Photograph: Emercom Of Russia Press Service/EPA
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Reuters: The United States will work with allies to transfer Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine to bolster its defences in the Donbas region, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing a US official.
The transfers, requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, would begin soon, the unnamed official said, according to the Times. The official declined to say how many tanks would be sent or from which countries they would come, the paper said.
The Pentagon declined to comment to Reuters. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The tanks would allow Ukraine to conduct long-range artillery strikes on Russian targets in the Donbas region of southeastern Ukraine bordering Russia, the official said, according to the Times.
It marks the first time in the war that the United States has helped transfer tanks, the newspaper said.
China not deliberately circumventing sanctions, says official
A senior Chinese diplomat says the government is not deliberately circumventing sanctions on Russia. Speaking on Saturday, a day after a virtual summit between China and the European Union, Wang Lutong told reporters that China is contributing the global economy by conducting normal trade with Russia. Wang is the director-general of European affairs at China’s foreign ministry. According to the Reuters report, Wang also said Ukraine, Iran, and others were “points of cooperation” rather than points of friction.
Updated
Associated Press reports on the annual Russian conscription campaign which began this week. A few hours ago Ukraine’s president Zelenskiy urged Russian families to keep their sons at home, warning it was “guaranteed death for many young guys”.
As Moscow’s forces bog down in Ukraine, many young Russians of draft age are increasingly jittery about the prospect of being sent into combat. Making those fears particularly acute is an annual spring conscription that began Friday and aims to round up 134,500 men for a one-year tour of military duty.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu pledged at a meeting of the military brass this week that the new recruits won’t be sent to front lines or “hot spots.”
But the statement was met with skepticism by many in Russia who remember the separatist wars in the southern republic of Chechnya in the 1990s and early 2000s, when thousands of poorly trained young men were killed.
“I don’t trust them when they say they won’t send conscripts into combat. They lie all the time,” said Vladislav, a 22-year-old who is completing his studies and fears he could face the draft immediately after graduation. He asked that his last name not be used, fearing reprisals.
All Russian men ages 18 to 27 must serve one year in the military, but a large share avoid the draft for health reasons or get deferments granted to university students. The share of men who avoid the draft is particularly big in Moscow and other major cities.
Even as President Vladimir Putin and his officials say that conscripts aren’t involved in what Russian authorities call “the special military operation in Ukraine,” many appeared to have been taken prisoner during its initial days. Videos emerged from Ukraine of captured Russians, some being shown calling their parents, and were put on social media.
The mother of one of the prisoners said she recognised her 20-year-old draftee son in a video even though he was shown blindfolded.
“I recognised him by his lips, by his chin. You know, I would have recognised him by his fingers,” said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Lyubov, for security reasons. “I breastfed him. I raised him.”
The Defense Ministry was forced to walk back its statements and acknowledge that some conscripts were sent to Ukraine “by mistake” and were taken prisoner while serving with a supply unit away from the front.
There have been allegations that before the invasion, some conscripts were forced to sign military contracts that allowed them to be sent into combat — duty that is normally reserved only for volunteers in the army. Some of the captured soldiers said they were told by their commanding officers that they were going to a military exercise but suddenly found themselves fighting in Ukraine.
Olexiy Danylov, Ukraine’s secretary of the national security and defence council appeared on TV earlier, according to Victor Kovalenko, a former Ukrainian journalist and soldier. Danylov said it was too early to celebrate Russia’s apparent retreat, according to Kovalenko’s translation.
“I would like everybody to realise that Putin doesn’t abandon an idea to destroy Ukraine. Now he is rebuilding his forces to continue strikes. Do not enjoy that someone voluntarily leaves our cities - this is the work of our army. Behind the liberation of every city are the lost lives of our your men and women. That is why saying that “they run”... I would not say that. There is a high price for us for their retreat. They want to reformat very much. They need a victory. They have the sacred date - 9 May. To this date they have a goal to end everything with a victory parade. We have many battles ahead of us, so I don’t recommend anyone relax. The situation is not that joyful, as we all would want.”
The secretary of #Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Olexiy Danylov said on #Ukrainian TV that it is too early to celebrate the #Russian Army retreat. [Translation in the thread⬇️] pic.twitter.com/SuWBl9kf8p
— Victor Kovalenko (@MrKovalenko) April 2, 2022
The UK Ministry of Defence says the destruction of oil tanks at a depot in the Russian city of Belgorod means probable loss of fuel and ammunition supplies to invading forces. It will likely add more strain to Russia’s already stretched logistic chains. Supplies to Russian forces encircling Kharkhiv may be particularly affected.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 1 April 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 1, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/S4wVaMZtga
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/kVwPTxk4xF
US to give Ukraine $300m more in security assistance
Reuters: The US department of defense will provide an additional $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine, to include laser-guided rocket systems, drones, and commercial satellite imagery services.
“This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide new capabilities to Ukraine*s Armed Forces,” department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
Earlier on Friday, the US department of commerce added 120 Russian and Belarusian entities, mostly companies linked to the military, to the list of those under restrictions from receiving supplies and goods from the US.
Updated
More from Zelenskiy’s address:
He said 6,266 people had been rescued through humanitarian corridors in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia, including 3,071 from Mariupol. They were also negotiating on the removal of the dead from the city.
At least 5,000 people have been killed in the besieged city, according to local authorities. An estimated 170,000 are still there, facing shortages of food, water and electricity. The international Red Cross said a team heading to the city to conduct a separate evacuation effort was forced to turn back Friday after “arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed”.
The Red Cross said its team will try again Saturday.
Europe has no right to react in silence to what is happening in Mariupol, Zelenskiy said.
He said he also Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, in Kyiv, and discussed “how to accelerate Ukraine’s ascension to the EU”, as well as arms supplies and deepening sanctions policy.
“If there is an embargo it is an embargo. If there is SWIFT it is for all banks. And if it is business with Russia then it is not just suspension of activities but a complete withdrawal of European companies.”
He also said he had spoken to French president Emmanuel Macron, and was talking to Turkey to act as a mediator, saying there would be more details soon.
Russian withdrawal from north 'slow but noticeable' - Zelenskiy
Hello, this is Helen Davidson to take you through the next few hours of updates on the Ukraine conflict.
In the last hour Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has released a video statement. Speaking from what looks like a conference room, with a screen bearing the Ukrainian flag behind him, he has levelled further accusations of war crimes at Russia, claiming it was trying to conscript people from Crimea into the armed forces to fight.
In the video, Zelenskiy said Russian forces were withdrawing from the north of Ukraine, in a “slow but noticeable” way, sometimes expelled by Ukrainian forces but other times leaving of their own accord.
“After them a complete disaster and many dangers are left, it’s true,” he said, adding that bombs may continue and the Russians were leaving mines in the area as they left, including in houses, equipment, and the bodies of people left behind.
“Anyone who returns to this area must be very careful,” he said. It is still impossible to return to normal life as it was... Wait for our land to be cleared, wait until you can be assured that new shelling is impossible.”
Zelenskiy said Russian forces were massing in Donbas, towards Kharkiv and were “preparing for even more powerful blows”.
He noted the beginning of Russia’s conscription season, saying this year it was “guaranteed death for many young guys”.
He sent the men and their families a warning: “We don’t need more dead people here. Save your children so they do not become villains. Don’t send them to the army. Do whatever you can to keep them alive. Keep them at home.”
He accused Russia of trying to take people into the army from Crimea, which he said was a violation of humanitarian law, and called for further sanctions in response. He urged people in Crimea to refuse but if they couldn’t, to surrender to Ukrainian military “at the first opportunity”.
“We will understand everything. You will live,” he said.
Separately, he said Russia had installed “temporary leaders” in some southern Ukraine areas, who were threatening employees of businesses and authorities into cooperating. Zelenskiy warned of problems” for anyone who became one of these leaders, who he termed “collaborators.
Updated
Summary
Here are some of the key developments of the day:
- The state department said the US will continue to provide support to Ukraine, and won’t push the country to make concessions in negotiations with Russia following a report that said Britain was concerned the US, France and Germany will push Ukraine to “settle” in a peace deal.
- The US military has cancelled plans to test an intercontinental ballistic missile in an effort to reduce tensions with Russia.
- European governments have more time to figure out how they are going to act on Russia’s demand to pay for Russia gas in rubles after the Kremlin said today that it would not immediately halt gas supplies
- The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, spoke with Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kulebo today and discussed “ways the US allies and partners are helping Ukraine defend against Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified war”, Blinken said.
