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14:40 14 Apr
Ukraine voices fears over child trafficking
Ukraine's foreign ministry says it is concerned that children taken to Russia, including those orphaned during the conflict, could be given up for adoption by Russian families, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reports.

It says the ministry claims there are reports that authorities in the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk are planning to sign deals with Russia's education ministry to traffic children from those regions.

In a letter to the UNHCR, UNICEF, the Red Cross and other agencies, the foreign ministry describes such actions as kidnapping.

14:54 14 Apr
Turkey not involved in Russian vessel rescue - official

Speaking with the BBC's Turkish Service, a Turkish official has denied claims that one of their country's ships helped to recover crew members from the Russian cruiser Moskva.

The allegation was made earlier today by Lithuania's defence minister, Arvydas Anušauskas. He also said Turkish and Romanian authorities had confirmed the ship had been sunk. The Turkish official did not comment on this alleged confirmation.

Russia's defence ministry insists the ship is still afloat, and has continually denied claims that the Moskva was struck by Ukrainian forces.


15:12 14 Apr
More claims of Ukrainian attacks on Russian border
More now on claims Ukraine has been attacking border areas in Russia.

According to the governor of Russia's Belgorod region, the village of Spodaryushino was shelled by Ukraine, prompting its evacuation along with a neighbouring village.

Writing on Telegram, Vyacheslav Gladkov said no one was injured and no residential buildings were damaged.

The claim comes after Russian officials accused Ukraine of carrying out air strikes on another residential area in the town of Klimovo in the Bryansk region.

Two weeks ago, an oil depot was also set on fire in Belgorod - Russia claimed Ukraine was responsible for this too.

The BBC is unable to verify who is responsible for these incidents, but Ukraine denied hitting the Belgorod oil depot earlier this month.


15:31 14 Apr
Irish foreign minister accuses Russia of war crimes

Russian forces have likely committed war crimes by attacking Ukrainian civilians, Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said during a visit to Ukraine today.

He said Ireland was pushing for a “maximalist” package of sanctions against Russia, adding that he wanted to bring the “madness” of the war to an end.

He visited areas directly affected by Russia's invasion, and met Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

"Even though Ireland is militarily neutral, let me be clear we are not neutral on this war and conflict and the future of your country," he said.

During his visit, Coveney announced €3m (£2.5m) in funding to the International Criminal Court, with €1m to be dispersed immediately to the office of the prosecutor.

Ireland has already contributed €20m in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and committed €33m in military assistance.

15:53 14 Apr
Ukraine asks for weapons to break Mariupol siege

Ukraine needs more weapons to break the siege of Mariupol, the country's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says.

As we have been reporting, there are growing signs Russia could be on the brink of fully capturing Mariupol.

The southern port city has suffered devastating attacks since the start of the war.

"Mariupol is in a desperate situation. We are doing everything we can to support the civilians and defenders," Kuleba said.

"But to break the siege of Mariupol and save them we need more weapons, and we are working with our partners to get it," he added.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday promised an extra $800m (£609m) in military assistance to Ukraine.

Talking about the need for more weapons, Kuleba added: "If Ukraine does not get the necessary weapons within a few days, rather than a few weeks, it will mean that more civilians will be killed, more atrocities committed and more Ukrainian villages and cities ruined as a result of the Russian offensive."


Posted at 16:27 14 Apr16:27 14 Apr
Damaged Moskva crossing Black Sea, says US
The US has been giving its reaction to Ukrainian claims that it carried out a missile strike on the Russian flagship the Moskva last night, causing significant damage.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby has told CNN that “there was an explosion” on the warship but that the US could not yet say whether the ship was hit by a missile.

Russia says its warship remains afloat after ammunition on board caught fire, while Ukraine says the vessel was hit by its anti-ship missiles.

“We’re not exactly sure what happened here. We do assess that there was an explosion - at least one explosion on this cruiser - a fairly major one at that, that has caused extensive damage to the ship,” Kirby told CNN.

Kirby said the damaged Russian warship was afloat and "making her own way across the Black Sea" - "probably" for repairs at Sevastopol in Crimea.


17:03 14 Apr
British fighter appears handcuffed on Russian TV
Emma Vardy
BBC News

Photographs and videos have emerged on a Russian news outlet of a British man who was fighting with Ukrainian forces in Mariupol.

