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12:51
At least nine civilians killed by shelling - governor
At least nine civilians have been killed in Russian shelling in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine this morning, according to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

At least three civilians had been killed during an aerial bombardment of the town of Avdiivka, Kyrylenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Three more were killed while drinking water in the city of Vuhledar and three were killed in shelling of the town of Lyman, he added.

Other areas of Donetsk were under constant fire and regional authorities were trying to evacuate civilians from frontline areas, the Ukrainian president's office said earlier.

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

13:05
UK donates fleet of armoured vehicles to Ukraine

The UK is sending a fleet of 13 protective armoured vehicles to Ukraine to evacuate civilians from besieged areas in the east of the country, the government says.

The steel-plated vehicles will also transport key workers to rebuild vital infrastructure that has been damaged or destroyed in the war, and take officials from Ukrainian ministries to temporary command posts set up for government work.

The fleet, worth £660,000, is being sent after it was requested by Ukraine's government.

It is made up of 4x4s that have been upgraded with armour to resist high-velocity bullets, anti-personnel mines and improvised explosive devices – all tactics used by Russian forces.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the donation will "help protect innocent Ukrainians attempting to flee Russian shelling and support Ukrainian officials carrying out vital work".

13:14
PM announces £300m package for Ukraine
Ukraine's President Zelensky and British PM Johnson address a session of parliament, in Kyiv
Copyright: Reuters

The Prime Minister says the UK will send more arms to Ukraine in the coming weeks as part of a £300m support package.

Boris Johnson tells Ukrainian MPs the UK will send Brimstone anti-ship missiles and Stormer anti-aircraft systems, along with armoured vehicles, to evacuate civilians from areas under attack and protect officials.

The support package will include radars to pinpoint the artillery bombarding Ukrainian cities, heavy lift drones to supply Ukrainian forces and thousands of night vision devices, Johnson adds.

He says this will aid the UK's long-term goal to "fortify Ukraine so that no-one will ever dare to attack you again".

13:56
Russia attacking Azovstal in retaliation, ministry says

We've been reporting that Russia has resumed its attack on the Azovstal industrial complex following a ceasefire which allowed hundreds of civilians to be removed.

According to the RIA news agency, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that Russian troops started shelling the steel plant in Mariupol after Ukrainian soldiers moved into firing positions.

As the ceasefire was declared, "Azov and Ukrainian servicemen, who are stationed on the plant, took advantage of it. They came out of the basement, they took up firing positions on the territory and in the factory buildings".

"Now units of the Russian army and the Donetsk People's Republic, using artillery and aviation, are beginning to destroy these firing positions," the ministry told the RIA news agency.

14:24
India's PM calls for ceasefire and peace talks
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks next to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen
Copyright: Reuters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is asking for a ceasefire in Ukraine and is urging Kyiv and Moscow to engage in peace talks.

Modi, currently on a visit to Copenhagen to meet his Danish counterpart, says India wants "an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for the adoption of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the problem".

India has been criticised for its neutral stance on the conflict.

14:40
UN confirms evacuations of 100 people from steel plant

About 101 people have been successfully evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant, a UN humanitarian official has confirmed.

They said most of the evacuees were in Zaporizhzhia, where they are receiving humanitarian assistance.

"Thanks to the operation, 101 women, men, children, andolder persons could finally leave the bunkers below the Azovstalsteelworks and see the daylight after two months," OsnatLubrani, UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, also involved in the safe passage operation, also confirmed people from the Mariupol plant area had reached Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday.

Among them were some wounded, it said in a statement.

14:53
Buses bring evacuees from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia
People crowd around the entrance to a bus with a red cross stuck onto its front
Copyright: Reuters

And now, our correspondent in Zaporizhzhia, Laura Bicker, says some 156 evacuees from Mariupol have arrived.

About 100 of them - many of them women and children - have escaped from the Azovstal steelworks.

15:03
Relief as rescued civilians arrive in Zaporizhzhia
Refugee is helped into a wheelchair in Zaporizhzhia
Copyright: Reuters

Footage is emerging of the first evacuees from the Azovstal steelworks arriving in Zaporizhzhia after spending more than 60 days underneath the besieged Mariupol plant.

A convoy of white buses has arrived carrying civilians, including families, elderly people and children, who disembarked with the help of Ukrainian police.

Some of the refugees could be seen weeping as they arrived, and an elderly man was helped from one bus into a wheelchair by Red Cross workers who, along with UN humanitarian aid workers, are assisting civilians.

15:19
Hundreds trapped under rubble - Ukraine deputy PM
Laura Bicker
Reporting from Zaporizhzhia

Journalists with microphones surround Ukraine's deputy PM
Copyright: BBC

Moments ago, we reported that evacuees from the Azovstal steelworks have now arrived in Zaporizhzhia after being rescued on Sunday.

But speaking before they arrived, Ukraine‘s deputy prime minister said hundreds of civilians, including more than a dozen children, remain trapped under the rubble of the steel plant in Mariupol.

