Board Game Arena

What is a war crime and could Putin be prosecuted over Ukraine?
By Dominic Casciani
Legal correspondent, BBC News
Published5 hours ago

A protester in Paris holds a sign accusing Vladimir Putin of war crimes
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

A Russian soldier has admitted killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial to be held in Ukraine since the conflict began.

Ukraine says it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes, but the Russian government denies the allegations.

The International Criminal Court has also sent a team of investigators and forensics experts to the country.

What is a war crime?
It may not seem like it, but "even war has rules", as the International Committee of the Red Cross puts it.

These are contained in treaties called the Geneva Conventions and a string of other international laws and agreements.

Civilians cannot be deliberately attacked - nor can the infrastructure that is vital to their survival.

Some weapons are banned because of the indiscriminate or appalling suffering they cause - such as anti-personnel landmines and chemical or biological weapons.

The sick and wounded must be cared for - including injured soldiers, who have rights as prisoners of war.

Serious offences such as murder, rape or mass persecution of a group are known as "crimes against humanity" or, in some circumstances, "genocide".

What did the Russian soldier do?
The 21-year-old Russian tank commander Vadim Shishimarin admitted shooting a 62-year-old man in the head, a few days after the invasion began.

Vadim Shishimarin, Russian soldier accused of war crimes in Ukraine.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Image caption, Vadim Shishimarin is a tank commander in the Russian armed forces

Prosecutors said Shishimarin had been ordered to kill the unarmed civilian.

He was tried in a Kyiv district court, and faces life in jail.

"By this first trial, we are sending a clear signal that every perpetrator, every person who ordered or assisted in the commission of crimes in Ukraine shall not avoid responsibility," Ukraine's chief prosecutor Iryna Venediktova tweeted.

She previously said her office was preparing cases against 41 Russian soldiers for offences including killing civilians, rape, bombing civilian infrastructure and looting.

What other allegations of war crimes have there been in Ukraine?
US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have both accused Russia of carrying out war crimes in Ukraine.

Investigators and journalists found what appeared to be evidence of the deliberate killing of civilians in Bucha, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, and other nearby areas.

Ukrainian forces said they found mass graves and evidence that civilians had been killed after their feet and hands were bound.

Russia-Ukraine conflict / Russian invasion: Rubble and debris outside the ruins / remains of the Mariupol Theatre in the aftermath of a bombing attack, Ukraine, released 18 Mar 2022
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Image caption, Russia denied carrying out the attack on the theatre

In March, a Russian strike on a theatre in Mariupol appeared to be the first confirmed location of a mass killing. The word "children" was written in giant letters outside the building.

Ukraine previously called Russia's air strike on Mariupol's hospital a war crime.

Many experts argue the invasion itself is a crime under the concept of "aggressive warfare".

How can suspected war criminals be prosecuted?
There have been a series of one-off courts since World War Two - including the tribunal investigating war crimes during the break-up of Yugoslavia.

A body was also set up to prosecute those responsible for the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) both have roles upholding the rules of war.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules on disputes between states, but cannot prosecute individuals. Ukraine has begun a case against Russia.

If the ICJ ruled against Russia, the UN Security Council (UNSC) would be responsible for enforcing that.

But Russia - one of council's five permanent members - could veto any proposal to sanction it.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and prosecutes individual war criminals who are not before the courts of individual states.

It's the permanent modern successor to Nuremberg, which prosecuted key Nazi leaders in 1945.

Nazi war criminals in the dock during the Nuremberg trials after World War Two including Hermann Goring, Rudolf Hess and Joachim von Ribbentrop
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Nazis prosecuted at the Nuremberg trials included Hermann Goring, Rudolf Hess and Joachim von Ribbentrop

Nuremberg cemented the principle that nations could set up special courts to uphold international law.

Can the ICC prosecute offences in Ukraine?
The ICC's chief prosecutor, British lawyer Karim Khan QC, believes there is a reasonable basis to believe war crimes have been carried out in Ukraine.

Investigators will look at past and present allegations - going back as far as 2013, before Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

If there's evidence, the prosecutor will ask ICC judges to issue arrest warrants to bring individuals to trial in The Hague.

However the court doesn't have its own police force so relies on individual states to arrest suspects - and since Russia is not a member of the court it is unlikely to extradite any suspects.

Could President Putin, generals or other leaders be prosecuted?
It's far easier to pin a war crime on the soldier who commits it, than the leader who ordered it.

Hugh Williamson of Human Rights Watch - an organisation with expertise in gathering evidence of war crimes in conflicts - agrees there is evidence of summary executions and other grave abuses by Russian forces.

He says establishing the "chain of command" is very important for any future trials - including whether a leader authorised an atrocity - or turned a blind eye to it.

The ICC can also prosecute the offence of "waging aggressive war". This is the crime of an unjustified invasion or conflict, beyond justifiable military action in self-defence.

It originated at Nuremberg, after the judge sent by Moscow convinced the Allies that Nazi leaders should face justice for "crimes against peace".

However, Professor Philippe Sands QC, an expert on international law at University College London, says the ICC couldn't prosecute Russia's leaders for this because the country isn't a signatory to the court.

In theory, the UN Security Council could ask the ICC to investigate this offence. But again, Russia could veto this.

Prof Sands wants world leaders to set up a one-off tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression in Ukraine.

23:30 18 May
Retired Russian colonel returns to TV with a different message
Francis Scarr, BBC Monitoring
Mikhail Khodarenok

Just 48 hours after he broke ranks on Russian state TV and gave a damning assessment of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and its international isolation, retired colonel Mikhail Khodarenok was back on the flagship 60 Minutes talk show.

But Wednesday afternoon’s remarks from the military analyst could not have been more different.

To footage of Russian air strikes, he bragged that vaunted American M777 howitzers supplied to Kyiv would soon "be just memories".

Back on Monday he called for Russians to wake up to the imminent reality of a million Ukrainian troops supplied with the latest weapons from Europe and the US. But on Wednesday he dismissed any claims of possible Ukrainian counterattacks as "rumours".

He said it would be "impossible" for Ukraine to gain supremacy of the air and that it could take Kyiv decades to build a navy worthy of challenging Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

"There is every reason to believe that the implementation of our plans will give Ukraine an unpleasant surprise in the near future," he concluded, to nodding approval from the show's hosts.

On Monday, many found themselves wondering whether Khodarenok had been allowed to pierce the bubble of state TV’s alternative reality in order to manage expectations in the “special military operation”.

But narratives are tightly controlled by the Kremlin, and to backpedal so soon surely suggests that the colonel has been reined back in.

23:42 18 May
UN in 'intense' talks over restoring Ukraine grain shipments

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he is in "intense contact" with Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the US and the EU to try to restore Ukrainian grain shipments and revive Russian fertiliser exports.

Guterres warned of years of "mass hunger" if a growing global food crisis goes unchecked, as he urged Russia to release Ukrainian grain.

"I am hopeful, but there is still a way to go," he told a food security meeting at the UN.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was hosting the UN meeting, said countries with significant grain and fertiliser reserves needed to "step up fast" to address global food insecurity.

Together with Russia, Ukraine supplies nearly 30% of global wheat exports, but since the Russian invasion began in February, key ports on the Black Sea, such as Odesa, have been closed and crops are not being exported.