Aiden Aslin from Nottinghamshire is shown restrained in handcuffs, after telling his family on Tuesday that his unit were preparing to surrender to Russian forces.

His mother Ang Wood told me: “I believe it is him in the photographs. We just want him to be treated according to the Geneva conventions.

“We are just hoping that maybe there can be some sort of prisoner exchange. We don’t know what else to do right now except keep pressing the foreign office.”

His grandmother Pamela Hall said: “I never expected this, I thought if the worst came to the worst that Aiden would die fighting
"Obviously I didn’t want that, I wanted the war to end and for him to go home to his fiancé.

"I think all the guys should be treated as prisoners as war according to the Geneva conventions, I appreciate it’s opposing forces, but they’re all human beings.

"We are all just hoping and praying for his safety.”

Aslin passed out as a marine with the Ukrainian military in 2018 and had been defending Mariupol with his unit during heavy fighting in recent weeks.

“Aiden was not a mercenary as some of these Russian posts are saying,” his grandmother explained.

“He has never been a mercenary and his involvement with the Ukrainian forces came about because he made Ukraine his adopted home, and he was due to marry his fiancée."

"It’s an unjust war it should never have happened.”

Ukraine's President Zelensky to BBC: Blood money being paid for Russian oil
By Clive Myrie and Joel Gunter
BBC News in Kyiv, Ukraine
Published21 hours ago

Media caption,
WATCH: Zelensky says European countries still buying Russian oil are dealing in blood money

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused European countries that continue to buy Russian oil of "earning their money in other people's blood".

In an interview with the BBC, President Zelensky singled out Germany and Hungary, accusing them of blocking efforts to embargo energy sales, from which Russia stands to make up to £250bn ($326bn) this year.

There has been a growing frustration among Ukraine's leadership with Berlin, which has backed some sanctions against Russia but so far resisted calls to back tougher action on oil sales.

"Some of our friends and partners understand that it is a different time now, that it is no longer an issue of business and money," Mr Zelensky told the BBC from his situation room in Kyiv on Thursday. "That it is an issue of survival."

The president also reiterated calls for more weapons to be supplied to Ukraine, saying they were not getting supplies fast enough to fend off Russia's assault.

"The United States, the United Kingdom, some European countries - they are trying to help and are helping," he said. "But still we need it sooner, sooner and faster. The key word is now."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to the BBC's Clive Myrie
Image caption, The Ukrainian leader (R) said his country still desperately needed weapons from the West

Russian troops have in recent weeks pulled back from around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and other central and northern parts of the country - apparently abandoning an attempt to seize all of Ukraine by force.

But there are fears now of a bloody and protracted conflict in the east and south of the country, as Russian President Vladimir Putin refocuses his military campaign there in an effort to seize more territory.

The southern port city of Mariupol - a strategic goal for President Putin - has already been devastated by weeks of Russian artillery bombardment.

President Zelensky told the BBC he thought tens of thousands may have been killed in the city.

"We also have information that as well as those tens of thousands of dead, many have disappeared," he said. "We know their documents have been replaced, they were given Russian passports and taken deep into Russia - some to camps, some to other cities. No one knows what is happening to those people. No one knows how many have been killed."

A damaged residential building in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Image caption, President Zelensky said 95% of buildings had been destroyed in Mariupol, one of Ukraine's biggest cities

Mr Zelensky said the atrocities apparently committed by Russian troops in Mariupol, and in the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Borodyanka, had further narrowed the possibility of peace talks with the Russians.

Hundreds of dead have been found in Bucha since it was taken back by Ukrainian forces a little over a week ago, including civilians who were found shot in the head with their hands tied behind their backs, as well as widespread reports of sexual violence.

"Bucha is in the process of closing [the possibilities of peace talks]," President Zelensky said. "It's not about me - it's about Russia. They will not have many more chances to speak with us."

He said he had "experienced the entire spectrum of emotions" when he visited Bucha last week, but ended the day with "nothing but hatred towards the Russian military". He accused President Putin and the rest of the Russian army "from top to bottom" of being "war criminals".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) visited in the town of Bucha, northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, earlier this month
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, President Zelensky (seen here in the centre without a helmet) visited the town of Bucha earlier this month

Mr Zelensky defended his leadership in the run-up to the Russian invasion that began in February, when his government urged the Ukrainian people to remain calm.