- Around 200 Ukrainian national guard members have likely been taken prisoner by the Russian troops as they withdrew from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the mayor of Slavutych, Yuri Fomichev, said.
- Ukraine exchanged 86 members of their armed forces with Russia today, according to senior Ukrainian officials.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was unable to reach the besieged city of Mariupol and will try again to evacuate civilians on Saturday. Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of Mariupol, told CNN: “The city is totally destroyed, is like ruins.”
A convoy of 42 buses organized by the Ukrainian government and escorted by the Red Cross has helped a group of 2,000 people make it to safety from the besieged city of Mariupol.
The buses brought the group to the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday afternoon after Russian forces allowed the vehicles to pass. Several previous evacuation attempts had failed.
The state department said in a statement Friday that the US will continue to provide support to Ukraine, and won’t push the country to make concessions in negotiations with Russia. The statement comes after the Times reported that a senior UK government source said Britain was concerned that the US, France and Germany were “over-eager” and will push Ukraine to “settle” in a peace deal.
US officials denied that claim.
The state department’s full statement:
We are focused on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible negotiating position by continuing to provide security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself and by increasing pressure on Putin by imposing severe costs on Russia.
We will not push Ukraine to make concessions, and we have consistently stated that sovereign states have the right to choose their own alliances and make their own decisions about their security.
While we will defer to Ukraine to discuss the specifics of the negotiations, we are committed to a Ukraine that is sovereign, independent, and secure. We are in constant conversation with the Ukrainian government and our Allies and partners, but, as always, we will keep those discussions private.
The US military has cancelled plans to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, Reuters reports, in an effort to reduce tensions with Russia.
After Russia put its nuclear forces on high alert in February, the Pentagon announced that it would delay the test of the LGM-30G Minuteman III missile, saying both countries should “bear in mind the risk of miscalculation and take steps to reduce those risks”.
US officials confirmed to Reuters today that it had cancelled the test entirely. Ann Stefanek, an air force spokesperson, said the decision was made for the same reasons the test was delayed.
More from Reuters:
Altering the test schedule for America’s ICBM force can be controversial. US senator Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, expressed disappointment in March at the delay of a test he said was critical to ensure America’s nuclear deterrent remains effective.
Jeffrey Lewis, a missile researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), played down the impact of the cancelation. “There’s a value to doing the tests but I don’t think missing one test in the grand scheme of things is a really big deal,” he said, adding that the Minuteman III was extremely reliable.
The nuclear-capable Minuteman III is key part of the US military’s strategic arsenal and has a range of 6,000-plus miles (9,660-plus km) and can travel at a speed of approximately 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kph).
Updated
Dani Anguiano in California taking over the Ukraine liveblog.
Zoo animals in Ukraine are at risk at starvation amid the ongoing war in the country, according to a report in the Independent.
The fighting has upended animals’ lives, delaying deliveries of meat and making it impossible to supply food in some areas at all. Without income from visitors, some parks are running out of money to purchase food. Russian forces have shelled animal enclosures and destroyed fences, Animal International Survival said.
Feldman Ecopark zoo in Kharkiv has had to evacuate its animals amid heavy fighting in the area that killed several staff members as they tried to feed animals.
Here’s video from a zoo in Mariupol:
A zoo in Mariupol, #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/EOZEsjpGIj
— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) April 1, 2022
Harrowing video of an apartment that has been pretty much obliterated in Kharkiv.
Heavy feelings posting this video. While I was filming this, I kept thinking, what if this was my home, my bedroom, my kitchen. In many apartments there are still family photos on the walls and you can see families that were living here. pic.twitter.com/8Js0atD7wd
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) April 1, 2022
The city, Ukraine’s second largest, has been bombarded by Russian troops but has managed to hold out. As the video shows, much of the city has been turned to rubble.
Updated
US secretary of state Anthony Blinken spoke with Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kulebo today.
Blinken in a Tweet said that they discussed “ways the US allies and partners are helping Ukraine defend against Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified war.”
I had a useful conversation with Foreign Minister @DmytroKuleba today. It was good to follow-up on our recent meeting in Warsaw and to discuss ways the U.S., Allies, and partners are helping Ukraine defend against Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified war. We #StandWithUkraine.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 1, 2022
In his own Tweet, Kuleba said that they discussed “steps to strengthen Ukraine economically and militarily so that we can continue to effectively fight back further Russian support,” he said. “More hits on Russia’s economy, financial system and trader are coming.”
Call with @SecBlinken on steps to strengthen Ukraine economically and militarily so that we can continue to effectively fight back further Russian attacks. Grateful to the US for the already provided support. More hits on Russia’s economy, financial system, and trade are coming.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 1, 2022
Updated
Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of Mariupol, just spoke to CNN about what is happening in the city.
“The city is totally destroyed, is like ruins,” he said. “We’re upset, not because of the infrastructure but because of the people. We do now know how to help our citizens who are suffering inside the city.”
Orlov said that Russia is not allowing any humanitarian assistance into the city. The International Red Cross said that it tried and failed to enter the city again, and will try again tomorrow.
Orlov said that because of the lack food and supplies, it is common for people to have three meals a week, instead of three meals a day.
“They even cannot eat … It’s common for us to have three dishes, but three dishes per week.”
— CNN (@CNN) April 1, 2022
Mariupol’s deputy mayor describes life for residents of the bombarded city. For information on how you can help those affected by the Ukraine crisis, visit https://t.co/eodgM5gU5z pic.twitter.com/8EsB2ghCUF
Updated
European governments have more time to figure out how they are going to act on Russia’s demand to pay for Russia gas in rubles after the Kremlin said today that it would not immediately halt gas supplies as payments for deliveries are due last in the month and in May. Here’s more from Reuters:
European governments and companies worked on a common approach on Friday to Russia’s demand that they pay for its gas in roubles as the threat of an imminent supply halt eased.
European capitals have been on alert for a disruption to gas imports as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks retaliation over Western sanctions for the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
A crunch point appeared to be in the offing when Moscow issued a decree on Thursday requiring foreign buyers of Russian gas to open rouble accounts in state-run Gazprombank from Friday or else risk being cut off.
But the Kremlin said on Friday it would not immediately turn off the taps to Europe as payments on deliveries due after April 1 come in the second half of this month and May.
That message, and signs Europe would take a pragmatic approach, were a relief for markets. Gas prices, which had risen on fears of disruption, fell.
“If things remained like this, all in all not a lot would change,” Italy’s Ecology Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani told state broadcaster RAI.
Updated
Russia has ordered its universities to move all their Youtube content onto Russian social media platform VK Video and RuTube, the Russian video platform.
Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science has ordered universities to migrate all their YouTube content to VK Video and RuTube by April 4. The end of YouTube in Russia draws nearer. https://t.co/1W7bDxtz3T pic.twitter.com/HdKNT6JtPI
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) April 1, 2022
Google is still operating in Russia, though the company shut down its advertising business in the company. Youtube banned Russia’s ministry of defense from its platform, Bloomberg reported last month, signaling tension between the platform and the Russian government.
Updated
This is Lauren Aratani in New York.
The Associated Press has a helpful report on the helicopter strike on an oil storage facility in Belgorod, Russia, about 16 miles from the border that is parallel to Kharkiv in Ukraine. Russia says that Ukraine is behind the strike and the huge fire that it caused, but Ukrainian officials have been denying involvement.
Regional Gov Vyacheslav Gladkov said two Ukrainian helicopter gunships had flown at low altitude and struck the facility in the city of Belgorod north of the border, triggering the blast and fire.
Two workers at the depot were injured, he said. But Russian media cited a statement from state oil company Rosneft that denied anyone was hurt.
More than 300 firefighters battled the blaze, using a helicopter and a special firefighting train, the Belgorod mayor’s office said. Gladkov said he met with residents who were moved from their homes to a nearby sports facility. He also posted photos of craters and metal fragments in a rural area where he said explosions had damaged a power line and broken a window.
It would not be the first attack reported inside Russia since the war began on 24 Feb, although there has been nothing as spectacular.
According to the report, Russian social media users have been expressing surprise that the Ukrainians were able to get past Russian air defenses, given that Russia’s daily briefings have been emphasizing the number of Ukrainian planes and helicopters shot down.
Updated
Summary
It is 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand now:
- Around 200 Ukrainian national guard members have likely been taken prisoner by the Russian troops as they withdrew from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the mayor of Slavutych, Yuri Fomichev, said. He told the BBC that the guards have been out of contact since Thursday and are being considered prisoners of war.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was unable to reach the besieged city of Mariupol and will try again to evacuate civilians on Saturday. An aide to the mayor of Mariupol said the city remains closed for anyone trying to enter and is “very dangerous” for anyone trying to leave.
