Thank you for following today’s coverage of the war in Ukraine.
We will be closing this liveblog but you can catch all the latest developments on our new blog launched below.
Russia is alleging Ukrainian forces struck a village in the province of Belgorod near Russia’s border with Ukraine, wounding one resident.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov made the claim in posts on the messaging app Telegram, Russian state media Tass reported on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear whether the strike was carried out by artillery, mortars, missiles or was an aerial attack.
The Guardian has not been able to independently verify these claims.
Here is a look at some front pages from British newspapers covering the war in Ukraine:
Tuesday’s TIMES: “Zelensky: next phase of the war has begun” #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/77svOoYlbC
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 18, 2022
Tuesday’s GUARDIAN: “No 10 suspected of being targeted by Pegasus spyware, Johnson told” #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ca30x6eOKD
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 18, 2022
Tuesday’s i - “ ‘Nowhere is safe’ “. #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/VgB87cVlsC
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 18, 2022
A plane sent from Moscow to collect expelled Russian diplomats from Spain and then onto Greece was forced to make a 15,000km detour because of an EU flight ban, according to data obtained by FlightRadar.
“While Spain and Greece made a one-time exception for the aircraft to enter their airspace, the flights navigated around other countries that maintain bans on Russian flights,” the flight tracking website said.
“The total length of the flights was 15,163 km, just shy of the current world’s longest flight between Singapore and New York.”
Plane sent from Moscow to collect expelled Russian diplomats from Spain, then Greece, was forced to make 15K detour because of EU flight ban—almost as long as world's longest flight between Singapore and New York, according to @flightradar24. https://t.co/lsQrF124pH pic.twitter.com/4gyN1Ihkrr
— Lucian Kim (@Lucian_Kim) April 19, 2022
Russia has launched a major offensive into eastern Ukraine, authorities in Kyiv said, opening a new phase of its invasion after being thwarted in efforts to capture the capital.
Here is a visual guide as to where Russia’s forces stand.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths added that he would travel to Turkey this week to discuss with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials the prospects of hosting humanitarian talks between Ukraine and Russia.
“Turkey has been able to present itself to both sides as a genuinely valuable and useful host for those talks,” he said.
UN aid officials are planning to dispatch a humanitarian convoy in the next couple of days into the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia-backed separatists declared a republic, and from there aid supplies would go to Luhansk, another separatist region, he said.
Griffiths did not say when he would meet Erdogan, but initially said he planned to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday and leave Thursday.
However, he tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after his announcement, forcing him to postpone his trip to an unspecified date, his team told AFP.
Humanitarian ceasefires between Ukrainian and Russian forces in Ukraine are not on the horizon right now, but may be possible in a couple of weeks, the UN aid chief has said.
Martin Griffiths made the comments in a briefing to reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Monday.
Griffiths met senior officials in Moscow and Kyiv this month to discuss UN “aspirations” for humanitarian ceasefires and ways to improve a system to notify the sides of evacuation and humanitarian supply movements.
Obviously, we have not yet got a humanitarian ceasefire in place on the Russian side,” he said. “I went into a lot of details on this and they continued to promise to get back to me on the details of those proposals.
Right now, if I could speak for the Russian authorities, they are not putting local ceasefires at the top of their agenda.
Ceasefires are not on the horizon right now. They may be in a couple of weeks. They may be a bit longer than that.”
Here are some of the latest images to emerge from Bucha, a town 27km (17 miles) north-west from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, which is swiftly becoming synonymous with the worst atrocities of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
A sprawling cemetery now holds Ukrainian civilians and soldiers who lost their lives due to the Russian attacks.
Updated
Macron says his dialogue with Putin has stalled
French President Emmanuel Macron has said his dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin has stalled after mass killings were discovered in Ukraine.
“Since the massacres we have discovered in Bucha and in other towns, the war has taken a different turn, so I did not speak to him again directly since, but I don’t rule out doing so in the future”, Macron told France 5 television on Monday.
Russia has called the accusations its forces executed civilians in Bucha while occupying the town a “monstrous forgery” aimed at denigrating the Russian army.
Asked why he had not followed the example of other European leaders and travelled to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Macron said that a show of support by itself was not needed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I will go back to Kyiv, but I will go there to bring something useful with me... because it’s obvious that I don’t need to travel there to show this support,” Macron said, adding that he had spoken around 40 times since the start of the war to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“If I go to Kyiv, it will be to make a difference,” he added.
Russian troops have reportedly captured the east Ukraine town of Kreminna while local authorities have urged residents in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to evacuate.
“Currently, control over the city of Kreminna is lost, street fights are taking place,” Luhansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a statement on his official Telegram channel on Monday night.
“Russians shot dead people trying to leave Kreminna,” he added, claiming four people had been killed as they tried to evacuate in their own vehicles on Monday morning.
The Russians opened fire on a car with civilians. Four people died.”
Homes, buildings, a sports complex and other facilities were also destroyed as a result of shelling in the town as well as in the nearby towns of Rubizne and Lysychansk.
In Lysychansk, the building of the regional patrol police department was destroyed, resulting in the hospitalisation of six policemen, Gaiday added.
I strongly urge people to evacuate ... There are no safe places left in the region - evacuate, we can still save you.”
Kreminna, with a pre-war population of nearly 20,000 people, is around 50km (31 miles) northeast of Kramatorsk, the region’s administrative centre, and is a strategic target for invading Russian forces.
Updated
A series of images released by the Ukrainian presidential press office show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presenting Matti Maasikas, head of the delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, with Ukraine’s answers to the European Union questionnaire in Kyiv on Monday.
The historic move is the first step in Ukraine’s campaign to obtain accelerated EU membership.
Biden to call allies to coordinate effort to 'hold Russia accountable'
US President Joe Biden will hold a call with allies on Tuesday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, including on how to coordinate on holding Russia accountable, the White House said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.
The President will convene a secure video call with allies and partners to discuss our continued support for Ukraine and efforts to hold Russia accountable as part of our close coordination.”
Updated
Russian forces launched a new offensive push along most of Ukraine’s eastern flank on Monday signalling that the “battle of Donbas” has now begun, Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelenskiy has said.
Ukraine’s army has been bracing for a new Russian assault on its eastern flank since Moscow withdrew its forces from near Kyiv and from Ukraine’s north late last month in order to focus on an assault in the Ukrainian region of Donbas.
Watch Zelenskiy’s address in the video below.
Summary
-
The Russian offensive to seize eastern Ukraine and the “battle for Donbas” has begun, Ukraine’s president Volodymr Zelenskiy said. “Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time,” he said in a video address, adding that a “significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive”. Presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said: “The second phase of the war has begun.”
- Russia has 76 battalion tactical groups in the Donbas region of Ukraine and in the country’s southeast with 11 of those added over the last several days, a senior US defence department official said in a statement on Monday night.
-
The southern port city of Mariupol has not fallen to Russian forces, US officials added. “Our assessment is Mariupol is still contested,” the Pentagon official said. If Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas.
- No fewer than 1,000 civilians are reportedly hiding in underground shelters beneath the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, according to the city council. Most of the civilians are believed to be women with children and elderly people.
- The first shipments of a new US military aid package have arrived at Ukraine’s borders, a senior Pentagon official confirmed. “There have been four flights from the United States arriving into the theatre just yesterday,” the official said on Monday, with a fifth flight due shortly. Last week, the United States unveiled a $800-million tranche of equipment for Ukraine, including helicopters, howitzers and armoured personnel carriers.
- Earlier on Monday Russia unleashed a barrage of long-range missiles across Ukraine, in what analysts described as a “softening up” exercise before its military push.
-
Shelling in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region killed four people, regional governor, Pavlo Kirilenko, said.
- Four Russian rockets smashed into the western city of Lviv, killing seven people and injuring at least 11 early on Monday morning. Three hit military infrastructure. But the fourth appeared to have missed its target and landed in a car repair workshop.
- New photos and a video of the damaged Russian cruiser Moskva appear to show that it was probably struck by anti-ship missiles and then abandoned before the ship sank in the Black Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded: “We did see the footage, but we can’t say how authentic and true it is.”
- Family members of sailors who served onboard the warship are demanding answers as the ministry has sought to suppress information about what happened to the ship or its estimated 510-strong crew. The total number of dead, wounded and missing remains a state secret. A number of families have gone public saying they cannot find their sons who were serving onboard.
- There are no plans for US President Joe Biden to visit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing on Monday. “There’s no plans for the president to go. Let me just reiterate that,” she told reporters. The White House has said it wants to send a high-ranking official instead, perhaps secretary of state Antony Blinken or defence secretary Lloyd Austin.
- There have been 136 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, according to the UN secretary general, António Guterres, who cited numbers from World Health Organization in a news conference held Monday.
-
Ukraine is hoping to receive candidate country status to join the European Union within weeks, Zelenskiy said. The European Union’s ambassador in Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, said he received a completed questionnaire from Zelenskiy just 10 days after the document was provided to Kyiv. “Extraordinary times take extraordinary steps and extraordinary speed,” he tweeted.