Iryna Vereshchuk told reporters in Zaporizhzhia that aid workers had asked for more time to get people out from tunnels in the basement of the site where they sought refuge from Russian bombs, but the request was denied.

She said the deal to rescue civilians had been brokered by the United Nations and the Red Cross last week, and she wanted to bow down to those who had helped free these people.

The deputy prime minister said that from tomorrow they will renew their calls to keep this humanitarian corridor open.

She said Ukraine will not leave anyone behind, including wounded servicemen.

15:44
'Powerful assault' under way at Azovstal - Ukrainian commander
Back at the Azovstal steelworks plant in Mariupol, a Ukrainian military commander says Russian forces have launched another offensive.

"A powerful assault on the territory of the Azovstal plant is under way with support from armoured vehicles and tanks," Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of Ukraine's Azov military unit said in a statement on social media.

He says Russian forces are attempting "to land a large number of infantry by boat".

The plant is the last hold-out of the Ukrainian defenders in the port city.

15:59
How many have been evacuated from Azovstal?

We're starting to get a clearer idea of the number of people who have been evacuated from Mariupol and its steelworks in today's operation.

The BBC understands that a total of 127 people have arrived in Zaporizhzhia today, in an area which is under Ukrainian control.

Sixty-nine of them are civilians who were evacuated from the Azovstal plant and another 58 further evacuees from the Mariupol area joined the bus convoy to travel to Ukrainian-held territory.

The United Nations says that 101 people were evacuated from the Azovstal plant - including 17 children, one of them aged just six months. Thirty-two stayed behind in Mariupol.

16:11
Hospitals ready for 'burns, fractures and wounds'
Evacuees from Mariupol travel in a convoy to Zaporizhzhia
Copyright: Reuters

Hospitals have been stocked up and supported by volunteers in preparation for the arrival of evacuees from the Azovstal steel plant, Dr Dorit Nizan, World Health Organization incident manager for Ukraine, says.

"We are ready for burns, fractures and wounds, as well as diarrhoea, respiratory infections," Reuters reported Nizan as saying.

"We are also ready to see if there are pregnant women, children with malnutrition - we are all here and the health system is well prepared," she says.

Some people had already arrived in Zaporizhzhia after making their own way from villages near Mariupol and had minor injuries. She says mental health is the "big issue".

"Many cried when they arrived when they were met by family members. It was very moving," she says.

16:37
Putin and Macron speak on phone

A little earlier we brought you news that the presidents of France and Russia were taking part in a phone call - their first since 29 March.

The Kremlin has issued some comments which are being reported by Russian state media.

Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart that the West is "ignoring Ukrainian war crimes", the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin also said that the West must stop supplying arms to Ukraine and that Kyiv is not taking talks to end the conflict seriously, in remarks reported by AFP.

Putin has previously made unfounded claims that Ukraine is committing war crimes after Russia's invasion.

Russian forces have been accused of carrying out atrocities, including at Bucha.

17:10
We hoped that more could join the convoy - Red Cross

Speaking about the operation to evacuate civilians from the Mariupol steel works, the head of the Ukraine delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says he's pleased it's a success, but it's frustrating not being able to help more people.

Pascal Hundt says the evacuees left a place that was "hell".

"You can imagine the situation they endured for many weeks, and as they told us, it was just terrible.

"The testimonies we have recieved are just heart-breaking. Nonetheless, we managed to help and facilitate the safe passage of a few."

But, we would have hoped that [many] more people would have been able to join the convoy to get out of hell.

17:19
Russia must end devastating aggression - Macron

Back to that telephone call between Presidents Macron of France and Putin of Russia, which took place earlier today.

Emmanuel Macron's office has just released a statement, saying that in the call the French leader underlined once again "the extreme gravity of the consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine" and renewed his demand for a ceasefire.

Macron also expressed his concern about the situation in Donbas and Mariupol and called on Russia to allow evacuations from the Azovstal plant to continue, the French president's office said.

He called on Russia "to live up to its responsibilities as a permanent member of the Security Council by putting an end to this devastating aggression" the statement said.

Macron has faced some criticism for his efforts to keep dialogue open with the Kremlin, engaging in many hours of telephone calls with Vladimir Putin since the invasion began.

The French president had spoken to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky at the weekend.

18:56 3 May Breaking
Explosions in Lviv, says mayor

There have been explosions in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, confirmed by the city's mayor, Andriy Sadovyi.

We will bring you more updates as we have them.

19:27 3 May
Power outages in Lviv after strike

More now on the explosions reported in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The city is experiencing power outages following a Russian air strike, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi says on Telegram.

"Two power substations were damaged as a result of the missile strike - there is no electricity in part of the city," he says.

Sadovy urged people to stay in bomb shelters, in a social media post.

Trains have stopped at the entrance to Lviv and Russian military have shelled railway substations, causing delays, according to a Ukrainian railways statement.

"Due to enemy shelling of railway substations, a number of trains will run with a delay," it says, asking people not to leave shelters during air raid alarms.

