Russia-Ukraine latest news: Britain to step up supply of artillery weapons to Ukraine, says Boris Johnson

Britain will give more artillery weapons to Ukraine as the conflict with Russia moves into a new phase, Boris Johnson said today.

“This will become an artillery conflict, they need support with more artillery, that is what we will be giving them… in addition to many other forms of support,” the Prime Minister told the House of Commons.

“The urgency is even greater now because Putin has regrouped his forces and launched a new offensive in the Donbas. We knew this danger would come,” Mr Johnson added.

Earlier today, Russian troops appeared to seize control of the eastern city of Kreminna, the first to fall in Russia’s efforts to take control of the Donbas region.

Russia’s defence minister said that Moscow was seeking to “liberate” eastern Ukraine as it launched its new offensive.

​​Follow the latest updates below.

05:26 PM

Mariupol may fall within days, says European official

The port of Mariupol could fall to Russian forces within days, a European official said today, adding that it may suffer more than the town of Bucha, where Russian forces have been accused of atrocities that the Kremlin has denied.

05:17 PM

Lithuania bans displays of letter ‘Z’ and other pro-invasion symbols

Lithuania’s parliament has voted to ban public displays of the letter “Z”, the black and orange ribbon of St George, and other symbols seen as expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Russian military vehicles in Ukraine are prominently marked with the letter “Z”, and it has started appearing on social media and on clothing elsewhere in support of the war.

Meanwhile the ribbon of St George, first introduced as an honour by Catherine the Great, has gained significance in the Russian-speaking world since separatists in eastern Ukraine adopted it as a symbol of their support for Russia in 2014.

Lawmakers approved that fines for breaching the ban should be raised to 900 euros ($827) for persons and up to 1,500 euros for companies.

05:07 PM

Italy says Western leaders agreed to step up pressure on Moscow

Western leaders agreed on the need to put more pressure on Russia and to increase Moscow’s international isolation following its invasion of Ukraine, an Italian government statement said today.

The leaders – including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – shared “deep concern” for the prolonged hostilities in Ukraine and said a swift ceasefire was needed.

“There was broad consensus on the need to step up pressure on the Kremlin, including by adopting further sanctions, and to increase Moscow’s international isolation,” Rome’s statement said after a video call among the leaders.

It added that they reiterated a commitment to diversify energy supplies in order to decrease dependence on Russia.

05:00 PM

Japan trebles loans to Ukraine to $300 million

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during a video call with US President Joe Biden and other leaders that Tokyo now plans to extend $300 million in loans to Ukraine, up from an original offer of $100 million.

Earlier on Tuesday, Japan said it would provide Ukraine with protective masks and hazmat suits to be used against chemical weapons, as well as drones for surveillance use.

04:56 PM

PM: West must fortify Ukraine so Russia will ‘never dare to invade again’

Outlining actions taken over the Easter recess, Boris Johnson said on April 12 in a call to US President Joe Biden he “proposed that our long-term goal must be to strengthen and fortify Ukraine to the point where Russia will never dare to invade again”.

04:53 PM

Boris Johnson: Britain to send more artillery weapons to Ukraine

Britain will give more artillery weapons to Ukraine as the conflict with Russia moves into a new phase, Boris Johnson confirmed today.

“This will become an artillery conflict, they need support with more artillery, that is what we will be giving them … in addition to many other forms of support,” the Prime Minister told the House of Commons.

04:46 PM

Czech arms firms to repair damaged Ukrainian tanks

Czech firms will repair Ukrainian tanks and armoured vehicles damaged in combat following a request from Kyiv, the Czech defence ministry said today.

Subsidiaries of the Czechoslovak Group (CSG), a giant civil and defence industrial manufacturer, will repair Soviet-era T-64 tanks used by the Ukrainian military and then move on to repair armoured vehicles.

“The Czech Republic is the first partner country that the Ukrainian side has officially approached for cooperation in repairing ground weapons which need to be put into service or were damaged during combat,” Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said.

According to Czech media reports, Prague sent trainloads of T-72 tanks and Soviet-made armoured vehicles to Kyiv to fight the invading Russian army.

04:31 PM

Russian media say 120 civilians have left besieged Mariupol steelworks

About 120 civilians living next to the Azovstal steelworks in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol have left via humanitarian corridors, the Russian news agency Interfax reported today, quoting state TV.

Russia’s defence ministry said earlier it had opened up a corridor for Ukrainian forces who wanted to take up a Russian offer to lay down their arms and leave safely.

04:26 PM

African Union urges dialogue in call with Lavrov

African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat told Russia that international law must be respected in the war in Ukraine and appealed for dialogue to end the conflict.

Mr Faki, who heads the executive branch of the pan-African body, said on Twitter that he had received a phone call from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“I stressed for the need to respect international law and urged for dialogue for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” he said in a brief post.

His comments came after Mr Lavrov acknowledged “another phase” of the conflict was beginning as Moscow launched dozens of air strikes across eastern Ukraine overnight.