He said the government had been working in the background to agree deals for weapons and supplies, as well as focusing on avoiding panic that could trigger a run on the banks and destabilise Ukraine's economy.

"That was what Russia - and not just Russia - wanted, but we didn't let that happen," he said. "But we did not expect the full-scale invasion when it happened."

Ukraine is now facing a renewed attack in the east and south as Russia attempts to carve off more territory, following its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

President Zelensky said the east now represented the "most difficult situation" for Ukraine's armed forces, "but this is where our most powerful units are concentrated".

"They can destroy us, but we will answer; they can kill but they will also die," he said. "I can't understand for what - I can't understand why they came."

18:45 14 Apr
Ship damage a blow to Russian credibility - Western officials

Paul Adams
BBC Diplomatic correspondent

Western officials say Ukrainian claims to have hit the Russian cruiser, the Moskva, with their own domestically developed Neptune missile are “credible.”

One official said the loss of the Moskva, if confirmed, was a “massive blow” to Russian military credibility, regardless of how it happened.

He said he was not aware of another case, involving a capital ship, in which a fire had led to the explosion of the ammunition magazine - something Russia has claimed. This, the official said, would represent “remarkably inept” control by crew - and it was hard to believe that this was how the incident occurred.

The official added that the loss of the Moskva would have “a significant impact" on Russian maritime operations.

As flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva was providing vital command and control functions for the rest of the fleet. This would now be harder – but not impossible – for Russia to achieve.

But if this is proven to have been a successful Ukrainian strike, he said it suggested the fleet’s air defences were vulnerable.

On recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian fuel and ammunition depots, the official said these were evidence of an effort to limit the resupply and manoeuverability of Ukrainian forces.

But he did not believe the strikes had reached a level where they would have an immediate effect.

On Russian casualties, he said the Western count was "somewhat lower" than Ukraine’s figure (currently 19,700 Russian dead), but that “incredible numbers" had been killed.

The official said Russia’s air force was still not able to operate beyond the forward line of Russian troops, because it was "terrified" of flying over Ukrainian-held positions. This was due to a combination of Ukrainian air defence systems and systems provided by the West.

Officials said torrential rain in eastern Ukraine was also having an effect, making it harder for Russian forces to operate off road, and slowing down their ability to mass troops.

18:45 14 Apr
Ship damage a blow to Russian credibility - Western officials

Paul Adams
BBC Diplomatic correspondent

Western officials say Ukrainian claims to have hit the Russian cruiser, the Moskva, with their own domestically developed Neptune missile are “credible.”

One official said the loss of the Moskva, if confirmed, was a “massive blow” to Russian military credibility, regardless of how it happened.

He said he was not aware of another case, involving a capital ship, in which a fire had led to the explosion of the ammunition magazine - something Russia has claimed. This, the official said, would represent “remarkably inept” control by crew - and it was hard to believe that this was how the incident occurred.

The official added that the loss of the Moskva would have “a significant impact" on Russian maritime operations.

As flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva was providing vital command and control functions for the rest of the fleet. This would now be harder – but not impossible – for Russia to achieve.

But if this is proven to have been a successful Ukrainian strike, he said it suggested the fleet’s air defences were vulnerable.

On recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian fuel and ammunition depots, the official said these were evidence of an effort to limit the resupply and manoeuverability of Ukrainian forces.

But he did not believe the strikes had reached a level where they would have an immediate effect.

On Russian casualties, he said the Western count was "somewhat lower" than Ukraine’s figure (currently 19,700 Russian dead), but that “incredible numbers" had been killed.

The official said Russia’s air force was still not able to operate beyond the forward line of Russian troops, because it was "terrified" of flying over Ukrainian-held positions. This was due to a combination of Ukrainian air defence systems and systems provided by the West.

Officials said torrential rain in eastern Ukraine was also having an effect, making it harder for Russian forces to operate off road, and slowing down their ability to mass troops.