- Ukraine exchanged 86 members of their armed forces with Russia today, according to senior Ukrainian officials, AFP reports. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said the servicemen are “already being taken home.”
-
Russia has accused Ukraine of sending attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what would be the first raid on Russian soil since the outbreak of the war if confirmed. A Russian governor in the border region of Belgorod said that early on Friday two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters crossed the border at low altitude before firing rockets at an oil facility 25 miles from the border. A top Ukrainian security official said the accusation “does not correspond to reality”.
- The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, said “huge” battles are being fought to the north and east of Ukraine’s capital. Klitschko issued a warning to residents who have fled the city: “The risk of dying (in Kyiv) is pretty high, and that’s why my advice to anyone who wants to come back is: Please, take a little bit more time.”
- The mayor of Chernihiv, Vladyslav Atroshenko, accused Russia of shelling an oncology ward of a hospital in the northern Ukrainian city, days after Russia promised it would “drastically reduce” its military assault on Kyiv and Chernihiv. He said there is no water or electricity, and the city could run out of food and medicine within a week.
- European Union leaders called on China to help end the war in Ukraine, after having what they called “frank” exchanges with their Chinese counterparts. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned Chinese leaders, prime minister Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, not to help Russia evade western sanctions.
-
The mayor of Mykolaiv Oblast, Vitaliy Kim, said 28 people have been confirmed killed as a result of a Russian strike on the regional administration building in the southern Ukrainian city. The attack took place at 8.45am (5.45am GMT) on Tuesday when a rocket tore a hole through the nine-storey government building.
- The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has afforded Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, the honour of a meeting. Lavrov, who is visiting the country, praised India’s refusal to condemn the Ukraine invasion and predicted Moscow and Delhi would find ways to circumvent “illegal” western sanctions and continue to trade.
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, today as I hand the blog over to my US colleagues. Thank you for reading.
Around 200 Chernobyl guards taken prisoner by Russian troops, mayor says
The mayor of Slavutych, the town where most of Chernobyl’s workers live, said around 200 Ukrainian national guard members have likely been taken prisoner by the Russian troops as they withdrew from the nuclear power plant.
Yuri Fomichev told the BBC:
We consider them prisoners of war.
He said the guards have been out of contact since Thursday, adding:
We are working on a prisoner swap.
Fomichev said it was not yet clear if Russian troops had left the entire Chernobyl exclusion zone, or just the immediate area around the power plant.
The whole Chernobyl zone is very big. We can’t monitor it all - we only know what is happening directly around the power station where our workers are.
Indian IT services company Infosys, in which the UK chancellor Rishi Sunak’s wife owns an estimated £690m stake and collects about £11.5m in annual dividends, is “urgently” closing its office in Russia.
Infosys’s decision to shut its Moscow office comes as pressure mounts on Sunak to answer accusations that his family is collecting “blood money” dividends from the company’s continued operation in Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine.
A source at Infosys told the Guardian that the company was “in the process of urgently closing down its Russian operation” and “relocating staff to other countries”.
An Infosys spokesperson declined to comment, and would not be drawn on whether the decision to close the Russian office was linked to political pressure mounting on Sunak.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, earlier on Friday called on the chancellor to reveal whether his family had been “benefiting from money made in Russia when the government has put in place sanctions” on firms and individuals following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sunak, who has repeatedly called on British companies to pull out of Russia in order to “inflict maximum economic pain” on Putin’s regime, had refused to comment on his wife Akshata Murthy’s 0.91% stake in Infosys.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newscast after a challenging week in which his spring statement met heavy criticism, he said it was “very upsetting and … wrong for people to try and come at my wife”.
Sunak drew parallels with Will Smith, who hit the comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday after a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as well as the beleaguered England cricket captain, Joe Root.
The chancellor quipped:
Someone said, ‘Joe Root, Will Smith, and me – not the best of weekends for any of us’. But I feel, on reflection, both Will Smith and me having our wives attacked – at least I didn’t get up and slap anybody, which is good.
Video posted on social media on Friday appeared to show a helicopter strike and then a major fire at an oil storage facility said to be in Belgorod, Russia.
Reports showed that the facility continued to burn until midday on Friday. Dozens of firefighters were dispatched to battle the inferno, and flames reached dozens of metres into the air.
Other videos showed the helicopters, which are used by both Ukraine and Russia, flying in the region.
More than 50 Ukrainian historical sites, religious buildings and museums have been damaged since Russia’s invasion last month, the UN said.
Unesco, the UN’s cultural agency, published a list of damaged 53 sites in the north and east of the country, including more than a dozen in the eastern Kharkiv region, five in the capital Kyiv and another five in the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine.
Overall, 29 religious sites, 16 historic buildings, four museums and four monuments are confirmed to have been damaged in Ukraine, Unesco said.
The list does not include information from the besieged city of Mariupol or the city of Kherson which was captured by Russia.
A Unesco spokesperson told AFP:
This is the latest list but it is not exhaustive as our experts are continuing to verify a number of reports.
The agency used satellite images and witness reports from the scene to verify the information provided by the Ukrainian authorities, the spokesperson said.
Red Cross says Mariupol evacuation of civilians is ‘impossible’
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was unable to reach the besieged city of Mariupol and will try again to evacuate civilians on Saturday.
Today, our team tried to facilitate a safe passage out of #Mariupol.
— ICRC Ukraine (@ICRC_ua) April 1, 2022
But had to return to Zaporizhzhia after conditions made it impossible to proceed.
We will try again tomorrow.
It’s critical the parties respect agreements and provide the necessary security guarantees.
A statement said:
An International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team that had been on its way to Mariupol on Friday to facilitate the safe passage of civilians had to return to Zaporizhzhia after arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed.
The ICRC team, which consists of three vehicles and nine personnel, did not reach Mariupol or facilitate the safe passage of civilians today. They will try again on Saturday to facilitate the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol.
For the operation to succeed, it is critical that the parties respect the agreements and provide the necessary conditions and security guarantees.
If and when the safe passage operation does happen, the ICRC’s role as a neutral intermediary would be to accompany the convoy out from Mariupol to another city in Ukraine.”
The governor of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, accused Russia of breaking its promises in terms of allowing humanitarian aid to reach Mariupol.
Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a televised address:
Humanitarian deliveries, despite all the agreements and promises of the Russian side, are not being carried out. The humanitarian corridor ... is essentially not operational.
Ukraine swaps captured troops with Russia, Kyiv officials say
Ukraine exchanged 86 members of their armed forces with Russia today, according to senior Ukrainian officials, AFP reports.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian president’s deputy chief of staff, said in a video message on Telegram:
The exchange has just taken place, 86 of Ukraine’s servicemen, including 15 women, are already safe.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said the servicemen are “already being taken home.”
I would like to address all our (people) who are still being held prisoner: We will fight for each of you! And will bring you home. Stay strong.
A top Ukrainian security official has denied accusations by Russia that Ukraine was behind an attack on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, Reuters reports.
Speaking on national television, Ukraine’s Security Council secretary, Oleksiy Danilov, said:
For some reason they say that we did it, but according to our information this does not correspond to reality.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, has warned those who fled Ukraine’s capital at the start of the war with Russia not to return as “the risk of dying is pretty high”, even as he offered a glint of normality by partially lifting an alcohol ban.
The former world heavyweight boxing champion said he expected “huge battles” in the coming days in satellite towns and the outskirts of the city, which Russian forces have repeatedly tried but failed to encircle.
Klitschko said:
The risk of dying is pretty high, and that’s why my advice to anyone who wants to come back is: please, take a little bit more time.
Oleksiy Arestovych, a political adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, echoed the mayor’s concerns.
He said Russian attacks were continuing around Kyiv and the encircled city of Chernihiv, 100 miles to the north, despite claims from the Kremlin that they were withdrawing out of respect for the ongoing peace talks.
Arestovych said:
Our troops are chasing them both to the north-west and north-east [of Kyiv], pushing the enemy away from Kyiv.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed Russian forces were planning to use a church north-west of Kyiv as a launchpad for a new assault.
The official said:
We believe the Russian military is using this staging point as part of its assault on Kyiv.
At least 2 million people – half of the city’s population – fled Kyiv in the first few weeks of the conflict as Russian troops made their way to its north-eastern edge with the intention of storming the capital and likely decapitating the government.