The African Union was swift to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, with Mr Faki and the bloc’s current chair, Senegalese President Maki Sall, saying the situation risked escalating into a “planetary conflict”.

04:11 PM

Biden, Johnson and other Western leaders hold video call on Ukraine

US President Joe Biden convened a virtual meeting of allies today to discuss the Ukraine conflict, the White House said, after Kyiv announced Russia had launched a major new offensive in the country’s east.

The meeting, announced on Biden’s schedule, “is part of our regular coordination with allies and partners in support of Ukraine,” an official told AFP.

The videoconference began off just before 2pm and brought together the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Romania, Poland, Italy, Canada and Japan.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg also took part in the call, as well as the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, according to the White House.

The meeting was to address “efforts to hold Russia accountable,” the White House said.

03:59 PM

US: Russian operations ‘prelude’ to bigger offensive

The United States sees ongoing Russian activity in eastern Ukraine as a prelude to a much larger offensive in the country, a senior US defence official said today.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Russia was still adding to its military capabilities to prepare for the new offensive, introducing an additional two battalion tactical groups (BTG) in the past 24 hours to bring to the total number of Russian BTGs in the country to 78.

03:52 PM

Ukraine says Mariupol tragedy ‘complicates’ peace efforts

Ukraine’s lead negotiator said it was hard to predict when peace talks might resume because of Russia’s siege of Mariupol and what he portrayed as Moscow’s desire to strengthen its position through a new military offensive.

Kyiv and Moscow have not held face-to-face talks since March 29, and the atmosphere has soured over Ukrainian allegations that Russian troops carried out atrocities near Kyiv. Moscow has denied the accusations.

Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraine’s top negotiator, told Reuters the continuing siege of Mariupol and the repeated failure of attempts to arrange safe corridors for the evacuation of trapped Ukrainian civilians had also complicated matters.

03:42 PM

Fighting ongoing in Mariupol, says Ukrainian governor

Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces is “ongoing” in the strategic port of Mariupol, the local governor said today.

“There is fighting ongoing in Mariupol. This is street fighting,” Pavlo Kyrylenko governor of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region said to CNN.

Ukrainian forces there are “under heavy bombardment” but “continue to defend Mariupol.”

“There are certain districts where street fighting is continuing. I can’t say the Russians are controlling them,” Mr Kyrylenko said, adding that the fighting was “not just small arms fighting, but also tank fighting.”

It is not possible to verify information given by either side given the scale of the fighting and lack of communications.

03:31 PM

UN chief denounces Russia offensive and calls for four day truce

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has denounced Russia’s fresh offensive in eastern Ukraine and called for a four-day truce to mark Orthodox Holy Week.

03:18 PM

Meta appeals against ban in Russia for ‘extremist’ activity

Meta has filed an appeal against a Russian court ruling that banned it from operating in Russia on the grounds of “extremist activity”, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram social networks have been blocked in Russia, but its WhatsApp messaging service was not affected by the March 21 Moscow court ruling.

03:07 PM

Canada imposes sanctions on Putin’s daughters

Canada said it was imposing targeted sanctions on 14 individuals in the Russian regime, including on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

Earlier this month, the United States and Britain both announced sanctions against Putin’s daughters – Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova – because they are believed to be helping to hide Putin’s wealth.

02:54 PM

Three dead in new shelling of Kharkiv

At least three people were killed and 21 were injured in renewed Russian shelling on Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv today, local authorities said.

The announcement came a day after strikes on the city, which lies close to the Russian border, killed five people.

“At the current time in Kharkiv, three people have unfortunately died,” regional governor Oleg Sinegubov said on Telegram.

He also told Ukraine’s Hromadske television channel that 21 people were injured in the strikes today in four different residential areas.

“The intensity of the shelling of Kharkiv has increased,” Mr Sinegubov said, asking residents to take shelter and not go outside.

Five people were killed and 15 others were injured in Russian strikes on Kharkiv on Monday, according to local authorities.

02:45 PM

Pictured: Putin meets Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow

02:30 PM

Ukraine denies attacking Russian village near border

Ukraine has denied accusations made by a Russian provincial governor earlier today that its forces struck a Russian village near the border between the two countries.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Russian province of Belgorod, said three people had been wounded in the alleged attack, though not gravely, and more than 30 houses were damaged.

02:19 PM

US: Russian invasion to blame for worsening global food insecurity

Russia’s war in Ukraine has worsened the “already dire” food insecurity situation facing the world, with price and supply shocks adding to global inflationary pressures, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said today.

Even before the war, over 800 million people – or 10 per cent of the global population – were suffering from chronic food insecurity, Ms Yellen said, citing early estimates showing that higher food prices alone could push at least 10 million more people worldwide into poverty.

Ms Yellen told the panel that countries should avoid export restrictions that could further increase prices, while acting to support vulnerable populations and smallholder farmers.