-
Russia’s invasion has damaged up to 30% of Ukraine’s infrastructure, costing the country up to $100bn, reports Reuters.
As usual, please feel free to reach out to me by email or Twitter for any tips or feedback.
Updated
New photos and a video of the damaged Russian cruiser Moskva appear to show that it was probably struck by anti-ship missiles and then abandoned before the ship sank in the Black Sea.
In the images, which analysts have said appear to be genuine, a plume of black smoke is seen rising from a heavily damaged Moskva, which was reported to have been hit by a Ukrainian missile strike last week.
Watch the footage of the alleged attack below.
Russia adds 11 battalion tactical groups in Donbas, Pentagon says
There are now 76 Russian battalion tactical groups in the Donbas region of Ukraine and in the country’s southeast with 11 of those added over the last several days, a senior US defence department official has said.
So-called BTGs are typically composed of combined-arms elements, such as air defence, armour, tactical vehicles, artillery, helicopters, engineering and logistical support.
Besides the 76 BTGs, there are about 22 BTGs north of Ukraine that are likely being resupplied and refitted, the official said in a statement released on Monday night.
About a dozen of those inside Ukraine are trying to take Mariupol, an important port on the Sea of Azov, the official added.
“Our assessment is Mariupol is still contested,” the official said. The city remains under threat from heavy Russian air strikes and artillery.
There are a substantial number of Russian ground forces in and around Mariupol, the official said.
Should Mariupol fall to the Russians, that would free the dozen or so BTGs to be used elsewhere in the east or south of Ukraine, the official said. “That’s a big if because the Ukrainians are still fighting very, very hard for Mariupol.”
The Ukrainians have reported that they believe Russia is preparing to land Russian marines in the vicinity of Mariupol. “We can’t confirm that independently, but we’re certainly not in a position to dispute it,” the official said.
Further to the west of Mariupol is another important port city: Mykolayiv. Over the last several days, it has been subject to Russian bombardment from airstrikes and artillery, the official said.
Just to the west of Mykolayiv is the port city of Odesa, which is also important. “We still assess that the Russian navy is maintaining a standoff distance from Odesa, not getting very close in the wake of the Moskva sinking,” the official said.
We have a little more detail on the 1,000 civilians reportedly hiding in underground shelters beneath a steel plant in Mariupol.
According to Mariupol’s city council, no fewer than 1,000 civilians are hiding in shelters underneath the Azovstal steel plant.
Mostly the (civilians) are women with children and old people,” the city council wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Mariupol officials added that Russian forces have continued shelling the steel plant, despite civilians taking cover underneath.
Street battles have been taking place in Mariupol over the past week as Russian forces seek to take full control of the city from Ukraine.
First shipments of new US military aid package arrives at Ukraine border
The first shipments of a new US military aid package have arrived at Ukraine’s borders, a senior Pentagon official confirmed on Monday.
Last week, the United States unveiled a $800-million tranche of equipment for Ukraine, including helicopters, howitzers and armoured personnel carriers.
“There have been four flights from the United States arriving into the theatre just yesterday,” a senior Pentagon official said Monday, Agence France-Press reports. A fifth flight is due shortly.
The package includes 18 155mm howitzers for the first time, as well as 40,000 artillery rounds, 200 M113 armoured personnel carriers, 11 Mi-17 helicopters and 100 armoured multi-purpose vehicles.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the first shipment had arrived 48 hours after President Joe Biden authorised the aid delivery, an “unprecedented speed.”
Kirby also said that soldiers deployed on the eastern flank of Nato territory since the start of Moscow’s invasion will begin “in the next several days” to train Ukrainian soldiers to handle the howitzers, which are the latest generation of that weapon.
48 hours. From Presidential authorization on April 13th, to the first shipments departing on April 15th. That's the speed at which we are mobilizing to help equip the Ukrainians with the material they need to defend their country. pic.twitter.com/xxAKQT2zgi
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) April 18, 2022
The training will be done outside Ukraine, Kirby stressed. “It’ll be a small number of Ukrainians that will be trained on the howitzers, and then they’ll be reintroduced back into their country to train their colleagues.”
Although the way the US howitzers are handled is not fundamentally different from the ones with which the Ukrainian army is familiar, the ones Washington has sent use 155-millimetre shells - common in Nato countries - while Ukraine still uses Russian-made 152-millimetre shells.
Many modern armaments use electronic chips whose main producers are Taiwan and South Korea, two US allies that have stopped exporting products to Russia in line with American sanctions.
“There has been an effect on Putin’s ability to restock and resupply, particularly in the realm of components to some of his systems and his precision-guided munitions,” the anonymous US official said.
Russia has formally complained to the United States over its military aid to Ukraine, warning of “unpredictable consequences” if shipments of advanced weaponry go forward.
Supply crates containing munitions and other explosive material bound for Ukraine are loaded at Dover Air Force Base in April 2022. pic.twitter.com/hN68rceBAS
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) April 16, 2022
Today so far
That’s all from me today but our coverage will now continue with Samantha Lock. Here’s what’s happened over the last few hours:
- The “second phase of the war has started”, according to Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, who echoed comments from other officials that Russia had launched a long-prepared-for offensive in eastern Ukraine.
- Vowing to continue to fight, President Zelenskiy confirmed in a video address that Russian forces had concentrated their efforts and the battle had begun for Donbas. US defense officials also told reporters that it appeared Russia had learned from its failures in the early days of the invasion.
- Despite urging from Zelenskiy, Joe Biden has made no plans to visit Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, adding that details would not be provided if that decision changed, for security reasons.
- As fighting in besieged Mariupol intensified and Russia bombed the Azovstal plant where hundreds of civilians – including children – are hiding, Pentagon spokesperson Admi John Kirby said it was not a given that the city would fall. Capture of the city is considered key for the Russians to complete a land bridge and as a tactical center in the fight for the Donbas region.
Updated
A Kharkiv restaurant affiliated with World Central Kitchen, a charity tied to the celebrity chef José Andrés, has been hit by a Russian missile, according to the organization’s CEO, Nate Mook, who shared video footage of the devastation on Twitter last Saturday.
The day before, he said, workers were serving meals to families as they fled. Four workers were wounded in the attack and have been hospitalized. Another person not affiliated with the restaurant was also killed in the strike, he said, adding: “Just a tremendous amount of carnage left behind for no reason.”
This is the first war zone WCK has operated from and, the Washington Post reports, it was the first time in the organization’s 12-year history that one of its relief kitchens had been attacked.
An update I hoped I’d never have to make. I’m at a @WCKitchen restaurant in Kharkiv, where less than 24 hours ago I was meeting with their amazing team. Today, a missile stuck. 4 staff were wounded. This is the reality here—cooking is a heroic act of bravery. #ChefsForUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AyU4fUnA61
— Nate Mook (@natemook) April 16, 2022
Mook told the Washington Post that one worker, a woman named Yulia, suffered what he believed were third-degree burns. She remains hospitalized along with three others who are expected to be released in the coming days. All, he said, were in good spirits. Three other women are expected to be released in the coming days.
Mook called the scene “absolutely horrific brutality” but later shared that workers were already relocating usable supplies and equipment in the hopes to begin serving again by Tuesday. “This is the reality for so many right now in Kharkiv,” he said in a tweet showing the damaged restaurant and city street. “Coming to work, cooking for people that are hungry is an immense act of bravery.”
Updated
During an interview on CNN, the Pentagon spokesperson Adm John Kirby said it was difficult to know how long Ukraine could hold off Russian forces in besieged Mariupol.
“The Ukrainians continue to fight for Mariupol. It is an important city for them economically, culturally, and they are still in the city fighting for it,” he said. “But of course the Russians have done a lot to devastate that city.”
"We've seen no sign out of the Ukrainians that they're not willing to continue to defend that city."@PentagonPresSec John Kirby tells @PamelaBrownCNN why he doesn't think it is "inevitable" that Mariupol will fall to Russia. pic.twitter.com/NcFfIBUVAP
— CNN (@CNN) April 18, 2022
Kirby added, though, that he did not think it was a given that the city would fall, even though Russia has military superiority from the air and from the ground. “The Ukrainians have held on to Mariupol now for a long time – longer than a lot of people thought,” he said. “If we have learned nothing out of the last 55 days of warfare in Ukraine, it is that nothing is inevitable.”
For weeks, Ukrainian soldiers have been defending the city from the tunnels under the Azovstal plant, where hundreds of civilians – including children – are also hiding. The Guardian’s Luke Harding, who is on the ground in Kyiv, reports that the city is important to the Russian military strategy.
The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Moscow eight years ago.
The US defence official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas.
Kirby also said that control of Mariupol would give Russia an “anchor on the southern part of the Donbas region”. That would enable them to apply more pressure on Ukrainian forces.
Updated
Russia has adjusted its tactics in its new offensive in eastern Ukraine and, according to a US senior defense official who joined reporters on a call on Monday, they have learned from their previous failures in the early days of the invasion.
“What we have seen over the last few days is them continue to try to set the conditions,” the senior defense official told reporters. “We call it shaping operations.”