That plan failed, and the relaxation on Friday of the prohibition on the sale of alcohol in shops and the hospitality industry that has been imposed since 1 March had offered residents in Kyiv some glint of normality. Under the regulations, alcohol can be bought between 11am and 4pm. The initial ban had initially been imposed due to fears of public disorder.
Updated
Summary
It’s 7.15pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand now:
- Russia has accused Ukraine of sending attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what would be the first raid on Russian soil since the outbreak of the war if confirmed. A Russian governor in the border region of Belgorod said that early on Friday two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters crossed the border at low altitude before firing rockets at an oil facility 25 miles from the border. Ukraine has not confirmed that it launched the attack.
- The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, said “huge” battles are being fought to the north and east of Ukraine’s capital. Klitschko issued a warning to residents who have fled the city: “The risk of dying (in Kyiv) is pretty high, and that’s why my advice to anyone who wants to come back is: Please, take a little bit more time.”
-
Around 2,000 evacuated civilians from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol besieged by Russian forces appear to be on their way to safety, according to reports from the city’s city council. Several private cars joined 42 buses escorted by the Red Cross and Ukrainian emergency services vehicles from nearby Berdyansk to the safer Ukranian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, it said.
- However, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol said the besieged southern city remains closed for anyone trying to enter and is “very dangerous” for anyone trying to leave. Petro Andryushchenko said Russian forces had since Thursday been preventing humanitarian supplies reaching trapped residents, making clear a planned “humanitarian corridor” had not been opened.
- The mayor of Chernihiv, Vladyslav Atroshenko, accused Russia of shelling an oncology ward of a hospital in the northern Ukrainian city, days after Russia promised it would “drastically reduce” its military assault on Kyiv and Chernihiv. He said there is no water or electricity, and the city could run out of food and medicine within a week.
- European Union leaders have called on China to help end the war in Ukraine, after having what they called “frank” exchanges with their Chinese counterparts. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned Chinese leaders, prime minister Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, not to help Russia evade western sanctions.
- The head of the UN atomic watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said he aims to lead a mission to Chernobyl as soon as possible. The announcement came after Ukrainian officials said the Russian soldiers who had occupied the highly contaminated plant since 24 February – the first day of the invasion – had left taking several Ukrainian service personnel with them.
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The mayor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, said 28 people have been confirmed killed as a result of a Russian strike on the regional administration building in the southern Ukrainian city. The attack took place at 8.45am (5.45am GMT) on Tuesday when a rocket tore a hole through the nine-storey government building.
- The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has afforded Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, the honour of a meeting. Lavrov, who is visiting the country, praised India’s refusal to condemn the Ukraine invasion and predicted Moscow and Delhi would find ways to circumvent “illegal” western sanctions and continue to trade.
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Germany has indicted a former officer in its reserve force on charges of spying for Russia, the Federal Public Prosecutor (GBA) said. Ralph G, whose family name cannot be fully disclosed under privacy laws, provided Russian agents with “numerous documents and information” about the German army from October 2014 until March 2020, the German prosecutor said.
I’m Léonie Chao-Fong and I will continue to bring you all the latest news from the war in Ukraine. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.
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Germany has indicted a former officer in its reserve force on charges of spying for Russia, the Federal Public Prosecutor (GBA) said today, Reuters reports.
Ralph G, whose family name cannot be fully disclosed under privacy laws, provided Russian agents with “numerous documents and information” about the German army from October 2014 until March 2020, German prosecutor Ines Peterson said in a statement.
The GBA also accuses the suspect, who was a deputy commander of a squad as well as a member of a number of economic committees, of supplying Russian agents with information about the impact on German companies of EU sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
He also provided information about Nord Stream 2, the pipeline owned by the Russian gas company Gazprom and which Germany halted in February after Russia invaded Ukraine, the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor said Ralph G had given Russian agents information about Germany’s reserve force and civil defence. Through him, Russia’s secret service also obtained personal and contact details of high-ranking officers in the military and prominent corporate managers, the prosecutor said.
The suspect is also accused of helping his Russian handlers understand US defence policies with its partners in the Nato military alliance, the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor did not say if or how the suspect had pleaded.
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The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has afforded Russia’s foreign minister the honour of a meeting as Sergei Lavrov praised India’s refusal to condemn the Ukraine invasion.
Lavrov, who is visiting the country, predicted Moscow and Delhi would find ways to circumvent “illegal” western sanctions and continue to trade.
Modi had not met the string of other foreign ministers to arrive in Delhi in recent days, including the UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, and the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, so Lavrov looks to have been singled out for attention by the Indian leader.
India has abstained from successive United Nations resolutions censuring Moscow, calling only for an end to violence, and has increased its oil purchases from Russia, its biggest supplier of arms.
Truss, in India on Thursday, had tried to cast the battle as one between democracies and autocracies, but India, the world’s most populous democracy, does not seem willing to accept this, especially if it requires India to break with Russia on issues such as arms sales and a future realignment of the global security architecture in which the US has a less prominent role.
Lavrov said:
These days our western colleagues would like to reduce any meaningful international issue to the crisis in Ukraine … [We] appreciate that India is taking this situation in the entirety of facts, not just in a one-sided way. I can only say that the balanced position of India which is not influenced by blackmail or diktat methods inspires our respect.
Lavrov also claimed Ukraine was showing increasing understanding that joining Nato was not an option.
Friendship is the key word to describe the history of our relations, and our relations were very sustainable during many difficult times in the past.
His Indian counterpart, Dr S Jaishankar, reiterated “the importance of cessation of violence and ending hostilities” and said:
Disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
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Here’s more on talks between EU and Chinese leaders, who met for their first summit in two years. The Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, said China pushes for peace talks on Ukraine in “its own way”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
China advocates for the safeguard of international law and international norms, including the territorial integrity of all countries, Li is quoted as saying.
Li spoke with the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, for almost two hours by video link.
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, who took part in a separate virtual meeting with the two EU leaders today, said he hopes European countries can form its view of China “independently”, CCTV said.
Xi said both sides should communicate more on major issues concerning their bilateral relations and world peace, and that China and Europe should provide stability in a volatile world, CCTV reported.
Wang Lutong, head of European affairs at China’s foreign ministry, said the two sides had “agreed to work together to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the world”.
On #Ukraine, Premier Li Keqiang said that China opposes both a hot war and a cold war; it opposes division of blocs and taking sides. #ChinaEUSummit pic.twitter.com/jNJgbcDEzl
— 王鲁彤 Wang Lutong (@WangLutongMFA) April 1, 2022
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Russian forces are using a church north-west of Kyiv as a “staging point” as part of their assault on the Ukrainian capital, a senior US official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity and without citing evidence, said the information was based on declassified intelligence.
Military personnel are situated both on the grounds of the church and the surrounding residential area.
The official said:
We believe the Russian military is using this staging point as part of its assault on Kyiv.
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EU leaders call on China to help end the war in Ukraine
European Union leaders have called on China to help end the war in Ukraine, after having what they called “frank” exchanges with their Chinese counterparts.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said the online meetings with the Chinese prime minister, Li Keqiang, and President Xi Jinping had taken place in a very sober atmosphere.
“Today’s summit was certainly not business as usual,” she said, saying that as a permanent member of the security council China had “a very special responsibility”.
Speaking at a press conference alongside her, European Council president Charles Michel said:
We call on China to help end the war in Ukraine. China cannot turn a blind eye to Russia’s violation of international law
Von der Leyen said they had warned Chinese leaders not to help Russia evade western sanctions.
We also made very clear that China should, if not support, at least not interfere with our sanctions.
It would lead to major reputational damage to China here in Europe.
Every day, she said, China and the European Union traded almost €2bn of goods and services, while Chinese-Russian trade was only €330m a day.
Michel added that the EU had raised concerns about human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as well as Beijing’s “discriminatory” trade dispute with EU member state Lithuania.
The pair sidestepped questions about whether they had received assurance from China not to help Russia. “We hope that our arguments have been heard by the Chinese,” Michel said.
The meeting with Xi appeared to last less than one hour, according to an EU official’s social media posts.
• The caption on the top image in this post was amended on 1 April 2022. An earlier agency version mistakenly identified Xi Jinping as the Chinese prime minister, Li Keqiang.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has requested that its specialists be authorised to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Interfax news agency quoted the head of Russia’s atomic agency Rosatom as saying on Friday, according to a report from Reuters.
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International Atomic Energy Agency chief: radiation situation at Chernobyl plant 'quite normal'
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, has been speaking about the situation with Chernobyl in Ukraine. Reuters reports these key lines:
- He said everybody has agreed that the physical integrity of Ukraine’s nuclear sites must be protected.