Sanctions against Russia are impacting fertiliser exports.

6:11
Welcome back to our live coverage of Ukraine
Welcome back to our live coverage of the Ukraine crisis. Here's the latest on Thursday morning local time:

In Ukraine:

Russia says more than 900 Ukrainian troops captured from Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steel plant have been sent to a prison colony in Russian-controlled territory.
Kyiv officials have said they hope to exchange them for Russian prisoners of war captured by Ukraine, but their fate remains uncertain.
Denis Pushilin, a pro-Russian separatist leader, says more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers including senior commanders are still inside the besieged plant
In his nightly address on Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky hit out at Moscow, calling the invasion "an absolute failure".
The fall of Mariupol represents a strategic victory for Moscow, which is pressing on with its main offensive in the eastern Donbas region

Elsewhere in the world:

G7 leaders are set to meet in Germany on Thursday. The group of industrialised nations will discuss ways to support Ukraine's devastated economy, even as the US faces soaring inflation and Europe grapples with disruptions to its energy imports from Russia.
Meanwhile the UN has warned the invasion could cause global food shortages in the coming months. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said food insecurity in poorer nations had worsened due to rising prices, and the world could face famines that last "for years" if Ukrainian exports are not restored to pre-war levels.

6:22
Zelensky says Russian invasion a 'catastrophic' mistake

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the Russian invasion of his country was a “catastrophic” mistake, after Russia claimed a strategic victory in Mariupol.

Speaking from Kyiv during his nightly television address, Zelensky said the invasion has proven to be an “absolute failure” and claimed Moscow’s forces have run out of missiles with which to attack his troops.

Zelensky also hit out at Russian leaders, who he said were afraid to acknowledge “that catastrophic mistakes were made at the highest military and state level” during the conflict.

The Ukrainian leader accused officials in Moscow of forcing young, inexperienced conscripted soldiers onto the front line and throwing them “into battle like cannon fodder”.

His comments came after a 21-year-old Russian soldier pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian, in the first war crimes trial in Ukraine since the war started.

6:42
Russia says more than 900 Ukrainian fighters sent to prison colony
More than 900 Ukrainian fighters who had been holed up in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant have been taken to a prison colony in Russian-controlled territory, Moscow has said.

Ukraine ordered troops there to stand down as part of a deal struck by both sides, as it attempts to save their lives. Food and water supplies have reportedly been scarce in the plant for several weeks.

A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Wednesday that 959 Ukrainian service personnel had surrendered since Tuesday. Of those, 51 were being treated for their injuries and the remainder had been sent to a former prison colony in the town of Olenivka in a Russian-controlled area of the Donetsk region.

The defence ministry in Kyiv said it was hoping for an "exchange procedure... to repatriate these Ukrainian heroes as quickly as possible", according to AFP.

Their fate remains unclear, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refusing to say whether they would be treated as criminals or prisoners of war.

Ukraine's defence ministry pledged to do "everything necessary" to rescue those still in the sprawling network of tunnels and bunkers under the steel plant, but admitted there was no military option available.

7:33
Russian laser weapons a sign of failure - Zelensky
Joe Inwood
Reporting from Lviv

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia’s reported use of “laser weapons” in its invasion of his country is a sign of their failure. It follows a claim by a Russian official that the technology – capable of taking down drones – was being “widely deployed” on the battlefield.

The Russians are searching for a “wunder-waffe” Zelensky mockingly claimed. It was a reference to the hunt for a wonder weapon that would turn the tide of World War Two while the Nazis were losing on the battlefield.

Zelensky spoke just hours after the Russian deputy prime minister in charge of military development claimed secret laser technology was already in use in Ukraine. Yuri Borisov said the systems were capable of taking down drones three miles away and blinding satellites.

The Kremlin often shows off new prototype technology. Many times it is never seen on the battlefield.

On the ground, the Ukrainian military said it was facing increasing bombardment around the Donbas region as Russia continues its campaign to take the east of the country. The daily briefing also said Ukraine had continued to liberate villages around the town of Kharkiv, although heavy fighting continued.

8:17
Half of Mariupol defenders have left steel plant - Russian report
More than half of the Ukrainian fighters who were holed up in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant have now left, pro-Russian separatist leader Denis Pushilin has said, according to Russia's Tass news agency.

The BBC cannot independently verify this information and it is not clear how many fighters Pushilin is referring to.

Ukraine and Russia have given conflicting accounts of how many fighters have left the plant.

8:40
Russian civilian killed by Ukraine shelling - regional governor
One person was killed and several injured in the shelling of a Russian village near the Ukraine border, according to governor of the Russian region of Kursk.

Roman Starovoyt said Tyotkino was targeted from Ukraine's territory.

Starovoyt posted on his Telegram channel: "Yet another enemy attack on Tyotkino, which took place at dawn, unfortunately, ended with a tragedy."

On a Telegram post, he said the victim was a truck driver who brought raw materials to a distillery. "The enemy carried out several strikes on this facility", said Starovoyt.

9:08
Putin sacking top commanders over military failures - UK
Britain's Ministry of Defence has published its daily intelligence update, which today focuses on Russia allegedly firing a number of senior army commanders for underperforming in the Ukrainian war.

It also accuses the Kremlin of running a military and security operation fraught with "coverups and scapegoating" - an accusation often hurled at Moscow, and not just by the UK.

A small but comprehensive list of those believed to have been dismissed by Vladimir Putin includes:
Lieutenant General Serhiy Kisel, who commanded the elite 1st Guards Tank Army, for failing to capture Kharkiv
Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, who commanded Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, following the sinking of the Moskva cruiser in April
Russian Chief of General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov, who, the MoD says, may well still be in post but it's unclear whether he retains confidence

9:40
Italian PM calls for Ukraine ceasefire
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has called for an urgent ceasefire in Ukraine so serious negotiations can begin to end the war, Reuters reports.

He told Rome's upper house, the Senate, a ceasefire "must be achieved as soon as possible".

Draghi's comments came as he opened a debate on Italy's role in supporting Ukraine, which is creating growing tensions in the premier's ruling majority.

The Italian PM also said it's important to maintain pressure on Russia through economic sanctions "because we have to bring Moscow to the negotiating table", according to Reuters.

9:53
Nearly 800 Mariupol fighters surrendered in 24 hours, Russia says
Nearly 800 fighters in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol have surrendered over the last day, according to the Russian defence ministry.

In a statement, it said:

771 fighters have surrendered in the last 24 hours
1,730 have laid down arms since 16 May
80 of the surrendering fighters surrendered were wounded

10:24
EU must establish Ukraine reconstruction fund - Scholz
More now from Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he's said the European Union must prepare to rebuild Ukraine by establishing a fund to assist with the reconstruction process.

He added it is essential to focus on pragmatic, immediate support for the war-torn country.

"Rebuilding destroyed infrastructure and revitalising the Ukrainian economy will cost billions," Scholz said.

"We as the EU must start laying the ground for a solidarity fund financed by contributions from the EU and its partners."

11:17
Hundreds of POWs registered from Azovstal plant - Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has registered hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

Registration involves filling out a form with personal details like name, date of birth and closest relative - the information is used to track those who have been captured and helps the organisation keep in touch with families.