“I want to be clear: Russia’s actions are responsible for this,” Ms Yellen said, adding that the US was working urgently with partners and allies to “help mitigate the effects of Russia’s reckless war on the world’s most vulnerable.”

02:08 PM

Kremlin: Russia is “methodically carrying out” its plan in eastern Ukraine

Russian forces are “methodically carrying out” plans to “liberate” two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, Russia’s defence minister said today.

Sergei Shoigu said the West, by arming Ukraine, was doing everything it could to prolong Moscow’s military operation.

01:59 PM

EU approves German and Polish state aid schemes for companies affected by sanctions

The European Commission has cleared a 20 billion euro ($21.6 billion) German scheme to help domestic companies affected by sanctions against Russia and also approved 836 million euros in Polish state aid for its agricultural sector for the same reason.

The EU executive said the German measure will be in the form of direct grants, tax or payment advantages, repayable advances, guarantees, loans, equity and hybrid financing to all companies in all sectors, with the exception of companies in the financial one.

Aid to companies in agricultural products, fisheries and aquaculture sectors will be capped at 35,000 euros each and at 400,000 euros for those in other sectors.

The Polish scheme, in the form of direct grants, will be open to farmers hit by soaring fertiliser costs caused by the current crisis and related sanctions.

01:41 PM

Kyiv says Russian offensive aimed at grabbing land and crushing Ukraine’s armed forces

The aim of Russia’s new military offensive in east Ukraine is to grab land, establish an overground link between territories in the east and Crimea and crush Ukraine’s armed forces, Ukraine’s defence ministry said today.

Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuznyak said Russian forces were attacking along the entire frontline in eastern Ukraine, pressing their siege of Mariupol in the south and trying to encircle cities in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

“The goal is to defeat the Ukrainian forces, to establish control over the territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and establish a land corridor to Crimea,” Mr Motuznyak told a media briefing.

Russian-backed separatists who began an armed conflict in 2014 have declared so-called people’s republics in territory they control in parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

01:31 PM

Spanish PM to travel to Kyiv ‘in coming days’

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will travel to Kyiv “in the coming days,”, a government spokeswoman said without providing the exact date for security reasons.

The announcement came a day after Spain said it would reopen its Ukrainian embassy in Kyiv “in a number of days”.

01:28 PM

Russia demands release of civilians from Mariupol steel plant

Russia’s defence ministry has demanded that measures be taken to release any remaining civilians from the Azovstal metallurgical plant in the port city of Mariupol.

The ministry said earlier that it had opened up a corridor for Ukrainian forces who wanted to take up a Russian offer to lay down their arms and safely leave the plant.

01:18 PM

Russia drops ‘bunker busting’ bombs on Mariupol where civilians are hiding

01:08 PM

IMF cuts global growth forecast due to “seismic waves” from Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund slashed its forecast for global economic growth by nearly a full percentage point, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine, and warning that inflation was now a “clear and present danger” for many countries.

The war is expected to slow growth and further increase inflation, the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook, while warning that its forecast was marked by “unusually high uncertainty.”

Further sanctions on Russian energy and a widening of the war, a sharper-than-forecast deceleration in China and a renewed flare-up of the pandemic could further slow growth and boost inflation, while rising prices could trigger social unrest.

The global lender, which downgraded its forecasts for the second time this year, said it now projects global growth of 3.6 per cent in 2022 and 2023, a drop of 0.8 and 0.2 percentage point from its January forecast, given the war’s direct impacts on Russia and Ukraine and global spillovers.

12:51 PM

G20 to blame Russia for global growth hit

A meeting of G20 finance chiefs this week will be used to send a clear message that Russia is fully responsible for the global economic fallout from its war in Ukraine.

Russian officials will attend the summit, but the country won’t be able to dictate the format or agenda, a German official told Bloomberg.

The official added that the gathering should be used to send a clear message to Russia.

This week’s meeting will be the first G20 summit since the war began and will be closely watched for signs of how major economies are responding to Putin’s aggression.

12:43 PM

UK will try to ‘engage’ with India on Ukraine stance

Downing Street has said it will not be “pointing fingers” at India over its refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Instead, Boris Johnson will try to “engage” with Narendra Modi during his visit to India later this week.

The PM’s Official Spokesman said: “I think when it comes to India and other democratically elected countries we think the best approach is to engage with them constructively to try and broaden the alliance of democratic states against Russia.

“We want to provide alternative options to countries which are perhaps more dependent on things like energy or defence and security.

“That is the approach that we think will be most effective. We do not think that pointing fingers or shouting from the sidelines are effective ways of engaging with a democratically elected country.”

12:35 PM

Ukraine receives 76 Ukrainan prisoners of war in swap with Russia

Russia handed over 60 soldiers and 16 civilians to Ukraine in an exchange of prisoners of war, the Ukrainian deputy prime minister said on Tuesday.

“This was the fifth exchange of prisoners of war. A total of 76 people,” Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement.

