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16:10
We are being destroyed and exterminated - Zelensky

The people of Ukraine do not want to be subdued by Russia and are being destroyed and exterminated as a result, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Speaking to CBS News through a translator on Sunday, Zelensky described the Russian invasion as involving "the torture of the whole nation".

Asked directly whether Russia's actions constituted genocide, he said: "Indeed, this is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities.

"This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities. We are the citizens of Ukraine and we don't want to be subdued to the policy of Russian Federation.

"This is the reason we are being destroyed and exterminated, and this is happening in the Europe of the 21st Century."

16:46
World leaders react to Bucha killings

Squashed civilian cars are seen on a street in the town of Bucha
Copyright: Reuters

The scenes left in the Ukrainian town of Bucha after the withdrawal of Russian troops are drawing widespread condemnation from world leaders.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the killings were "a brutality against civilians we haven't seen in Europe for decades."

"It's horrific and it's absolutely unacceptable that civilians are targeted and killed," he told CNN.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that "indiscriminate attacks" by against Ukrainian civilians in towns such as Bucha and Irpin should be investigated as war crimes.

"We will not allow Russia to cover up their involvement in these atrocities through cynical disinformation and will ensure that the reality of Russia's actions are brought to light," she said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the images from Bucha as a "punch to the gut".

"This is the reality of what's going on every single day as long as Russia's brutality against Ukraine continues," he told CNN.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has spoken frequently with President Putin since the beginning of the conflict, called the pictures "unbearable".

He said that the "Russian authorities will have to answer for these crimes".

Speaking to the Bild newspaper, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck called the killings a "terrible war crime cannot go unanswered".

"I think that a strengthening of sanctions is called for," he added.

Writing on Twitter, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "Appalled by reports of unspeakable horrors in areas from which Russia is withdrawing.

"An independent investigation is urgently needed. Perpetrators of war crimes will be held accountable."

Ukrainian Defense Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Russia was aiming "to eliminate as many Ukrainians as they can".

He called on G7 nations to impose further sanctions to target Russia's oil, gas, and coal industries, goods exports, and financial sector.


17:00
Russia responds to widespread condemnation of Bucha killings
The Russian Ministry of Defence has attempted to dismiss accusations of alleged killings of civilians in the commuter town of Bucha, near Kyiv.

Amid widespread condemnation from Western leaders following the discovery of bodies after Russian troops withdrew from the town, Russia's MoD suggested the scenes were "the latest provocation" by Ukraine.

It claimed that no local residents fell victim to violent actions while it occupied the town - and it said Russian forces withdrew on 30 March. It said photographs and video footage were "the latest fake by the Kyiv regime".

The BBC is among the news organisations to have seen distressing scenes in Bucha, including 20 bodies dressed in civilian clothing strewn on a road, some with their hands tied behind their back.

17:26
UK PM: Russia's attacks against civilians more evidence of war crimes

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned Russia's "despicable attacks" against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha and Irpin, describing them as "war crimes", and adding that "we will not rest until justice is served".

In a statement, he said: "Russia's despicable attacks against innocent civilians in Irpin and Bucha are yet more evidence that Putin and his army are committing war crimes in Ukraine.

"No denial or disinformation from the Kremlin can hide what we all know to be the truth - Putin is desperate, his invasion is failing, and Ukraine's resolve has never been stronger.

"I will do everything in my power to starve Putin's war machine."

Johnson added: "The UK has been at the forefront of supporting the international Criminal Court's investigation into atrocities committed in Ukraine."


17:41
410 bodies found in towns near Kyiv, Ukrainian prosecutors say
Ukrainian prosecutors investigating possible war crimes by Russia say they have found 410 bodies in towns near Kyiv.

After Ukraine said it had recaptured the region surrounding the capital, Prosecutor General Iryna Venedyktova said 140 of the bodies identified had been examined.

It follows global condemnation of scenes in the commuter town of Bucha, where bodies dressed in civilian clothing were found strewn across a road.

On Saturday, Venedyktova said Ukraine's military prosecutor's office would "collect and preserve evidence of Russian aggression, maintain law and order, ensure respect for the rights of servicepersons".

Russia has firmly denied allegations that its forces killed civilians in the town.


18:21
Lithuanian director dies in Mariupol, local media report
Mantas Kvedaravicius
Copyright: Ukrinform news site

Lithuanian film director Mantas Kvedaravicius was killed in Mariupol with "a camera in his hands", according to Ukrainian media reports. The BBC has been unable to verify this independently.