In a statement, the organisation says the registration process began on Tuesday and is ongoing.

It also says that the ICRC is not involved in transporting POWs to the places where they are held.

Under the Geneva Convention, the ICRC says, it must continue to have access to POWs and be allowed to interview them without witnesses, and the duration and frequency of visits "should not be unduly restricted".

Russia says more than 900 Ukrainian fighters from the Mariupol steelworks have been taken to a former prison colony, in a Russian-controlled part of Donetsk.

11:56
Russian solider confronted by widow in war crimes trial
Sarah Rainsford
Reporting from Kyiv

The trial of Vadim Shishimarin began today with a powerful encounter between the Russian tank commander and the widow of the man he killed.

Kateryna Shelipova stood up in court and asked the 21-year-old what he had felt when he killed her husband Oleksandr, and did he repent his crime?

The soldier replied that he admitted his guilt and asked for her forgiveness. "But I understand you won’t be able to forgive me," he added.

Kateryna Shelipova hadn’t finished. ‘Tell me please, why did you [Russians] come here? To protect us?,’ she asked, citing Vladimir Putin’s justification for the invasion of Ukraine.

‘Protect us from whom? Did you protect me from my husband, whom you killed?”.

The soldier had no answer to that.

Kateryna Shelikhova
Copyright: Reuters
Image caption: Kateryna Shelipova in court on Wednesday

Perhaps such raw encounters are what such war crimes trials are about, at least in part. Forcing a soldier – who ignored all the rules of war – to face up to exactly what he has done and the pain he has caused.

Yesterday, Kateryna told me she actually felt sorry for him, but she could not forgive him for this crime.

She heard the shots that killed her husband, then saw Sgt Shishimarin through her gate – holding his weapon.

A little later she found Oleksandr’s body in the street. "The loss of my husband is everything for me," Kateryna said, adding: "He was my protector".

Vadim Shishimarin claims that he hadn’t wanted to fire the fatal shots, that he was following orders – threatened by another soldier, if he refused to do as he was told.

12:56
WATCH: Azovstal wounded carried on stretchers
Video content
Video caption: Azovstal wounded carried on stretchers

Russian media are reporting that large numbers of Ukrainian fighters are still inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

Drone footage posted on social media shows people on stretchers being carried away from the steelworks earlier this week.

The BBC can't independently verify the date on which the images were recorded.

Ukrainian troops began to surrender to Russia on 16 May.

13:39
Russian soldier was ordered to kill civilian, trial hears
Sarah Rainsford
Reporting from Kyiv

The trial of Vadim Shishimarin has resumed in Kyiv after a short break. The 21-year-old Russian tank commander has admitted the killing of a 62-year-old civilian.

Earlier, we heard from a second Russian soldier who witnessed the killing in February and later surrendered to Ukrainian forces.

Ivan Maltysev, another very slim, young-looking 21-year-old, told the court how the Russians had been forced to retreat on foot with their wounded after their column of tanks came under attack.

Kateryna Shelipova, widow of killed Oleksandr Shelipov, attends the the second day of the war crimes trial against Russian serviceman Vadim Shishimarin
Copyright: EPA
Image caption: Kateryna Shelipova watches proceedings in court

When a civilian car approached, the Russians opened fire on it "straight on" and, according to Maltysev, they then took over the vehicle.

About 500 metres further on, the soldiers spotted Oleksandr Shelipov - the victim.

"He was either on the phone or getting it out, I don’t remember which", Maltysev said, adding that he does remember that Vadim Shishimarin was ordered to shoot.

"Vadim didn’t do it. So the soldier, whose name I don’t know, turned round in the car and shouted that Vadim had to carry out the order, or we would be informed on.

"At this point, we were almost alongside the civilian and, under pressure, Vadim fired. He fired three or four rounds."

14:46
It feels as if the defendant has been abandoned by Russia
Sarah Rainsford
Reporting from Kyiv

The soldier's lawyer - who was appointed by the Ukrainian state - has told me that no Russian official has been in touch with him, including from the defence ministry.

There is no Russian embassy in Kyiv these days, so no contact from there either.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman told the BBC on Wednesday that the Kremlin has “no information” about this case.

All in all, it feels rather like the young soldier has been abandoned to his fate by the commanders who sent him to war and continue to deny that their forces commit crimes here.

This trial is Ukraine’s chance to prove, beyond doubt, that a Russian soldier killed a civilian with no regard for the rules of war.

It knows it’s in the spotlight, doing this so quickly and in the middle of a war, and it’s keen to be as transparent and thorough as possible – so that this is not seen as a show trial, but part of a vital quest for justice.

16:57
Shelling kills 12 in Severodonetsk - governor
Returning now to the situation on the ground in Ukraine, 12 people have been killed in Ukrainian-controlled Severodonetsk after Russian shelling, the head of the eastern Luhansk Regional Military Administration has said on Telegram.

Serhiy Hayday says more than 40 people who were injured in the attacks are receiving medical treatment - and there has been significant destruction leading to power cuts.

Among the victims are two women found dead in a flat hit by a missile, he says in his post.

At least eight houses have been damaged and rescuers were unable to reach places on fire for two hours because of the shelling, he adds.

17:14
Russian state media quiet on war crimes trial
Vitaly Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring

One court case has been the focus of much of our coverage today - and there's been a near-total blackout in state-controlled Russian media on the war crimes trial of Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin in Kyiv.

BBC Monitoring has not observed any mentions of him on key TV channels, while there has been prominent reporting of the trial by independent Russian media, which is now operating from abroad.

In a rare online report about Shishimarin, Kremlin-run broadcaster RT (also known as Russia Today) quoted his father as doubting that he will get a fair hearing in Ukraine. "What's that trial for? To prove him guilty," Yevgeny Shishimarin told RT.

Asked about Shishimarin at a news briefing on 18 May, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not have enough information about the soldier captured by Ukraine.

You can read our correspondent Sarah Rainsford's story on the trial here.

18:19
Ukraine needs food aid while they feed the world, UN says
It is hard to believe Ukraine needs help with a growing food crisis, given the country's role in feeding the world before the war, the United Nations says.

Manal Fouani, a representative to Ukraine from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), tells the BBC that 90% of Ukrainians will fall into poverty by the end of the year if the conflict continues.

Ukraine has a population of nearly 45 million, with 15 million people currently refugees or internally displaced within the country.

Fouani says: "It sounds difficult to believe that we need to feed Ukrainians, while Ukrainians feed the world."

She adds it is "heartbreaking" that grain silos in Ukraine are full because it is too difficult to export, so if farmers cultivate and harvest more crops there is no space to store them.

18:34
UN countries must pressure Russia to stop weaponizing food - Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia is using food as a weapon to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people, adding the blame for the food crisis clearly lies with Moscow.

"The Russian Federation claims falsely that the international community's sanctions are to blame for worsening the global food crisis. Sanctions aren't blocking Black Sea ports, trapping ships filled with food, and destroying Ukrainian roads and railways - Russia is," Blinken told a UN Security Council meeting.

It comes as the Russian foreign ministry says it will only consider allowing access to Ukraine's Black Sea ports if the lifting of international sanctions against Russia is also considered.