The swap included 10 Ukrainian officers, she said.

12:28 PM

Russia expels Dutch and Belgian diplomats in tit-for-tat moves

Moscow is expelling 15 Dutch diplomats after the Netherlands last month told 18 Russian diplomats to leave, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said in a separate statement that Russia was also expelling some Belgian diplomats in a retaliatory move.

European countries have kicked out more than 300 Russian embassy staff since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Russia has stepped up its response in the past week by expelling diplomats from the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and the European Union, as well as the Dutch and Belgians.

12:23 PM

Russia dropping ‘bunker busting’ bombs on Mariupol where civilians are hiding in tunnels

Russian-backed separatists are dropping “bunker-busting bombs” as they storm the last remaining holdout of Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, according to reports.

Soldiers are zoning in on the Azovstal metallurgical plant in the besieged port city, whose network of underground tunnels is currently sheltering thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and as many as 1,000 civilians.

The civilians hiding out in the warren of passageways are said to be mainly women and children.

Read the full piece from Verity Bowman here

12:14 PM

No 10 does not deny UK will send Stormer missile launcher to Ukraine

Reports overnight suggested the UK is preparing to send armoured anti-aircraft vehicles to Ukraine.

The Stormer vehicle launches Starstreak missiles which can be used to target planes and helicopters.

Downing Street did not deny the reports.

The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: “I understand Stormer is a tracked military vehicle with Starstreak mounted to the platform and you know we have talked about Starstreak before.

“The Defence Secretary plans to provide further updates on ongoing military support later on this week.”

12:06 PM

WHO struggling to send generators to hospitals in Ukraine

The World Health Organisation has warned it is struggling to deliver two generators to hospitals in Mariupol, fearing the worst for its hard-hit health system.

WHO said it was trying to pre-position supplies closer to the frontlines to speed up delivery if a window opens.

The WHO is hoping to deliver 15 generators to hospitals across Ukraine, from a base in the western city of Lviv.

Two were due to head to the eastern city of Kharkiv today, while another three are destined for the Lugansk and Donetsk regions in the east, which have seen heavy fighting.

Two more were for Mariupol, also in the east, WHO Europe spokesman Bhanu Bhatnagar told reporters in Geneva via videolink from Lviv.

11:57 AM

Boris Johnson: Ukraine still in ‘perilous’ position

The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said Boris Johnson told a meeting of his Cabinet this morning that the situation in Ukraine remains “perilous” with Vladimir Putin “angered by defeats but determined to claim some sort of victory, regardless of the human cost”.

The spokesman said: “He [Mr Johnson] said this meant it was more vital than ever to increase global support.

“He said he would be taking part in a call with President Biden and other world leaders on what additional support could be provided including on further toughening of sanctions.”

A senior national security official told the Cabinet that Russia is now fully focusing its efforts on the Donbas region and the “next phase of the war was likely to be an attritional conflict which could last for several months”.

11:44 AM

UK have shown ‘pure support’ for Ukraine

The UK’s backing of Ukraine is an example of “pure support”, the Ukrainian deputy minister for veterans affairs has said at the Invictus Games.

Inna Drahanchuk said the war is a “genocide of our nation” and there is no philosophy to the Russian onslaught.

Ms Drahanchuk, head of the governmental delegation for the Ukraine team at The Hague, said coming to the event was a “very difficult” decision for the team to make.

She said: “They didn’t want to leave their friends, the Ukrainian soldiers, because most of our team members are in the battlefields in the east of Ukraine and other territories which were occupied by Russians, and they didn’t want to leave their positions.”

But she said it was decided that it could be “one more battlefield for them just to bring this truth here”.

11:33 AM

Russian aircrafts fly in ‘Z’ formation as part of ‘Victory Day’ parade preparations

11:27 AM

Ministers warned Ukraine war entering ‘attritional’ phase

Ministers have been warned that the war in Ukraine is entering an “attritional” phase which could last several months, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that Boris Johnson told the weekly meeting of the Cabinet that Ukraine’s position remained “perilous”, with Russian President Vladimir Putin “angered by defeats but determined to claim some sort of victory regardless of the human cost”.

The spokesman said ministers were briefed by a senior national security official who said the next phase of the war was likely to be “an attritional conflict that could last several months”.

The official said that Russia would aim to exploit its troop number advantage but “Ukraine had already shown that this was unlikely to be decisive on its own”.

There were some signs that Russia had not learned lessons from previous setbacks in northern Ukraine and there was evidence of troops being committed in a piecemeal fashion, the official said.

The official added there were reports of poor Russian morale, “with claims of some Russian troops and even units refusing to fight”.

11:20 AM

Ministers criticised for slow delivery for humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Ministers have been criticised for the slow delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine following the disclosure that less than a third of the £220 million promised has so far been sent.

The chair of the Commons International Development Committee Sarah Champion said she was “shocked and disappointed” after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that as of the end of March, the Government was “on track” to have disbursed up to £60 million.