19:13 14 Apr
More than 100 people abducted from Melitopol, says mayor

More than 100 people have been abducted in Melitopol - a small city in south-eastern Ukraine, and one of the first to fall to the Russians - since Russia invaded in early March, city mayor Ivan Fedorov says.

Fedorov was allegedly abducted by Russian forces in March and freed five days later in exchange for nine captured Russian conscripts, according to the head of Ukraine's presidential office.

"Some were held for several hours, others for several days," the UNIAN news agency reported Fedorov saying.

He said the head of Melitopol district council, Serhiy Pryyma, has been in Russian captivity for over a month.

He said Russia had abducted Ukrainian activists with "propaganda purposes" and was forcing them to record forced testimonies.

He said Russians were also trying to make abducted Ukrainian children "go to school and learn some verses and songs for 9 May [Victory Day widely celebrated in Russia]".


20:22 14 Apr
More on Nato's potential expansion
We reported earlier that Russia's former PM Dmitry Medvedev had warned that if Sweden and Finland join Nato, Moscow would be forced to bolster its forces in the region.

Now Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko has said Russia will have to take security measures if both countries are admitted.

Grushko is quoted by the Russian state news agency Tass as saying their membership would lead to "the most undesirable consequences".

However, Lithuania says Moscow deployed nuclear weapons to the Russian province of Kaliningrad - which is along the Baltic coast - long before its invasion of Ukraine.

And UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has tweeted Britain's support for Sweden and Finland, saying they are "free to choose their future without interference".

It comes after both countries signalled they were considering the move.


20:45 14 Apr
French diplomats to return to Kyiv
France will move its embassy in Ukraine back to the capital Kyiv, it has announced.

The embassy was relocated to the western city of Lviv in early March following the Russian invasion.

Bu Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said it will return to Kyiv "very soon".

He said the redeployment would allow France "to deepen its backing for Ukraine even further in all spheres".

On Wednesday, the Czech foreign ministry said its diplomats had returned to the embassy in Kyiv for the first time since Russia invaded on 24 February.

Several countries previously ordered their diplomats to leave Kyiv as the invasion loomed.

21:13 14 Apr
BREAKING
Moskva warship has sunk - Russian state media
Russia's defence ministry says its Moskva warship has sunk, state media is reporting.

Ukraine says it carried out a strike on the vessel, while Russia claims ammunition on board blew up.

The Moskva was reportedly being towed to Crimea for repairs.

In a statement, Russian military department said: "During the towing of the Moskva cruiser to the port of destination, due to damage to the hull received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition, the ship lost stability,"

"In the conditions of stormy seas, the ship sank."


21:27 14 Apr
Family fears for 'captured' Briton

The World Tonight

We reported earlier that a British man who was fighting with Ukrainian forces in Mariupol has appeared handcuffed on Russian media.

Aiden Aslin's mother told the BBC's Emma Vardy that she believed it was him in the images.

The BBC has now spoken to Aslin's brother, who expressed the family's fears for his safety.

Nathan Wood told Radio 4’s World Tonight programme after the fighting started his brother put up a social media post saying his position had been hit by the Russians.

Wood said: "We can tell that he's been beaten pretty badly - he's got a massive bump on his head – it looks like he's been hit on the head, in one picture he has a swollen eye."

He said his brother now has joint British and Ukrainian citizenship, adding the "British government may have given him an opportunity to leave, but Ukraine is his home and his life is there; his wife lives there".

But he said: "He's still a British citizen – so the UK government can't just turn a blind eye to this".


21:29 14 Apr
What do we know about the Moskva?

Russia's flagship Black Sea missile cruiser, the Moskva, has sunk in rough seas while being towed after suffering a fire onboard, according to Russian media.

The defence ministry said ammunition on the Moskva exploded in an unexplained fire on Wednesday.

Ukraine claims it struck the 186-metre (610 foot) vessel with its Neptune missiles.

The 510-crew warship has led Russia's naval assault on Ukraine, making it an important symbolic and military target.

Earlier in the conflict the Moskva gained notoriety after calling on Ukrainian border troops defending Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender - to which they memorably radioed a message of refusal which loosely translates as "go to hell".

Originally built in Ukraine in the Soviet-era, the vessel entered service in the early 1980s according to Russian media.