Russia has moved 11 new battalion tactical groups into the east and south of Ukraine in recent days, preparing heavy artillery, aviation, and other military assets, and directed more troops into the region. Moscow withdrew forces from the north and brought forces in from areas near the Kyiv and in Belarus to focus on the eastern front. The Russian military is now concentrated on taking control of Donbas, Reuters reported:
Russia’s reinforcements have set the stage for a protracted battle that military analysts say is certain to inflict heavy losses on both sides as the Russians try to encircle Ukraine’s fighters dug in to defend the Donbas region.
Updated
Despite urging from Zelenskiy, Joe Biden has made no plans to visit Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.
“What our focus continues to be on is providing Ukraine, the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian leaders – a historic amount of security assistance,” Psaki told CNN. Psaki added that if these plans changed, the public would not be made aware, for security reasons. “We would not outline from here or anywhere from the government, who, if, and when,” she said, “so we wouldn’t have any details to preview regardless.”
Biden has said previously that he wanted to go and that discussions are ongoing. It’s also possible that another US official will be sent instead. Biden also announced last week that the US would expand aid by $800m in military assistance and provide heavy artillery.
Updated
There have been 136 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, according to the UN secretary general, António Guterres, who cited numbers from World Health Organization in a news conference held Monday. At least 73 people have lost their lives during these attacks with an additional 52 people reported injured, CNN reported.
International health organizations have pushed Russia to end its attacks on hospitals and raised alarm about the destruction of essential health infrastructure that’s forced civilians to go without needed services. Last month, the WHO, Unicef and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) released a joint statement calling the attacks “horrific” both for killing and injuring patients and healthcare workers and depriving others of essential care.
“To attack the most vulnerable – babies, children, pregnant women, and those already suffering from illness and disease, and health workers risking their own lives to save lives – is an act of unconscionable cruelty,” they said, calling for a ceasefire that would allow humanitarian assistance. Since the release of that statement, there have been more than 100 more attacks on hospitals.
Updated
Zelenskiy: Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has begun
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a “significant part” of the Russian army was now focused on taking control of eastern Ukraine. In a video address where he vowed to continue the fight despite the escalation, he said Russian troops had begun the battle for Donbas, “for which they have been preparing for a long time”.
“Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time,” he said in a video address. Zelenskiy said a “significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive”.
He added: “No matter how many soldiers are driven there, we will defend ourselves. We will fight. We will not give up anything Ukrainian.”
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the press service of the national security and defense council of Ukraine, reported earlier that “an active phase of the Russian offensive began almost along the entire frontline” referring to the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv regions, adding: “The occupiers tried to break through our defenses.”
I just spoke to a Ukrainian commander on the frontline near Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, who said their positions are being hit by Russian airstrikes and heavy artillery 14 hours a day. They are "desperate" for more help, he said, outgunned, and running low on ammunition.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 18, 2022
Updated
The Ukraine military’s general staff also announced today that Russia has launched its attack in eastern Ukraine.
From the Kyiv Independent:
General Staff reports beginning of Russia’s offensive in the east. Russian forces stepped up offensive and assault operations in several directions in the east of Ukraine.
Russia continues to form additional military units in occupied Crimea and in the bordering Rostov Oblast.
⚡️General Staff reports beginning of Russia's offensive in the east.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 18, 2022
Russian forces stepped up offensive and assault operations in several directions in the east of Ukraine. Russia continues to form additional military units in occupied Crimea and in the bordering Rostov Oblast.
Updated
Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff said today that “the second phase of the war has started,” in reference to Russia’s new assault launched in eastern Ukraine, reports Reuters.
Chief of staff Andriy Yermak’s comments are in line with remarks from Ukraine’s top security official, who said earlier today that Russia had launched its new offensive in eastern Ukraine.
“Believe in our army, it is very strong,” wrote Yermak on the Telegram messaging app to assure Ukrainians that Ukraine’s forces could hold off the offensive.
Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Donetsk region killed four people, reported Reuters.
Russian shelling in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region killed four people on Monday, regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said on his Telegram channel.
Russia has intensified attacks on several Ukrainian cities, but says it is concentrating its efforts on securing full control over eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region - made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Updated
An air raid has been declared in almost every region in Ukraine, reports Nexta.
From Nexta via Twitter:
An air-raid alert has been declared in almost all regions of #Ukraine, except for the occupied #Kherson region and #Crimea. pic.twitter.com/YRaSfgWsf1
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 18, 2022
A Ukrainian man was able to track the movement of Russian troops via a pair of Apple AirPods that were stolen from his home, reports the Times.
A Ukrainian man has been able to track the redeployment of Russian troops to the east of the country via a pair of wireless earbuds looted from his home near Kyiv.
Vitaliy Semenets used the “Find my” feature available on Apple products to follow the progress of the stolen Airpod via Bluetooth technology.
The Airpods were taken from Hostomel, 17 miles from Kyiv, towards the beginning of the invasion when Russian forces were attempting to capture the capital.
As Russian troops beat a hasty retreat from Kyiv this month, Semenets traced the devices as they crossed the border into Belarus, eventually ending up near the city of Gomel.
Last week the AirPods had reached Belgorod, a city in Russia where President Putin is massing his troops for an assault on the Donbas.
Read the full article here .
Updated
Ukraine hoping for EU action
Ukraine is hoping to receive candidate country status to join the European Union within weeks, said Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy today, reports AFP.
During a meeting in Kyiv with the EU’s envoy to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, Zelenskiy said:
We believe that we will receive support for this work, become a candidate for admission, and then the next, final stage will begin...
We really believe that this procedure will take place in the coming weeks,” he said, adding that “our people … mentally have been in Europe for a long time.
Zelenskiy also handed in two volumes in response to a membership questionnaire brought by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Ukraine this month.
Updated
Ukrainian authorities said on Monday that Russian missile attacks had killed seven people in Lviv – the first civilian victims in the western city, just 40 miles from the Polish border – and that at least two people had died in shelling in the eastern city of Kharkiv. Russia’s defence ministry has said it had hit hundreds of military targets across Ukraine overnight.
Analysts have said the shelling was designed to undermine the will of the Ukrainian people and weaken defences before a significant military push by Russia to conquer the eastern Donbas region.
Watch a video report from the Guardian here.
Updated
New developments have emerged on the sinking of the Russian ship Moskva.
According to Foreign Policy’s Jack Detsch, a senior US defence official provided updates on the situation, confirming that some Russian sailors did survive the ship’s sinking.
The senior US official also said that Russia has made no efforts to recover the sunken ship.
No nuclear weapons were on the Moskva when it sank, added the senior US official.
Finally, new tidbits on the Moskva. Some Russian sailors survived, others likely perished, and no effort from 🇷🇺 to recover the sunken cruiser.
— Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) April 18, 2022
The U.S. also assesses that NO nuclear weapons were onboard when Moskva sunk. https://t.co/8b1MFilPMm
Updated
Russia’s invasion has damaged up to 30% of Ukraine’s infrastructure, costing the country up to $100bn, reports Reuters.
While officials have not outlined the financial impact that Russia’s war has had, costs have been estimated to about $500bn so far, including damage to roads, homes, and other buildings.
Officials also estimate that 300 bridges on national roads have been destroyed or damaged due to the invasion.
“Practically all components of our transport infrastructure have suffered in one form or another,” said Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksander Kubrakov, to Reuters today.
Kubrakov added that the invasion has affected “20% to 30% of all infrastructure with varying degrees of damage, with different levels of destruction”.
Updated
At least 1,000 civilians are hiding in underground shelters beneath a steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol, reports Reuters.
According to Mariupol’s city council, no fewer than 1,000 civilians are hiding in shelters underneath the Azovstal steel plant.
Mariupol officials added that Russian forces have continued shelling the steel plant, despite civilians taking cover underneath.
French president Emmanuel Macron said today that he has not spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin since the discovery of mass killings carried out by Russian forces, reported Reuters.
Macron was previously in ongoing talks with Putin about Russia withdrawing their forces from Ukraine, and was viewed as a mediator between Russia and the wants of western countries.
Updated
The Ukrainian armed forces general staff have said in an update on Facebook that Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine appears to have started.
Military analysts say Russia is increasing its strikes on weapons factories, railways and other infrastructure targets across Ukraine to wear down the country’s ability to resist a major offensive in the Donbas, whose capture has become the Kremlin’s main goal since its attempt to storm Kyiv failed.
The Russian military has said its missiles struck more than 20 military targets in eastern and central Ukraine in the past day, including ammunition depots, command headquarters and groups of troops and vehicles.
40,000 civilians forcibly deported from Mariupol, mayor claims
The mayor of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol said that about 40,000 civilians had been forcibly moved to Russia or Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, I have to declare that as of today they are forcibly deporting” residents, Vadym Boichenko told Ukrainian television.
“We have verified through the municipal register that they have already deported over 40,000 people.”
Updated
In Britain, a “war cabinet” could be established – in place of a leadership contest to avoid detracting attention from the conflict in Ukraine – if Boris Johnson steps down or is deposed as prime minister, a senior Tory and critic of the British leader has suggested.