19:34 3 May
A sudden and extraordinary change
Joe Inwood
Reporting from Lviv

In the warm spring sun, Lviv often feels like a city a long way removed from the war in the east of Ukraine.

As we sat having dinner in a central restaurant, you could suddenly feel the mood change. It was like someone had sucked all the life from the room.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at their phones.

Word had started to spread - there had been a number of explosions. Our team searched for information as to whether it was safe to leave the relative safely of the underground restaurant.

As we stepped out a couple minutes later, smoke could be seen rising in the distance. The mayor had confirmed it; Lviv - or somewhere nearby - under attack.

However it had felt before, tonight we were reminded, this a city still at war.

19:52 3 May
Number of air strikes on targets in Lviv
Sophie Williams
Reporting from Lviv

We’ve just come out of the bunker here in Lviv.

There have been a number of strikes on targets.

According to the mayor, three electrical substations have been damaged by the strikes. He says people are working on repairing them.

There is currently no official information about any injuries to people.

20:11 3 May
Smoke rises after multiple missile strikes

Joe Inwood
Reporting from Lviv

From our rooftop position in the centre of the city, smoke can be seen rising in multiple directions.

We counted three different points. Under local security laws it is illegal to give more specific details. There is currently no word on casualties.

The city's mayor Andriy Sadovyi said part of the city had been left without power - while the regional governor said work was already under way to repair three electrical substations.

Meanwhile the Ukrainian Railway service posted on social media that services would be disrupted by damage to their power infrastructure.

There have been a number of missile strikes around Lviv since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Mostly they have hit military or logistical targets. Lviv has felt relatively safe in recent days.

There have been sporadic alarms but this has often seemed like a city a long way from the war. Although the sirens are now over, tonight that no longer felt the case.

20:45 3 May
Fire at power substation hit by missile
A fire that broke out at an electrical substation in Lviv after it was hit by missiles is being extinguished, the city's mayor Andriy Sadovyi says.

One person was injured in the attack, he says.

Russian missiles also struck six railway stations in central and western Ukraine, the head of the board of Ukrainian Railways, Oleksandr Kamyshin, says

He says there are no casualties among the railway workers and passengers but damage to the infrastructure is "severe".

Kamyshin adds that 14 trains were delayed due to the shelling, but the first of them had already started moving.

21:24 3 May
Medical facilities left without power after Lviv strikes - mayor

A little more now from the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, who is giving an update after missile strikes landed on the western city a few hours ago.

He says the impact of the strikes is still being determined, but three electrical substations were hit causing power outages, and two people are being given medical treatment after being injured.

Power outages are also affecting some medical facilities, he says in an update on Telegram, and the strikes have done "serious damage" to communal infrastructure, with many broken windows and interruptions in the water supply.

21:37 3 May
'They were horrified, their city was destroyed' - UN on Azovstal evacuees

We're getting some more detail about today's evacuation of several civilians from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, the UN's team leader for the evacuation, said it was a complicated operation.

"You are trying to get people out in an active conflict zone where there are women and children who’ve been living underground for two months and you’re trying to lure them out to safety into an environment they don’t understand."

Several mines had to be cleared before the evacuation could begin, he says.

"There was then some mortar fire, I don’t know where it came from. I don’t know who fired it. It stopped fairly quickly.

They came out and they saw they city they presumably grew up in destroyed. There are graves on the pavement and in every plot of grass you can find.

Sebastian Rhodes StampaUnited Nations

"They were horrified. They’ve been underground for two months and they haven’t seen news," he says.

"There was a six-month-old baby there who had never seen grass, he’d been born during the winter and he was astonished how green the grass was."

Stampa says the UN is prepared to work with both sides to evacuate civilians, adding that he hopes today's operation is the first of many.

22:12 3 May
Further strikes reported across western and central Ukraine
We've been hearing about missile strikes on Lviv over the last few hours, but authorities have also reported strikes in the central region of Kirovograd and the southwestern region of Vinnytsia.

Transcarpathia, a mountainous region which borders Hungary and Slovakia and which has so far been spared attacks, was also hit according to officials.

"Services are working on the spot, we are clarifying information about injuries and possible victims," the head of the region's military administration Viktor Mykyta said on Telegram.

Russia is currently focusing its invasion on Ukraine's eastern regions, but it has also hit other areas, with Moscow warning it will target flows of Western weapons into the country.

22:28 3 May
21 civilians killed in Donetsk today - Ukrainian official

Russian attacks in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region have killed 21 civilians and injured 27 on Tuesday, according to a Ukrainian official.

The BBC is not able to independently verify this figure.

Regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said the figure included 10 dead at a coking plant in the town of Avdiivka, which we reported on earlier.

In a Facebook post, Kyrylenko said it was the highest daily death toll in the region since an assault on a railway station in the town of Kramatorsk, which killed 50 people last month.

23:03 3 May
Russia wrongfully detaining US athlete, says US

Russia has wrongfully detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, after the US citizen was seized at Moscow airport on 17 February on drug charges, the US Department of State said.

