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Volnovakha 'no longer exists', local governor says

Image: Tanks and destruction in Volnovakha - Reuters

The south-eastern city of Volnovakha has been completely destroyed since the Russian invasion, says governor of the Donetsk region Pavlo Kyrylenko.

He said since the invasion began most of Volnovakha's population has fled, and much of its infrastructure has been destroyed, meaning the city effectively no longer exists.

"In general, Volnovakha with its infrastructure as such no longer exists," he told Ukrainian TV channel Direct.

But he said fighting is still going on there to prevent a Russian encirclement of the strategically important territory.

Volnovakha has been under a heavy barrage of shelling, rockets and air strikes, destroying almost every building in the town.

16:56 - Mariupol hopes for evacuations

Mariupol Deputy Mayor Serhiy Orlov has told the BBC that a convoy is on its way to the city bringing aid and buses to evacuate civilians.

But he said this was the seventh attempt to bring relief to the city.

"On the previous six it didn't work," he said. "The convoys were not let through - they were bombed, the road was mined, there was shelling in the town. Let's see whether this one gets here or not."

Mr Orlov was unable to confirm whether a mosque in the city had been hit by shelling, though he said it "could well be in the zone of bombardment".

Ukraine's government said earlier on Saturday that the mosque had been shelled, but Turkish TV quoted the president of the local mosque association as saying that while the area had been under fire the mosque itself was not hit.

Mr Orlov said that about 2,000 people had been killed in Mariupol, but it would not be possible currently to establish the exact number of dead.

Anti-war protests across Europe

Demonstrations in support of Ukraine have been taking place in several cities across Europe, including in Paris where this woman was photographed:
Image: A protester has her face made up with Ukrainian national colours during a support demonstration in Paris - AFP

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed crowds via a video link in the Italian city of Florence:
Image: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky connects via live video link on a screen during the anti-war demonstration -Getty Images

There were also rallies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Turkey among other places.

Shows of sympathy were also on display at various sporting events across Europe, including at this football in the Dutch city of Rotterdam:
Image: Sparta supporters with a Free Ukraine banner during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Sparta Rotterdam and Go Ahead Eagles at Sparta Stadium Het Kasteel - Getty Images

And this message was flashed at Twickenham in London, ahead of a Six Nations rugby match between England and Ireland:
Image: The LED screen inside the stadium shows a Ukrainian flag to indicate peace and sympathy with Ukraine prior to the Guinness Six Nations Rugby match between England and Ireland - Getty Images

In Ukraine itself, in the port city of Odesa, musicians and singers from the famous opera house held an outdoor concert in support of a no-fly zone over Ukraine:
Image: The symphony orchestra and choir of the Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater perform the National Anthem of Ukraine and a number of famous musical work - Getty Images

Meanwhile, refugees continue to cross over into neighbouring countries. The UNHCR says that 2.6m people have now left Ukraine.

More than 235,000 have gone to Hungary - where this photo was taken in Zahony:
Image : A Hungarian police officer helps families as they arrive at Zahony train station after fleeing Ukraine on March 12, 2022 in Zahony, Hungary.
Getty Images

Mariupol aid convoy 'still on its way'

Earlier we reported that convoys including humanitarian aid and buses for evacuating civilians were on their way to several Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian officials said evacuations were continuing from several population centres in Kyiv region, although they accused Russian forces of firing on one convoy from the village of Peremoha, killing seven people.

Meanwhile Mariupol Deputy Mayor Serhiy Orlov said he was still waiting and hoping that a convoy from Zaporizhzhya would arrive in the city, although it was moving very slowly.

Zaporizhzhya is about three hours drive away, and the convoy reportedly left around eight hours ago.

But Mr Orlov was unable to confirm reports in the Ukrainian media that Russian troops were stealing aid from the convoy.

Russian military reportedly installs new mayor of Melitopol

The Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied city of Melitopol following the alleged abduction of Mayor Ivan Fedorov by Moscow's troops on Friday afternoon.

Galina Danilchenko, formerly a deputy on the city council, appeared on local TV where she declared that her main task was construction of "basic mechanisms under the new reality".

Danilchenko said she was preparing to set up a "committee of people's deputies" to run the city, and urged residents not to take part in "extremist actions".