In a letter to the committee dated April 1, Ms Truss said: “We are scaling up at speed whilst ensuring that risks are managed appropriately and aid is targeted effectively.”

In a statement, Ms Champion said: “I am shocked and disappointed that less than £60 million of the UK’s promised £220 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine has been delivered so far.

“On March 9, I urged the Prime Minister to make sure the UK’s pledges for Ukraine are disbursed quickly. Today, more than a month later, it is shameful that I have to repeat that urgent appeal.

“More than 12 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian support, as well as four million people who have fled the country. These people need our help now – not at some vague future date.”

11:04 AM

Turkey warns will take years to restore trust with Russia

Turkey has warned that it could take “dozens of years” to restore trust between the West and Russia following Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.

“Of course we are seeing the start of a new Cold War,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint media appearance with his visiting Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.

“It will take a long time to make up for it. It may take dozens of years to restore trust, but we believe that swift steps should be taken for a ceasefire.”

Turkey, which has enjoyed warm relations with both Russia and Ukraine, has been trying to mediate an end to the nearly two-month conflict.

10:55 AM

Latest MoD update

10:53 AM

Nearly five million Ukrainians flee war

Nearly five million Ukrainians have fled the war since Russia’s invasion, the United Nations said today, as they warned the situation may worsen.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,980,589 Ukrainians had left since Russia invaded on February 24 – a figure up 46,174 on Monday’s total.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) says nearly 215,000 third-country nationals – largely students and migrant workers – have also escaped to neighbouring countries, meaning around 5.2 million people in all have fled Ukraine since the war began.

Officials call it the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

“The key is that the borders remain open, people can access safety and when they get to the neighbouring countries they have access to assistance,” UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo told reporters in Geneva.

10:46 AM

Gazprom holds back gas flows to Europe

Russia has kept European gas traders guessing about how much gas it will send to the continent, as state-controlled energy giant Gazprom opted again not to book extra pipeline capacity.

While markets are worried that Putin could turn off the taps, a spell of warmer weather and an easing in prices have started to temper demand.

Gazprom chose not to reserve capacity for exports to Germany via the crucial Yamal-Europe pipeline in May. That’s the fourth straight month it’s chosen not to book the link.

It comes after the Kremlin hinted that buyers still have time before Putin’s demand for gas payments in roubles kicks in.

10:27 AM

Poland ready to take in at least 10,000 injured Ukrainian soldiers

Poland’s health service has capacity to treat at least 10,000 injured Ukrainian soldiers, the Polish prime minister said on Tuesday, as Russia launches a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters during a visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that Poland was already treating “several dozen” soldiers and was prepared to take in more.

“We are ready to take in at least 10,000 (soldiers), if necessary,” he said. “We are doing everything to take in and treat all injured soldiers from Ukraine.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday told CNN that between 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian troops have died so far in the war with Russia and another 10,000 have been injured.

10:26 AM

Russian forces seize city of Kreminna in east Ukraine, regional governor says

Russian forces have taken control of the city of Kreminna in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the city, the regional governor said on Tuesday.

“Kreminna is under the control of the ‘Orcs’ (Russians). They have entered the city,” Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, told a briefing.

09:54 AM

Poll finds half of Italian public consider news coverage of Ukraine as ‘fake news’

Nearly half of the Italian public considers news coverage of the war in Ukraine to be driven by propaganda, and just under a quarter believes that atrocities attributed to the Russians are Ukrainian fake news, according to a poll published by the La Repubblica newspaper, reports Alvise Armelline.

The Demos & Pi polling institute found that 46 percent of Italians agree with the statement that “most of the news in Italy about the war in Ukraine is distorted and manipulated”, while 50 percent disagree.

The institute also reported that 23 percent of Italians back the suggestion that “news and images of the alleged crimes by the Russian army are a fabrication of the Ukrainian government,” while 72 percent do not.

Doubters of the impartiality of war news are higher on the right of the political spectrum, reaching 60 percent among supporters of the opposition Brothers of Italy, and 55 percent among voters of the pro-government League.

09:40 AM

Russian tanker seized in Greece under EU sanctions

A Russia-flagged crude oil tanker has been seized in Greece under EU sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine, a coastguard spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The more than 115,000-tonne Pegas was originally headed to Marmara terminal in Turkey, according to the Marine Traffic website.

The ship is currently moored at Karystos anchorage, south of the island of Evia.

“The tanker was seized on April 15 under EU sanctions, with 19 Russians on board,” a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP.

09:31 AM

Ukraine in pictures:

09:18 AM

Brandon Lewis: PM will raise Ukraine stance during trip to India

Boris Johnson is due to travel to India later this week for an official visit designed to boost trade links with the country.

But the Prime Minister is also under pressure to challenge Narendra Modi over his failure to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said Mr Johnson will raise the issue with his counterpart.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “India has not yet come out as strongly as some of us would like to see about Ukraine.