Sir Roger Gale said the “interim administration” could be led by the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, who briefly took the reins in 2020 when Johnson was hospitalised with Covid-19.
The veteran Conservative MP previously submitted a letter of no confidence in Johnson, which remains “on the table”, but has since said it is not the right time for a leadership election, given the situation in Ukraine.
Johnson has been facing renewed questions about his leadership after he was fined this month following a police investigation which found that he and others had breached Covid-19 regulations during a gathering at Downing Street.
Updated
Ukrainian forces have used cluster munitions – a type of internationally banned weapon which has been repeatedly used by the Russian military since it invaded Ukraine in February – an investigation by the New York Times has suggested.
It reported that there were not deaths as a result of the strike in Husarivka, an agricultural hamlet in eastern Ukraine where the munitions were believed to have been used, though at least two people were killed as Ukrainian forces shelled it in a bid to dislodge Russian forces.
An adviser to the Ukrainian armed forces and its ministry of defence declined to comment.
Updated
Ukrainian investigators have examined 269 dead bodies in Irpin, near Kyiv, since the town was taken back from Russian forces in late March, a police official told reporters, as workers dug fresh graves on its outskirts.
The town, which had a pre-war population of about 62,000, was one of the main hotspots of fighting with Russian troops before they pulled back from Ukraine’s northern regions to intensify their offensive in the east.
At a cemetery on the outskirts of Irpin, dozens of new graves have been dug and heaped with wreaths.
“As of now, we have inspected 269 dead bodies,” said Serhiy Panteleyev, first deputy head of the police’s main investigation department, at an online briefing which was covered by Reuters.
He said forensic work was ongoing to determine the cause of death for many of the victims, sharing photos of severely charred human remains.
He said seven sites in Irpin where civilians were allegedly shot have been inspected, without giving further details.
Russia denies targeting civilians and has dismissed allegations its troops committed war crimes in occupied areas of Ukraine.
Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian TV editor who interrupted a news broadcast to protest against the Ukraine war, has written a piece for the German newspaper Die Welt in which she says how footage from the Ukrainian town of Bucha changed her mind on the use of sanctions against Russia.
Writing that she would do everything that she could to destroy the propaganda “machine” that she had been part of, she added:
Before the footage emerged of Russian war crimes against Ukrainian citizens in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, I said sanctions should only be imposed on Putin and his family, and that ordinary Russian citizens should not be made to suffer under them.
Since Bucha, I see it differently. I believe there have to be tough sanctions. That all Russians bear the collective guilt. Every one of us. Like the Germans after their crimes in World War II, we are going to have to spend decades begging for forgiveness for what we have done.
Ovsyannikova, who describes herself as “a patriot”, was fined 30,000 roubles (£280) by a court in Moscow in March for the “spontaneous” act of rebellion in which she appeared during the live newscast with a sign saying “No War”.
Updated
Today so far
-
Russia has unleashed a barrage of long-range missiles against Ukraine, in what analysts described as a “softening up” exercise before a major military push by Moscow to conquer the eastern Donbas region.
Four Russian rockets smashed into the western city of Lviv on Monday, killing seven people and injuring at least 11. Three hit military infrastructure. But the fourth appeared to have missed its target and landed in a car repair workshop.
The mayor of Lviv accused the Kremlin of genocide after the attack and said there were no longer any “safe” or “unsafe” areas left in Ukraine. -
Family members of sailors who served onboard the Russian warship Moskva are demanding answers as the ministry has sought to suppress information about what happened to the ship or its estimated 510-strong crew.
The total number of dead, wounded and missing remains a state secret. A number of families have gone public saying they cannot find their sons who were serving onboard. -
Two British fighters captured in Ukraine by Russian forces have been paraded on Russian state TV asking Boris Johnson to help free them, in a dramatic escalation of the propaganda war.
Footage showed Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin calling on the British prime minister to help free them in exchange for Ukraine releasing the pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk. -
Ukraine has vowed that its forces will “fight to the end” in the besieged port city of Mariupol, after a Russian ultimatum for the remaining Ukrainian troops there to surrender expired.
As many as 100,000 people remain in the city, its mayor said on Monday. - Residents of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine have been urged to evacuate immediately. The head of the region’s military administration, Sergei Gaidai, maintained that the “decision is yours” but warned the cemetery was “getting bigger by the day” in a statement late on Sunday.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called for more weapons, describing “every delay” as “permission for Russia to take the lives of Ukrainians”. In his latest address, he appealed to countries to send arms, saying Ukraine’s fate “depends upon them”.
Updated
Russia’s expected major offensive in the east of Ukraine may be beginning, according to Ukrainian authorities. Reuters reports that Ukraine’s armed forces command says Russia is intensifying action in parts of the areas of Kharkov and Donetsk.
In a pointed action on the part of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin has promoted a brigade of Russian troops who were among those reported to have been operating in Bucha, the Ukrainian town where hundreds of civilians were killed and buried in mass graves or left in the streets.
The Guardian’s Moscow correspondent tweets:
Kremlin is not just calling war crimes fake but now promoting the accused. Putin has now awarded the 64th motor rifle brigade the title of “Guards.” It was among the units that was reported to be operating in Bucha. pic.twitter.com/KMYmdjG9I5
— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) April 18, 2022
Bucha has become one of the initial focal points for investigations into war crimes committed by Russian forces.
French forensic science experts arrived in the town, near Kyiv, last week to help Ukrainian authorities establish what happened, while the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, deemed Ukraine “a crime scene” when he visited Bucha.
Updated
A monument to Lenin appears to have been restored in the port city of Henichesk, near Kherson, which is occupied by Russian troops. The statue was cut off just above the knees a few years ago.
In the Kherson region of Ukraine, Russian soldiers have installed the Lenin monument. pic.twitter.com/o1GAPLpTN7
— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) April 18, 2022
It is not clear who restored the statue, though a Belarusian opposition activist suggests it was the work of occupying Russian troops.
The Guardian’s Luke Harding observes that it is a curious move given that, in an essay last summer, Vladimir Putin blamed Lenin for creating Ukraine.
Updated
Family members of the crew of the Moskva, the Russian warship which went down off the coast of Ukraine, have been demanding answers about the fate of their sons, many of whom were conscripts.
One mother, Yulia Tsyvova, only found out this morning that her son died, reports the Guardian’s Pjotr Sauer.
She had been desperately searching for information about her son Andrei and, like hundreds of other Russian families of the crew members, she had not been told whether he had survived the reported Ukrainian missile attack that had sunk the Russian flagship of the Black Sea fleet.
On Monday morning, she received a call from the Russian defence ministry who told her that her son was dead
“He was only 19, he was a conscript,” said Tsyvova, who wept as she spoke by phone. They didn’t tell me anything else, no information on when the funeral would be.”
Updated
More countries are expected to announce contributions to help war-torn Ukraine maintain its government through the World Bank’s multi-donor trust fund and parallel funds this week, according to the World Bank president, David Malpass.
Malpass said the World Bank was working during spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to put together a $3bn package of aid to help Ukraine maintain essential government services.
The situation was “rapidly evolving”, he said, and predicted more bilateral announcements on humanitarian assistance and other aid this week.
Malpass said the bank had quickly disbursed about $600m of an initial $1bn in aid promised for Ukraine, and was working to raise a further $1.5bn in bank funds that still needed to be approved by its board.
“There will be other components making up the $3bn that we originally announced six weeks ago or so,” Malpass said.
Updated
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said that he expects “security support” for Ukraine to increase from the European Union.
The “price of aggression” for Russia needed to be raised, he said in a tweet following his latest talks with the president of Lithuania, one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in the EU.
Continued dialogue with President 🇱🇹 @GitanasNauseda. Informed about the situation on the frontline, the heroic defense of Mariupol. Thanked for the security support. We expect its increase within 🇪🇺. We need to raise the price of aggression for Russia, to strengthen sanctions.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 18, 2022
Updated
Russian authorities have flagged a likely further cut in interest rates and more budget spending to help the economy adapt to biting western sanctions as it heads for its deepest contraction since 1994.
Russia faces soaring inflation and capital flight while grappling with a possible debt default after the west imposed unprecedented sanctions to punish President Vladimir Putin for sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on 24 February.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, said earlier in the day that Russia should use its state budget to support the economy and liquidity when lending activity has waned. The World Bank expects the economy to shrink by more than 11% this year.
Reuters reported that the central bank more than doubled its key interest rate to 20% on 28 February as the first wave of sanctions hit, before trimming it to 17% on 8 April. It is expected to lower it further at the next board meeting on 29 April.
“We must have the possibility to lower the key rate faster,” central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina said.
Updated
Britain’s Prince Harry has said it is “extraordinary” to have a team from Ukraine at the Invictus Games, the sporting event he was involved in founding.
The prince said it is “emotional” to think about their journey to The Hague in the Netherlands for the event, taking place this week, in which wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women compete.