The missile cruiser was previously deployed by Moscow in the Syria conflict where it supplied Russian forces in the country with naval protection.

The cruise missile system that Ukraine says was deployed was designed by Ukrainian military engineers in response to the growing naval threat posed by Russia in the Black Sea, following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

As our Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, writes: Whatever the cause of the Moskva's destruction, the damage is bad news for Moscow.

It is the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, and, as such, a symbol of Russia's military power.


21:41 14 Apr
Cause of explosion onboard Russian ship still unconfirmed

There have been conflicting reports throughout the day about the cause of the explosion onboard the Russian warship Moskva, which has reportedly now sunk.

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet was being towed to port when "stormy seas" caused it to sink, according to a Russian defence ministry statement.

The 510-crew vessel was an important symbolic and military target, and has led Russia's naval assault on Ukraine.

Ukraine claims it struck the warship with its missiles, but Russia has made no mention of an attack.

Earlier, Russia had said there was a fire on board after ammunition exploded.

Western officials have said that Ukraine's claims to have struck the ship with a missile are the most credible.


21:56 14 Apr
Thirty Ukrainians to return after prisoner swap

Thirty prisoners of war are being returned to Ukraine as part of an exchange of captives with Russia.

The move, which is the fourth such exchange of the conflict, follows an order from President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Five officers and 17 servicemen were exchanged. Also eight civilians, including one woman, were released," Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement.


22:05 14 Apr
War crime prosecutor says inquiry must be swift and effective

Anna Foster
Reporting from Kyiv

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan QC, has told the BBC he wants the organisation's investigation into war crimes in Ukraine to be carried out quickly and fairly.

Speaking to the BBC in Kyiv, he said there was a need for "international justice to be faster, to be more effective and have an impact on people's lives".

Mr Khan said: “International law is not perfect. I'm going to make mistakes. The office will. Justice does everywhere. But we're going to try to effectively build cases so that we get to the truth”.

Khan said his team will start with investigating obvious crimes, which he called "low hanging fruit", in an effort to speed up the prosecution.

He also called on world leaders to support the ICC's work in Ukraine, saying they need to display "a willingness politically not to lose attention and move on to the next crisis.

"If we have the focus, justice can be not a mirage. It will be something that can be delivered, as difficult as it may be."


23:03 14 Apr
Ship sinking admission a 'rare moment of truth'
Former CIA Director David Petraeus has described Russia's admission that its flagship has sunk as a "rare moment of truth".

"I'm surprised that they admitted it," he told the BBC, adding that the facts would have "come out" eventually.


23:25 14 Apr
CIA director won't rule out Russia resorting to nuclear option
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

In his first major public address since becoming CIA director last month, William Burns warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “risk appetite has grown” in recent years.

In Thursday's wide-ranging speech, he also warned that a “pugnacious and revisionist Russia” could become increasingly desperate as its invasion of Ukraine drags on.

Burns said that the potential Russian use of low-yield nuclear weapons to offset setbacks in Ukraine cannot be “taken lightly”, although there is little practical evidence to reinforce such a concern.

The CIA director went on to praise the accuracy of US intelligence in Ukraine, which he said was critical in solidifying the Western alliance and rallying global support.

He added that democracies can use information-gathering “openly and creatively” to discredit the false narratives of adversaries.


0:13
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Several loud explosions have been heard in Kyiv in the past few minutes.

Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko wrote on Twitter that she heard three explosions "one after the other".

"The air raid warning has been on for an hour. Most likely #putin gone livid because of the #Moskva sinking," she added, referring to the reported sinking of a Russian warship.

One eyewitness told a BBC correspondent that the explosions took place in the south-west of the Ukrainian capital.

Explosions have also been reported in the southern city of Kherson, according to Ukrainian media.

It comes after Russia threatened on Wednesday to strike Ukraine's command centres after claiming that Ukraine had attacked Russian territory.


0:24
Lives of 2.7m people with disabilities at risk - UN

The lives of 2.7 million people with disabilities are at risk in Ukraine, a UN committee has said.

It has cited reports that many are trapped or abandoned in their homes, care centres and orphanages without basic supplies or medicines.

"People with disabilities have limited or no access to emergency information, shelters and safe havens, and many have been separated from their support networks, leaving them unable to respond to the situation and navigate their surroundings," the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concluded.

It did not say how it had obtained the reports.

But it noted that few people with disabilities were among those internally displaced or who had reached Ukraine's borders as refugees, "indicating that many of them have not been able to flee to safety".

0:49
All clear in Kyiv after reported blasts
It's "all clear" in Kyiv now after several loud overnight explosions were reported in the Ukrainian capital.

"Please keep an eye on reports and return to shelter if the siren sounds again," the Kyiv authorities said in a Telegram post.

Blasts were also earlier reported in Kherson - Ukraine's authorities have so far made no public comments on the situation in the Russian-occupied southern city.

Ukrainian officials usually do not rush to either confirm or deny media reports of blasts: the key reason is that they do not want to give Russian forces any information about whether they have hit or missed their intended targets.

Social media users have also been warned not to publish any photos or videos from blast sites or share geolocation details.


1:19
A village vignette
One soldier said he is certain Ukraine will hold Poposna
Copyright: Getty Images

Pictures have emerged of frontline Ukrainian forces fighting in the strategically important village of Popasna in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.

A soldier in his 50s with the call sign "Semenovych" told AFP on Wednesday that he doesn't know "the latest news, there's no internet here, no telephone network".

"The Russians are trying to advance two or three times a day. It's good that it's raining today, the shelling is less intense. Sometimes it's 24/7, sometimes it's a bit quieter at night," he told the French news agency.

"They are targeting the infrastructure, the buildings and the civilians. It's not a war, it's a genocide. I don't know what else to call it."

A Ukrainian soldier on patrol
Copyright: Getty Images

The Ukrainian's ammo stash, including a rocket propelled grenade
Copyright: Getty Images

If the village falls, it will allow Russia to push 50km (30 miles) north-west towards the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Yelena Sharpai, a 59-year-old resident, has been sheltering with four other people in the cellar of the same building occupied by the Ukrainian soldiers since the war began.

"I need silence to go out, but it's never silent, because there is always bombing somewhere," she says, adding that the soldiers have occasionally brought back food for the civilians. They collect rain for water.

She adds that she would like to flee the village, but has not been able to join the rare humanitarian convoys.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced on Thursday that evacuations would continue, including from Poposna, one day after they were closed because of the roads being "too dangerous".

A destroyed van on the road in Poposna
Copyright: Getty Images

Yelena Sharpai in a basement
Copyright: Getty Images

1:51
Farmers stretched to the brink in Odesa

Samantha Granville
BC News, Odesa

Every now and again, Boris lights a cigarette and nervously smokes away as he watches workers on his farm remove and repair parts of a ploughing machine.

"The decision to continue sowing and to continue work was caused by the fact that you need to work in order to pay salary to workers, to pay people from whom I rent this land," he tells me. Boris has asked us not to use his surname for this story.

Even though much of the Odesa region on Ukraine's Black Sea coast has been spared from the heaviest fighting, nothing is guaranteed.

Russian troops seized the city of Kherson 200km (125 miles) to the east and its navy is believed to have up to 30 war ships stationed in the waters, from where they fire missiles on land and threaten to stage an amphibious landing.

Thirty-eight-year old Boris sent his wife and two sons abroad for fear of a possible occupation.


2:41
Russian war symbols banned in Moldova
Service members of pro-Russian troops on an armoured vehicle with a symbol "Z" painted on its side
Copyright: Reuters

Moldovan MPs have passed a ban on Russian war symbols, including the letters Z and V and the St George ribbon.

These are seen as pro-war symbols of President Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Fifty-three Moldovan MPs from the pro-European majority passed the bill, which introduces fines for making, distributing, wearing and displaying such symbols.

The pro-Russian opposition - which appealed against the bill earlier this month - attempted to disrupt the vote.

Members of the Party of Socialists, MPs Adrian Lebedinschi and Grigore Novac, previously claimed the ban "violates the freedom of expression" and "splits" society.


3:31
BBC journalist gets family out of Ukraine
The presenter of the BBC podcast Ukrainecast, Vitaly Shevchenko, has shared an update on his mother and his disabled aunt, who have finally crossed the border into Poland, one month after leaving their hometown of Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine.

A listener from the podcast got in touch with Vitaly after hearing his story and offered to drive the pair to the UK.