“I am sure that is one of the things the Prime Minister will be talking to his counterpart, Prime Minister Modi, when he there later this week.”

Told that India has been increasing its oil purchases from Russia, Mr Lewis said: “I am sure that is one of the things that the Prime Minister will be talking [about].

“One of the issues when you are dealing with colleagues and partners around the world and India is one of the largest economies in the world… it is important we work with countries like that.

“And it is important the Prime Minister has that opportunity to talk to our partners in India, both about the economic issues that affect both our countries that we work together on… but it is also an opportunity to talk to them about the situation in Ukraine as well”.

09:09 AM

Russia claims U.N. chief has not tried to contact Putin since start of military operation in Ukraine

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has not tried to get in touch with Vladimir Putin since the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has alleged.

“No one has been in touch, neither through the Permanent Mission of Russia to the U.N., nor directly with the Foreign Ministry,” Zakharova claimed.

08:57 AM

France: Oil ban is ‘in the works’

France is pushing other European nations to support a ban on Russian oil as Putin steps up his assault on Ukraine.

Bruno Le Maire, France’s finance minister, said it was necessary “more than ever” to target the Kremlin’s energy industry, adding that further sanctions were in the works.

He told French radio: “I hope that in the weeks to come we will convince our European partners to stop importing Russian oil.”

The UK and US have already rolled out bans on Russian oil imports but the move has proved more divisive in Europe due to the continent’s heavy reliance on Moscow.

08:42 AM

‘British personnel have been paraded on television’ because Putin needs a “PR success”, says Tory MP

Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chairman of the defence committee, has said that ‘British personnel have been paraded on television’ because Putin needs a “PR success”.

08:25 AM

Putin to meet business owners and executives

Vladimir Putin will meet executives and owners of big businesses tomorrow, Bloomberg reports.

No agenda has been announced, but the Kremlin has said Putin will continue to hold meetings with various industries. The Russian leader has insisted the West’s “economic blitzkrieg” hadn’t worked and sanctions had failed.

Putin convened a gathering of Russia’s top business representatives on February 24 – the day he launched the invasion.

That televised meeting was later cited by the EU as a justification for sanctions against several individuals because it showed they were members of the “inner circle of oligarchs” close to the president.

08:21 AM

Russia calls on Ukraine to surrender steel plant by midday

Russia has reportedly called on Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries to leave the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol by midday Russian time (0900 GMT).

“All who lay down their arms are guaranteed to remain alive,” the defence ministry said.

It called on troops to withdraw from the steel plant between 1400 and 1600 Moscow time “without exception, without any weapons and without ammunition”.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russia-backed separatist forces said they were trying to storm the Azovstal steel works and take control of it as quickly as possible.

Ukrainian authorities said on Monday that no fewer than 1,000 civilians were hiding in underground shelters beneath the vast Azovstal plant, adding that Russia was dropping heavy bombs onto the Ukrainian-held factory in the besieged city.

08:19 AM

Russia claims it hit 1260 Ukrainian targets overnight

The Russian defence ministry has claimed its missile and artillery forces struck 1,260 targets in Ukraine overnight.

Russian anti-aircraft forces downed a Ukrainian MiG-29 jet in the Donetsk region, the ministry said.

08:10 AM

Russia’s new offensive in eastern Ukraine will fail, says Zelensky aide

Russia’s new offensive in eastern Ukraine will fail because Moscow’s forces lack the strength to break through Ukrainian defences, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Oleksiy Arestovych, a presidential adviser said Russian forces were trying to find “sensitive spots” in Ukraine’s defences but added: “Their offensive will fail – I give you a 99% guarantee – they simply do not have enough strength.”

“The battle for Donbas, which was announced and apparently began yesterday, is under way and is going very cautiously. The battle will not go in Russia’s favour,” they said.

Russian forces were trying to push through Ukrainian defences along almost the entire front line in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

08:07 AM

Western leaders to hold talks on Ukraine

Western leaders will hold talks on Tuesday over their support for Ukraine, after Russia launched a major new offensive in the east of the country, reports Joe Barnes.

The meeting, convened by US President Joe Biden, will focus on deliveries of lethal aid, after Nato countries agreed to deliver heavy weaponry, including tanks, helicopters and artillery systems.

Kyiv has appealed to its allies in the West to accelerate their deliveries ahead of what is expected to be one of the bloodiest and largest tank battles since the second world war.

Overnight, Moscow began its attack focused on seizing full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

While the area features a number of huge industrial cities, the battleground will also be contested over large, open expanses of land, making military mobility vital for the next phase of the war.

08:03 AM

Nuclear option ‘cannot be ruled out’, says former British Ambassador to Russia

Sir Tony Brenton, the former British Ambassador to Russia, has said that he wouldn’t entirely rule out Putin “going nuclear”.

07:54 AM

Britain to send armoured vehicles to Ukraine

Britain will reportedly soon send armoured missile launchers to Ukraine after Russia started its full-scale offensive to take control of the country’s east.