The duke was speaking during an interview that will be broadcast on the BBC on Monday evening. In the clip posted online by the broadcaster, Harry told presenter Alex Jones: “The whole world is definitely behind them. But again, is that enough, you know?
“Because when you get to see them and speak to them, and see in their eyes, the experiences and the things that they’ve seen just in the last few weeks, it’s really hard.”
Team Ukraine is made up of 19 competitors and they have been cheered and applauded by other nations since people started arriving at the Zuiderpark last Friday.
Speaking about their journey to the games, Harry said: “It’s emotional to think that they all jumped in the bus, firstly they have to make the decision to come, which was hard enough anyway, then they jumped on the coach, probably slept all the way.”
“And I think what people need to remember, or perhaps don’t even know yet, is a vast majority of the Ukraine team were serving in some shape or form.
Updated
The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyy, said the Russian missile strikes today hit three military infrastructure facilities and an auto mechanic shop. He said the wounded included a child, and emergency teams battled fires caused by the attack. At least seven people were reported killed.
A hotel sheltering Ukrainians who had fled fighting in other parts of the country was among the buildings badly damaged, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi said.
Associated Press reporters spoke to Lyudmila Turchak, 47, who had fled to Lvivi with two children from the eastern city of Kharkiv. “The nightmare of war has caught up with us even in Lviv. There is no longer anywhere in Ukraine where we can feel safe.”
A powerful explosion was also reported to have rocked Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to a military airbase, according to residents. It was not immediately clear what was hit.
Ukraine’s government has halted civilian evacuations for a second day, saying that Russian forces were shelling and blocking the humanitarian corridors.
Associated Press quotes deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk saying Ukraine had been negotiating passage from cities and towns in eastern and southeastern Ukraine, including Mariupol and other areas in the Donbas. The government of the Luhansk region in the Donbas said four civilians trying to flee were shot and killed by Russian forces.
Vereshchuk said Russia could be prosecuted for war crimes over its refusal to allow civilians to leave Mariupol.
“Your refusal to open these humanitarian corridors will in the future be a reason to prosecute all involved for war crimes,” she wrote on social media.
The Russians, in turn, accused “neo-Nazi nationalists” in Mariupol of hampering the evacuation.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images we have been sent over the newswires from Lviv and Kharkiv, both of which have been the target of missile attacks today.
Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, which is under Russian control, has given an interview in Rome a month after his release.
He told Reuters and the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that he had faced “psychological” but not physical torture when he was captured by Russian forces.
He said he had appealed for help to stop the war when he met Pope Francis and Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Saturday before attending an Easter eve service.
Of his capture and release, he said: “It was a dangerous six days because I understood that for Russians my life and the lives of civilians were worth zero. They wanted to make an example of me about what would happen if we did not agree to what the Russians wanted.
“Russian soldiers assumed that they would be welcomed but they were not … and that is why the Russians were very, very angry.”
He said he was still in touch with people in Melitopol, where the situation was dire. “There is no food in my city. There is no pharmacy. Half of my city is wrecked. More than 200 people have been kidnapped. It is not safe to walk the streets,” he said.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.
Fedorov said he had invited Pope Francis to visit Ukraine, and to intercede with Russian president Vladimir Putin to guarantee humanitarian corridors for Mariupol.
The pope has been a vocal critic of the war in Ukraine, voicing implicit criticism of Russia. Addressing Fedorov and other Ukrainians in the Easter eve service at the weekend, the pope said: “Have courage, we accompany you”.
Updated
A resurgent interest in stamp collecting is one of the unlikelier effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but our Luke Harding has been in Kyiv today seeing for himself the huge queues of people trying to purchase a special commemorative stamp.
It honours the Ukrainian soldier who told an officer on a Russian warship to “go fuck yourself” at the start of the invasion.
Kyiv 16.04.22 A six-hour queue outside the central post off to buy Ukraine's new "Russian warship go f*** yourself" stamp. The most sought after stamp ever and a further indication that #Russia doesn't understand #Ukraine, and won't subjugate it pic.twitter.com/sVjfDYUGJy
— Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968) April 18, 2022
Here's the front of the queue in #Kyiv's independence square pic.twitter.com/Aq2r1v16RS
— Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968) April 18, 2022
Roman Hrybov, the Ukrainian border guard who sent the message, has since been released as part of a prisoner exchange and awarded a medal for his services.
A Russian orthodox priest was fined under Russia’s new military censorship laws after he was denounced to the police by at least one member of his congregation in a central Russian village, the FT’s Polina Ivanova reports.
The case of Father Ioann Burdin – who began his first sermon since the outbreak of war with a promise to pray for the people of Ukraine – is nevertheless at odds with that of the Russian Orthodox Church’s hierarchy, which has thrown its ideological weight behind the Kremlin’s war.
Fr Burdin told the FT that he was treated fairly by his superior, Metropolitan Ferapont, though the two disagreed about whom an Orthodox priest should serve.
“A priest cannot share and preach his personal views, because people expect from him the words of the Church,” the archbishop is reported to have said. When it comes to speaking out against war, Fr Burdin disagreed.
“I serve God, after all,” he said.
The head of the Russian Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, a trusted ally of Vladimir Putin, has declined to condemn the Kremlin’s decision to invade its neighbour, referring to Russia’s opponents in Ukraine as “evil forces”.
In a Sunday sermon in March, he also said gay pride parades organised in the west were part of the reason for the war in Ukraine.
Updated
Putin claims sanctions on Russia is 'own goal' by west
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has said that western countries had scored an own goal by imposing sanctions against Russia over Ukraine that he said had led to a “deterioration of the economy in the west”.
Speaking on the state of Russia’s domestic economy, Putin was reported by Reuters to have said that inflation was stabilising and that retail demand in the country had normalised.
Russia’s services sector has suffered the worst slump in activity since the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 as consumers and businesses cancelled orders amid increasingly severe western sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine.
A closely watched business survey showed earlier this month that new orders during March dived as restrictions on imports and exports began to bite and inflation raised the price of services at the fastest rate on record.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says sanctions imposed on Russia by "unfriendly countries" have "impacted businesses" and "complicated the logistics of foreign and domestic supplies".
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 18, 2022
Latest: https://t.co/X3flQUBL0r
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/TXLjrsJaeZ
Updated
Sergei Markov, a Moscow-based political commentator and former close adviser to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has claimed on the BBC that the Russian warship, Moskva, sank after it was hit by a Nato missile that was moved to Ukraine in January.
He admitted during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme that the loss of the ship was a failure on the part of the Russian military but that this was because Russia was fighting not only Ukraine but “a coalition” of big states including the US.
The Russian defence ministry has released little information about how the ship sank, claiming the damage to the boat was sustained in an accident onboard.
The Ukrainian government, along with western intelligence officials, say the ship was hit by several Ukrainian anti-ship missiles.
Updated
The mayor of Lviv has accused the Kremlin of genocide after four Russian missiles smashed into the western Ukrainian city on Monday, killing seven people and injuring at least 11.
Andriy Sadovyi said there were no longer any safe areas left in Ukraine. “What we see today is genocide. It’s a deliberate action by the aggressor to kill peaceful civilians,” he said, adding: “All our cities and villages are in the same situation.”
Russia carried out a number of lethal long-range airstrikes early on Monday against what it claimed were military targets. The attacks came amid expectations of a major offensive by Moscow over the coming days in the east and the industrial Donbas region.
Sadovyi said one of the rockets struck a Lviv garage and tyre repair workshop, killing four people. Others were injured including a child, with two adults critically hurt. Nearby windows were blown out including in a school, he said. Read more here.
Updated
Military analysts consulted by the Guardian say images purporting to show the Russian cruiser Moskva shortly before the ship sank in the Black Sea looked consistent with the vessel but that the photographs would require independent confirmation.
The source of photos and the video is unknown and it was first brought to public attention by open source intelligence researchers following the Russian war in Ukraine.
In the images, a plume of black smoke is seen rising from the heavily damaged Moskva, which was reported to have been hit by a Ukrainian missile strike last week.
The images show that the ship’s lifeboats have been deployed and there are no sailors visible on deck, suggesting the ship may have been abandoned. In the images, the Moskva is listing to port as two fire-hoses shoot streams of water into the air.
A three-second video filmed from a nearby ship appears to show a rescue tug approaching the burning Moskva. The short recording ends abruptly as a man nearby yells: “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I believe the video is real. What we see shape, size. It is the Moskva,” Yörük Işık, a journalist and expert ship spotter who photographs Russian warships travelling through the Bosphorus , told the Guardian. Read more here.
Updated
An independent Russian news site, Mediazona, will not comply with censorship requirements, its editor Sergey Smirnov has said in a clip posted on Twitter by the outlet.
Like many Russian-language news outlets, the outlet 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.
However, they would face fines and possibly prison if they were to take the courser of action announced, according to the FT’s Moscow bureau chief, Max Seddon.
Mediazona was founded by the activists and members of Pussy Riot, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, after their release from prison.
Видите ДАННОЕ СООБЩЕНИЕ? А его и нет. С сегодняшнего дня мы больше не ставим этот «иноагентский» ярлык ни на сайте, ни в соцсетях.https://t.co/YhVcvNLYA7 pic.twitter.com/mEBvf7dvSw
— Медиазона (@mediazzzona) April 18, 2022
Updated
The family of a former British Army soldier captured by Russian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol have called on his captors to treat him as a prisoner of war in accordance with international rules.
In a statement released by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the family of Shaun Pinner explained how he became involved in the defence of Ukraine, which they said he considers “his adopted country”.
The statement read: “Shaun was a well-respected soldier within the British Army serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment for many years. He served in many tours including Northern Ireland and with the United Nations in Bosnia.”
Pinner, 48, was paraded on Russian television at the weekend and said he had been fighting alongside Ukrainian marines when Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded nearly eight weeks ago.
Pinner, who appeared tired in the video, said he had been fighting in the besieged city for five to six weeks but was now in the breakaway region of Donetsk.
The statement released by his family added: “In 2018 Shaun decided to relocate to Ukraine to use his previous experience and training within the Ukraine military.”
“Shaun enjoyed the Ukrainian way of life and considered Ukraine as his adopted country over the last four years. During this time, he met his Ukrainian wife, who is very focused on the humanitarian needs of the country.
“He progressed into the Ukrainian Marines as a proud member of his unit.”
The statement continued: “We would like to make it clear he is not a volunteer nor a mercenary, but officially serving with the Ukrainian Army in accordance with Ukrainian legislation.
It added that the family was working with the British government along with the family of Aiden Aslin – another Briton who was fighting with the Ukrainian army and who was paraded on Russian media after surrendering to the Russian military last week – to ensure their rights as prisoners of war are upheld according to the Geneva conventions.
They described Pinner as “funny, much-loved, well-intentioned” and said they hoped for a quick resolution to allow the captured men to return to their families.
“Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this horrific conflict,” the statement concluded.
Updated
Captured Britons on Russian state TV ask to be exchanged
Two British fighters captured in Ukraine by Russian forces have appeared on Russian state TV and asked to be exchanged for a pro-Russian politician who is being held by the Ukrainian authorities.
It was unclear how freely the two men – Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin – were able to talk.
Both spoke after being prompted by an unidentified man, Reuters reports. Both asked the UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, to help bring them home in exchange for Ukraine releasing Viktor Medvedchuk, the oligarch and opposition politician who was arrested last week.
The Kremlin last week turned down Ukraine’s offer of a prisoner exchange for Medvedchuk, Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Ukraine, who was arrested on in what was described as a “lightning-fast and dangerous” operation.
Separately, Ukraine’s security services is reported to have released a video of Medvedchuk asking for Putin to exchange him for Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week suggested exchanging him for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
“If Medvedchuk himself chose a military uniform, he is subject to the laws of war. I’m offering Russia to swap this guy of yours for our guys in Russian captivity. Therefore, it’s important that our law enforcement agencies and the military also consider such a possibility,” he said, after posting an image on Telegram of Medvedchuk.
It’s Ben Quinn here on the blog. You can flag up any breaking news developments that we should be aware of on email or by twitter at @BenQuinn75
Updated
Kremlin critical of Ukraine's approach to peace talks
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has criticised Ukraine’s approach to peace talks. In his regular briefing to the media, Reuters reports that he said:
Contacts continue at an expert level within the framework of the negotiation process. Unfortunately the Ukrainian side is not consistent in terms of the points that have been agreed. It is often changing its position and the trend of the negotiating process leaves much to be desired.
Peskov also said during the call that there was still time for so-called “unfriendly” countries to switch to payments for gas in roubles. He decline to specify how many countries had agreed to do so. At the end of March, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree demanding foreign buyers pay for gas in the Russian currency or else have their supplies cut.
Updated
Today so far …
- At least seven people were killed and 11 wounded in missile strikes in different areas of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, according to the regional governor. Images show smoke billowing across the city and firefighters tackling blazes.
- Overnight Russian forces claim to have attacked 315 Ukrainian targets across the country, destroying four arms and military equipment depots with Iskander missiles, and shooting down three planes and 11 drones. None of the claims have been independently verified.
- Ukraine and Russia have failed to agree about humanitarian convoys for the evacuation of civilians from war-affected areas for the second day.
- Ukraine has vowed that its forces will “fight to the end” in the besieged port city of Mariupol, after a Russian ultimatum for the remaining Ukrainian troops there to surrender expired.
- Russian troops said they will close the city for entry and exit on Monday and issue “movement passes” to those who remain, according to an adviser to the mayor.
- Russian central bank governor Elvira Nabiullinasaid Russia plans to take legal action over the blocking of gold, forex and assets belonging to Russian residents.
- Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has said 200,000 people risk losing their jobs in the Russian capital because foreign companies have suspended operations or decided to leave the Russian market.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called for more weapons, describing “every delay” as “permission for Russia to take the lives of Ukrainians”. In his latest address, he appealed to countries to send arms, saying Ukraine’s fate “depends upon them”.
- Zelenskiy also claimed in the address that the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine’s south were being transferred to “the rouble zone” and subordinated to Russian administration.
- Zelenskiy maintained Ukraine is not willing to give up territory in the east in order to end the war with Russia and acknowledged that the battle could influence the entire course of the war.
- Zelenskiy said he has invited Emmanuel Macron to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed “genocide”, a term the French president has avoided using.
- Ukraine has completed a questionnaire that will form a starting point for the European Union to decide on its membership.
- Unverified photos and a video clip claiming to show the Russian warship Moskva moments after it was reportedly hit by a Ukrainian Neptune missile have surfaced online.
That is it from me, Martin Belam for now. I will be back later. In the meantime I am handing over to my colleague Ben Quinn.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images that have been sent to us of the scenes in Lviv this morning. City mayor Andriy Sadovy said five missiles struck the city in western Ukraine. At least six people were killed and eight wounded in missile strikes in different areas of the city, according to the governor.
Russian forces claim to have attacked 315 Ukrainian targets across the country overnight, destroying four arms and military equipment depots with Iskander missiles, and shooting down three planes and 11 drones. None of the claims have been independently verified.
Updated
Two brief pieces of financial news emerging from Russia at the moment, both related to the impact of sanctions applied to the country.
Central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina said Russia plans to take legal action over the blocking of gold, forex and assets belonging to Russian residents, adding that such a step would need to be painstakingly thought through and legally justified.
Reuters reports foreign sanctions have frozen about $300bn of around $640bn that Russia had in its gold and foreign exchange reserves when it launched its latest invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
On the domestic front, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has said about 200,000 people risk losing their jobs in the Russian capital because foreign companies have suspended operations or decided to leave the Russian market.
Sobyanin wrote on his blog that Moscow authorities are ready to support people who lose their jobs by providing training and temporary and socially important work.
Updated
No humanitarian corridors in Ukraine for second consecutive day
Ukraine and Russia have failed to agree about humanitarian convoys for the evacuation of civilians from war-affected areas for the second day, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Reuters reports Vereshchuk posted on the Telegram app that “for security reasons, it was decided not to open humanitarian corridors today”.
Updated
Earlier we had some unverified still images that purported to be of the Russian flagship Moskva, moments after a fire had started onboard [see 7.22am].
Alec Luhn, who has covered Russia in the past for us, has just shared a three-second video clip that appears to show that same ship in distress – listing to one side and with flames appearing visible inside and out. The footage has not been independently verified.
The 1st video of the Moskva missile cruiser before it sank, if photos posted last night are accurate. It was listing to one side & on fire inside & out, with the area around the bridge burning intensely from what Ukraine says was 2 missile strikes pic.twitter.com/0QpI1tzOrI
— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) April 18, 2022
Updated
Here are a couple of images of the smoke rising in Lviv from Russian missile strikes that have been sent over the newswires. Lviv is in the far west of Ukraine, near the border with Poland.
The mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi has given more details of this morning’s Russian missile attack.
He says one of the rockets hit a car repair workshop in the western city. Six people were killed in the latest strikes, with 11 injured, including a child, he tweeted.
About 40 cars were damaged and destroyed, he added, posting a photo of the charred remains of one vehicle.
The mayor said the shockwave shattered the windows of a nearby hotel. It was being used by Ukrainians evacuated from other areas.
Одна з ракет поцілила у цивільний об’єкт — шиномонтаж.
— Андрій Садовий (@AndriySadovyi) April 18, 2022
Попередньо загинуло 6 людей.
11 поранено, серед них 1 дитина.
Пошкоджено або знищено близько 40 автомобілів.
Від ударної хвилі розбиті вікна в готелі поблизу. В ньому живуть евакуйовані українці. pic.twitter.com/HgqoiR05Yv
Updated
Six killed in missile strikes on Lviv – regional governor
Six people were killed and eight wounded in missile strikes on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv this morning, regional governor Maksym Kozystkiy said.
Reuters reports he said that three missiles hit military infrastructure facilities, while one struck a car tire replacement facility.
The RIA News agency is carrying a series of claims from the Russian military. They say:
- Artillery hit 18 command posts in Ukraine overnight.
- Russian troops destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities.
