russia denies storming Mariupol plant

The Kremlin has denied reports that it has stormed the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, rejecting claims that Russian troops have successfully infiltrated the plant.

Ukrainian defenders had earlier said that Russian troops invaded the plant in the besieged city and were attempting to "destroy" them.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the claims and re-iterated that last month Russian President Vladimir Putin officially cancelled plans to assault the steelworks and instead ordered his defence minister to seal off the plant "so that a fly cannot not pass through".

11:37
Russia says it practised simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes in Kaliningrad

Russia says its forces have practised simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes in the Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, which is located between EU members Poland and Lithuania.

Moscow says it practised simulated "electronic launches" of nuclear-capable Iskander mobile ballistic missile systems, the defence ministry says in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency reports.

The Iskander system has a range of up to 700km (440 miles) and could reach, for example, the German capital, Berlin. Kaliningrad is more than 300km away from Russia and can only be reached by land through an EU country.

12:22
Fighting continues at steelworks despite Russian claims of humanitarian ceasefire

As Russian attacks on the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol intensify, around 200 civilians are thought to remain trapped inside the plant.

Russia stated yesterday that humanitarian routes out of the steelworks would open from 08:00 to 18:00 Moscow time (05:00 to 15:00 GMT) on 5, 6, and 7 May, with a pause in attacks to facilitate it.

According to Reuters, a Kremlin spokesperson told reporters that humanitarian corridors were indeed working today and denied that Russia forces were storming the plant.

But Ukrainian officials say fighting continues. Inna Sovsun, an MP, said preparations were in place to evacuate civilians, but she said the Russian assault on Azovstal had not stopped. The army meanwhile says Russia is trying to destroy the remaining defenders at the plant.

Yesterday, 344 people - mostly women, children and the elderly - were evacuated from the Mariupol area with the support of the UN and the Red Cross, according to a Ukrainian politician. They arrived in Zaporizhzhia late last night, but were not evacuated from the steelworks itself.

Analysis
Posted at 13:21
Could Putin declare all-out war on 9 May?
Frank Gardner
BBC News, Security Correspondent

Russia says it's nonsense that it will declare all-out war in Ukraine in the coming days.
Up until now Moscow has denied it is at war, instead referring to its invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation".

But Western officials have speculated that President Vladimir Putin could use Russia's annual Victory Parade on 9 May to announce an escalation of military action. He of course is keeping his cards close to his chest and until then we should take Moscow’s denials with a hefty pinch of salt.

In the days leading up to the invasion on 24 February, Russian officials queued up to ridicule suggestions of an imminent invasion as ‘Western hysteria and propaganda’.

Yet invade they did, catching even many Ukrainians by surprise.

So the very least we can expect is some triumphant announcements of objectives achieved and enemies (real or imagined) vanquished.

Blame for the slow pace of Russian advance in the Donbas will likely be placed on Nato and there will probably be further warnings to the West to stop helping Ukraine defend itself.

Whatever happens on 9 May it is hard to see this war ending any time soon.

13:47
Russia breaking ceasefire promise in Mariupol - Azov fighter
Screen grab of Capt Svyatoslav Palamar, Deputy Commander in the Azov Regiment
Copyright: Azov Regiment
Image caption: Capt Svyatoslav Palamar, Deputy Commander in the Azov Regiment

A deputy Ukrainian commander fighting in the Azovstal steelworks has accused Russian troops of thwarting efforts to evacuate civilians.

In a video posted on Telegram, Capt Svyatoslav Palamar said: "It's day three since the enemy entered the Azovstal factory, where heavy, bloody fighting continues".
"Yet again, the Russians have broken their promises of a ceasefire and did not allow the evacuation of civilians who continue to shelter from the shelling in the factory's basements.
"Our enemy observes no ethical norms, conventions or laws".

Palamar also asked Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to "take care of wounded soldiers who are dying in horrible agony because there is no appropriate medical care" and called on the international community for further assistance evacuating civilians.