Blinken says the UN Security Council has a "unique responsibility to address the current crisis" and called on UN countries to put pressure on Russia to stop weaponizing food.

"Stop blockading the ports in the Black Sea and the sea of Azov, allow for the free flow of ships and trains and trucks carrying food out of Ukraine; stop preventing food and other life-saving supplies from reaching civilians in besieged Ukrainian towns and cities; stop threatening to withhold food and fertiliser exports from countries that criticise your war of aggression," Blinken said.

The head of the UN World Food Programme, David Beasley, earlier appealed to President Putin to end Moscow's blockade of the ports to allow the export of wheat and other vital food products.

Russian deputy foreign minister, Andrei Rudenko, says US and EU sanctions have helped to cause the current food crisis, Russia's Interfax news agency reports.

19:31
Operation at Azovstal - deputy commander
We'll turn now to the besieged Azovstal steelworks in the city of Mariupol, where some Ukrainian fighters are still believed to be holed up - although it's unclear how many.

The Deputy Commander of the Azov unit, Sviatoslav Palamar has posted a video message on Telegram, in which he says: “Glory to Ukraine! It is day 85 of the war. The leadership and I are on the premises of the Azovstal plant. There is a certain operation happening, details of which I am not going to share. I thank the whole world and Ukraine for the support. I will be seeing you.”

It is not clear what the operation he refers to is. We will bring you more information if it becomes available.

Russia says more than 1,700 fighters from the plant have been taken to Russian-controlled areas since Monday.

20:05
WATCH: Ukraine troops blow up Luhansk bridge
Video content
Video caption: Ukrainian soldiers blow up a bridge connecting cities in the Luhansk region
Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine's National Guard released a video it said shows the destruction of a bridge connecting Sievierodonetsk to Rubizhne in the Luhansk region.

The special operation between Ukraine's security forces aims to slow down the advance of Russian troops in the Luhansk region.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the images.

20:36
Russians continue to attack in Donetsk - Ukraine armed forces
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has published its evening update on Facebook.

It says:

Russian forces' main focus was on the Donetsk direction, where they used aircraft, artillery and mortars. It intensified offensive and assault operations in some areas.
In the area of ​​Severodonetsk in Luhansk, Russian forces carried out assaults, suffered losses and retreated to previously occupied positions
Fighting continues in areas northeast of Kharkiv, where Russian troops are trying to hold on to previously occupied positions and sometimes try to launch counterattacks in order to regain control of those settlements that were recaptured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recent days.
Russian forces are demoralised, suffering significant losses and with some personnel not receiving payments they have been promised
The BBC is not able to independently verify this information.

21:03
War could push 90% of Ukrainians into poverty, UN warns
Ukrainian volunteers prepare to deliver food inside a complex set up as a shelter in Zaporizhzhya
Copyright: Reuters
Image caption: Ukrainian volunteers prepare to deliver food inside a complex set up as a shelter in Zaporizhzhya

We've been reporting on the growing food crisis in Ukraine and accusations that Russia is using food as a weapon of war, including by blocking ports in Ukraine's Black Sea.

Now, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that 90% of people within Ukraine could be pushed into poverty if Russia continues its assault.

"We're talking about nine out of 10 Ukrainians falling into poverty if this war continues until the end of the year," UNDP deputy representative in Ukraine, Manal Fouani, says.

She says this is a "shocking number", given the poverty rate in the country was just 2.5% just before the war started.

Fouani said that 18 years of development gains could be lost by the end of the year - the "investments of the European Union and of all of the donors and the development partners in this country over the past 20 years".

22:01
Rare moment of agreement as Senate backs Ukraine aid
Nomia Iqbal
BBC News

In a country where US lawmakers don't usually agree on much, helping Ukraine has become a rare area of bipartisan agreement.

Most Democrats and Republicans have come together to help the embattled country and this latest package, worth nearly $40bn, was backed by 86 out of 100 senators in both parties.

This round of aid is a mixture of military, economic and humanitarian assistance. It includes more weapons, a fund to help Ukraine's government function and cash to stop the disruption to the global food chain as a result of the war.

It's the biggest aid package so far and brings the total American investment in the war to roughly $54 billion in just over two months.

This bipartisan moment may not last though. The Republicans who did oppose the package said they are concerned about continuously sending huge amounts of money abroad for an ongoing conflict, especially whilst Americans are struggling with economic challenges at home.

President Biden is expected quickly to sign it into law - he and Ukrainian leaders pushed hard for its approval over fears aid would run out by the end of the week.

(This is bravery too!)

Ukraine war: One Russian's anti-war protest on the side of his shopping centre
By Steve Rosenberg
Russia Editor, Russko-Vysotskoye
Published 14 hours ago

Image shows businessman painting


If you drive eight hours north of Moscow, you'll come to a tiny little town called Russko-Vysotskoye.

There is not a great deal to see here, apart from the chicken farm and the church that was reduced to rubble in World War Two.

But there is one thing in this town that is particularly eye-catching: the local shopping centre.

Dmitry Skurikhin owns the building - and you should see what he's done to the front of it.

In giant letters he's painted "Peace to Ukraine, Freedom to Russia!" In bright-red paint he's listed the names of Ukrainian towns that have been attacked by the Russian army.

Mariupol, Bucha, Kherson, Chernihiv, and many more.

Image shows building with protest


"I thought this would be a good way of getting information out," Dmitry tells me.

"Because for the first few weeks of the war our people didn't know what was happening. They thought that some kind of special operation was being conducted to remove drug addicts from the Ukrainian government. They didn't know that Russia was shelling Ukrainian towns."

Dmitry has even turned the roof of his shop into a giant yellow and blue Ukrainian flag.

Suddenly, out comes a paint pot and brush and Dmitry adds more names.

Image shows protester painting wall


Borodyanka, Odesa, Irpin… The excess paint drips down the wall, blood red, making this statement all the more powerful.

Dmitry knows that what he's doing is not without risk. In Russia public protest often ends in prosecution or threats. Or both. Someone has already graffitied "traitor" on his door. And the police have been round to visit. He was later fined for discrediting the Russian armed forces.

Dmitry is unrepentant.

Image shows businessman


"I couldn't just sit doing nothing. It would have torn me apart inside. But what I am doing is an act of desperation. Now Russians are outcasts. We deserve to be. This offensive will cast a shadow over us for a long time."

The Kremlin likes to portray President Vladimir Putin as a leader who is supported by his people. The authorities insist that Russians back him on Ukraine. Dmitry claims it is an illusion.

"If you ask people here, are they in favour of war between Russia and Ukraine, with the shelling of towns, plus all the consequences like poverty and hunger, they would say: 'Are you mad?!'" Dmitry tells me.

"Russians are being exposed to disinformation. They support the special military operation that they're being told about on TV. But people are starting to realise that what's really happening is a calamity."

Image shows shopping centre with painted protest


Outside the shopping centre, I ask passers-by what they think of Dmitry's paint protest.

"He's an idiot. An idiot! Covering the wall with that dog's dinner!" exclaims one shopper. "He'd have been better off painting a picture on the wall!"

The next person I ask happens to be Dmitry's 87-year-old former biology teacher from school.

"No one wants war, I still remember World War Two," says Maria Nikolaevena. "But it's all very well saying we don't want war. Perhaps our government knows better."