The Ministry of Defence demonstrated the Stormer High Velocity Missile (HVM) launcher for Ukrainians on Salisbury Plain two weeks ago, according to The Sun, with the paper adding the 13-tonne vehicles can be flown to the war on C-17 transport planes in days.

The Stormer is manufactured by BAE Systems, needs just three people to operate it and and uses Starstreak missiles, which can be used to take down low-flying aircraft.

Read the full story here

07:45 AM

Oil prices slump to lowest since invasion

Natural gas prices have slumped to their lowest since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine amid warmer weather and signs Putin’s demand for payment in roubles won’t kick in until next month.

Benchmark European prices fell as much as 12pc – the lowest level since Feb 23, just before the invasion began.

Traders have been focused on shipments from Russia after Putin demanded that “unfriendly” nations pay in roubles. The EU has rejected the demand, saying to do so would violate sanctions.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov yesterday said there was still “some time” for Europe to pay in the Russian currency. He added that payments for April shipments were mainly due “sometime in May”.

In a further easing of pressure on prices, Europe is expected to experience above-average temperatures over the next week.

07:44 AM

Labour: UK must not give in to blackmail when it comes to hostages

The UK must not give in to blackmail when it comes to hostages, shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry has said.

It comes after two British citizens were captured by the Russian army while fighting for Ukraine.

“We should be negotiating with the Russians to try to get them back,” Ms Thornberry, a Labour MP, told Sky News.

“But I don’t think that we can give in to blackmail, I’m afraid.

“If we start doing that it just encourages more snatching of hostages around the world.

“We need to make it clear that we don’t negotiate and give in to blackmail when it comes to hostages, and we’ve always said that we need to stick to that.”

07:39 AM

Fiji moves to seize Russian superyacht

Fijian authorities on Tuesday applied to block a superyacht reportedly owned by a Russian oligarch from leaving its waters, as the United States moved to seize it.

The yacht has been linked in some reports to oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who is a target of US and European Union sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Fiji’s director of public prosecutions filed an application with the island nation’s High Court seeking to hold the motor yacht Amadea, which berthed in Lautoka last week.

It asked for the Amadea to be “restrained from leaving Fijian waters” while warrants to seize the property by local and US authorities were being prepared.

07:26 AM

Ukraine in pictures:

07:16 AM

Russia-backed special forces are reportedly storming plant in Mariupol

Russia-backed separatist forces are trying to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the RIA news agency quoted separatist spokesperson Eduard Basurin as saying on Tuesday.

The separatists aim to “liberate” the facility as quickly as possible, RIA quoted another separatist, Denis Pushilin, as saying.

07:10 AM

China to increase coordination with Russia, says senior Chinese diplomat

China told Russia it will continue to increase “strategic coordination” with it regardless of international volatility, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng gave this assurance to Russian ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov, on Monday, the statement said.

China has refrained from condemning Russia over Ukraine, where the United Nations has said there have been more than 2,000 civilian deaths since war started on Feb. 24.

07:06 AM

UK space industry prepares for lift-off after Putin triggers launch countdown

The first satellite of any kind will be launched on UK soil this year, from Spaceport in Cornwall, in a milestone for Britain’s growing space industry. It will be followed by more in Scotland, both this year and next.

Fortuitously, it comes as the UK gets to grips with losing cheap sources of space launches amid Vladimir Putin’s war, which has inadvertently dealt a blow to the space industry.

One immediate casualty was satellite company OneWeb, part-owned by the UK Government, which rescued it from bankruptcy last year. Having been barred from using Russian rockets, it struck a deal last month with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Howard Mustoe has the full story here

07:01 AM

Britons should not travel illegally to Ukraine, says Cabinet minister

A Cabinet minister has said that Britons should not travel illegally to Ukraine.

“We always have responsibility for British citizens, which we take seriously. We’ve got to get the balance right in Ukraine and that’s why I say to anybody: do not travel illegally to Ukraine,” Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary told Sky News.

Lewis was talking about Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslinl, the two British fighters who were captured in Ukraine by Russian forces.

The UK’s Foreign Enlistment Act blocks citizens from joining foreign militaries fighting countries at peace with Britain, and the government’s foreign secretary and defence minister have warned against Britons fighting in Ukraine after the war began in late February.

06:47 AM

Ukraine ‘should not distract’ from issues facing PM, says chair of defence committee

Ukraine should not distract from the difficult issues facing the Prime Minister, the chairman of the Commons Defence Committee has said.

Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative MP, said that now was the time for the Prime Minister to address partygate.

“If I may, I need to distinguish between what’s going on in Ukraine and the fact that, yes, there is a difficult issue facing number 10,” he said.

“But we shouldn’t use the fig leaf of our involvement with Ukraine to somehow say this is not a time to address those difficult challenges.”

He added that there is a “Rolls Royce Whitehall machine” that can provide advice to whoever is the prime minister of the day.