Earlier, a Kremlin spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying that Russia was not storming the plant and that humanitarian corridors out of the steelworks were functioning.

The BBC is unable to verify each side's claims.

Aerial footage of smoke rising from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol released on 5 May
Copyright: Ministry of Internal Affairs Donetsk Peoples Republic/Reuters

[DaffyVina]

15:58
Japan announces more Russian sanctions

Japan is freezing the assets of 140 more Russian nationals and expanding its export ban to include Russian military firms, its prime minister has said while on a trip to London.

The measures were announced by Japan's Fumio Kishida after a Downing Street meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Kishida said there must be consequences to Russia's violence and that its aggression was not just a problem for Europe.

"Ukraine might be East Asia tomorrow," Kishida said when asked if there were parallels between Russian aggression in Europe and China's assertion of its dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.

Japan and its allies must "never tolerate a unilateral attempt to change the status quo by use of force in the Indo-Pacific, especially in East Asia," he said.

16:36
No counterattack before June says presidential adviser

The Ukrainian army will not be ready to start a major military counteroffensive against Russia until late June at the earliest, an adviser to the Ukrainian president has said.

As we reported in an earlier post, Oleksiy Arestovych says it will take time for Ukraine to receive weapons donated by Western allies and then train up its troops to use them.

Ukraine needs "enough to fully arm at least several brigades" Arestovych said, and "only then we can start an offensive".

"The first weapons that can stop the enemy will arrive in big numbers in late May or early June," he added, meaning that any counterattack would most likely not happen until late June or July.

Ukraine is set to receive more military aid from its Western allies in the coming weeks and months, including from the UK which two weeks ago said it would be donating armoured vehicles, drones and anti-tank weapons.

17:01
Putin: Azovstal's defenders must surrender

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine should order its fighters remaining in Mariupol's besieged Azovstal steel plant to put down their weapons and surrender.

According to the Kremlin he made the comments during a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Putin said Russian forces are ready to offer safe passage to civilians who remain trapped in the plant, according to Moscow officials.

According to Ukrainian fighters around 200 civilians are still trapped inside the steel works under intensifying Russian attacks, something the Kremlin denies.

17:59
Israel: Putin has apologised for Hitler comments

Some more now from today's phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, which we reported earlier.

Bennett has now said that Putin apologised to him for remarks earlier this week by his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claiming that Adolf Hitler was part-Jewish.

Lavrov made the comments when asked in an interview how Russia could claim to be "de-Nazifying" Ukraine when its president is himself Jewish.

In the interview, Russia's top diplomat said "Hitler also had Jewish blood," adding: "wise Jewish people say that the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews."

The comments sparked outrage in Israel, which summoned the country's Russia's ambassador for "clarification" and demanded an apology.

Prime Minister Bennett says he has accepted Putin's apology for the remarks and thanked him for clarifying his position.

18:32
EU regulator warns of increased risk to civilian planes and airports

The EU's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulator warned that airlines may be at heightened risk due to the war in Ukraine.

In a statement, the regulator said civil planes may be accidentally targeted and airlines could be struck by cyber-attacks while the conflict is ongoing.

"As shown by previous wars, misidentification is easy in confused arenas of warfare", the regulator said.

In 2014, a Malaysia Airlines flight crashed while flying over conflict-hit eastern Ukraine after it was hit by a Russian-made Buk missile.

"If we add in the likelihood of jamming of electronic aids that may be involved with navigation and or identification tools, then it is easy to see the potential for innocent aircraft being subject to missiles or radar laid weapons," the EASA added.

The regulator also stated that there are potential risks related to military operations using civilian airports throughout the conflict.