- There is an agreed framework – but it has been agreed separately with Ukraine and Russia.
- Grossi said Russia did not discuss with him why they left the Chernobyl site, but it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
- He said the general radiation situation around the plant at Chernobyl is quite normal. There may have been a rise in radiation due to dust kicked up by military vehicles as Russian forces left Chernobyl.
- Grossi said the IAEA will decide where a small number of staff will be deployed in Ukraine with Ukrainian authorities, starting next week.
- IAEA staff need clear “de-conflicted” routes in order to do their work.
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There’s been a strong diplomatic signal of Indian support for Russia today, with the news that as well as meeting foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the trip of Russia’s foreign minister Sergie Lavrov to India has included a meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi. Modi has pointedly not met with any of the varying other foreign ministers who have visited India in the last couple of weeks while the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been progressing.
Just in: PM Modi meets Russian FM Lavrov in Delhi. Significant statement to make, given PM has not publicly met any other visiting FMs in the past two weeks incl FMs of UK, China, Austria, Greece or Mexico.
— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) April 1, 2022
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Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has tweeted that part of his discussions with France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, included discussion of the humanitarian corridor for evacuating Mariupol.
Continued talks with 🇫🇷 President @EmmanuelMacron. Told about countering Russian aggression. Discussed the negotiation process - the course and prospects, the importance of security guarantees. The initiative of 🇫🇷 on humanitarian corridors from Mariupol must be implemented!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 1, 2022
- This is Martin Belam in London again back for an hour or so. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
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Ukraine’s defence ministry has declined to comment directly on Russian allegations that its forces struck a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, Reuters reports.
It said Ukraine was conducting a defensive operation and could not be held responsible for “every catastrophe on Russia’s territory”.
Defence ministry spokesperson, Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, told a briefing:
Ukraine is currently conducting a defensive operation against Russian aggression on the territory of Ukraine, and this does not mean that Ukraine is responsible for every catastrophe on Russia’s territory …
I will not confirm or deny these allegations.
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'Huge' battles being fought near Kyiv, mayor says
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, said “huge” battles are being fought to the north and east of Ukraine’s capital, Reuters reports.
Klitschko issued a warning to residents who have fled the city:
The risk of dying (in Kyiv) is pretty high, and that’s why my advice to anyone who wants to come back is: Please, take a little bit more time.
Kyiv’s regional governor said earlier today that Russian forces were pulling back in some areas around the capital but strengthening its positions in others.
It comes after an adviser to President Zelenskiy, Oleksiy Arestovych, said Ukrainian forces are pushing back Russian troops north-east and north-west of Kyiv.
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Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor and professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, writes for us today:
It appears that Vladimir Putin’s aides have misinformed him about the war, fearful of his reaction, Reich writes.
On Wednesday, American officials revealed that, according to American intelligence, Putin’s strict isolation during the pandemic and willingness to publicly castigate advisers have contributed to him getting incomplete or overly optimistic reports about the progress of Russian forces.
“We believe he’s being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions,” Kate Bedingfield, the White House communications director, told reporters. “Because … the senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth.”
As a result, the attack has been a catastrophe for Putin. He badly overestimated the Russian military and underestimated Ukraine’s capacity to resist.
Instead of weakening Nato, his attack has strengthened it. And now that the world’s democracies have cut off Russia’s access to the world banking system, Russia’s economy is in freefall.
Dictators like Putin are particularly vulnerable to inaccurate feedback. Instead of independent truth-tellers, they are often surrounded by truth-deniers.
Rather than experts and investigative journalists, their world is filled with pseudo-scientists and propaganda. In place of a free press, they have agitprop and disinformation.
The higher you rise in any hierarchy, the harder it is to get accurate feedback about your decisions because people are afraid to tell you the truth.
I’ve worked with several presidents. All have made big blunders. I’ve also known and written about CEOs of big corporations who have made terrible mistakes. In every case, they had flawed systems for getting useful, accurate and reliable feedback.
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The mayor of Chernihiv, Vladyslav Atroshenko, has accused Russia of shelling an oncology ward of a hospital in the northern Ukrainian city, days after Russia promised it would “drastically reduce” its military assault on Kyiv and Chernihiv.
Speaking to CNN, he said:
Some shells hit the regional hospital direct, and one of the buildings of the hospital, in fact the oncological unit, was completely destroyed. Three people sustained heavy injuries.
"We have no electricity, no water ... I'm talking to you with my torch as a mean of electricity."
— CNN (@CNN) April 1, 2022
Chernihiv Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko talks to @NewDay's @JohnBerman about the recent shelling in his city and the aftermath, which he describes as a "full humanitarian catastrophe." pic.twitter.com/mvIwSmnNf6
Atroshenko also said there is no water or electricity, and the city could run out of food and medicine within a week.
At the moment, we are going through full humanitarian catastrophe.
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The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said he will tell Vladimir Putin that he and Volodymyr Zelenskiy need to take a step to address issues over Ukraine’s Donbas region and Crimea, Reuters reports.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Erdoğan said he will hold a phone call with Putin at 1pm GMT and renew an offer to host the Russian and Ukrainian leaders for peace talks.
From Nikkei Asia’s Ken Moriyasu:
Erdogan after Friday prayers:
— Ken Moriyasu (@kenmoriyasu) April 1, 2022
-- When it comes to Donbass and Crimea, only the leaders can take a step
-- We are expressing to them them that we can be the host
-- Mr. Zelenskyy has a positive perspective on it
-- Mr. Putin has expressed a positive approach to this in the past
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About 2,000 civilians evacuate from Mariupol appear to be on way to safety
Around 2,000 evacuated civilians from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol besieged by Russian forces appear to be on their way to safety, according to reports from the city’s city council.
Several private cars joined 42 buses escorted by the Red Cross and Ukrainian emergency services vehicles from nearby Berdyansk to the safer Ukranian-held city of Zaporizhia, Mariupol city council’s Telegram channel posted on Friday, along with a photo and video of the convoy.
Looks like this morning's now or never evacuation from Mariupol is finally working: City council Telegram channel says 2K people are on their way from the besieged city to Ukraine-held Zaporizhia in buses and private cars. Up to 150K more still trapped with dwindling resources pic.twitter.com/eyNWVFk4cK
— Bethan McKernan (@mck_beth) April 1, 2022
The Red Cross said earlier in the day that top-level authorities from Ukraine and Russia have confirmed approval for a humanitarian corridor out of the port city, which has faced four weeks of bombardment and dwindling resources.
The aid organisation did not receive permission to bring in humanitarian aid, however, and so travelled without medical supplies for the estimated 150,000 people believed to still be trapped there.
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Ukraine 'cannot confirm nor reject' alleged involvement in depot strike, Kuleba says
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he could not confirm or deny Ukraine’s alleged involvement in a strike on a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, Reuters reports.
Responding to a question about the attack at a briefing in Poland, Kuleba said:
I can neither confirm nor reject the claim that Ukraine was involved in this simply because I do not possess all the military information.
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Talks between Ukraine and Russia have resumed in an online format, the Ukrainian presidential office said, Reuters reports.
Speaking to reporters today, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the alleged Ukrainian strike on a Russian fuel depot in Belgorod does not create comfortable conditions to continue peace talks.
He added that authorities were doing everything to reorganise the fuel supply chain and avoid disruption of the city’s energy supplies.
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Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said he will lead a mission to Chernobyl “as soon as possible”.
I will head an @IAEAorg assistance and support mission to the #Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant as soon as possible. It will be the first in a series of such nuclear safety and security missions to #Ukraine.
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) April 1, 2022
It comes after Ukrainian officials said Russian troops had largely withdrawn from the decommissioned nuclear power station this morning, although some remained in the area.
The Ukrainian state power company Energoatom said the pullout came after soldiers received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the forest in the exclusion zone, a claim the UN’s nuclear watchdog has said it is investigating.
Death toll rises to 28 from strike on Mykolaiv building
The mayor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, said 28 people have been confirmed killed as a result of a Russian strike on the regional administration building in the southern Ukrainian city.
The attack took place at 8.45am (5.45am GMT) on Tuesday when a rocket tore a hole through the nine-storey government building, destroying governor Kim’s office. Authorities spent days searching for survivors in the rubble.
Kim accused Russian forces of waiting until people arrived for work in the morning before targeting the site.
I had overslept. But – I got lucky. The majority escaped miraculously, I don’t know how.