"Respected deputies, we were elected by the people. Our duty above all is to look after their well-being," she said.

"This committee will be tasked with administrative responsibilities on the territory of Melitopol and the Melitopol region."

The BBC cannot independently verify Danilchenko's appointment, though it has been widely reported in local media.

WATCH: 'Not all Russians support this war'

Tens of thousands of Russians have left the country since the invasion of Ukraine.

They're mostly young and liberal - they're shocked by the war and economic sanctions, and are concerned by the latest crackdown on dissent led by President Putin.

An estimated 25,000 of them have moved to Georgia. Yevgeny is one of them.

Video content:

"My name is L Yevgeny... from Moscow, from Russia,... now I am in Tbilsi, [Georgia]. I left Russia since the Russian aggression and the war started. I don't want to fight in this war against Ukrainians, and for not my homeland but for Putin. I decided to come here, to help people, do something with that humanitarian aid, because now it's my responsibility... I want to live in a liberal democratic Russia, without Putin, with a parliamentary system of political regime and not in that dictatorship."

Ukrainian Orthodox monastery damaged by Russian shell

Image of a damaged door - Ukrainian Orthodox Church


The famed monastery is housing over 500 refugees in its cellars.

A centuries-old Ukrainian Orthodox monastery in eastern Ukraine was heavily damaged after barely escaping a direct hit from an explosive shell, according to a statement from the church.

On the evening of 12 March, an aerial bomb exploded near a bridge by the Sviatohirsk Lavra, in Donetsk, destroying almost all of the windows at the monastery and damaging several buildings.

Multiple people, including monks and evacuees sheltering inside, were wounded and transported to hospital. There were no reported deaths.

The monastery cellars are now housing some 520 refugees, according to online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda. About 200 are children.

Kherson rejects possible Russian-backed independence referendum

The regional council in the occupied city of Kherson has voted to adopt a resolution affirming that the city remains Ukrainian, local officials have said.

The vote comes amid accusations by Ukrainian officials that Russian is planning a "pseudo" referendum on creating a breakaway "people's republic".

Yuriy Sobolevskyi, the deputy head of the council, said in a Instagram post that members of the body "accepted the appeal that Kherson region is Ukraine" by 44 votes.

He wrote that deputies could "never recognise attempts to create a 'people's republic' in the Kherson region and seize part of Ukraine".

"Kherson region was, is and will be an integral part of a single state - Ukraine," he added.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted earlier on Saturday that "Russians [are] now desperately try to organise a sham 'referendum' for a fake 'people's republic' in Kherson".

"Severe sanctions against Russia must follow if they proceed. Kherson is and will always be Ukraine," he wrote.

World 'falling back into the past' Vatican official says

Picture of Cardinal Parolin - Getty Images

A senior Vatican official has expressed concern that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is an indication that the world is "falling back into the past instead of daring to take steps towards a different future".

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, widely viewed as the second most powerful man in the Catholic church after Pope Francis, called on Russia to enter into negotiations with Ukraine, saying that leaders "who wage war rely on the diabolical logic of weapons and forget humanity".

He repeated the Vatican City's offer to host mediation talks, and said that it is important to take steps towards "a future of peaceful coexistence".

"War is like a cancer that grows, expands and feeds on itself. It is an adventure with no return, to use the prophetic words of St John Paul II," Parolin said.

"Unfortunately, we must recognise it: we have fallen into a vortex that can have incalculable and ill-fated consequences for everyone."

"But I would also like to say that it is never too late, it is never too late to make peace, it is never too late to retrace one's steps and find an agreement," he added.

Explosive drone crashed in Kyiv on Saturday

A drone was brought down by Ukrainian security forces in Kyiv on Saturday afternoon, according to officials and witness reports.

The drone was said to contain a three kilogram explosive. It crashed in the Podil neighborhood of Kyiv, sparking a small fire at a bank.

Geolocation of the images were verified by the BBC.

https://twitter.com/stefsiohan -
Samedi matin, dans le centre de #Kyiv, un drone explosif pouvant contenir une charge de 3 kilos a été repéré et descendu par un tir de défense, déclenchant un début d'incendie dans une banque. Dans le quartier de Podil. De manière anecdotique dans mon ancienne rue