Local media quoted a Facebook post by Vitaly Mansky, an award-winning Russian filmmaker.

Kvedaravicius has long documented Mariupol and his film on the besieged city premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2016.

The southern city has been battered by Russian shells for weeks now, with hundreds feared dead.

On Saturday, another filmmaker and photographer, Ukrainian Maksim Levin, was found dead north of the capital Kyiv. He was a long-time contributor to Reuters.

18:47
The war photographer Ukraine lost

Levin carries a cat in the Donetsk region of Ukraine -Copyright: Reuters

As we've been reporting, Maks Levin, a Ukrainian photographer and documentary filmmaker who was a long-time contributor to Reuters, has become the latest journalist to be killed while covering the war.

Levin's body was found north of the capital city Kyiv on 1 April, according to LB.ua, the news website he had been working for that day.

He leaves behind his wife and four children, according to Reuters.

John Pullman, the global managing editor for visuals at Reuters, said: "Maks has provided compelling photos and video from Ukraine to Reuters since 2013. His death is a huge loss to the world of journalism."

Here are some photos taken by Levin during the war in Ukraine:

People fleeing in Irpin, Ukraine -Copyright: Reuters


A Ukrainian soldier hides from a helicopter airstrike -Copyright: Reuters


A woman is evacuated after shelling in Irpin, Ukraine. - Copyright: Reuters

18:58
New civilian deaths reported on Sunday
A number of people have been killed in Russian shelling of the city of Kharkiv on Sunday, the regional governor says.

In a statement on Telegram, Governor Oleh Synyehubov said: "In the evening, the occupiers shelled the Slobidsky district of Kharkiv.

"Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded among the civilian population.

"As of this time, there are 23 casualties, including children. The figures are being established."

Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-biggest city and is situated close to the border with Russia.


19:26
UN chief calls for Bucha investigation

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an independent investigation into alleged killings in Bucha - the town near Kyiv where bodies were found discarded on a road.

Writing on Twitter on Sunday, he said: "I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine.

"It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability."

A statement released by the United Nations Human Rights Office also raised the possibility that Russia had committed war crimes in Ukraine.

"What is known to date clearly raises serious and disturbing questions about possible war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law," it read.

It said it was important that all bodies be exhumed and identified "so that relatives can be informed, and that the exact cause of death be established to help ensure accountability and justice".


20:14
Civilian fleeing Kharkiv tells of horror in city suburbs

While we've been reporting about claims of a massacre in the town of Bucha, one civilian arriving at Lviv train station from Kharkiv relayed graphic scenes in that city's suburbs.

Speaking about corpses seen in the town of Bucha, the man, who gave his name as Andre, told the BBC: "In these pictures, there are bodies. In the Kharkiv suburbs, there are only parts of bodies: legs, arms, heads."

Kharkiv, in the north east, is partially surrounded by Russian forces and the city has suffered relentless shelling.

A regional prosecutor said on Sunday that seven people had been killed in shelling in Kharkiv.

22:26 3 Apr
BREAKING
More explosions heard in key port of Odesa - reports

Reports are coming in of explosions late on Sunday in Ukraine's southern port of Odesa.

The authorities in the strategic city on the Black Sea coast are yet to confirm the reports by local media and a Reuters witness.

Odesa - where about one million people live - was hit by Russian missiles on Sunday morning.

A Ukrainian official said those missiles had struck "critical infrastructure", and there were no casualties.

Russia later said it had targeted oil facilities in the region that Ukraine was using to supply its troops.


22:53 3 Apr
Russia requests UN Security Council session over Bucha war crime allegations

As we've been reporting, there have been claims that Ukrainian civilians were indiscriminately killed as Russian forces retreated from the city of Bucha, near Kyiv.

Moscow is now demanding an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Monday 4 April.

Russia is a permanent member of the 15-member body.

Dmitry Polyansky, the country's UNSC deputy representative, said it was making the request "in light of the blatant provocation of Ukrainian radicals".

Since the start of its invasion more than five weeks ago, Russia has argued frequently with other members of the body, trading allegations of human rights abuses with the US in particular.


Posted at 23:22 3 Apr23:22 3 Apr
Satellite image shows 45-foot trench at grave site, says US tech firm
Satellite images from Bucha show a 45-foot trench at a site where a mass grave has been identified, a US satellite data firm says.