In a video address to the Danish parliament following the strike, Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy condemned the attack:
There were no military targets in Mykolaiv. The people of Mykolaiv posed no threat to Russia.
Hello, I’m Léonie Chao-Fong and I’ll be bringing you all the latest news from the war in Ukraine. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
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Today so far …
- The International Committee for the Red Cross has said top-level authorities from Ukraine and Russia have approved an evacuation plan for the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. The operation involves 54 buses, but the ICRC says it did not get permission to bring in humanitarian aid and so is travelling without medical supplies.
- An aide to the mayor of Mariupol said the city remained “very dangerous” for anyone trying to leave.
- Russia has accused Ukraine of sending attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what would be the first raid on Russian soil since the outbreak of the war if confirmed. Ukraine has not confirmed that it launched the attack.
- Russian forces are withdrawing from the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine but have not yet left entirely, the local governor said in a video address.
- Some Russian troops were still in the “exclusion zone” around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station on Friday morning, the head of the Ukrainian agency in charge of the zone said.
- The governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region says that five humanitarian corridors have been agreed in his region for today.
- Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to restart this morning by video, focusing on the peace framework the Ukrainian side presented during a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul earlier this week.
- Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov – visiting India – has said that peace talks need to continue, and that there has been “much more understanding” on the Ukrainian side of what he described as the situation in Crimea and Donbas.
- EU and Chinese leaders will meet for a first summit in two years on Friday with Brussels keen for assurances from Beijing that it will neither supply Russia with arms nor help Moscow circumvent western sanctions.
- Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has said Australia will send armoured Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy specifically asked for them during a video appeal to Australian lawmakers.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, for now. I will back later on. I am handing the blog over to Léonie Chao-Fong.
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Ukraine accused of helicopter attack on oil depot inside Russia
Andrew Roth our Moscow correspondent has this on the reports of a Ukrainian attack inside Russian territory:
Russia has accused Ukraine of sending attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what would be the first raid on Russian soil since the outbreak of the war if confirmed.
Ukraine has not confirmed that it launched the attack, raising questions about whether Russian negligence may be to blame.
A Russian governor in the border region of Belgorod said that early on Friday two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters crossed the border at low altitude before firing rockets at an oil facility 25 miles from the border.
Video posted to social media on Friday appeared to show a helicopter strike using air-to-ground missiles and then a major fire at the facility said to be in Belgorod, with flames reaching dozens of metres into the air.
Reports showed that the facility continued to burn until midday on Friday, with dozens of firefighters dispatched to battle the inferno.
Other videos showed the helicopters, which are used by both Ukraine and Russia, flying in the region.
“The fire at the oil depot occurred as a result of an airstrike from two helicopters of the armed forces of Ukraine, which entered the territory of Russia at low altitude,” said governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. “There are no victims.”
Read more of Andrew Roth’s report here: Ukraine accused of helicopter attack on oil depot inside Russia
Lavrov: peace talks need to continue but Ukraine has shown 'much more understanding' over Crimea and Donbas
There are a couple of quotes about the situation with Ukraine emerging after Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Indian counterpart this morning. Reuters reports he has said that peace talks need to continue, and that there has been “much more understanding” on the Ukrainian side of what he described as the situation in Crimea and Donbas.
Lavrov has also said Russia will intensify the amount of trading it does directly in roubles. That will not go down well with Kyrylo Shevchenko, the governor of the Bank of Ukraine, who has just issued a statement saying that the US, Japan, European Union and UK should ban transactions in roubles. Reuters quotes him saying: “The ban on payments in Russian roubles will make it possible to thwart the plans of the aggressor-state to switch to payments in its national currency.”
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On the day of the World Cup draw, with Ukraine still potentially to qualify, Daniel Boffey in Kyiv has interviewed Ukraine’s national football manager, Oleksandr Petrakov:
When the war broke out in the early hours of 24 February, Oleksandr Petrakov, the manager of Ukraine’s men’s national football team, chose not to leave his home in the capital, Kyiv, as the Russians advanced and shells dropped, but to try to join the fight.
“My family told me to go to western Ukraine but I refused. I said: ‘I am from Kyiv, I can’t leave,’” says Petrakov. “I didn’t think it would be correct as people have to defend and I can’t run. I thought, if they come to Kyiv I will pick up a weapon and defend my city.”
He adds: “I am 64 but I felt it was normal to do this. I think I could take two or three enemies out.”
A Russian speaker from childhood, Petrakov now sticks to Ukrainian in public and while some are sad about Vladimir Putin’s war and others are angry, he admits to a more visceral emotion. “It’s just hate. It is not anger, but people hate those who invaded their land. We need time to calm down but for now it is just hate. They have broken our countries for years.”
Petrakov tried to sign up to Ukraine’s territorial defence, the reservists being deployed across the country to fight the Russians. He spoke to a member of Ukraine’s government but was advised that his lack of military experience was an issue and that he might be better served elsewhere.
Read more of Daniel Boffey’s report from Kyiv: ‘We could play at Wembley’: Ukraine manager on war, the World Cup and his hatred of Russia
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Red Cross: evacuation plan for Mariupol has been agreed with 'top level authorities' from Ukraine and Russia
There are further developments with the attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol. Reuters reports a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross has said:
- Top-level authorities from Ukraine and Russia have approved an evacuation plan.
- The operation involves 54 buses.
- Its teams did not get permission to bring in humanitarian aid so have left without supplies.
- No destination has yet been decided for the evacuees, but it will be in Ukraine.
There are thought to be more than 100,000 civilians remaining in the besieged southern port city. Earlier, Ukraine deputy minister Oleksii Iaremenko said it was 36 days since Mariupol had received any medical or humanitarian supplies.
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Here is a selection of some of the photos we’ve been sent from Ukraine recently over the newswires.
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Some Russian troops still seen in Chernobyl 'exclusion zone' – reports
Some Russian troops were still in the “exclusion zone” around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power station on Friday morning, the head of the Ukrainian agency in charge of the zone said.
Yevhen Kramarenko confirmed on national television that the Russian forces that occupied the power station after invading Ukraine on 24 February had left the plant itself but said some troops had been seen in the exclusion zone outside the territory of the decommissioned power station.
The exclusion zone was established around the plant soon after a reactor there exploded in the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986.
Yesterday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that it “has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being in the Chornobyl exclusion zone.”
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Russian forces withdrawing from Chernihiv but not left entirely – regional governor
Russian forces are withdrawing from the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine but have not yet left entirely, the local governor said in a video address on Friday.
“Air and missile strikes are possible in the region, nobody is ruling this out,” governor Viacheslav Chaus said, adding that Ukrainian forces were entering and securing settlements previously held by Russian troops.
Reuters reports Chaus said it was still too early for Ukrainian forces in the Chernihiv region to let their guard down as Russian troops “are still on our land.”
Russia said on Tuesday it would scale down operations in the Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. Chernihiv is the region directly to the north-east of Kyiv.
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Ukraine’s parliament has tweeted this morning to say that the ministry of internal affairs states the death toll from the missile strike on the Mykolaiv government building has reached 24. 23 people were found dead in the rubble, and one person subsequently died in hospital after the attack.
МВС України: станом на ранок 1 квітня внаслідок влучання ворожої ракети в будівлю Миколаївської ОДА та її руйнування загинуло 24 людини.
— Верховна Рада України (@verkhovna_rada) April 1, 2022
З-під завалів рятувальники вивільнили 23 тіла загиблих та 1 людина померла у лікарні.
Роботи тривають цілодобово. pic.twitter.com/zPFntxAVKS
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is visiting India, and ahead of meetings he has said: “We appreciate that India taking this situation in the entirety of facts and not just in a one-sided way.”
He is talking to his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Reuters reports that Lavrov said of Russia-India relations: “We continue to implement projects in the areas of energy, science and technology, outer space, pharmaceutical industry.”
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Chinese exports to Russia are slowing as the rouble swings in value, clear evidence of a ripple effect that western sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are having in China, even as it sticks by its neighbour diplomatically.
Chinese multinationals have stayed in Russia while their western rivals flee but it is smaller Chinese companies that are more vulnerable to exchange rate losses, with several telling Reuters that much of their Russian business is on hold as both sides wait out the volatility.
One trader told the news agency that their volume of shipments had dropped by a third. China is Russia’s biggest source of imports and sold $12.6bn of goods to Russia in January and February – mostly computers, cars, shoes and toys.
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'Very dangerous' for anyone trying to leave Mariupol – mayor's aide
An aide to the mayor of Mariupol said on Friday the besieged southern Ukrainian city remained closed for anyone trying to enter and was “very dangerous” for anyone trying to leave.
Petro Andryushchenko said Russian forces had since Thursday been preventing even the smallest amount of humanitarian supplies reaching trapped residents, making clear a planned “humanitarian corridor” had not been opened.
Reuters notes that tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped for weeks with scant food, water and other supplies in the city that was once home to 400,000 people but has been devastated by Russian bombardment.
“The city remains closed to entry and very dangerous to exit with personal transport,” he said on the Telegram messaging app.
“In addition, since yesterday the occupiers have categorically not allowed any humanitarian aid – even in small quantities – into the city.”
A convoy of buses that set out for Mariupol on Thursday did not reach the city, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday evening.
Deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote in an online post late on Thursday that fresh efforts would be made “to push through a humanitarian corridor to Mariupol so as not to leave our people on their own”.
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We are expecting today to potentially be a crunch day for gas supplies, after Russian president Vladimir Putin yesterday signed a decree that from 1 April all gas going to European customers must be purchased in roubles. Germany and France have rejected this as a breach of existing contracts.
Reuters has a short statement from Gazprom saying that the state-owned energy giant was continuing to supply natural gas to Europe via Ukraine in line with requests from European consumers.
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Shaun Walker is in Kyiv for us, and brings us this dispatch about the group of independent Russian reporters in Ukraine attempting to break the Kremlin’s stranglehold on information:
Mediazona, like many Russian-language news outlets, was blocked by the Russian internet watchdog in the early days of the war for not adhering to wartime censorship rules that ban any information that could “discredit” Russia’s army.
“Despite the block, during the last month our readership numbers went up almost twice, to about 3.5 million unique visitors this month,” said Peter Verzilov, an activist and journalist who is the publisher of the site.
Nevertheless, Verzilov said it was clear that Russian state messaging was working on a large number of Russians, pointing to the numerous stories of Ukrainians contacting friends or relatives in Russia and being told they were imagining the things they could see with their own eyes.
“When your own son is telling you, ‘Dad, do not believe the fucking television, it’s not true,’ and you say ‘No, no, Nazis are just brainwashing you,’ it does show that Russian propaganda is amazingly effective for certain portions of the population. It really does work, when you’re switching between channels and all of them have the same content,” said Verzilov.
Other journalists agreed that cutting through the state-sponsored noise was getting ever harder. Last weekend, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy gave an interview to several independent Russian outlets, and Russian authorities immediately announced any site that published it could face criminal responsibility.
“The people who say, there’s plenty of information on the internet, they just don’t understand what they’re talking about. My twin sister asked me how to watch Zelenskiy, she just had no idea how to find it,” said Yevgenia Albats, a veteran Russian journalist who edits the New Times website.
Read more of Shaun Walker’s report here: Russian reporters in Ukraine: ‘Every day I see dead and injured’
Updated
Oleksii Iaremenko, a deputy minister in Ukraine’s government, has appeared on Sky News in the UK, talking about the humanitarian situation on the ground in Mariupol.
He said there were still more than 100,000 civilians trapped in the city, and that they had not been able to deliver any medical supplies for 36 days now.
As you see from the newest Russian aggression, targeting every day residential areas, social infrastructure, hospitals … in some regions the humanitarian corridors doesn’t work.
We appreciate all international support from countries and organisations that are bringing in humanitarian aid. But we need more because of the number of attacks.
Asked whether he was optimistic about the outcome of peace talks, he declined to comment, saying that was a matter for the president and the foreign ministry.
Updated
Russian forces not allowing humanitarian aid into Maruipol – reports
I have two quick snaps from Reuters here with some mixed messages on humanitarian efforts in eastern Ukraine today. The governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region says that five humanitarian corridors have been agreed in his region for today. However, in contrast, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol is being quoted as saying that Russian forces are not allowing humanitarian aid in, and that the city is “very dangerous” for anyone trying to leave.
Petro Andryushchenko said Russian forces had since Thursday been preventing even the smallest amount of humanitarian supplies reaching trapped residents, making clear a planned “humanitarian corridor” had not been opened.
Updated
Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president in Russia from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia’s security council, has issued a warning about Russian agricultural exports, saying in the future they will go only to friends.
Reuters quotes him saying he would like to outline “some simple but important points about food security in Russia”, given the sanctions imposed.
“We will only be supplying food and agriculture products to our friends,” Medvedev said on social media. “Fortunately we have plenty of them, and they are not in Europe or North America at all.”
Agriculture supplies to “friends” will be both in roubles and their national currency in agreed proportion, Medvedev said. Russia already banned most western food imports in 2014 after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
- This is Martin Belam here in London now, taking over from my colleague Samantha Lock. You can get in touch with me via email at martin.belam@theguardian.com
Updated
Russia will respond to European Union sanctions and says the 27-nation bloc might realise that a confrontation with Moscow is not in its interests, Russian state media agency RIA Novosti reported, citing a senior foreign ministry official as saying on Friday.
Nikolai Kobrinets said in an interview with the news agency:
The actions of the EU will not remain unanswered … the irresponsible sanctions by Brussels are already negatively affecting the daily lives of ordinary Europeans.
Are they ready from their own pocket to pay for further killings of civilians in Ukraine, the transformation of Europe from a region of cooperation and stability into a zone of conflict? I don’t think so.”
Updated
Some more images of the destruction across Ukraine have arrived today.
EU and Chinese leaders will meet for a first summit in two years on Friday with Brussels keen for assurances from Beijing that it will neither supply Russia with arms nor help Moscow circumvent western sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.
EU officials close to the preparations of the summit said any help given to Russia would damage China’s international reputation and jeopardise relations with its biggest trade partners – Europe and the US.
The presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, will hold virtual talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and later President Xi Jinping.
An EU official said China’s stance towards Russia would be the “million-dollar question” on Friday, as reported by Reuters.
Another pointed out that over a quarter of China’s global trade was with the bloc and the US last year, against 2.4% with Russia.
“Do we prolong this war or do we work together to end this war? That is the essential question for the summit,” the official said.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi reiterated China’s call for peace talks this week, adding the legitimate concerns of all sides should be accommodated.
Updated
We have a little more information on the reported blast at an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod this morning.
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said the situation is “currently stable”.
“There are no victims,” he added in a post to his official Telegram channel.
Russian state news agency RIA reported that eight fuel tanks are on fire, claiming there is a threat of the fire spreading.
В Белгороде горят восемь резервуаров с топливом, есть угроза перехода огня еще на восемьhttps://t.co/XXlU7SapIG pic.twitter.com/VYb171L7GD
— РИА Новости (@rianru) April 1, 2022
Updated
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Australia will send armoured Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy specifically asked for them during a video appeal to Australian lawmakers.
Zelenskiy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-made, four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes. He didn’t specify how many would be sent or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armoured vehicles, our Bushmasters, as well,” Morrison said.
Zelenskiy specifically asked for Bushmaster vehicles during his address to Australian Parliament.
“You have very good armed personnel vehicles, Bushmasters, that could help Ukraine substantially, and other pieces of equipment,” Zelenskiy said.
A Russian lawyer has taken up the task of defending a group of national guardsmen who refused to join the war in Ukraine.
“A lot of people don’t want to go and fight,” Mikhail Benyash told the Financial Times, adding that about 1,000 people had been in touch with his team, as he pursues the first court case to officially reveal dissent inside the ranks of Russia’s security forces over the invasion.
The 12 national guardsmen who were fired after refusing to go to Ukraine were members of Rosgvardia, a militarised force separate from the army that was established in 2016 to maintain public order and fight crime, according to the FT.
The guardsmen had been deployed before the invasion to occupied Crimea for military exercises, according to Pavel Chikov, the head of Agora, the Russian human rights group. The day after the war began on 24 February, they received orders to cross into Ukraine but refused, Chikov wrote on his channel in the Telegram messaging app.
Wow. Krasnodar lawyer Mikhail Benyash is representing 12 local National Guardsmen who refused orders to march into Ukraine. They were fired & now they’re challenging their dismissal in court. Benyash answers questions VERY carefully, knowing a wrong word could mean prison. pic.twitter.com/98F19dwC0k
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 24, 2022
The men argued that the order was unlawful as they were not soldiers, but members of a domestic force whose duties did not extend beyond Russia.
None were informed they were being sent into the “territory of Ukraine to participate in a special military operation, about the tasks and conditions of this operation and, as a consequence, did not consent to it”, he added.
Benyash said Rosgvardia employees were not trained for full combat operations. “Have [they] been taught to dig trenches? To build defensive structures?” he asked. “In their line of work they handle small guns. Maximum they have automated weapons, but they basically never use them,” he added.
Ahead of the next session in the case on Friday, Benyash said nine of the 12 guardsmen who filed the wrongful dismissal case had withdrawn the claims under huge pressure. There had been threats of criminal cases unless they backed down, he said. “Some are seeing their relatives turn away from them.”
Updated
Russians fled Chernobyl with 'significant doses' of radiation, says Ukraine as IAEA investigates
The UN atomic watchdog is investigating Ukrainian claims that Russian soldiers occupying Chernobyl nuclear power station left after receiving “significant doses” of radiation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it could not confirm the claims by Ukrainian state power company Energoatom and was seeking an independent assessment.
Ukraine’s state agency in charge of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Energoatom, published an update late on Thursday confirming Russian troops had left the site.
Energoatom added that the Russians dug trenches in the forest inside the exclusion zone at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, and that the troops “panicked at the first sign of illness” that “showed up very quickly” and began preparing to leave.
So it is not surprising that the occupiers received significant doses of radiation and panicked at the first sign of illness. And it manifested itself very quickly.”
IAEA has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being in the #Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and is seeking further information in order to provide an independent assessment of the situation.
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) March 31, 2022
The IAEA said it had not been able to confirm reports of Russian troops receiving high doses and was seeking more information in a statement on Thursday.
The IAEA has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and is seeking further information in order to provide an independent assessment of the situation.”
Updated
Deserted military uniforms, tanks and soldiers’ personal items now litter battlefields across Ukraine.
Ukraine reclaims towns near Chernihiv, UK MoD says
The UK Ministry of Defence has said Ukrainian forces have retaken villages south of Chernihiv.
The report, published shortly after 6am GMT, reads:
Ukrainian forces have retaken the villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka to the south of Chernihiv and located along one of the main supply routes between the city and Kyiv.
Ukraine has also continued to make successful but limited counterattacks to the east and north east of Kyiv.
Both Chernihiv and Kyiv have been subjected to continued air and missile strikes despite Russian claims of reducing activity in these areas.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 01 April 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 1, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/tazJHqMczF
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/b1sBLFpfdb
Updated
Mariupol prepares for evacuation through new humanitarian corridors
Ukraine hopes to launch a fresh attempt to rescue civilians from Mariupol this morning after warnings from the Red Cross that thousands of lives depend on the successful evacuation of people trapped in the besieged city by Russian forces.
A total of 45 buses are en route to the nearby southern coastal town of Berdyansk, the Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said, along with a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delivering humanitarian aid and assisting evacuations. The convoy was expected to enter the city this morning after Russian promises of a limited ceasefire along the route from Mariupol to the Ukraine-held city of Zaporizhzhia.
Repeated efforts to set up humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of up to 170,000 people who remain in Mariupol, which has suffered four weeks of bombardment and dwindling supplies, have failed. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of shelling supposedly safe routes outside of several fighting hotspots; claims that Moscow denies.
“Time is running out to help these people. This evacuation is hugely important,” said Alyona Synenko, a spokesperson for the ICRC. “It is essential we get concrete and precise agreements from both sides on times and routes tomorrow. These instructions need to be conveyed to military units on the ground and they must be respected.
“We distributed the last of the supplies we had there two weeks ago. People have nothing now. We are ready to help and we are hoping tomorrow safe passage materialises.”
Control of Mariupol, a strategic port once home to 400,000 people and still in the Ukrainian government’s hands, would ensure Russian dominance in the inland Sea of Azov.
Russian oil depot on fire – reports
An oil depot is reportedly on fire in the Russian city of Belgorod as the regional governor blames Ukrainian military helicopters for the attack, a claim that could not be immediately verified.
Vyacheslav Gladkov alleged the fire was caused by airstrikes from two Ukrainian helicopters that had crossed the border at low altitude, in a statement on his Telegram channel on Friday morning.
He added that the blaze injured two workers.
Belgorod sits just north of the border with Ukraine.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for any of the blasts.
An oil depot is on fire in #Belgorod, #Russia.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 1, 2022
"The emergency services went to the place of fire, measures are being taken to eliminate it", said Gladkov, the governor of the region in his Telegram channel. pic.twitter.com/ey7rC5ChSz
Fire at the fuel depot in Belgorod, #Russia. Three days ago the ammunition storage exploded there. Belgorod is located only 50 miles from Kharkiv, #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/3XLS9yMAhJ
— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) April 1, 2022
Updated
Summary
Hello it’s Samantha Lock back with you to deliver all the latest breaking news from Ukraine.
Attempts at peace talks will once again kick off this morning as negotiators from Russia and Ukraine prepare to meet again via video link. A humanitarian corridor promised by Russia out of Mariupol is also hoped to take affect.
Here’s the latest:
- Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to restart this morning by video, focusing on the peace framework the Ukrainian side presented during a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul earlier this week.
- A humanitarian corridor out of Mariupol is set to be opened from 10am today to allow civilians out of the besieged port city, which is in the Donbas in south-eastern Ukraine. It follows “a personal request from the French president and German chancellor to Russian president Vladimir Putin”, the Russian defence ministry said.
- A convoy of Ukrainian buses has set out for Mariupol to try to deliver humanitarian supplies and bring out trapped civilians, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said.
- Russian forces have reportedly left the Chernobyl power plant, the Ukrainian Atomic Energy Ministry said, citing personnel at the site. Russian troops began leaving after soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the highly contaminated site, Ukraine’s state power company said. Energoatom said the Russians had dug in the forest inside the exclusion zone around the now-closed plant and “panicked at the first sign of illness,” which “showed up very quickly,” and began preparing to leave, Energoatom said.
- Russian troops reportedly took an unspecified number of captive Ukrainian servicemen hostage after leaving the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Energoatom claimed in a statement on Telegram.
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated his warning that Russia is preparing for “powerful strikes” in the Donbas region after appearing to withdraw from an assault on Kyiv. The Pentagon also said that Russia may be repositioning some of its forces to send them to the Donbas.
- Nato’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said Russian forces are not withdrawing, but regrouping. He also said the alliance had yet to be convinced Russia was negotiating in good faith in peace talks in Istanbul because Moscow’s military objective since launching its invasion of Ukraine had not changed.
- Russia is redeploying elements of its forces from Georgia to reinforce its invasion, British military intelligence said on Thursday. “It is highly unlikely that Russia planned to generate reinforcements in this manner and it is indicative of the unexpected losses it has sustained during the invasion,” the ministry added.
- The White House said the US has evidence that the war against Ukraine has been “a strategic disaster” for Russia. “We have seen incontrovertible evidence that this has been a strategic disaster for Russia,” director of communications Kate Bedingfield said, adding that Russia is “working to redefine the initial aims of their invasion”.
- US president Joe Biden said that Russian president Vladimir Putin “seems to be self-isolated” and noted “there’s some indication that he has fired or put under house arrest some of his advisers,” without citing evidence.
- UK defence secretary Ben Wallace seemingly concurred with this assessment, saying Putin is “not the force he used to be” as he becomes increasingly more isolated. Speaking with Sky News, Wallace said: “President Putin is not the force he used to be. He is now a man in a cage he built himself. He’s isolated. His army is exhausted, he has suffered significant losses. The reputation of this great army of Russia has been trashed.”
- Russia has threatened to halt contracts supplying Europe with a third of its gas unless they are paid in Russian currency. Putin signed a decree on Thursday saying foreign buyers must pay in roubles for Russian gas from Friday. He said contracts would be halted if these payments were not made. Germany and France rejected the demands and said they amounted to “blackmail”.
- EU and Chinese leaders will meet for a first summit in two years on Friday, with Brussels keen for assurances from Beijing that it will neither supply Russia with arms nor help Moscow circumvent western sanctions. EU officials close to the preparations of the summit said any help given to Russia would damage China’s international reputation and jeopardise relations with its biggest trade partners – Europe and the United States.
- Britain and its allies have agreed to send more lethal military aid to Ukraine to help defend it against Russia’s invasion, the British defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said. As part of the agreement, armoured vehicles and long-range artillery will be sent.
- Australia will send armoured Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine after Zelenskiy specifically asked for them during a video appeal to Australian lawmakers.
- Russia said it will respond to the EU’s “irresponsible” sanctions. Senior foreign ministry official, Nikolai Kobrinets, told Russian state media agency RIA in an interview: “The actions of the EU will not remain unanswered ... the irresponsible sanctions by Brussels are already negatively affecting the daily lives of ordinary Europeans.”