"He has the right to express his opinion," says a young man called Anton. "And I'm worried, too, about Ukraine, because attacking, bombing a neighbouring country is a strange thing to do."

Dmitry Skurikhin knows that paint will not bring peace.

But if his protest makes people in the town stop, think, even question, then it will - he believes - have been worthwhile.

5:29 20 May
Welcome back to our live coverage
Thanks for joining us. We’re resuming our live coverage and will be bringing you the latest developments and analysis of the war in Ukraine throughout the day. Here's the latest:

In a late-night video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the Donbas region in the east of the country has been "completely destroyed"
"[Russia] is trying to exert even more pressure. It is hell there - and that is not an exaggeration," he says of the region, which has been the main focus of Russia's invasion in recent weeks
Meanwhile, the US Senate approves $40bn (£32bn) in aid for Ukraine - the largest package of support since Russia invaded
Sweden and Finland move closer in their bid to join Nato after their application was welcomed by US President Joe Biden, who earlier met the leaders of both countries at the White House
Biden told reporters during a news conference that the applications marked "a watershed moment in European security"
And a prosecutor in the first trial of a Russian soldier for war crimes in the conflict has asked for a life sentence for the accused. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, says he was threatened by another soldier before killing a civilian

5:33 20 May
Russia has turned the Donbas into hell - Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of turning the eastern Donbas region into “hell,” as intense fighting there rages on.

Speaking during his nightly address from Kyiv, he said Russian forces had flattened the region. "[There are] constant strikes on the Odesa region, on the cities of central Ukraine. The Donbas is completely destroyed," he said.

“All this has no and cannot have any military explanation for Russia,” Zelensky added.

“This is a deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible. Destroy as many houses, social facilities and enterprises as possible," the Ukrainian leader said.

On Thursday, Ukraine's defence ministry accused Russia of intensifying its attacks in the Donbas and preventing civilians from fleeing.

5:51 20 May
Kherson to become part of Russia, new governor says
The Russian-installed governor of occupied Kherson in southern Ukraine has said the region will soon be fully integrated into Russia.

Volodymyr Saldo, who was installed by Russian forces after they took control of the area in early March, wrote on Telegram that it would become the “Kherson region of the Russian Federation”.

His deputy, Kirill Stremousov, wrote that residents would be able to apply for Russian citizenship in the coming weeks when the situation stabilises.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that Moscow is planning a sham independence referendum in the region and elsewhere.

However, Russian officials have not confirmed that annexation of the occupied regions of southern Ukraine is imminent and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that the future of the region depended on the will of residents.

6:36 20 May
Russia likely to quickly redeploy Mariupol troops - UK
The UK's Ministry of Defence has just issued its latest assessment of the fighting in Ukraine. It suggests:

As many as 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers are likely to have surrendered at the Azovstal metal works - the country's last pocket of resistance in Mariupol. An unknown number of troops are still inside
Once Russian forces have fully secured Mariupol, they are likely to head elsewhere in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region to reinforce other operations
But first, those soldiers will need to be "re-equipped" having faced stern Ukrainian resistance - something that can be a "lengthy process"
However, the MoD does not believe this will be done thoroughly - due to "pressure" on Russian commanders to quickly make gains elsewhere

7:44 20 May
13 civilians killed in Luhansk after Russian shelling - Ukrainian official
Russian shelling in Ukraine’s eastern region of Luhansk has killed 13 civilians in the past 24 hours, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration - Serhiy Hayday - has said, according to Reuters.

Twelve were killed in the town of Severodonetsk, where a Russian assault has been unsuccessful, he says.

Severodonetsk is strategically important to the Russians because controlling it would enable Russia to drive west and link up with Russian forces pushing south-east of Izyum.

8:00 20 May
Ukraine says fighting intense around eastern towns
An unexploded ordnance is seen at a backdoor of a kindergarten
Copyright: Getty Images
Image caption: An unexploded ordnance seen in Lysychansk last week

Let's get some more details now on where the fighting is currently focused.

Russian forces are continuing their offensive around the strategic eastern towns of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, Ukraine has said in its latest military update.

Combat is said to be intense across the wider Donbas region, and Russia is again accused of shelling civilian infrastructure (something it has previously denied).

But Ukraine claims to have repelled 14 Russian attacks and destroyed eight tanks among other vehicles.

It was not possible for the BBC to independently verify the claims.

8:40 20 May
Zelensky repeats Ukraine genocide claim
Remains of a destroyed school in the Donetsk region
Copyright: Donetsk Regional Military Administration
Image caption: Russia has again been accused of targeting civilian buildings

President Zelensky has repeated his allegation that Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine - something for which "the occupiers will definitely be brought to justice" he says.

As we've been reporting, Zelensky said in a video address last night that attacks on civilian infrastructure were a "deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible".

Russia has previously strenuously denied such attacks.

Zelensky said life had become "hell" in the eastern Donbas region - which had been "completely destroyed".

He also welcomed the first war crimes trial of the conflict - in which a Russian soldier has pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian.

9:15 20 May
Russia fighting one of the strongest and best-trained armies, says politician
Russian senator Frants Klintsevich has claimed his country’s slow progress in Ukraine is because Moscow's forces are fighting soldiers "with exactly the same mentality as ours", BBC Monitoring's Francis Scarr reports.

Speaking on Russian state television, Klintsevich said Russia’s “special military operation” was proceeding “with quite some difficulty”, adding that he didn’t want to offend anyone.

He called Ukraine's military "one of the strongest and best-trained armies" and said "we're fighting against Russian soldiers and officers".

9:53 20 May
Is Russian firepower starting to show in Ukraine's east?
Jeremy Bowen
Reporting from Dnipro

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region have pushed forward and taken some ground, according to information in the latest Ukrainian military briefing.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the Russians for destroying the area.

That could be code for admitting the weight of Russian firepower is starting to tell.

These are not big advances – it’s mile by mile and village by village - but it looks as if the Russians are reaping their first tactical success in weeks from tried and trusted methods of advance behind heavy bombardments.

The Ukrainian military says the Russian army is advancing in the areas of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk.

A man walks past a residential building damaged during a shelling in Severodonetsk
Copyright: EPA/STR
Image caption: A man walks past a residential building damaged during shelling in Severodonetsk


The Ukrainians say a strategic highway between Bahmut and Lysychansk is blocked by Russian artillery placed five kilometres from the road.

In Bakhmut, a city that had a population of around 75,000 before the war, shelling and airstrikes have started fires.

Ukraine has its own artillery and is firing back. But it’s not clear how many of the modern 155mm howitzers supplied by the US have managed to reach battlefields in the east.

The surrender of Ukrainian forces in Mariupol could also release Russian reinforcements for their offensive in Donbas.

10:42 20 May
'Liberation' of Luhansk People's Republic almost complete - Russia
Russia's "liberation" of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine is almost complete, Moscow's defence minister has said in comments quoted by the Tass news agency.

More territory has been seized from Ukraine by Russian-backed separatists and Russia's own forces, Sergei Shoigu said.

Before the invasion, President Putin announced that he was formally recognising the so-called People's Republic - and another in Donetsk - as being independent from Ukraine.

10:50 20 May
Nearly 2,000 Azovstal defenders have surrendered, says Russia
More now from Russia's Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu.