Images captured on March 31 and released by Maxar Technologies show what appears to be a trench within the grounds of the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints.
The company said signs of excavation could be seen in images taken as early as 10 March.

The BBC could not immediately verify the images, although a team from CNN reported seeing bodies in a mass grave at the site.

Maxar technologies says this satellite image shows a grave site with an approximately 45-foot (13.7 meters) long trench near the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints, in Bucha, Ukraine
Copyright: Maxar Technologies/ Reuters

0:26
EU should consider ban on Russian gas, says German defence minister
The European Union should consider a ban on gas imports from Russia, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht has said.

It comes after alleged atrocities by Russian forces in the Ukrainian town of Bucha attracted widespread condemnation from world leaders.

Speaking to German public broadcaster ARD, Ms Lambrecht said: "There has to be a response. Such crimes must not remain unanswered."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also said Putin and his backers would "feel the consequences" of their actions.

Russia supplies around 40% of Europe's gas, a fact that has so far made Germany and other European nations reluctant to expand sanctions to target its energy sector.


1:21
Seizing Mariupol is a 'key objective' for Russia, UK MoD says
Photo of shell damaged & blackened apartment blocks in Mariupol
Copyright: Getty Images
Image caption: Mariupol has been relentlessly targeted by Russian forces

Taking control of the city of Mariupol is "almost certainly a key objective of the Russian invasion", the UK's Ministry of Defence has said.

The MoD said troops would have a land corridor from Russia to the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula if the besieged port city in the southeast of the country fell.

On Sunday, it again reported heavy fighting and indiscriminate shelling as Russian forces seek to seize the city.

But the MoD added that Ukrainian fighters "maintain a staunch resistance" and have retained control in key parts of the city.


2:07
Almost 3,000 evacuated from Mariupol and Luhansk on Sunday - Ukraine
Ukraine has evacuated 2,964 people from conflict zones in the port city of Mariupol and the nearby Luhansk region, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Sunday.

The Red Cross has made repeated attempts to gain access to Mariupol after being forced to turn an aid convoy around on Friday.

Ms Vereshchuk said talks with Russia to allow Red Cross buses access to the city itself were ongoing.

On Thursday she said about 75,000 people had been evacuated from Mariupol in recent weeks.

It was not immediately clear exactly where the evacuations announced on Sunday were made from, but many in recent days have been conducted with the use of humanitarian corridors.


2:53
Sharing memories of Ukraine before the war
Ukrainians have been sharing videos of their country before the war, which have gone viral on social media.
The BBC spoke to four women, who told us about those memories, and why they thought it was important to share them with the world.
They also spoke about their own experiences of the war.

4:03
Nearly 3,500 civilian casualties in Ukraine
The United Nations' human rights office says there have been 3,455 civilian casualties since the war in Ukraine began.

That includes more than 1,400 deaths and over 2,000 injuries.

The numbers are a conservative estimate and the UN believes the real figures are likely considerably higher.

The heaviest casualties continue to be reported from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east, where Russia has battled with Ukraine over self-proclaimed independent republics it recently recognised.


4:37
Russia's actions in Ukraine a 'playbook' of war crimes - Expert
Russia's actions in Ukraine are a "playbook of what war crimes look like", Dr Michael Newton, a former senior adviser to the US Ambassador at Large or War Crimes has told the BBC.

The bodies found outside Kyiv are believed to be just the latest example. He said others seen perpetrated so far by Russia include:

Intentional targeting of civilians
intentional destruction of civilian property
indiscriminate shelling
starvation of a civilian population

Dr Newton also said while it was clear war crimes were happening at a "macro level", it was important also to look to a "granular level of specific preparation of specific cases against individuals".

He rubbished Russia's response that it hasn't targeted civilians during the war. Moscow on Sunday claimed the reports of bodies in the streets in Bucha and Irpin were fake.

Dr Newton said the Russians could say whatever they liked but "the evidence here is irrefutable".

Photo: Michael Newtown

6:07
Russia seeks to covertly mobilise 60,000 reservists - Ukraine

Russia has started a covert mobilisation of reservists, claims Ukraine's military in its latest news bulletin at 04:00 GMT on 4 April.

"During the selection of candidates, preference is given to those who already have combat experience," the report says, identifying five Russian regions and the main target areas.

It adds that Moscow is hoping to mobilise about 60,000 extra troops.