19:03
Russian shelling continues in east of Ukraine - Ukrainian officials
Image shows shelled buildings
Copyright: LuhanskaVTSA / Telegram
Image caption: Unverified images posted by Luhansk officials apparently showing damage from Russian shelling

In addition to overnight strikes on the city of Kramatorsk, Ukrainian officials say Russian attacks have resumed elsewhere in Ukraine's east.

Russian shelling killed a 15-year-old boy in Kharkiv who was helping to evacuate animals from a zoo, the owner of the Feldman Ecopark zoo says. Two other people were badly wounded in the attack, he added.

The governor of Mykolaiv says that the region and city "were bombed all night" wounding several people.

And in a Telegram post this afternoon, Luhansk's Ukrainian military commander says that the bodies of four men and one woman - all civilians - have been discovered in towns around the region after "24 devastating attacks" by Russian forces.

The BBC has not been able to verify these reports.

[DaffyVina]

5:30
The latest from Ukraine war:
People from Mariupol arrive in Kamianske, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on 3 May 2022.
Copyright: Getty Images
lImage caption: The UN and the Red Cross have been evacuating people in Mariupol

Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine, It's just gone past 7.30 am in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know.

Two convoys have successfully evacuated nearly 500 people from the besieged city of Mariupol and its surrounding areas, the UN said. A third evacuation is expected within hours. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said they were aiming to evacuate more civilians from the city and the sprawling Azovstal steel plant where hundreds are still stuck.
Multiple US media outlets report that the US helped Ukrainian military target and kill several Russian generals. Reports also said US intelligence had helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva.
The Pentagon has denied providing intelligence. The agency also said it did not participate in the decision making process of the Ukrainian military.
Meanwhile, authorities in Fiji seized a $300 million yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov on the request of the US Department of Justice.
In other news, a senior adviser of Ukraine's president has said the country was unlikely to launch a counter-offensive against Russia before mid-June because of a shortage of weapons.
Donors pledged $6.5bn in aid for Ukraine at a conference held in Warsaw. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the country would support Ukraine with a further $130 million in humanitarian aid.

This is Vikas Pandey and Meryl Sebastian in Delhi - stay with us as we bring you the latest developments.
BBC

[DaffyVina]

5:54
Azovstal evacuations to continue amid Russian shelling - Zelensky

Operations to evacuate civilians from Mariupol will continue but Russian forces have "not stopped" shelling the Azovstal steel plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Thursday.

"Women, many children remain there," he said.

The UN said it hoped to evacuate more civilians from the Azovstal plant where hundreds are believed to be hiding in bunkers.

The steelworks plant in Mariupol is the final part of the southern city that is still in the hands of Ukrainian troops.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said everything should be done to "get people out of these hellscapes".

On Thursday, two convoys had evacuated nearly 500 people from the Azovstal plant, Mariupol and its surrounding areas, he said.

In his address, Zelensky also said there was a “catastrophic” lack of access to medical services and medicine in the areas of the country under Russian occupation.

Russian troops had destroyed or damaged nearly 400 healthcare institutions in Ukraine, he said.

6:19
We must get people 'out of these hellscapes' - UN chief
The UN is organising another evacuation from Mariupol on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said.

"We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes," he said.

The UN said it was providing support, including by providing psychological support, to the survivors who were being evacuated from the southern city.

In his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Mr Guterres said he had stressed the need for enabling humanitarian access and evacuations from besieged areas, "including first and foremost, Mariupol".

On Thursday, Putin said Russian forces were ready to offer safe passage to civilians who remain trapped in the plant. He also said Ukraine should order its fighters to put down their weapons and surrender, according to Moscow officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his nightly address, said Russian forces had not stopped shelling the Azovstal steel plant.

6:35
Russia trying to take control of Azovstal plant - Ukraine military

Ukraine has repulsed 11 Russian attacks in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily update on Friday.

The update also said:

In Mariupol, Russian troops were continuing to blockade Ukraine's units in the Azovstal area. In some areas, it had resumed attacks to take control of the plant.
Russian troops remained on the offensive in the east as they tried to establish full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and maintain the land corridor between these territories and Crimea.
Russia was building up its air defence system and carrying out regrouping and restoration of its combat capability of units.
Ukraine claimed it had information that 300 wounded Russians were housed in a hospital established by Russian troops.
Ukrainian troops had faced shelling on their positions in Lyman city of Donetsk.

The BBC could not independently verify this information.

7:03
Russia continues assault on Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant - UK MoD

Russia is continuing its attempts to completely capture Ukraine's besieged south-eastern city of Mariupol, the UK Ministry of Defence says in its daily intelligence update.

The efforts come ahead of Russia's Victory Day on 9 May - an annual public holiday in Russia that celebrates the Soviet Union's victory in the Second World War.

Here's what the UK MoD's daily intelligence update says:

Russian forces in Mariupol have continued their ground assault on the Azovstal steel plant for a second day, despite Russian statements claiming they would only try to seal it off.
The renewed effort by Russia to secure Azovstal and complete the capture of Mariupol is likely linked to the upcoming 9 May Victory Day commemorations and Putin's desire to have a symbolic success in Ukraine.
This effort has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia. Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas.

[DaffyVina]

6:47
US gave intelligence that helped Ukraine sink Russian cruiser - reports

The US provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Moskva, Russia's flagship Black Sea missile cruiser, several US media reported.

Unnamed officials said Ukraine had asked the US about a ship sailing to the south of Odesa.

The US said it was the Moskva and helped confirm its location. Ukraine then struck it with two missiles.

A Pentagon spokesman said the US gave intelligence to help Ukraine defend itself.

Spokesman John Kirby denied earlier media reports that the US was providing information about the locations of senior Russian generals on the battlefield, so that Ukrainian forces could kill them.

"We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military," he said.

Mr Kirby said Ukraine combined information that the US and others provided with their own battlefield intelligence.

"Then they make their own decisions, and they take their own actions," he said.

7:37
Russians "may be out of momentum" in Donbas
Control map of southern Ukraine

Russian forces are not making "the sort of strategic breakthrough" they have been looking for in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, Justin Bronk - a research fellow from UK security think tank Rusi - tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He says Russia continues to gain a few kilometres in some areas but their forces are taking "very heavy losses" and "may be out of momentum".

Bronk says fighting is most intense in the eastern city Izyum, where Russians are making advances, east of Kharkiv, with Ukrainian counter-attacks, and areas in the Donbas where Russians are continuing attacks.

7:47
Breaking
New attempt to evacuate civilians from steelworks underway

A senior Ukrainian official says a new attempt is under way "at the moment" to evacuate civilians trapped with Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks.

Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential staff, gave no details about the progress of the rescue effort but said an update would be given later.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN's Security Council yesterday "the next stage of rescuing our people from Azovstal is under way".

8:34
Mariupol evacuation to focus on Azovstal - Vereshchuk

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said evacuations out of Mariupol on Friday would focus on those still stuck inside the Azovstal steel works.

"Today we will concentrate precisely on Azovstal," she told the AFP news agency by phone.

"The operation is starting. We are praying for its success."

On Thursday, Vereshchuk said the evacuation would take place from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, and that residents should gather on Friday at 12:00 local (09:00 GMT) near the city's Port City shopping centre, without giving further details.

We'll bring you further news of the operation throughout the day.

8:58
Evacuated civilians have 'deep trauma and psychological scars' - UN
A burnt out bus in front of a residential building damaged in Mariupol
Copyright: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

The UN secretary general's spokesman Stephane Dujarric has been telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme about the psychological state of people who have been evacuated from Ukraine's besieged city of Mariupol.

He says a lot of civilians who are trapped have been living in "horrific conditions" - often surviving in tunnels with little food and water, and no sunlight.

Dujarric says it is clear from the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' visit to Moscow, in which Guterres spoke directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, that there is "no immediate chance for a complete cessation of hostilities".

9:19
Ukrainian warplanes and ammo depot destroyed - Russia

Russia's Defence Ministry says its missiles have destroyed a large ammunition depot in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.

It also said its air defences shot down two Ukrainian warplanes - an Su-25 and a MiG-29 - in the eastern Luhansk region.

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

11:18
Russia won't use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, says official

Russia will not use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev has said.

Western officials have recently publicly discussed concerns about the risks of Russia using nuclear weapons.

CIA intelligence director William Burns said on 14 April, "none of us can take lightly" the threat posed by tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons by Russia in the Ukraine war.

11:56
Zelensky to speak to G7 on Sunday

We've just heard that the leaders of the G7 - the world's top industrialised nations - are to take part in a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, according to the German government.

"8 May is a historic date which marks the end of World War Two in Europe which caused terror, destruction and death in Europe," a spokeswoman said at a regular press conference.

With the current war in Ukraine, "the cohesion of the G7 is more important than ever," she added.

Germany holds the presidency of the G7 this year.

[DaffyVina]

Strong evidence of Russian war crimes near Kyiv - Amnesty

New graves at a cemetery in Bucha
Copyright: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

Russian forces must face justice for a series of war crimes committed near Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Amnesty International has said in a report following an on-the-ground investigation.

Civilians were subjected to "reckless shootings and torture" the rights group has said.

"These are not isolated incidents. These are very much part of a pattern wherever Russian forces were in control of a town or a village," Donatella Rovera, Amnesty's senior crisis response adviser, told a news conference in Kyiv.

The report is based on dozens of interviews and an extensive review of evidence left behind by Russian Troops, Amnesty says.

Russia denies any involvement, but Ukraine says hundreds of civilians were killed by the Russians in Bucha - a town near Kyiv.

[DaffyVina]

12:38
Steelworks situation 'getting worse' - Mariupol defender

Mykhailo Vershynin is one of the Ukrainian fighters defending the Azovstal steelworks factory in Mariupol, and he spoke to the BBC about the conditions there:

"The situation at the steelworks is now critical; it has been critical for a long time, and now it is getting worse.

"For two days, the Russian troops have been actively storming the plant, they've been pushing the defenders back with the support of aviation, artillery and heavy weapons. There have been losses and more people wounded. We have not been able to get the wounded out.

"The main thing is that we still have civilians in the bomb shelters at the plant.

"Recently, after a very heavy bombardment of the Azovstal, there were two civilians killed and I think 10 wounded. Now we don't have the information [about] how many civilians are killed because we cannot leave and go to the bunkers where they are."

The BBC is unable to independently verify his account. It is very hard to know exactly what is going on in Mariupol, with both sides putting out conflicting information.

12:58
What is going on in Mariupol?
Joe Inwood
Reporting from Lviv

Even the people taking part in this conflict do not have full information, and it is worth emphasising that one of the things that characterises this conflict and this section of the conflict is how hard it is to know exactly what is going on.

You get both sides giving completely, often contradictory, accounts of what's happening - the Russians have denied they're even launching an attack in Mariupol. I think they quite clearly are, we're seeing the pictures coming in of heavy fighting, tanks firing on to the steelworks.

Obviously there is still a defence ongoing, and this morning the Ukrainians have said that they have repelled the initial ground assault by the Russians. If true, that really is quite extraordinary, given that this is obviously a full-blooded attack with the full might of the local Russian forces. But it is really quite difficult to get accurate information out.

As for evacuating civilians, the only way you would get the humanitarian corridor out - and the only way we've seen one happen successfully so far - is with a UN-brokered ceasefire. That happened for a brief period over the last weekend. Fighting then swiftly resumed once the UN and Red Cross were out of the way.

An aerial view shows shelling at the Azovstal steel plant complex
Copyright: Reuters
The Azovstal plant in Mariupol has faced weeks of bombardment