- Russian air forces destroyed eight Ukrainian armoured vehicles and up to a company of manpower.
- Russian air defences shot down three Ukrainian planes and 11 drones.
The Russian state news agency Tass is carrying a statement from the Russian defence ministry saying that Russian forces hit 315 Ukrainian targets in total overnight. They say it destroyed four arms and military equipment depots in Ukraine with Iskander missiles.
None of the claims have been independently verified.
Updated
Lesia Vasylenko, a lawyer and Ukrainian MP, has tweeted this unverified image of damage in Lviv. She says this was caused by Russian missiles that were targeting the railway station and storage units.
#Lviv one hour ago. At least 5 #Russia missiles hit the Western city. Train station and storage units were targeted. pic.twitter.com/rzMEbcs70z
— Lesia Vasylenko (@lesiavasylenko) April 18, 2022
- This is Martin Belam taking over the blog for the next few hours. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
Updated
Today so far
- Unconfirmed reports are filtering in that five missiles struck Lviv early this morning. “Five aimed missile strikes on Lviv,” the Lviv mayor, Andriy Sadovy, said in an update over his official Telegram account this morning, adding that authorities are seeking more detailed information.
- Ukraine has vowed that its forces will “fight to the end” in the besieged port city of Mariupol, after a Russian ultimatum for the remaining Ukrainian troops there to surrender expired.
- Russian troops said they will close the city for entry and exit on Monday and issue “movement passes” to those who remain, according to an adviser to the mayor.
- Residents of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine have been urged to evacuate immediately. The head of the regions military administration, Sergei Gaidai, maintained that the “decision is yours” but warned the cemetery was “getting bigger by the day” in a statement late on Sunday.
- Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has called for more weapons, describing “every delay” as “permission for Russia to take the lives of Ukrainians”. In his latest address, he appealed to countries to send arms, saying Ukraine’s fate “depends upon them”.
- Zelenskiy also claimed in the address that the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine’s south were being transferred to “the rouble zone” and subordinated to Russian administration. The Ukrainian president said Russia’s actions in the territories were following the example of the self-proclaimed republics of the DPR and LPR.
- Ukraine has completed a questionnaire that will form a starting point for the European Union to decide on its membership. “Today, I can say that the document has been completed by the Ukrainian side,” Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, told the Ukrainian public broadcaster on Sunday evening. “We expect the recommendation … to be positive, and then the ball will be on the side of the EU member states.”
- A second British soldier fighting with the Ukrainian army was paraded on Russian television after being captured in Mariupol. Shaun Pinner, 48, said he had been fighting alongside Ukrainian marines when Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded nearly eight weeks ago.
-
A fresh series of Russian airstrikes came as a reminder this weekend that the war in the Ukrainian capital is far from over, despite signs of more normal life returning to the streets in recent days.
- An unverified photo claiming to show the Russian warship Moskva moments after it was reportedly hit by a Ukrainian Neptune missile has surfaced online. The source of the image is unclear and the Guardian has not been able to immediately verify its authenticity.
- Zelenskiy said he has invited French president Emmanuel Macron to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed “genocide”, a term Macron has avoided using.
- Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskiy urged US president Joe Biden to visit Ukraine and reiterated that he is not willing to cede territory in the country’s east to end war with Russia. Zelenskiy said he was “hopeful” Biden would make the trip.
- The president of the European Commission has urged member states to supply Ukraine with weapons systems “quickly” and suggested that a next round of EU sanctions could target Russia’s powerful Sberbank.
- The International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said she had a “very good call” with Ukraine’s president. She added: “Continued economic support by Ukraine’s partners is essential to lay the foundations for rebuilding a modern competitive Ukraine.”
- The United Nations refugee agency said 4,869,019 Ukrainians had left the country since Russia invaded in February – up 32,574 from Saturday’s total, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ chief, Filippo Grandi, said on Sunday.
- Oleg Synegubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, said Ukrainian forces were successfully pushing the Russians back to the east of the city and that several villages were liberated.
- At least two people were killed and four injured on Sunday in the shelling of the eastern Ukrainian town of Zolote, the local governor said.
- Zelenskiy maintained Ukraine is not willing to give up territory in the east in order to end the war with Russia and acknowledged that the battle could influence the entire course of the war.
That’s all from me, Samantha Lock, for today. I will now pass you over to my colleague, Martin Belam.
Updated
More details are emerging from Lviv this morning.
CNN correspondent Jim Sciutto shared a photo purporting to show smoke rising on the city skyline.
“Five missile strikes on Lviv this morning. Smoke visible rising above the city,” he tweeted.
Fox reporter James Levinson added: “Black smoke seen from train station 4 reported missile strikes at Lviv train station no reports of casualties or damage yet. Can hear air raid sirens and ambulance in background.”
5 missile strikes on Lviv with smoke rising from a few locations. No details of what was targeted yet or how many casualties pic.twitter.com/Q0ifaBELxc
— Olga Lautman 🇺🇦 (@OlgaNYC1211) April 18, 2022
💥 Львов. Несмотря на запреты на съемку, местные жители публикуют видео ракетных ударов, которые были нанесены по местам дислокации иностранных военных инструкторов. Мэр Львова Андрей Садовый заявил о пяти ракетных ударах pic.twitter.com/svBkC4vER7
— Alexander Bunin (@abunin) April 18, 2022
Five missile strikes on Lviv this morning. Smoke visible rising above the city. pic.twitter.com/WHSa3eSRzd
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) April 18, 2022
BREAKING: Black smoke seen from train station 4 reported missile strikes at Lviv train station no reports of casualties or damage yet. Can hear air raid sirens and ambulance in background pic.twitter.com/EN04bhTolv
— James Levinson (@james_levinson) April 18, 2022
Updated
Lviv’s head of regional military administration, Maksym Kozytsky, has urged residents to seek shelter amid reports of missile strikes in the region.
“The air alarm continues. Stay in the shelters,” Kozytsky said in a Telegram post around 8.30am this morning.
Updated
An unverified photo claiming to show the Russian warship Moskva moments after it was reportedly hit by a Ukrainian Neptune missile has surfaced online.
The source of the image is unclear, and the Guardian has not been able to immediately verify its authenticity.
The Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, said he believes the unverified photo may be the first of the Moskva cruiser to emerge after it was reportedly struck by a missile.
Rob Lee, a PhD student at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, tweeted: “Looks like a legit photo of the Moskva after it was struck by Ukrainian Neptun[e] anti-ship missiles.”
OSINTtechnical, an account that shares open-source intelligence information, wrote: “I can’t verify the authenticity, but this is a Slava class cruiser and I don’t think any of them have been destroyed in this manner.”
Unverified photo may be the first of the Moskva cruiser that sank after reportedly being hit by a Ukrainian Neptune missile. https://t.co/F2CvK9I440
— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) April 17, 2022
And another https://t.co/yMYBuV0omP
— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) April 17, 2022
Five missiles strike Lviv, mayor reports
Five missiles have reportedly struck Lviv, according to the city’s mayor.
“5 aimed missile strikes on Lviv,” Andriy Sadovy said in an update over his official Telegram account this morning, adding that authorities are seeking more detailed information.
Presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, added: “Five powerful missile strikes on the civilian infrastructure of ancient European Lviv. The Russians continue to barbarically attack Ukrainian cities from the air, cynically declaring to the whole world their ‘right’ ... to kill Ukrainians.”
‼️5 прицільних ракетних ударів по Львову.
— Андрій Садовий (@AndriySadovyi) April 18, 2022
Відповідні служби вже виїхали на місце.
Детальнішу інформацію з‘ясовуємо
Відразу п'ять потужних ракетних ударів по цивільній інфраструктурі старовинного європейського Львова. Росіяни продовжують варварськи атакувати з повітря українські міста, цинічно на весь світ заявляючи про своє «право»... вбивати українців.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) April 18, 2022
Updated
Russian forces are “completing the creation of an offensive group” in the east and have regained combat capability and replenished their reserves in the Donetsk and Tavriya regions, Ukraine’s military has said.
According to a recently released operational report from the general staff of the armed forces, on the Donetsk and Tavriya regions, Russian forces have regained combat capability and replenished their reserves while concentrating their main efforts in the areas of the settlements of Lyman, Kreminna, Popasna and Rubizhne, trying to establish full control over the city of Mariupol.
It is also expected that Russian forces “will continue to fight to reach the administrative borders of the Kherson region,” officials said.
In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukraine repulsed 12 Russian attacks, destroyed ten tanks, fifteen armoured units and five vehicles, as well as five enemy artillery systems, according to the report. The Ukrainian air force hit five air targets: one plane, three helicopters and one UAV, it added.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged US president Joe Biden to visit Ukraine.
“I think he will,” Zelenskiy said when asked if he was aware of any plans for a US presidential visit during an extended interview with CNN broadcast on Sunday. “But it’s his decision, of course, and [it] depends on the safety situation, of course. But I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he should come here to see.”
Biden told reporters on Thursday that the US would decide soon whether to send a senior official to Ukraine as a show of support, but sources suggested to Reuters the administration was considering defence secretary Lloyd Austin or Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Zelenskiy comments came after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv last weekend.
On Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, said in an interview that Biden had no visit scheduled.
Delay in weapons from west gives Russia 'permission to take the lives of Ukrainians': Zelenskiy
In his nightly national address, Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy called for more weapons, describing “every delay” as “permission for Russia to take the lives of Ukrainians”.
We are doing everything to ensure defence. We are in constant contact with partners. We are grateful to those who really help with everything they can. But those who have the weapons and ammunition we need and delay their provision must know that the fate of this battle also depends on them. The fate of people who can be saved.
The 53rd day of the war is over, and we have been waiting for answers to some points in our weapons inquiries for 53 days. And some answers are formulated so that delivery can begin only in May.
I speak directly in such cases: every delay in weapons, every political delay is a permission for Russia to take the lives of Ukrainians. This is how Russia interprets it. That should not be the case in reality.”
Updated
In the wake of Russia’s censorship of independent news media and the banning of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, the messaging app Telegram has become the largest remaining outlet for unrestricted information, the New York Times reports.
Since the war started, it has been the most downloaded app in Russia, with about 4.4m downloads, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, the publication cited.
“This is one of the few channels that are left where you can receive information,” Russian journalist Farida Rustamova told the outlet.
Ilya Shepelin, who used to cover the media for the now-shuttered independent TV channel Rain and has established a blog critical of the war, added: “Telegram is the only place in Russia where people can exchange opinions and information freely, although the Kremlin has worked hard to infiltrate Telegram channels.”
Charred houses, cratered lawns and an epic clean-up. This is the scene described by Guardian correspondent, Luke Harding, reporting to us from Chernihiv, about 150km north-east of Kyiv.
Russian forces advancing from Belarus bombarded the city during a traumatic 25-day siege. Several hundred people died. A couple of shells landed in front of Chernihiv’s gold-domed St Catherine’s church, one of an ensemble of ancient buildings dating back to Kyivan Rus, Ukraine’s original medieval dynasty.
Across swathes of territory vacated by Russia’s armed forces a great clean-up is under way. Homeowners are now tidying up and counting the cost of a devastating month-long occupation. Ukrainian army sappers collected left-behind munitions and defused mines – a vast ongoing job.
Read the full story below.
Ukraine begins process to join EU
Ukraine has completed a questionnaire which will form a starting point for the European Union to decide on its membership.
“Today, I can say that the document has been completed by the Ukrainian side,” Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, told the Ukrainian public broadcaster on Sunday evening.
The European Commission will need to issue a recommendation on Ukraine’s compliance with the necessary membership criteria, he added.
“We expect the recommendation ... to be positive, and then the ball will be on the side of the EU member states.”
Zhovkva added that Ukraine expects to acquire the status of a candidate country for EU accession in June during a scheduled meeting of the European Council meeting.
The European Council is to meet June 23-24th, according to the Council’s schedule on its website.
“Next, we will need to start accession talks. And once we hold those talks, we can already talk about Ukraine’s full membership in the EU,” Zhovkva said.
Mariupol fighters ignore surrender demand
Ukraine has vowed that its forces will “fight to the end” in the besieged port city of Mariupol, after a Russian ultimatum for the remaining Ukrainian troops there to surrender expired.
Moscow is edging closer to full control of the city in what would be its biggest prize since it invaded Ukraine in February. Relentless bombardment and street fighting have left much of the city pulverised, killing at least 21,000 people by Ukrainian estimates.
“The city still has not fallen,” the prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said hours after Moscow’s deadline for fighters holed up and surrounded in a sprawling, fortress-like steelworks to surrender passed. “There’s still our military forces, our soldiers. So they will fight to the end,” he told ABC.
The fall of Mariupol, the largest trading port in the Sea of Azov – from which Ukraine exports grain, iron, steel and heavy machinery – would be an economic blow to Kyiv and a symbolic and strategic victory for Russia, connecting territory it holds in Donbas with the Crimea region it annexed in 2014.
The situation is “very difficult” in Mariupol, Zelenskiy told the Ukrayinska Pravda news portal. “Our soldiers are blocked; the wounded are blocked. There is a humanitarian crisis … Nevertheless, the guys are defending themselves.”
Russia gave remaining Ukrainian soldiers a 6am Moscow time (3am GMT) deadline to lay down their arms and a 1pm (10am GMT) deadline to evacuate, which passed without any sign of compliance by Ukrainian fighters holed up in the smouldering Azovstal steelworks.
Russian forces to close Mariupol and introduce pass system for entry and exit, mayor's adviser says
Following the refusal of Ukrainian fighters to surrender the city of Mariupol, Russian troops will reportedly close the city for entry and exit on Monday and issue “movement passes” to those who remain, an adviser to the mayor has said.
Petro Andriushchenko made the claim in an update over the Telegram messaging app on Sunday, sharing a photo that appeared to show a line of people waiting for passes.
“Hundreds of citizens have to stand in line to get a pass, without which next week it will be impossible not only to move between districts of the city, but also to be on the streets,” he said.
Andriushchenko suggested that occupying forces were probably gathering information on, or filtering through, those who remain in the city.
In a separate update written on Saturday, Andriushchenko said Russian forces announced the city would be “closed for entry/exit for everyone from Monday, but there will also be a ban on moving around the districts for a week.”
The Guardian has not been able to independently verify these claims.
Updated
Luhansk residents urged to evacuate immediately
Residents of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine have been urged to evacuate immediately.
The head of head of the regions military administration, Sergei Gaidai, maintained that the “decision is yours” but warned the cemetery was “getting bigger by the day”.
“Next week may be difficult. [This] may be the last time we still have a chance to save you,” the head of the Luhansk regional military administration Sergei Gaidai said in a statement late on Sunday.
The decision is yours. Those who take risks every day are already on the verge.
An empty evacuation bus is a disrespect to the lives of a police officer, rescuer, volunteer and many more.
Have you seen the new Severodonetsk cemetery?! Getting bigger by the day... We don’t want to dig graves, we want to live and develop! Make that decision. This week can solve a lot.”
Ukraine’s armed forces have been preparing themselves for a brutal Russian offensive in the region predicted for the coming weeks.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments until my colleague, Martin Belam, takes the reins a little later in the day.
It is just past 7am in Ukraine. Here’s what we know so far:
- Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for more weapons, describing “every delay” as “permission for Russia to take the lives of Ukrainians”. In his latest address, he appealed to countries to send arms, saying Ukraine’s fate “depends upon them”.
- Zelenskiy also claimed in the address that the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine’s south were being transferred to “the ruble zone” and subordinated to Russian administration. The Ukrainian president said Russia’s actions in the territories were following the example of the so-called separatist republics of the DPR and LPR.
- Ukraine has completed a questionnaire which will form a starting point for the European Union to decide on its membership. “Today, I can say that the document has been completed by the Ukrainian side,” Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, told the Ukrainian public broadcaster on Sunday evening. “We expect the recommendation ... to be positive, and then the ball will be on the side of the EU member states.”
- Ukraine has vowed that its forces will “fight to the end” in the besieged port city of Mariupol, after a Russian ultimatum for the remaining Ukrainian troops there to surrender expired.
- A second British soldier fighting with the Ukrainian army was paraded on Russian television after being captured in Mariupol. Shaun Pinner, 48, said he had been fighting alongside Ukrainian marines when Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded nearly eight weeks ago.
-
A fresh series of Russian airstrikes came as a reminder this weekend that the war in the Ukrainian capital is far from over, despite signs of more normal life returning to the streets in recent days.
- An unverified photo claiming to show the Russian warship Moskva moments after it was reportedly hit by a Ukrainian Neptune missile has surfaced online. The source of the image is unclear and the Guardian has not been able to immediately verify its authenticity.
- Zelenskiy said he has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed “genocide”, a term Macron has avoided using.
- Earlier on Sunday Zelenskiy urged US president Joe Biden to visit Ukraine and reiterated that he is not willing to cede territory in the country’s east to end war with Russia. Zelenskiy said he was “hopeful” Biden would make the trip.
- The president of the European Commission has urged member states to supply Ukraine with weapons systems “quickly” and suggested that a next round of EU sanctions could target Russia’s powerful Sberbank.
- The International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said she had a “very good call” with Ukraine’s president. She added: “Continued economic support by Ukraine’s partners is essential to lay the foundations for rebuilding a modern competitive Ukraine.”
- The United Nations refugee agency said 4,869,019 Ukrainians had left the country since Russia invaded in February – up 32,574 from Saturday’s total, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees chief, Filippo Grandi’s, said on Sunday.
- Oleg Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv regional administration, said Ukrainian forces were successfully pushing the Russians back to the east of the city and that several villages were liberated.
- At least two people were killed and four injured on Sunday in the shelling of the eastern Ukrainian town of Zolote, the local governor said.
-
Zelenskiy maintained Ukraine is not willing to give up territory in the east in order to end the war with Russia and acknowledged that the battle could influence the entire course of the war.
As usual, please feel free to reach out to me by email or Twitter for any tips or feedback.