“So, whatever prime minister, whoever that will be, will get the same advice,” he said.

“If there were a leadership contest, you’d actually see, I think, a bidding war of candidates wanting to do more to lean forward to support Ukraine. “

06:43 AM

Volodymyr Zelensky: Battle for the Donbas begins as Russia launches major offensive

06:42 AM

Britain ‘not looking to help Russia’, says Cabinet minister

Britain is not going to be looking at how to help Russia, a Cabinet minister has said, when asked about the prospect of swapping pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk for two British fighters who were captured in Ukraine by Russian forces.

The Britons appeared on Russian state TV on Monday and asked to be exchanged for Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is being held by the Ukrainian authorities.

Asked on Sky News whether a possible swap was something the government would get involved with, Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said: “We’re actually going through the process of sanctioning people who are close to Putin regime, we’re not going to be looking at how we can help Russia.”

06:36 AM

Refusal to open humanitarian corridors ‘will justify war crimes’, says Ukrainian Deputy PM

Ukraine was for the third successive day unable to secure Russia’s agreement on establishing any humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians trapped in cities and towns, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Tuesday.

Ukraine estimates that 21,000 people have been killed in Mariupol alone.

Ms Vereshchuk warned Russia on social media that refusing to open humanitarian corridors will justify war crimes trials.

06:19 AM

‘I planned to stay – until a rocket landed on my home’: Final Donbas evacuees flee Russian offensive

Campbell MacDiarmid has the full report here

06:12 AM

Russian plane takes 15,000km detour to pick diplomats

A plane sent from Moscow to pick up expelled Russian diplomats from Greece and then Spain was forced to make a 15,000km detour due to a EU flight ban, flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 reports.

“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 website said.

It added that the total length of the flight was 15,163 km, “just shy of the current world’s longest flight between Singapore and New York”.

06:03 AM

Russia aims to take control of Donetsk, Luhansk regions

The Ukrainian military’s General Staff on Tuesday said that Russian forces were focusing on taking full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

It noted that a “new phase of war” began on Monday when “the occupiers made an attempt to break through our defenses along nearly the entire frontline in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions”.

“The Russian military has continued to blockade and shell Mariupol and to deal missile strikes on other cities,” a statement issued early on Tuesday said.

05:52 AM

Pictured: Destruction in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion escalates

05:41 AM

No ceasefires expected in Ukraine

UN officials said there would be no ceasefires in Ukraine in the coming days, Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko said.

“It’s a new phase of escalation from Russia,” she posted on Twitter.

“To rephrase the mayor of Mykolaiv: this of course upsets us, but doesn’t stop us.”

Last night was “loud” in the regions of Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk, she added, alluding to sounds of possible explosions in the regions.

04:45 AM

Economists urge G20 to set up asset register

Leading economists Tuesday urged G20 leaders to draw up a world asset register for tracking tax evaders that could pressure Russia by exposing oligarchs’ hidden wealth.

Bestselling economists Joseph Stiglitz, of the US, and Thomas Piketty, of France, among others made the call in an open letter published in The Guardian ahead of Wednesday’s G20 finance meeting.

Building on progress in financial information-sharing over recent years, “it’s time for a global asset register to target hidden wealth,” said the letter.

Russian oligarchs are estimated to hold “at least $1 trillion in wealth abroad, often concealed in offshore companies whose true ownership is hard to determine”, they added.

03:59 AM

Russian village ‘hit’ by Ukraine

Ukrainian forces have struck a village near Russia’s border with Ukraine, wounding one resident, the governor of the Russian province of Belgorod has said.

It was not immediately clear whether the strike referred to by governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in posts on messaging app Telegram was carried out by artillery, mortars, missiles or was an aerial attack.

This month, Russia accused Ukraine of a helicopter attack on a fuel depot in Belgorod, as well as of shelling villages there several times, and firing missiles at an ammunition depot.

03:50 AM

Today’s top stories

• Russian has launched a long-feared offensive against Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, starting what could become the pivotal battle of the war

• In Kharkiv, local authorities said a man and a woman died in the latest shelling to hit Ukraine’s second city

• Volodymyr Zelensky said that 18 people had been killed and 106 injured by Russian bombardment of Kharkiv in the past four days

• Residents of Vasylkiv, a town south of the capital of Kyiv that is home to a military air base, reported a large explosion on Monday morning

• Russian missiles also hit Lviv, killing at least seven people, according to its regional governor

• Ukrainian soldiers have “liberated” at least three towns in a counter-offensive aimed at stifling the attack on the east of the country

• The Pentagon announced four flights of US weapons have arrived in Ukraine since Joe Biden, the US president, authorised the latest $800 million in military assistance last week

• Ukrainian soldiers have launched a courageous counterattack in Mariupol despite “overwhelming” numbers of Russian forces around the besieged city, new video shows

• Vladimir Putin has bestowed military honours on a brigade accused of committing atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha