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DaffyVina
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2:49
What will be Russia's next move?

Paul Adams -BBC Diplomatic correspondent

It's probably too early to say whether Moscow has changed plans or reduced its ambitions in Ukraine - but there's definitely a shift in emphasis.

The end of what Russia has called the "first stage" of its attack likely means a more concerted effort to push beyond the "line of contact" that separates Ukrainian government-held territory in the east from the Russian-backed separatist "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The pace of Russia's advance in other areas of Ukraine remains glacial. It's probably way too early to conclude that Russia has given up on capturing Kyiv, but Western officials say that Russia continues to experience setback after setback.

A renewed push now could see Russian troops pushing out into so-far unconquered areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, possibly aiming to link up with forces moving south from Kharkiv and Izyum.

And if Russia can succeed in finally pacifying the port of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, then other forces could move north and complete the encirclement of Ukraine's frontline Joint Forces Operation troops.

Some of these objectives still seem out of reach. Mariupol's defenders are putting up a ferocious fight, preventing Russia from fully achieving another of its pre-war ambitions - a land bridge from the Crimean Peninsula to the Donbas.

But if Moscow has concluded that it makes more sense to concentrate, for the time being, on achieving one objective at a time, it's likely to concentrate its firepower, especially from the air.

If the coming days do see a shift of focus to the Donbas, that doesn't yet mean that Moscow has abandoned its wider ambitions.

"We don't see a re-evaluation of the invasion as a whole," a senior US defence official said.
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4:56 -BREAKING
Air raid sirens ring out across multiple Ukrainian cities
Air raid sirens have rung out across a number of cities across Ukraine, according to local media reports.

Some of the cities are the capital Kyiv, Cherkasy and Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, Zaporizhia and Dnipro in the southeast, Zhytomyr in the east, and Kharkiv and Sumy in the northeast regions in Ukraine.

We will bring you more updates as we get them.


5:11
WATCH: Russian forces appear to shoot at fleeing civilians
Warning: Some images may be distressing to viewers.
Video content
Video caption: Ukraine: Russian forces appear to shoot at civilians trying to escape

Aerial footage captured by a reconnaissance drone shows what appears to be Russian forces firing on a column of cars carrying civilians as they attempted to flee an area near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Images, shot by a territorial defence group, showed the cars turning in the opposite direction to escape the gunfire.

"We heard shooting, [the Russian soldiers] started shooting at the column," a man in one of the cars told the BBC.

"I saw my father-in-law turning back. I also started turning back. We all turned back. Later we all stopped and saw one car was missing," he said.

One man and one woman were killed in the incident.


5:30
We are continuing to repel attacks on Kyiv - Ukraine military forces
In its daily morning update, Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces says that its troops are continuing to repel attacks by Russian forces on the capital city Kyiv.

The Ukraine military said Russian forces have experienced difficulty replenishing quality personnel and shoring up losses suffered during the invasion, partly due to the impact of international sanctions.

It also claimed Russian equipment was in "poor technical condition" due to "negligent prior exploitation and prolonged storage".

These factors were affecting Russia's ability to "maintain the necessary pace of combat and achieve the war's ultimate goal", the statement said.

However this has not stopped Russia from continuing to lob assaults and air raids and inflict damage on Ukrainian forces, the update added.

It claims Moscow has deployed maximum units in the partly-Russian held territory of Crimea, alongside in areas of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Mariupol and Donetsk regions, in order to "suppress the resistance of the residents".

In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks and destroyed 8 tanks and 11 units of the enemy's vehicle equipment.

The update claimed Ukrainian air defense units shot down 3 planes and 3 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) belonging to Russia.

The BBC has not been able to verify this information.



5:48
WHO says attacks on hospitals are increasing daily
Jim Reed - Health reporter, BBC News

There have been more than 70 separate attacks on hospitals, ambulances, and doctors in Ukraine with the number increasing on a "daily basis", says the World Health Organization (WHO).

It says the targeting of healthcare facilities has become part of the strategy and tactics of modern warfare.

Since 24 February, the WHO has reviewed and verified 72 separate attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine causing at least 71 deaths and 37 injuries.

Most have damaged hospitals, medical transports and supply stores, but the WHO has also recorded the "probable" abduction or detention of healthcare staff and patients.

"We are concerned that this number is increasing daily," the WHO's Ukraine country representative Jarno Habicht told the BBC.

"Health facilities should be safe places for both doctors and nurses, but also patients to turn to for treatment. This should not happen."
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7:14
136 children killed so far - Ukraine prosecutor's office
The war in Ukraine has killed 136 children so far, Ukraine's office of the prosecutor general said on Saturday in a message on the Telegram messaging app.

It added that the number of wounded children stood at 199.

The BBC has not been able to verify this information.


7:37
Russia continues to use heavy fire power in urban areas: UK MoD
In its latest update, the UK ministry of defence says it is likely Russia will continue to use its heavy firepower on urban areas as it looks to limit its own already considerable losses, at the cost of further civilian casualties.

Forces seemed to be proving reluctant to engage in large-scale urban infantry operations, rather preferring to rely on the indiscriminate use of air and artillery bombardments in an attempt to demoralise defending forces, the update said.

The statement added that Russian forces continue to besiege a number of major Ukrainian cities including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol.



9:17
Russian invasion strategy 'has failed'
Russia's initial strategy in Ukraine has failed and its army now has to decide what to do next, a top military analyst has told the BBC.

Phillips O'Brien, who is professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, said many foreign observers had taken the "easy intellectual way out" of assuming that Russian military superiority would prevail in the war.

However, this was "a very false opinion" of Russia's capabilities that did not take into account whether its soldiers were willing to take risks, he said.

At the same time, Ukraine's capabilities had been underestimated, he added.

Ukrainians had been preparing for war since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and did not want to live "under a Russian dictatorship", Prof O'Brien said.

"Now Russia has to decide what to do: they can either escalate up or they can escalate down," he added.

Escalating down would be the most rational course of action and would involve trying to reach a deal, but "they don't seem to be willing to do that now", he said.

Escalating up would mean either rebuilding the army from scratch or "opening up a can of worms" by resorting to chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

"Either they escalate down or escalate up, but what they have now can't do the job," he concluded.



9:45
Mariupol mayor discussing evacuation plans with French ambassador
The mayor of Mariupol said he had discussed how to evacuate civilians from the besieged Ukrainian port city with the French ambassador to the country, according to the Reuters news agency.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he will hold talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin about how to help the 100,000 people still trapped in the city.

The evacuation plans also involve Greece and Turkey.

Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko also told national television that street fighting was taking place in the city centre.



9:57
Curfew extended in Kyiv
We've just learned that the mayor of Kyiv is extending the curfew in the Ukrainian capital from 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Saturday until 08:00 on Monday.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in an online post that the decision was made by the Ukrainian military, without giving further details.
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3811:38
Russians seize town for Chernobyl workers - governor

Russian forces have taken control of Slavutych, the town housing workers for the defunct nuclear power plant of Chernobyl, according to the regional governor, Oleksandr Pavlyuk.

He posted a message on the Telegram messaging app saying Russian soldiers had seized the town's hospital and kidnapped the mayor.

Slavutych was built for the evacuated personnel of the Chernobyl plant after the 1986 disaster - the world's worst ever nuclear accident.

On Friday, the UN's nuclear watchdog warned that fighting in the town was stopping workers from travelling to and from the plant, which still houses several nuclear waste containment facilities.

Russian forces seized Chernobyl itself right at the start of the conflict.



Posted at 12:0312:03
Russian general Yakov Rezantsev killed in Ukraine

Another Russian general, Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev, has been killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson, Ukraine's defence ministry says.

Rezantsev was the commander of Russia's 49th combined army.

A Western official says he's the seventh general to die in Ukraine, and the second lieutenant general - the highest rank officer reported to have been killed.

It's thought low morale among Russian troops has forced senior officers closer to the front line.

Ukrainian media reports the general was killed at the Chornobaivka airbase, which Russia is using as a command post and has been attacked by Ukraine's military several times.
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12:42
Ukrainian FM radio stations off air in Kherson, local media says

BBC Monitoring

The world through its media

Ukrainian FM radio stations are no longer available in the southern city of Kherson occupied by Russian troops, the Ukrayinska Pravda news website has tweeted.

It quotes local residents as saying only Russian radio stations are on the air.

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said in its regular morning update earlier that Kherson was one of the areas where Russia had deployed more military units in order to "suppress the resistance of the residents".



14:07
Protests after Russians seize town near Chernobyl

More now from Slavutych, the city where workers of the now-defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant live.

Earlier it was reported that Russian forces had taken control of the city and that the mayor had been taken hostage.

Their actions brought thousands of angry protesters onto the streets, waving Ukrainian flags and chanting patriotic slogans.

A Slavutych resident who took part in the protest told the BBC that the "invaders" had now moved back to the entrance of the city, and the Ukrainian flag still flies above the local administration building.

The resident said the city's mayor spoke at the rally after the reports of his kidnapping, suggesting he had been released again.

Slavutych was built after the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, when a reactor exploded releasing radioactive material into the environment.

The site of the power plant itself has been under the control of Russian forces since the first day of the war.

Around 300 workers were trapped there after it was seized, although some have now been able to leave.


14:30
Sunday curfew in Kyiv cancelled

We reported earlier that Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko had announced a curfew in Ukraine's capital from this evening until Monday morning but this has now been cancelled.

He has not given any reason for the change except that he has received "new information from the military command".

The usual night-time curfew from 20:00 (18:00 GMT) to 07:00 will remain in force but people will "be able to freely move around Kyiv on Sunday during the day", he says on Telegram.



Posted at 15:0415:04
BREAKING
Explosions heard in Lviv
Photo: Smoke rises over Lviv -Copyright: BBC
We're getting reports of several explosions in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. This picture shows plumes of black smoke rising in the distance.

We'll bring more details as they emerge.
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18:13
No food for children in Mariupol, deputy mayor says

Hugo Bachega -BBC News, Lviv

The deputy mayor of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol says people are starting to die from starvation and dehydration, as food and water supplies run low and no humanitarian aid is allowed in.

“Some are dying from dehydration and lack of food. Some are dying from lack of medicine, insulin... Because people cannot find medical help,” Sergey Orlov tells the BBC.

“Some mothers do not have milk, and they don't have food for children. What should they do with their infants? I don’t know. There’s no food for children at all in the city.”

Mariupol has been under relentless Russian attacks since the early days of the war, and pictures show a city in ruins, with entire neighbourhoods destroyed. Orlov says 70% of hospitals in the city have been “destroyed by bombing and shelling”.

Communication with the city is difficult, as the phone network is intermittent, so it is hard to independently verify information. Residents spend most of their time in shelters or basements with no electricity, running water, or gas.

“People are just looking for any possibility to survive. [They] share food, water, they’re collecting wood to cook in the street,” Orlov says.

More than 100,000 people remain trapped in Mariupol. Efforts to carry out large-scale evacuations have failed, although thousands have managed to leave in recent days in private vehicles.



18:46
About 4,500 residential buildings destroyed, Ukrainian minister says
BBC Monitoring - The world through its media

Russia has destroyed about 4,500 residential buildings, 100 enterprises, 400 educational institutions and 150 medical establishments in Ukraine, a Ukrainian government minister says.

The total damage across the country will be assessed after the end of hostilities and removal of mines, Minister for Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Chernyshov says, as quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

According to preliminary assessments, the losses incurred by Ukraine have reached tens of billions of US dollars, with the sum increasing daily.

With a view to reconstruction efforts, the government has simplified procedures for construction material imports. However, the minister adds, any reconstruction must be preceded by clearing mines and rubble.

Ukraine hopes to involve domestic and foreign specialists in reconstruction efforts.



20:05
Kharkiv music festival goes ahead - underground

The Kharkiv Music Festival, in Ukraine's second city, has gone ahead, despite relentless shelling by Russia since the start of the war.

Organisers insisted the event must start as scheduled, so musicians have been performing deep underground, on the marble steps of a metro station which serves as a huge bomb shelter.

A small crowd watched, some with their eyes closed, others holding children or pets, as a string quintet played classical music, as well as the national anthem.

A cello player who performed at the festival, Denys Karachevtsev, said he wanted to deliver a message of hope to the people of Kharkiv:

"My message is that we have no fear, we are strong, and we can be helpful for our country, each person [in their own way]."

Violinist Tatiana Choukh said "it was maybe the best concert of my life".
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20:31 26 Mar
Russian air strikes were a message for Biden, Lviv mayor says

BBC Monitoring -The world through its media

Photo: People watch smoke billow over Ukraine - Copyright: Reuters
The Russian air strikes on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv today were intended to send a message to US President Joe Biden, mayor Andriy Sadovyy says.

He's been speaking at a joint briefing with the head of the Lviv military civil administration, Maksym Kozytskyy, broadcast on YouTube.

"I think that, with today's strikes, the aggressor is sending greetings to President Biden, who is in Poland now. Lviv is 70 km away from Poland," Sadovyy says.

"I think the whole world should realise that the threat is extremely serious."

Kozytskyy says the missiles hit two critical infrastructure facilities, one of which was an oil depot in a residential area in Lviv, and another was a military plant also located in a residential area. Each of them was targeted by two missile attacks, he says.

No-one was killed, Kozytskyy adds, but five people sought medical help.


20:58 26 Mar
Kharkiv nuclear research reactor hit - reports
A nuclear research reactor in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, has been hit by Russian shelling, according to authorities cited in a Ukrainian news outlet.

The Kyiv Independent said because of constant shelling in the area, in the north east of the country, authorities have been unable to assess the damage to the site.

Russia has been repeatedly criticised for targeting nuclear power plants in Ukraine, such as the Zhaporizhia nuclear plant in the south east.

Though risky, there has so far been no release of radioactive material from this site.


22:33 26 Mar
Concern for Chernobyl power plant's workers - IAEA

Earlier we reported that the city of Slavutych, where many of the Chernobyl power plant's workers live, has been taken by Russian forces.

Now the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed its concern over the welfare of the plant's employees, as there has been no staff rotation at the plant for nearly a week.

The IAEA's director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, says there are concerns about the ability of staff to regularly rotate and return to their homes to rest.

Earlier this month, Grossi stressed the ability of staff to carry out their tasks without undue pressure is one of "the seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety".

This is not the only nuclear plant held by the Russians. Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, is also in the hands of Russian troops.



23:02 26 Mar
One in two children have fled their homes - Unicef
Photo: A seven-year-old Ukrainian refugee from Lviv plays outside a temporary shelter in Poland- Copyright: Reuters/Hannah McKay

Children in Ukraine face a dire situation and one in two have had to flee their homes, a Unicef spokesperson has told the BBC.

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv has come under heavy rocket fire and James Elder, who's from the UN children's charity Unicef, says the attacks add to the terror felt by people there.

"I'd been to a hospital where I see women go down, every time there's an air raid siren, carrying two day old babies or women 36 weeks pregnant who are frigid cold", he says.

"Those women are hiding again tonight - terrified, petrified. And so many other people and children."

"You can just see in the faces of families who have been through this in Kyiv, or Khakiv, and thought they were getting a moment's respite. Well the missiles tell a very different story tonight."



23:45 26 Mar
Zelensky says Ukraine needs just a fraction of Nato military hardware
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded the West steps up military supplies, saying it wasn't just Ukraine at risk.

"What is the price of this security? This is very specific. These are planes for Ukraine. These are tanks for our state. This is anti-missile defense. This is anti-ship weaponry. This is what our partners have. This is what is covered with dust at their storage facilities," he said.

"Because it cannot be acceptable for everyone on the continent if the Baltic states, Poland, Slovakia and the whole of Eastern Europe are at risk of a clash with the Russian invaders.""

He said Ukraine needed just 1% of Nato's tanks and aircraft.

"We did not ask for more. And we do not ask for more. And we have already been waiting for 31 days!"
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SUNDAY POST-MIDNIGHT SUMMARY:

If you are just joining us, here are the latest developments:

Biden's speech: "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power", US President Joe Biden said of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a speech in Poland's capital Warsaw. The White House later said Biden wasn't calling for regime change, but making the point Putin can't be allowed to exercise power over neighbours. The Kremlin said it wasn't for Biden to decide who governs Russia

Lviv rocket fire: Powerful explosions have been heard in Lviv, with thick black smoke seen rising over the outskirts of the city. Lviv is in the west of Ukraine not far from the Polish border and the city's mayor has said he thinks the Russian air strikes were intended to send a message to Biden. Lviv has become something of a safe haven for Ukrainians escaping the conflict

Zelensky's speech: Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky has demanded the West steps up military supplies to his country. He said it wasn't only Ukraine at risk and just 1% of Nato's tanks and aircraft are needed to help his forces fight Russia

Chernobyl fighting: There are concerns over the welfare of staff at Chernobyl's power plant as there hasn't been any staff rotation for nearly a week. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was worried about the pressures faced by Ukrainian staff at nuclear sites seized by Russia



2:11
Sanctions could be lifted if Russia's forces withdraw - UK foreign secretary

Image caption: Liz Truss's comments echo her US counterpart Antony Blinken's, who has said travel bans and asset freezes are "not designed to be permanent"

Russian oligarchs, banks and businesses could have sanctions against them lifted if Russia's President Vladimir Putin ends his invasion of Ukraine and commits to "no further aggression", UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said.

She told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper that the threat of "snapback sanctions" would be retained if the Russian president did attack again.

The foreign secretary also said that a "negotiations unit" had been established in the UK Foreign Office to aid possible peace talks.

Russia has shown signs of possibly scaling back its ambitions in Ukraine, with a senior military official saying on Friday that its efforts were now turning to the eastern Donbas region. However the Western city of Lviv, which until now has largely stayed unscathed, came under heavy rocket fire on Saturday.
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4:32
In pictures: Thousands protest in Prague

Photo: Activists pour red paint on the stairs of the Russian Embassy in Prague on early March 26, 2022.
Copyright: Getty Images
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Thousands from Prague's Russian community marched through the city waving flags and holding up signs denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Several activists threw red paint, symbolising the blood of those killed in the war so far, on the stairs of the Russian embassy in Prague.

Carrying square signs that said "Putin, go to hell" and "Stop Putin, Stop war", protesters walked through the centre of the Czech capital.

2 Photos: Members of Prague's Russian community holding placards take part in an anti-war demonstration in Prague,
Copyright: Getty Images
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5:23
Russia continues to strike targets across Ukraine - UK MoD

The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has given an update on the latest fighting in Ukraine, saying that:

Russian forces continue to strike targets across Ukraine, including targeting many densely populated civilian areas
Russia continues to rely on munitions launched from within Russian airspace in order to reduce their aircrafts' exposure to Ukrainian air defences
The US has reported these weapons have a failure rate of up to 60%, which is forcing Russia to switch to less sophisticated missiles
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have also posted an update on Facebook, with these key points:

Russia has continued to attack civilian and military infrastructure in the besieged south-eastern city Mariupol
It has also continued to target the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, firing on suburban areas and directly into the city
Armed forces in neighbouring country Belarus, which is an ally of Russia, have been conducting training activities in Brest, Minsk and Grodno regions


6:57
Seven Russian generals have died in Ukraine, says Western official

Russian general Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev, who reportedly died on Saturday, is highest ranked officer to be killed, according to Ukraine's defence ministry.

Experts say low morale among Russian troops has forced senior officers closer to the front line.

Our security correspondent Frank Gardner says the reported deaths could partly be a result of generals having to get close to the fighting to dislodge their troops from getting bogged down.

Russian military doctrine allows for almost no initiative among corporals and sergeants, with junior ranks always waiting for orders from above.

A retired British Army officer said the generals' deaths also suggested a "highly successful sniper campaign which could degrade the Russian command structures".



7:22
Zelensky calls on West to supply weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western governments to supply planes, tanks and missile defence systems to his country.

In an impassioned, late-night video address, he said heavy weapons which could defend freedom in Europe were instead gathering dust in stockpiles.

Mr Zelensky complained that Russian aircraft could not be shot down with machine guns.

"What is Nato doing? Is it being run by Russia? What are they waiting for? It's been 31 days. We are only asking for 1% of what Nato has, nothing more," he added.

Slovakia's prime minister, Eduard Heger, confirmed to the BBC that his country was willing to send its arsenal of Soviet-made S-300 air defence missiles to Ukraine if a replacement could be provided.
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