Phoenix Mercury centre Griner, 31, has played for a Russian team during the WNBA off-season since 2015.

A two-time Olympic gold medallist, WNBA champion and seven-time WNBA All-Star, Griner is widely regarded as the best female basketballer of all time.

The White House's finding represents a step-up in efforts to free Griner more than two months after she was detained in the Russian capital.

5:39
Welcome back
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. It's past 07:30 in Kyiv.

Fighting continues to be heaviest in the east where Russian forces are pounding targets
On Wednesday, the European Union is expected to unveil plans for new sanctions on Russia's oil industry, adding further economic pressure to Putin's regime. However, there is some disagreement between members over how far these sanctions should go
Germany's opposition leader Friedrich Merz met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday - the first senior German politician to do so. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has refrained so far

Meanwhile, at least 156 evacuees finally managed to flee a steel plant in the battered city of Mariupol to relative safety in Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday
Humanitarian rescue groups have celebrated the effort but say many more people are still left in "hell" in Mariupol
Russia also launched fresh attacks on Ukraine's west on Tuesday, striking power stations in the city of Lviv which is seen as relatively safe. Six railway stations were also struck

6:07
Russia deploys battalion groups along Donbas north - UK
The UK Defence Ministry's morning briefing says Russia has deployed 22 battalion groups near Izyum, an eastern city, in a bid to push into the Donbas region.

"Despite struggling to break through Ukrainian defences and build momentum, Russia highly likely intends to proceed beyond Izyum to capture the cities of Kramatorsk and Severodonetsk," the ministry said.
"Capturing these locations would consolidate Russian military control of the north-eastern Donbas and provide a staging point for their efforts to cut-off Ukrainian forces in the region," the statement added.

6:34
Parts of Lviv without power and water
Joe Inwood
Reporting from Lviv

The strikes shattered the calm of a spring evening.

At least three Russian missiles hit electrical substations around the western city of Lviv, close to the Polish border late on Tuesday.

Parts of the city are without power and water in the wake of what was thought to be an attack on Ukraine’s rail network. People ran onto the streets as the news spread.

These were the first Russian missile strikes in western Ukraine in more than a week.

Russia has targeted the rail networks before. They are crucial for keeping the supplies of western weaponry flowing to the east.

It's on the frontlines - in places like Avdiivka - that equipment is badly needed. Last night Ukraine accused Russia of shelling workers at a factory in the city, just north of the separatist-held Donestk.

There has also been an intensification of the bombardment of the Azovstal steelworks in the port city of Mariupol where 200 people are still sheltering.

Ukrainian authorities are considering setting up a new humanitarian corridor after successfully bringing some 100 civilians out of the city yesterday.

6:54
Belarus holding military drills to Ukraine's north

Belarus, a close Russian ally and Ukraine's neighbour to its north, has started large-scale military drills - a potential cause for alarm in Ukraine.

The Belarusian defence ministry said the drills involved testing its army vehicles for combat readiness, but added that the exercise didn't pose a threat to neighbours.

However, Ukraine will be watching Belarus closely.

When Russia was striking Ukraine's north, including the capital Kyiv, a few weeks ago, Ukrainian officials alleged that some of the missiles appeared to come from the Belarusian side of the border.

7:27
Ukraine repelled 12 attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk regions - armed forces

Twelve Russian attacks were repelled by Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions over the past 24 hours, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In a statement on its Facebook page, it said Russian forces also carried out assaults in the area of ​​Popasna, where fighting continues.

It added that in Mariupol, Russia continued to launch airstrikes and fire at its positions in the Azovstal steelworks area.

Russia has increasingly focused its military efforts on the east of Ukraine.

7:42
More evacuations from Mariupol - regional governor

More civilians are leaving Mariupol today, the regional governor has said.

Writing on Telegram, Pavlo Kyrylenko said the effort had been supported by the United Nations and Red Cross.

Some buses had already left the city on Wednesday, he wrote.

Kyrylenko said civilians were being evacuated to Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia from the "Azov region".

But it was not immediately clear whether the evacuees had been sheltering inside the vast Azovstal steel plant - from which a group of people was finally evacuated on Sunday.

7:54
Breaking
EU plans for new sanctions on Russian oil, military and TV

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has given details of a sixth package of sanctions to be agreed in the coming days. She listed four separate types of sanctions:

High-ranking Russian military officers who committed war crimes in Bucha and Mariupol were to be targeted: "We know who you are, you will not get away with this."

Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, is to be disconnected from the SWIFT bank transfer system.

Three big state-owned Russian broadcasters are to be cut off from the EU on cable, satellite or the internet as what she called "mouthpieces that amplify Putin's lies".

Von der Leyen said the EU was also announcing an end to its dependency on Russian oil: "It will not be easy but we simply have to do it." All Russian oil will be phased out, she said, but in an orderly fashion. Crude oil will be phased out in six months and refined products by the end of 2022, she said.