4:03
More than 500 civilian deaths - Kharkiv official

The head of Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region says that at least 503 civilians have died there since the start of Russia's invasion on 24 February.

Posting on Telegram, Oleg Synegubov said that 24 children were among the dead.

"This is an innocent civilian population, we will not forgive them for any life," he wrote.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the death toll.

Kharkiv - 40km (25 miles) from the Russian border - had a population of 1.5 million before the war began.

Unlike other parts of Ukraine, which have seen a break in fighting as Russia turns east, Kharkiv has seen no reprieve.



4:33
Ukraine blames Russia for food shortages

Food shortages in Ukraine are spreading because of Russian warships blocking Ukrainian ports and trade in the Black Sea, Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka has said.

Writing on social media, Kachka referred to a statement from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that one fifth of the world's population will experience hunger because of the war in Ukraine.

He said Russian ships shooting at commercial vessels are preventing Ukraine from exporting corn, wheat and vegetable oil.

"Were it not for Russia, Africa and the Middle East would not have to think about where to find more money to buy wheat," he said.


5:32
Russian attempts to seize Popasna and Rubizhne unsuccessful- Ukraine armed forces

Russia’s attempts to seize Popasna and Rubizhne in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Tavriya have been “unsuccessful", said the latest statement from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Ukraine has repelled eight Russian attacks in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the last 24 hours, it said, adding that they destroyed four Russian tanks, six armoured transport vehicles, four infantry fighting machines and an artillery system.

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

In the last few days, Russia has pulled troops away from the capital of Kyiv and shifted its focus to eastern Ukraine. This push could lead to a protracted conflict in the area.

If Russia were to conquer the east, it would give President Vladimir Putin some sort of achievement from the war, the BBC's Paul Kirby reported earlier this week.

But President Zelensky has vowed to "fight for every metre of our land".



7:34
Prisoners exchanged in Kherson, says Ukraine
Russian and Ukrainian captive soldiers have been exchanged in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, according to Ukraine's armed forces in the south.

Writing on social media, it said four Russian prisoners had been exchanged for five Ukrainian servicemen in the Posad-Pokrovske village after intense negotiations.

Russia claimed control of Kherson early on in the war, but Ukraine has won back some of its territory, according to reports issued by the Pentagon some weeks ago.


7:55
50 days of defence is an achievement - Zelensky
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenksy praised Ukrainians for surviving 50 days of war when the Russians had given them five.

“But they didn’t know how brave Ukrainians are, how much we value freedom and the possibility to live the way we want,” Zelensky said in his address late Thursday.

The Ukraine president also hailed the citizens fighting for the country. “50 days of our defence is an achievement. Achievement of millions of Ukrainians,” he said.

In his only reference to the sinking of the Russian warship Moskva, Zelensky spoke of “those who showed that Russian warships can sail away, even if it’s to the bottom” of the sea. The president was listing the ways in which Ukrainians had fought off the Russian troops.

Russia state media claimed that the ship sunk after a fire.


8:14
Luhansk governor urges residents to evacuate

The governor of Ukraine's Luhansk region in the east of the country has urged residents in the area to evacuate.

Writing in his Telegram channel, Serhiy Gaidai appealed for people to evacuate and "choose life" after he said one person was killed and five were wounded during Russian shelling in the town of Kreminna.

He added that 32,000 residents have been evacuated on trains and buses, and urged others to do the same.

"Don't hesitate and leave while that possibility remains," he said.


8:24
Ukraine to face huge challenge in east - former CIA director
Ukrainian forces will face a huge challenge in the east of the country, where Russian troops are massing for a new attack, according to a former CIA director.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, David Petraeus said this is the first time during the war that "you'll see the Russians mass all their efforts in one area instead of all around the country".

He added that the situation in the east would depend on a number of factors: "So, if the weather is favourable for them, if the field's dry out and they can get track vehicles on those fields they can line up a number of vehicles hub to hub".

Another factor would be how quickly additional security assistance can reach Ukraine, he said.

He added that it appears Russian President Vladimir Putin is "not interested" in engaging in negotiations right now, and wants a "tangible success to celebrate on 9 May when the annual World War Two Victory Day parade is held in Moscow."