Nearly 2,000 soldiers have so far surrendered to Kremlin forces at the besieged Azovstal plant in Mariupol, he says.

The BBC has not been able to verify the numbers.

Earlier, the UK's Ministry of Defence suggested around 1,700 soldiers were likely to have laid down their arms at the vast industrial site.

Azovstal has long represented the last bastion of resistance in Mariupol - and Ukraine says efforts continue to evacuate the remaining defenders.

Those who've surrendered have been taken to Russian-controlled areas.

11:11 20 May
Russia plans new military bases to counter Nato
Kremlin's defence minister has also been reflecting on how the country will respond to the eastern expansion of Nato.

Russia will create new military bases in the west of the country to counter the strengthening of Nato near its borders, Sergei Shoigu says.

Finland and Sweden have both formally submitted applications to join Nato, a military alliance of 30 Western nations.

11:24 20 May
Are we heading towards a global food crisis?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine could soon cause a global food crisis that may last for years, the United Nations has warned.

The conflict has cut off supplies from Ukraine's ports, which once exported vast amounts of cooking oil as well as cereals such as maize and wheat.

This has reduced global supplies and caused the price of alternatives to soar, with food prices worldwide almost 30% higher than the same time last year, according to the UN.

The high cost of staple foods has already raised the number of people who cannot be sure of getting enough to eat by 440m to 1.6bn, with nearly 250m on the brink of famine, the Economist reports.

To emphasis this point the magazine's striking front cover (above) has replaced wheat kernels with skulls.

Russia has staged a blockade all along Ukraine's Black Sea coast and millions of tonnes of grain has not been able to leave.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned the only effective solution to the crisis is reintegrating Ukraine's food production, as well as fertiliser produced by both Russia and Belarus, back into the global market.

11:53 20 May
Russian soldier not guilty of war crimes, says lawyer
Hanna Chornous
Reporting from Kyiv

Vadim Shishimarin appears in court on Thursday
Copyright: EPA
Image caption: Vadim Shishimarin has admitted killing a civilian

A lawyer for the first Russian soldier on trial in Kyiv since the invasion started has told a court his client is not guilty of murder or war crimes.

Vadim Shishimarin has admitted killing an unarmed 62-year-old man in a Ukrainian village.

Lawyer Viktor Ovsyannikov argued that Shishimarin carried out an order from someone of a higher rank - and could not have known whether that order was criminal or not, “just like anyone else in that situation would not know”.

Ovsyannikov said Russian soldiers erroneously believed the civilian could inform the Ukrainian military of their whereabouts. He added that Shishimarin did not mean to commit a crime and felt that there was a threat to his life.

In response, the prosecutor said that Shishimarin could have avoided killing a civilian; that instead of firing three or four rounds, he could have taken the man’s phone, or fired just one shot to scare him.

Shishimarin again apologised in his closing remarks.

“I do not deny it, and am ready to be punished and to face the consequences,” he said.

A verdict is expected on Monday.

12:04 20 May
Mariupol defenders have ceased defending the city, says Azov leader
Laura Bicker
Reporting from Dnipro

Day 86 of the defence of Mariupol. The higher military leadership have given an order to save lives and preserve the wellbeing of the servicemen of the garrison and cease defending the city. Despite heavy fighting, defending while being encircled and lack of resupplying, we kept reiterating the three conditions most important to us. Namely, civilians, wounded and those who have been killed in action. We managed to evacuate the civilians, the wounded received the necessary medical treatment and we managed to evacuate them to be swapped and returned to the Ukrainian-controlled territories. As for those fallen heroes, the process is ongoing. And I hope that in the nearest future the relatives and all of Ukraine will be able to bury them with honour. Glory to Ukraine.

Lt Col Denys Prokopenko
Leader of the Azov Regiment

Lt Col Denys Prokopenko of the Azov Regiment, a unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces which has been defending the Azovstal steelworks in the southern city of Mariupol, has posted a video on social media after the government in Kyiv announced it was ending its defence of the site.

Russia says some 2,000 soldiers have surrendered to its forces - a similar figure to estimates published by the UK's Ministry of Defence.

Pro-Russian troops standing guard at the plant as Ukrainian troops were removed from the site
Copyright: Reuters

12:19 20 May
'Well, that's all': Mariupol fighter says farewell to Azovstal
A Ukrainian soldier standing on top of wreckage at Azovstal
Copyright: Dmytro Kozatskyi
"Thank you all for your support. See you," the Ukrainian fighter wrote on social media

More on the evacuation of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, where hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers are said to have laid down their weapons.
One of the Ukrainian troops who had been defending the besieged city's last holdout posted a series of photos of the devastated steelworks on social media as he left the site.
"Well, that's all", wrote Ukrainian serviceman Dmytro Kozatskyi after leaving the plant. "Thank you for the shelter, Azovstal is the place of my death and my life," he added.

Earlier, Russian authorities said nearly 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered at Azovstal and are believed to have been taken to Russian-controlled areas.

12:36 20 May
Belarus activist jailed for displaying Ukraine flag on Facebook page
The leader of an independent Belarusian trade union organisation has been sentenced to 15 days in jail, the Polish-based European Radio for Belarus (Euroradio) reports.

Maksim Paznyakow was arrested after the Ukrainian flag was displayed on the profile picture of his Facebook page, along with the slogan "For independence!".

He was detained on 17 May, Euroradio says.

13:03 20 May
Russia sets up HQ to run Donbas repair work
Destroyed building in the Donbas region
Copyright: Donetsk Regional Military Administration

Russia says it's created a "special headquarters" to oversee restoration work in the Donbas region - where its troops have been gaining territory, but infrastructure bas been badly damaged as a result of artillery bombardment and air strikes.

Specialist teams have been assessing the repairs and construction needed in the region, according to a report by the state-owned RIA-Novosti news agency seen by BBC Monitoring.

"The work is in full swing," Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin is quoted as saying. "We will build, restore all roads, destroyed housing.

"The second set of measures is economic recovery," he adds.

13:21 20 May
'An operation is under way' - Azov commander
Video content
Video caption: Sviatoslav Palamar speaking in a video published 19 May

More now on the end of Ukraine's defence of Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks.

In a short video message published on Thursday by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Azov regiment commander Sviatoslav Palamar said "an operation is under way". He added that he would not disclose the details.

This week hundreds of Azov troops, who spent weeks holed up in the steelworks, handed themselves over to Russian forces. Russia says more than 1,700 fighters from the plant have now surrendered and been taken to Russian-controlled areas

The Azov regiment is the most frequent target for Russia's claim that it is fighting against Nazis in Ukraine.

The regiment, which was set up as a volunteer militia in 2014 but is now a National Guard unit, once had links to the far right.

The BBC has not been able to verify the location or date the video was recorded.

14:00 20 May
Mapped: Russian control in eastern Ukraine
Map showing areas of Russian control and advances in the Donbas

Russian forces are continuing their slow advance in the east of Ukraine after using heavy firepower to weaken defending forces.

As you'll see from the map above, some of their focus in recent weeks has been around the cities of Izyum and Severodonetsk.

To the north, however, Ukrainian forces have now pushed the majority of Russian forces away from Kharkiv, the country's second largest city.