8:17
EU plans for Russian oil ban: 'We want Ukraine to win this war'
Paul Kirby
BBC News online Europe editor

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been giving details to the European Parliament of a sixth package of sanctions targeting Russia's economy, its military and propaganda. She said that Russia's Vladimir Putin wanted to wipe Ukraine from the map and would not succeed and it was his own country that was sinking.

"We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion," she said. "So in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and at the same time be very careful that we minimise the impact on the global market."

Von der Leyen said crude oil imports would be phased out over six months and refined products by the end of 2022. Although she made no mention of any exemptions, two countries that are most reliant on Russian oil, Slovakia and Hungary, are expected to be given longer to find alternative sources.

"Thus we maximise pressure on Russia while at the same time we minimise the collateral damage on us and our partners around the globe. We have to ensure that our economy remains strong."

She went on to give details of a package of relief and reconstruction for Ukraine: "We want to Ukraine to win this war," she said. Von der Leyen said Ukraine's economic output was set to fall by 35%-50% in 2022 and it would need €5bn a month just to keep going. "We have to do our share too."

9:02
Hungary, Slovakia have until end of 2023 to fall in line

European Union countries Hungary and Slovakia will be able to continue buying Russian crude oil until the end of 2023 under existing contracts, Reuters has reported an EU source as saying.

As a consequence, this means both countries would be able to benefit from an embargo on Russian oil proposed by the European Commission.

The EU has been outlining plans this morning to ban imports of Russian crude oil within six months and refined oil products by the end of the year.

In a bid to convince reluctant and more-reliant countries not to veto the plans, Brussels has suggested a longer period to implement the embargo for Hungary and Slovakia, Reuters reports the source as saying.

9:23
In pictures: The aftermath of airstrikes in Lviv

As we've been reporting, Russian missile strikes hit electrical substations around the western city of Lviv late on Tuesday.

The strikes are thought to have been directed against Ukraine's rail network, which is crucial for supplying weaponry from Western allies to the east of the country.

Parts of Lviv have been left without power and water.

Firefighters trying to put out a blaze at one of the stations
Copyright: Reuters
Image caption: Firefighters battle to put out a large blaze at one of the substations hit by the strikes


Firefighters work at a site of a power substation hit by a missile strike
Copyright: Reuters


A view shows a power substation hit by a missile strike
Copyright: Reuters
Image Caption: Another image shows damage caused by the attack


Smoke is seen billowing over Lviv
Copyright: Reuters
Smoke could be seen billowing over the Lviv skyline following the strikes on Tuesday evening.

10:13
EU considering support for Moldovan military

The European Union is considering additional military support for Moldova, in an effort to avoid war spreading to Ukraine's neighbour.

On a visit to the Moldovan capital Chisinau, European Council President Charles Michel said the EU was looking at how it could strengthen the country's armed forces.

His comments come after last week's series of unexplained explosions in Transnistria - a breakaway Russian-controlled region which is part of Moldova. These raised fears the conflict could spread.

Recent reports based on Ukrainian intelligence sources suggested Russia could attack Moldova to try and strengthen its offensive on south-western Ukraine.

10:25
Azovstal sheltering 500 wounded, says defender
Video content
Video caption: WATCH: Explosions heard as Russian shelling of Azovstal continuesWATCH: Explosions heard as Russian shelling of Azovstal continues

One of the remaining defenders inside the Azovstal metal works in Mariupol has described the conditions there to the BBC.

More than 500 people nursing injuries are still inside the vast industrial complex, Mykhailo Vershynin told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Two hundred of them were in a critical condition, he claimed. Vershynin added that the health of the wounded was worsening due to a lack of medical assistance and unsanitary conditions.

There was a “total lack of everything”, he said – whether food, water, or medication.

Azovstal’s hospital had been purposefully bombed by Russian troops, he alleged.

Despite the desperate conditions, Azovstal’s defenders were said to be “ready to fight to the end”.

Vershynin, who was a police patrol chief before the war, said the defenders varied in ages from 19 to 60.

On Sunday, a first group of civilians were finally evacuated from the vast industrial complex. Yesterday, they reached Ukrainian-held Zaporizhzhia.

You can read more of their stories here.

It's not yet clear if any more civilians will be able to leave the complex today.

10:35
UK housing scheme 'a danger to refugees'

Potentially abusive men are using a UK scheme to host Ukrainian refugees - to contact vulnerable women, BBC News has learned.

The men, some with a reported history of violence, message the women on Facebook groups specially set up to connect sponsors and hosts.

Some refugees have also become homeless after relations with hosts broke down or because housing was not well vetted.

But a UK government official said safeguards were in place.

These included "Home Office security and background checks on all sponsors, before visas are issued", and at least one council visit to a sponsor's property.

A charity head labelled the Homes for Ukraine scheme dangerous and said she was "shocked by the absence of safeguarding checks".

10:56
Russia eyes Nato arms transports as target

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has just issued a stern warning to Nato against sending military aid to Ukraine.

"We will view any Nato means of transport arriving on the territory of the country carrying weapons or equipment for the Ukrainian military as a legitimate target for destruction," he says, as quoted by Russian state media.

He accuses Nato and its allies of continuing to "pump Ukraine full of weapons".

The US and other Western states have been arming Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

In one of the latest boosts, the UK on Tuesday pledged £300m ($376m) worth of kit including electronic warfare equipment, a radar system, GPS jammers and night-vision devices.

11:19
Russia's chief rabbi calls for Lavrov apology

Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar has criticised the Kremlin's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for his remarks about Adolf Hitler's ancestry.

Lavrov suggested in an interview that the Nazi leader "had Jewish blood".

Lazar told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: "It would be nice if he (Lavrov) apologised to the Jews and simply admitted his mistake."

Lavrov made the comments to try to justify Russia's portrayal of Ukraine as being Nazi-filled - despite the fact its president is Jewish.

Nazi Germany murdered six million Jews during World War Two.

International condemnation of Lavrov's remarks was swift - with Israel leading calls for Lavrov to say sorry.

But Russia's foreign ministry defended its minister's stance - and went further, accusing Israel of making its own "anti-historical statements".

12:16
Kremlin says it won't declare war on Victory Day

The Kremlin has dismissed speculation that President Vladimir Putin plans to declare war against Ukraine and mobilise nationally when Russia commemorates the Soviet Union's victory in World War Two.

Russia's biggest public holiday, Victory Day, is held annually on 9 May. World War Two cost more than 20 million Soviet lives.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called the speculation "nonsense" and says "there is no chance of that".

Russia's President Vladimir Putin is set to deliver a speech on 9 May and oversee a military parade on Moscow's Red Square, as is usual for Victory Day.

The invasion of Ukraine has been described as a "special military operation" and not war by Russia.

12:54
In pictures: Firefighters battle Donetsk oil depot fires

We've received reports of a fire at an oil facility in the Donetsk region, after earlier reports of an explosion.
A depot in a rebel-held part of Ukraine's Donetsk Region came under Ukrainian artillery fire, the Donetsk News Agency says.
It's thought the facility is in Makiyivka, and was used to supply fuel to the Russian army.

One person was killed and two injured, according to a Telegram post from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic.
The Russian-backed separatists are in control of the area.
The BBC has not been able to verify the cause of the fire.

Firefighters extinguish fires at an oil depot on the outskirts of Donetsk
Copyright: Reuters

Specialist firefighters work to extinguish the flamesI
Copyright: Reuters


ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Image caption: Smoke rises above the burning oil storage facility


Copyright: Reuters
It's thought the facility supplies fuel to the Russian army

13:27
UK cuts Russia off from management services

In a move outside the EU sanctions we have been hearing about today, Russia has been banned from using British management consulting, accounting and PR services in changes announced by the UK.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the ban will cut off service exports "critical to the Russian economy".

She added it will "help ensure Putin fails in Ukraine".

Other sanctions among the 63 introduced on Wednesday target Russian media organisations and those working for them.

13:57
New attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol

A new attempt to evacuate residents from the southern port city of Mariupol and surrounding areas is taking place.

Mariupol has seen the heaviest fighting of the war so far and a group of Ukrainian soldiers and hundreds of civilians remain blockaded in the Azovstal steelworks.

Regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said a convoy of buses carrying civilians had set off for the city of Zaporizhzhia this morning. It was not expected to include any people trapped in the steelworks.

City mayor Vadym Boychenko said on national television that more than 30 children are awaiting evacuation from the plant. He added that heavy fighting is taking place there and said contact had been lost with Ukrainian fighters inside.

The Kremlin denies that Russia is storming the steelworks, after Ukraine accused Moscow of launching a "powerful" assault.

"The order was publicly given by the supreme commander-in-chief to call off the assault," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, in reference to an order given by Vladimir Putin last month to not storm the plant.

"There is no storming," he said.

On Tuesday a group of civilians evacuated from Mariupol made their way to the relative safety of Zaporizhzhia - the first time a humanitarian corridor has been successfully agreed to get them out of the steel plant.


14:07
In pictures: Daylight reveals damage to Lviv substations
Russian missiles hit electrical substations in Lviv on Tuesday evening, as we've been reporting.
Daytime images from the western Ukrainian city show the extent of the damage caused. Parts of Lviv were left without power and water.

Damage to an electrical substation in Lviv
Copyright: Reuters

Image caption: An electrical substation destroyed by a Russian missile


Damage to an electrical substation in Lviv
Copyright: Reuters

Image caption: Equipment damaged in fires following the missile attack


Damage to an electrical substation in Lviv
Copyright: Reuters


Firefighters battle to put out fires at an electrical substation in Lviv
Copyright: Reuters

Firefighters battled to control the flames overnight

14:22
What's the latest on the fighting in Ukraine?

The Russian offensive is still focused on the east - with the exception of those attacks in Lviv overnight. However resistance from Ukrainian troops is slowing the progress of the invaders.

Here are some of the latest developments:

Russian forces are still advancing around the eastern city of Izyum
But strong Ukrainian defences in Donbas region are holding for now
Ukrainian forces are pushing Russian troops back around Kharkiv
Attempts continue to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal works in Mariupol. But heavy fighting is said to be taking place at the plant today


14:51
Azovstal evacuees: 'Everybody needed some kind of care'

As we’ve been reporting, dozens of evacuees from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol safely reached Ukrainian-held Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday.

James Elder, from the UN children’s charity Unicef, said he witnessed a “full gamut of emotions” when he met evacuees there who had been transported by bus.

He told the BBC that one woman was “in awe” that she and her two young grandchildren had got out alive from the steelworks, which have been bombarded by Russian forces.

As well as tears of joy, there were tears of sadness from those whose family members were still trapped in Mariupol, Elder said.

He also said there was a wide range of ages among the evacuees, with some elderly people immediately needing wheelchairs. Others showed “degrees of malnutrition”, as some of the evacuees had only been fed one meal a day.

Whether medical or psychological, “everybody needed some kind of care”, Elder added.

15:38
Russia claims it's restoring 'peacetime life' to Mariupol
Russian humanitarian aid in Mariupol, 29 April
Copyright: epa
Image caption: Russia has been sending aid to Mariupol marked with the "Z" symbol of its invasion and the slogan "We look after our own!"

More now on Mariupol, which was discussed by Russia's defence minister at a briefing in the Kremlin earlier today.

Sergei Shoigu talked about the progress of Russia's invasion, which its officials refer to as a "special military operation".

He insisted the Russian military controlled the port city of Mariupol and that it was restoring "peacetime life" there and in other towns.

He said that Ukrainian forces who continued to hold out in the ruined city's Azovstal metal works were hemmed in, and attempts would continue to persuade them to "release" trapped civilians and lay down their arms.

The Russian military and its Ukrainian separatist allies in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics were taking more territory under their control, Shoigu said.

Two months into the war, the military focus is on the Donbas since Russian forces pulled back from the region around the Ukrainian capital after suffering heavy losses.

Ukrainian forces who have been confronting the separatists there since 2014 are well-equipped and well dug in, but the Russians and their allies have managed to make some territorial gains.

16:03
Contact lost with fighters in Mariupol steelworks - mayor

Sticking with Mariupol, the city's mayor says heavy fighting is taking place at the Azovstal steelworks, where Ukrainian forces are defending their last pocket of control in the city.

But Vadym Boychenko told Ukrainian television contact has been lost with the fighters inside.

Around 100 civilians have been evacuated from the plant in recent days, but it is thought hundreds of civilians, including more than 30 children, remain inside.

A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the BBC “a storm has begun on the part of the Russians” at the steelworks.

But earlier the Kremlin denied that Russia is storming the industrial complex.

"There is no storming," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, although there are "escalations" when Ukrainians take up firing positions, he said.

17:44
Azovstal stronghold still holds - Kuleba

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has rejected Russian claims that the southern city of Mariupol is now under full Russian control.

In a Twitter livestream, he said the Azovstal steelworks, which remains the last pocket of Ukrainian fighters in the city, still holds.

Russian forces strike the fighters and civilians there every day, he says, with endless attacks, including bombardments and artillery fire.

The recent evacuation of a group of civilians, under the auspices of the UN, from the industrial complex proves that "where there is a political will in Russia, this mechanism can work", he says.

"But we see that they are very reluctant to let people go, and every next move requires a lot of work... and a lot of pressure put on Russia," he adds.

17:57
Watch: Multiple explosions at Azovstal steelworks
Video content
Video caption: Ukraine conflict: Explosions at Azovstal steelworks seen in DNR video

A video showing multiple explosions at the Mariupol steelworks has been posted on social media.

The footage is from MVD DNR, a media outlet for pro-Russian separatists the Donetsk People’s Republic.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the date on which the video was recorded, but it is thought to be sometime after 3 May.

More than 100 people have managed to escape from Azovstal over the past few days, but many remain inside the complex which humanitarian rescue groups describe as "hell".

18:19
Zelensky says he's against Ukraine war becoming a 'frozen conflict'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "not going to agree to a frozen conflict" with Russia, he has said during a video address at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit.

Frozen conflicts are zones of ongoing instability, which Russia has previously been accused of using to its advantage.

Zelensky says previous agreements with Russia such as Minsk-1 and 2, which sought to end the conflict in Ukraine's Donbas region, "were violated" by Russia and "were not serious".

"Ukraine will definitely not go into such a diplomatic swamp again," Zelensky has said.

18:42
UK would aid Finland even if it didn't join Nato - Wallace
Now to Finland, where Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a change of public opinion over Nato membership.

The country, along with Sweden, has long held to a policy of military neutrality, but there are expectations that both will launch bids to join the alliance in the near future.

Today, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is visiting Helsinki and he's said the UK would aid Finland if it were attacked by Russia, regardless of whether the country were a member of Nato.

"It is inconceivable that Britain would not come to the support of Finland, or Sweden, if it was ever attacked, without any big formal agreement. We are European countries who share the same values, who have deep, long histories," he said.