Russia has not commented on the Ukrainian report, the accuracy of which has not been independently verified.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier last month said he would not send conscripts or reservists to fight in Ukraine.


6:37
Russia continues refocusing offensive in the Donbas - UK MoD
The UK's Ministry of Defence has tweeted an update this morning with their latest intelligence on Russia's movements in Ukraine. Here's what they said:

Russian forces are continuing to consolidate and reorganise as they refocus their offensive into the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine
Russian troops, including mercenaries from the Russian state-linked Wagner private military company, are being moved into the area
These claims cannot be independently verified by the BBC.


6:53
'My son hides bread, afraid there won't be any food'
Hugo Bachega
BBC News, Lviv

Photo: Nadia Denysenko
Copyright: BBC

Nadia Denysenko and her three children escaped Mariupol after three weeks under constant siege by Russian forces.

For days, alone together in their frigid apartment where the windows had been blown out by shelling, they had very little to eat, and almost nothing to drink.

The first thing they did was buy bread, sausage and water.

"We're safe and we can buy food," she told the BBC.

"But my son still hides food: bread, candies. He hides it in different parts of the flat where we're staying."

She asked him "What for?"

"He said, 'So I'll have something to eat tomorrow.'"


7:16
Re-elected Hungarian PM calls Zelensky an 'opponent'
Video content
Video caption: Moment Hungary PM criticises President Zelensky in winner's speechMoment Hungary PM criticises President Zelensky in winner's speech

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has won a fourth term by a landslide in the country's general elections.

In his victory speech, Orban criticised Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Brussels bureaucrats, calling them "opponents".

Hungary shares a border with Ukraine and has taken in more than half a million refugees so far.

Orban insists that by helping the people, but refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine, he's keeping Hungary out of the war.

Zelensky has repeatedly criticised Orban's policies.


7:37
The Ukrainian mother who had to bury her own son
As Ukrainian forces re-entered areas close to the capital Kyiv after the Russians retreated, they reported finding hundreds of bodies and mass graves in the town of Bucha.

It was there and in the surrounding areas that the BBC filmed bodies of civilians in the streets - some with their hands and feet bound - who had been shot.

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen met a bereaved mother on the outskirts of Kyiv, who had to bury her own son after he was killed by Russian soldiers.

Video content
Video caption: The Ukrainian mother who had to bury her own son.

"(Jeremy Bowen speaking)
Iryna Kostenko wanted to talk about the 10th of March, the day the Russians killed her only son, Olexy.
The two lived here, just 500m from his job, changing tyres at a garage.
Iryna led the way to her son's bedroom, damaged by shelling.
We were told he was killed. We were the first outsiders she had seen since the Russians left on Friday, and the story of Olexy's death spilled out.

(Iryna speaking)
The pain is so bad, now I'm all alone. (crying) My son was young only 27 years old.
He wanted to stay alive.
Olexy was born when Iryna was 18. Her life has not been easy, but she dreads a future without him.
She said he'd served in the army, but that day he was going to work at the garage.

(Jeremy Bowen speaking in the garden of the house)
After they killed her son, she fled, and the Russian soldiers took over the house, and judging by the rubbish they left behind them, they were having a good time.
(Describes rubbish piles seen in video) Loads of bottles of vodka, jack daniels, Bell's whiskey, beer, you name it!
It is hard to understand human behaviour like this, but what makes it really tragic is that there are so many accounts of it happening, where Russian soldiers have been and are now in Ukraine.

(Iryna seen crying in the garden by her son's grave, and Jeremy Bowen speaks)
On her own, Iryna buried Olexy in the garden, after she had brought his body back from the road in a wheelbarrow.
(Iryna speaks)
I covered the grave in a blanket to protect it from the dogs.
He isn't in a coffin, I had to roll him in a carpet.

(Jeremy Bowen asks)
Did you say to the Russians, 'why did you kill my son?'
(Iryna replies)
They were in jeeps with guns. They killed him and fled.
How can I talk to such morons.
I want them dead. I want their children to lie like my son.

(Jeremy Bowen speaking)
Iryna found another picture of her son.
(Iryna seen crying and holding the picture)
This is my love, she said. My sweetheart.
Jeremy Bowen, BBC NEws, outside Kyiv.

7:57
Bucha 'isn't a one-off atrocity'
Similar massacres to the one reported in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, could be "widespread" in areas held by Russian forces, Jack Watling from UK defence and security think tank Rusi tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Ukraine has accused Russia of a "deliberate massacre" in Bucha after reporters found at least 20 bodies strewn in the streets.