The Institute for the Study of War reports that those Russian forces are now being redeployed to the Donetsk region.

You can find more maps here showing areas of Russian control.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60506682

14:14 20 May
Russian military fired on school hiding 200 people in Severodonetsk - Ukrainian official

The Russian military have fired on a school in Severodonetsk, in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region, where more than 200 people were hiding - many of them children - the head of the regional state administration, Serhiy Haidai, has said on the messaging app Telegram.

Haidai says three adults died and police are trying to move people to another shelter.

He has also said around 11,000 houses, of which almost 3,000 were high-rise buildings, have been "partially or completely destroyed" in Luhansk.

Haidai says the economic losses are estimated "at hundreds of billions of hryvnias".

The BBC has not been able to independently verify this information.

14:48 20 May
Russia weakened by war - US foreign policy adviser
People walk past a closed business in Moscow
Copyright: EPA
Image caption: Numerous Western brands have shut up shop in Russia

US foreign policy adviser Derek Chollet has told the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale that Russia is weaker now than it was when it launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow has already suffered a "strategic defeat," says Chollet. He explains that the Russian economy has been "devastated" by sanctions, and its military has been depleted.

On the other hand, "Ukraine is stronger today and closer to the West," Chollet says. "And Nato is stronger as well.

"Here we are talking about Sweden and Finland joining [Nato]. This was not on any of our 'to-do' lists at New Year."

15:56 20 May
Ukraine says giant nuclear plant won't supply Russia
A Russian soldier stands guard at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Copyright: AFP
Image caption: Russia has a heavy presence at Europe's biggest nuclear plant

Ukraine has dismissed as "wishful thinking" Russia's plan to connect a giant Ukrainian nuclear power station to the Russian electricity grid.

Russian troops are occupying the sprawling Zaporizhzhia plant, which is Europe's biggest, in southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian staff are still operating it, but the Russians have sent their own nuclear experts to monitor their work.

Russia's deputy prime minister has vowed to sell power from the plant to Ukraine - or connect the facility to its own grid if Kyiv refuses to pay.

But a spokesman for Ukraine's state nuclear agency said such an operation would take years.

16:22 20 May
Canada slaps new sanctions on Russia
Canada has said it is imposing additional sanctions on Russian oligarchs and banning the export and import of targeted luxury goods to and from Russia.

The new measures will put restrictions on 14 individuals including Russian oligarchs, their family members, and close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, it said in an official statement.

"These individuals have directly enabled Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine and bear responsibility for the pain and suffering of the people of Ukraine," it said.

The import ban will target Russian goods including alcoholic beverages, seafood, fish and non-industrial diamonds, while the export ban will target luxury goods such as footwear, luxury clothing and jewellery.

16:44 20 May
G7 pledges $9.5bn more aid to Ukraine
Finance ministers from the G7 group of nations have agreed on a further $9.5bn (£7.6bn) of financial aid for Ukraine - bringing their total commitment to almost $20bn (£16bn).

Concluding their meeting in Germany, the ministers said the support would help Ukraine's government continue to deliver basic services while it remained under Russian attack.

"We will continue to stand by Ukraine throughout this war and beyond and are prepared to do more as needed," the G7 said in a statement at the end of the two-day meeting outside the German city of Bonn.

The war has severely affected Kyiv's ability to collect taxes and it needs about $5bn a month to pay government employees and maintain public works.

18:02 20 May
Where else has Russia halted gas supplies?
It's not just Finland that has been told it will no longer receive natural gas from Russia.

Last month, the Russian-state-owned energy company Gazprom cut off supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after they, like Finland, refused to make payments in the Russian currency roubles.

All three countries are members of the EU - which has insisted payments continue to be made in euros - and many other members are set to face the same issue around mid-May when payments are due.

The demand by Russia is an attempt to shore up the Russian currency and benefit its economy in response to western sanctions.

Brussels has said it considers Russia's action to be a form of blackmail.

18:22 20 May
WATCH: Missile strike on cultural centre 'evil' - Zelensky
Video content
Video caption: Ukraine conflict: Missile strike on cultural centre 'evil' - Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned a missile strike against a cultural centre in the Kharkiv region, describing the attack as "absolute evil, absolute stupidity".

Zelensky posted a dramatic video of the moment missiles hit the newly-renovated House of Culture in Lozova on his Telegram channel, saying Russian forces were behind the attack.

The president said seven people were injured in the attack, including an 11-year-old child.

He said: "The occupiers have identified culture, education and humanity as their enemies.

"What is in the heads of people who choose such targets?"

18:49 20 May
'Level 10 alarm' over global food crisis - US envoy to UN
US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Copyright: Reuters

US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said she is at "level 10" of alarm over Russia's blockade of Ukraine's ports and its impact on global food supplies.

“I can tell you on a scale of one to 10, I’m probably at the 10 level of alarm. This crisis has exacerbated what is already a serious food insecurity issue,” she told BBC's Newshour programme.

“The Ukraine war and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, its blockade of the ports, blocking Ukrainian wheat from getting to the market, has exacerbated this situation and made it even more dire and the impact is being felt across the world.”

On the issue of the blockade, and the fact that Ukrainian mines are also present in the waters along the Black Sea coast along with Russian ships, she said she believed the issue of mines was also being discussed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as part of his efforts to persuade both parties to allow supplies in and out.

“I understand this is part of the discussions that the secretary general is having currently and part of that is to figure out how to remove those mines and open up a humanitarian quarter that will allow ships to go to the ports in the Black Sea,” she said.

19:03 20 May
Azovstal families worried over fighters' fate
Hugo Bachega
Reporting from Dnipro

The fighters were left with no option. After weeks holed up in Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks, they were ordered to surrender. Hundreds are now in Russian hands. Their fate remains unknown.

For their families, it’s been an anxious wait. They hope the fighters will return soon in a prisoner swap, as suggested by Ukrainian authorities. But it’s not clear when, or if, that will happen.

Kseniia, whose husband was at the plant, told me she hadn’t received any information about where he was, but that she believed he was among the fighters taken to Russian-controlled territory.

“There’s been no list of who has been evacuated… We’re very concerned because that country has shown that they don’t follow the rules,” she said, referring to Russia.

“We really hope that… the task of saving their lives will be completed.”

Natalia, sister of a fighter, said the only information she had received came from the videos posted by some of the commanders online.

“There’s been no official information,” she said. “We hope there’ll be an agreement for their [exchange].”

Russia says the fighters will be treated in line with international norms. And the Red Cross says it has registered hundreds of prisoners of war who surrendered at Azovstal, without giving details.

An unknown number of combatants remain inside the plant. What will happen to them is also not clear.

19:23 20 May
Pictures show destruction caused by strike on cultural centre
A building left in ruins following the missile strike on the cultural centre in Lozova
Copyright: Reuters
Image caption: The House of Culture in Lozova had been recently renovated


More now on that missile strike directed against the newly-renovated House of Culture in Lozova, in the Kharkiv region.

Images taken by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine show the destruction caused by the strike, which Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed on Russian forces and condemned as "absolute evil".

Viktor Zabashta, a local health official, told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency: "No-one has died yet."

Russia has routinely been accused of targeting civilian infrastructure since it launched its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

The conflict has devastated several urban centres, with Mariupol in the south suffering near total destruction.

Russia has not yet commented on the attack.

A building left in ruins following the missile strike on the cultural centre in Lozova
Copyright: Reuters
Firefighters were pictured putting out a blaze at the centre

20:27 20 May
Devastated city of Rubizhne 'like Mariupol'
Aerial photo shows devastated buildings in Rubizhne
Copyright: Serhiy Hayday/Telegram
Image caption: Devastated buildings in Rubizhne, scene of intense fighting


Photos posted by a Ukrainian military official show the ruined the city of Rubizhne in eastern Ukraine looking like Mariupol, after intense Russian bombardment. Before the war Rubizhne's population was nearly 60,000.

Serhiy Hayday, Ukrainian military administration chief for Luhansk, posted the message on Telegram (in Ukrainian): "The industrial city has been completely destroyed, there are no surviving buildings... next to courtyards there are cemeteries."

Rubizhne, just north of Severodonetsk, is on the front line of Russia's offensive in the east. Russia and local separatists are trying to push Ukrainian forces out of Luhansk and Donetsk - the regions together known as Donbas.

Hayday says some Rubizhne residents are still hiding in basements, "in looted, burnt-brick boxes". But many have fled or have been deported to Russia, he says.

The BBC has not been able to verify the alleged total destruction of the city.

Earlier this month Ukraine reported that its troops had smashed a large Russian armoured force attempting a river crossing near Rubizhne.

Aerial photo shows devastated buildings in Rubizhne
Serhiy Hayday/Telegram


21:30 20 May
Azovstal fighters were told to get out and save their lives, Zelensky says
More now on claims made by Russia that the country's forces have taken control of the Azovstal steelworks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the Azovstal fighters were given a clear signal to get out and save their lives, following claims by the Russian military they had surrendered.

"Today the boys received a clear signal from the military command that they can get out and save their lives," Reuters reported Zelensky as telling a Ukrainian TV channel.

The Russian defence ministry said the last group of the Azov regiment defenders, a group of 531 people, surrendered today, adding that since 16 May, 2,439 Ukrainian military had laid down their arms.

22:07 20 May
What will happen to the surrendered Azovstal fighters?

As we've been reporting, the last group of Ukrainian soldiers holed up in the Azovstal steelworks - the last part of Mariupol not controlled by Russia - have surrendered after weeks of bombardment. But what happens to them next is unclear.

Those Ukrainian soldiers who have already left the plant have been taken to Russian-controlled territory - some 2,439 have handed themselves over to Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists since 16 May, according to Russia.

Ukrainian officials have said they want a prisoner swap for the troops, but it is unclear if Russia will agree to this, with some Russian parliamentarians calling for them to face trial instead.

Russia claims, without any evidence, that Ukraine is a Nazi hotbed, and one of the key aims of Russia's military operation in Ukraine is to "denazify" the country.

The Azov regiment - whose members are among those evacuated from Azovstal - is the most frequent target for Russia's claim that it is fighting against Nazis in Ukraine

Formed in 2014 as a militia to fight Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine, the Azov regiment denies being fascist, and Ukraine says it has been reformed from its radical nationalist origins.

Ultimately, it is likely to be Russian President Vladimir Putin who makes the final decision over what happens to the Azovstal fighters.

22:18 20 May
Russian assets should be seized to fund rebuilding of Ukraine, says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Ukraine's allies to sign a multilateral agreement, creating a mechanism to compensate "every person who has suffered from the actions of the Russian army".

Speaking in his nightly address, Zelensky said Russian funds and property that are located in allied countries should be seized or frozen and then confiscated and directed to a specially-created fund from which "everyone affected by Russian aggression will be able to receive appropriate compensation".

"We are working to ensure that Russia compensates, in one way or another, for everything it has destroyed in Ukraine.

"Every burned house, every ruined school, ruined hospital, each blown up house of culture and infrastructure, every enterprise destroyed, every business stopped.

"Russia will feel the true weight of every missile, every bomb and every missile it has launched across Ukraine."

Earlier, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said seizing Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine was a possibility, following a G7 summit in Germany.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously said the plan to use seized Russian assets to pay for reconstruction in Ukraine would be "outright theft".

8:22
Welcome back to our live coverage
Good morning and thanks for joining us. We’re resuming our live coverage and will be bringing you the latest developments and analysis of the war in Ukraine throughout the day. Here's the latest:

Russia has declared victory in its months-long battle to conquer the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol
The last fighters defending the city's Azovstal steel plant have now surrendered, Moscow officials said
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said she wants to see Ukraine's neighbour Moldova armed with Nato standard military equipment, to guard it against potential Russian aggression
Turkey's President has said he will speak with Finland and Sweden about their bids to join Nato but Tayyip Erdogan reiterated that he would maintain his opposition to their applications
Finland's state-owned gas operator has confirmed that Russia has switched off the supply to the country after it refused to comply with Moscow's demand that it pay for energy supplies in Russian currency, rather than in euros or dollars
Finance ministers from the G7 group of nations have agreed on a further $9.5bn (£7.6bn) of financial aid for Ukraine - bringing their total commitment to almost $20bn (£16bn)

9:46
Zelensky says only 'diplomacy' can end Ukraine war
The war in Ukraine can only be resolved through diplomacy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said - despite a current deadlock in negotiations between the two sides.

Speaking on Ukrainian television, he suggested his country could be victorious on the battlefield - but that things could only come to a conclusive halt "at the negotiating table".

The conflict "will be bloody, there will be fighting, but it will only definitively end through diplomacy", Zelensky said.

But he indicated this would not be easy as neither side wanted to give anything up.

On Tuesday, Kyiv's lead negotiator Mykhaylo Podolyak said talks were on hold.

The following day Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Kyiv authorities of not wanting to continue talks to end hostilities.

Russian news agencies say the last meeting happened nearly a month ago, on 22 April.

10:08
BREAKING
Russia claims to have destroyed shipment of Western weapons
Russia says it's destroyed a large shipment of weapons sent by Western countries to help Ukraine.

It was blown up near a railway station in the northern Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, using missiles launched from the sea, the Russian defence ministry is quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

The ministry said the weapons were intended for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region.

Among other updates, Russia also reportedly claimed to have attacked a training base for Ukrainian special operations forces, as well as fuel storage facilities near the southern port city of Odesa.

It was not possible for the BBC to independently verify the claims made.

11:01
Ukrainian defences creaking in the Donbas

Jeremy Bowen
Reporting from Dnipro

What we’re hearing from Ukrainian troops fighting in the Donbas region is that the Russians have moved forward. In fact, official communiques have said the same thing.

It’s a matter of miles. It’s not like there’s been a major breakthrough and Russian troops are pouring through.

But I think the Ukrainian defences are creaking.

They haven’t broken, but they’ve had to retreat. They’ve blown up bridges to try and slow down the Russian advance.

Luhansk, which is the north-eastern part of the Donbas region, is the area they are really prioritising.

And this morning what we heard from people there on the military side was that the Russians were doing more airstrikes, more shelling, and were really ramping up the firepower to break those Ukrainian defences.

Yesterday, the Russian defence minister said Luhansk would soon be 100 percent in their hands.