Earlier, Finland's prime minister, Sanna Marin, said that in a Nato membership application, the key issue would be to keep the ratification process as short as possible.

18:50
Air raid sirens sound in Lviv
Sophie Williams
Reporting from Lviv

Here in Lviv, the air raid sirens have gone off for the first time today.

It comes after a series of strikes on the outskirts of the city yesterday that took out three power substations.

I'm currently in the bunker of a shopping mall. Everyone here is waiting around for the all clear.

I'm sharing the bunker with babies, toddlers and someone’s family pet. The mood is quite calm but people are checking their phones for information.

19:04
Russian forces enter territory of Azovstal steel plant - Ukrainian official

Russian forces have entered the territory of the Azovstal steel works complex in Mariupol, a Ukrainian official has told a US broadcaster.

The Azovstal plant is the last hold-out of Ukrainian forces in the destroyed port city, with civilians still sheltering underground in the sprawling industrial complex.

David Arakhamia, Ukraine's ruling parliamentary faction head, told the broadcaster: "Attempts to storm the plant continue for the second day. Russian troops are already on the territory of Azovstal."

Information on the ground has been scarce, but speaking to RFE/RL, Arakhamia said Ukraine's government was in contact with fighters at the plant. It comes after Mariupol's mayor earlier said they had lost communications with those inside.

We'll bring you more detail on what's going on at the plant as and when we get it.

19:33
Reports of explosions in Dnipro

BBC Monitoring

Dnipro's mayor Borys Filatov has said on Facebook that at least one Russian missile has hit the centre of the city.

"A strike right in the centre of Dnipro. Do not leave the shelters! Wait for official information from the military administration," he said.

Ukrainian railways CEO Oleksandr Kamyshyn has said Dnipro's railway facilities have been hit.

"Another missile strike on railway infrastructure in Dnipro. No casualties among employees," he said on Telegram.


19:43
Shelling reported in multiple Ukrainian cities
Vitaly Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring

There are reports of several Ukrainian cities being shelled this evening - Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, but information is patchy at this stage.

Russia launched multiple missile strikes against targets across Ukraine yesterday evening, too.

20:03
Humanitarian corridors out of Azovstal will reopen - Russia

Russia's military says it will open humanitarian corridors out of the besieged Azovstal steel complex for three days from Thursday, Reuters news agency reports.

The military said routes out of the Mariupol plant will open from 08:00 to 18:00 Moscow time (GMT+3) on 5, 6, and 7 May.

During this time Russian forces will cease military activities and withdraw units to a safe distance, the military said in a post online.

We haven't heard anything about potential evacuations yet from Ukrainian officials.

Dozens of civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal plant late last week, with a large group of them travelling to Ukraine-controlled Zaporizhzhia.

20:20
600 people died in Russian airstrike on Mariupol theatre - report

A picture of the Drama Theatre of Mariupol after the attack, with much of the roof collapsed
Copyright: Reuters


As many as 600 people were killed when Russia bombed a theatre in Mariupol in March, analysis by the Associated Press (AP) news agency suggests

At the time of the strike, the word "children" had been written in giant letters on the ground outside the building, which was being used as a bomb shelter.

The attack is believed to have caused the worst known loss of life in a single strike since the invasion began, and AP's investigation puts the death toll at around double the previous estimate of 300.

The news agency spoke to 23 survivors, rescuers and those familiar with the theatre's use as a bomb shelter.

They also built a 3D model of the building's floor plan and examined photos and videos of the theatre from before, during and after the event.

A satellite picture of the Mariupol theatre
Copyright: BBC, Source: Maxar.

5:34 BBC
Welcome back
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. It's just gone past 7:30 in Kyiv, and here's what you need to know:

Civilians including women and children remain trapped in the south-eastern city of Mariupol and an extended ceasefire is needed to ensure they can get out, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says
Russia says it will pause its attack on the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, where the last Ukrainian defenders in the city are holding out and about 200 civilians are sheltering. The three-day ceasefire is said to begin today - though previous ceasefires in the war have seen mixed results.
Ukrainian defenders have been fighting “difficult, bloody battles” against Russian troops inside the steelworks, according to a commander from the Azov regiment who posted on Telegram. Zelensky said heavy machinery was needed to get people out of underground shelters but this was impossible during fighting.
More than 300 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol and other parts of southern Ukraine on Wednesday, the UN says
Russian missile strikes have been continuing across the country as Moscow tries to prevent fresh supplies of weaponry and equipment from reaching Ukrainian troops fighting Russia’s advance in the eastern Donbas region, according to the latest UK defence assessment
The US has been providing intelligence enabling Ukrainian forces to kill Russian generals, the New York Times reports
The EU says it plans to phase out the use of Russian crude oil within six months, but Hungary says the proposal is unworkable and the Czech and Slovak governments want a transition period

This is Tessa Wong and Zubaidah Abdul Jalil in Singapore, and Thomas Spender in London - stay with us as we bring you the latest developments.