Russia calls these claims war "propaganda".

"This isn't a one-off atrocity. This is very much how the Russians conduct anti-partisan warfare", Jack says.

"I think in those areas where the Russians have seized territory, we are going to discover a significant number of acts like this."

"The intent of those atrocities will be the same, which is to retaliate against the population for the audacity to resist. I think this is going to be very widespread."

"They did the same thing in Afghanistan. They did the same thing in Chechnya and in the Second World War. This is a doctrine of anti-partisan warfare, which is about collective punishment."


8:08
French President Macron calls for more sanctions

More sanctions against Russia are needed after reports of Russian forces killing civilians in the town Bucha, near Kyiv, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.

Ukraine has accused Russia of a "deliberate massacre" in Bucha, after reporters found at least 20 bodies strewn in the streets, but Russia has called these claims war "propaganda".

Macron told France Inter radio that there were "very clearclues" indicating that Russian forces were responsible for warcrimes in Ukraine.


8:45
Georgia condemns killings in Ukraine's Bucha

Photo: Rally to support Ukraine in Tbilisi
Copyright: EPA/ZURAB KURTSIKIDZE
Image caption: A rally in support of Ukraine was held in front of Georgia's Parliament building in Tbilisi yesterday

The Georgian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the killings of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, near Kyiv.

The ministry tweeted: "We are devastated by the scenes of brutal atrocities. All those involved in these war crimes must bear responsibility!"

President Salome Zourabichvili said the "Bucha massacre" was a "crime against humanity".

The Georgian government has been under fire from the opposition for its lukewarm support for Ukraine.

The government has repeatedly voiced support for Ukraine but refused to join sanctions against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recalled Ukraine’s ambassadors to Georgia last week, saying: “with all due respect, if there won’t be weapons, won’t be sanctions, won’t be restrictions for Russian business, then please look for other work”.

10:14
Shallow grave on way to Bucha is more evidence of civilian killings
Yogita Limaye
BBC News correspondent

While travelling to Bucha near Kyiv, in the village of Motyzhyn, we walked past destroyed homes into the woods nearby.

We were taken to see a shallow grave - four bodies were visible. Ukrainian officials told us there could be more.

The bodies have been identified as that of the head of the village Olga Sohnenko, her husband and her son. The fourth hasn't been identified yet.

It’s unclear when they were killed. But this is more evidence that civilians were killed indiscriminately in areas the Russians had taken over.


10:41
Russia's committing genocide in Ukraine, says Polish PM

A woman bursting into tears outside a residential building in Bucha
Copyright: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Image caption: Tanya Nedashkivska in Bucha reacts as she recounts how her husband was killed by Russian soldiers

The discovery of civilians' bodies in Bucha and Irpin, some with hands tied behind their backs, should be classified as genocide, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said.

Ukrainian authorities discovered the bodies of about 300 people in several towns following the Russian withdrawal, he says.

Morawiecki describes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “pure evil” and says Russian President Vladimir Putin will only be stopped by imposing tougher sanctions.

Poland supports the establishment of an international commission to investigate Russian crimes committed in Ukraine.

Morawiecki called on EU countries to confiscate the assets of Russian oligarchs and says Germany’s dependency on Russian energy over the years had helped strengthen Russia.

He also questioned whether French President Emmanuel Macron’s negotiations with Putin had achieved anything.

When asked about Hungary’s stance on Russia, Morawiecki says Viktor Orban’s fourth electoral victory should be respected and that Budapest supports sanctions.

“It’s Germany that is the main roadblock on sanctions."



11:08
Family left in shallow grave in village near Kyiv (Warning: distressing image below)
The BBC's Yogita Limaye is on the ground reporting on new evidence of atrocities emerging in areas around Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, after Russian forces pulled out.

She took the photo below of a shallow grave in the village of Motyzhyn, where four people allegedly shot dead by Russian forces were left. We have blurred parts of the picture.

Three of the bodies have been identified as members of one family, including the head of the village, Olga Sohnenko. The fourth body has not been identified.

Yogita is on her way to Bucha - a town where the discovery of many dead civilians has shocked the world, and seen Russia accused of war crimes.

The Kremlin has this morning repeated denials that Russian forces were responsible for killing civilians near Kyiv.

Warning - there is a distressing image immediately below