Russia has successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile that will make the Kremlin’s enemies “think twice”, Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday.
Addressing the military, Putin said: “I congratulate you on the successful launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.
“This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who, in the heat of aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice.”
He added that the weapon has the “highest tactical and technical characteristics” and is “capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defence”.
“It has no analogues in the world and won’t have for a long time to come,” he said.
The Russian President was shown being briefed about the missile, which was launched from Plesetsk in the country’s north-west and hit targets on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia’s far east.
The Sarmat is a new heavy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile that Russia is expected to deploy with 10 or more warheads on each missile, according to the US congressional research service.
Follow the latest updates in Thursday’s live blog.
02:04 AM
Latest news from today
11:47 PM
G7 regrets Russian participation in international forums
G7 finance ministers said they had provided and pledged together with the international community additional support to Ukraine exceeding $24 billion (£18.4 billion) for 2022 and beyond.
They said they were prepared to do more as needed.
In a statement, the ministers said they regretted Russia’s participation in international forums, including G20, International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings this week.
“International organisations and multilateral fora should no longer conduct their activities with Russia in a business-as-usual manner,” the ministers said.
10:40 PM
Putin wants more of Ukraine, says PM
Boris Johnson has said the Russian president has made it clear he wants to take more territory in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister said Vladimir Putin could launch another assault on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
09:57 PM
Peace talks are doomed, says Johnson
Boris Johnson has indicated that he believes negotiations with Russia to end Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine are doomed to fail.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday compared dealing with the Russian president to negotiating with a “crocodile when it’s got your leg in its jaws”.
Mr Johnson, speaking on a flight to India, said Mr Putin may only seek to negotiate in earnest if he manages to seize a significant portion of Ukraine.
But he also warned that at that point, the Russian president may try to launch another assault on Kyiv.
08:55 PM
Ukrainian negotiator ready for talks in Mariupol ‘without conditions’
Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak has said he is happy to hold a “special round of negotiations” with Russia in Mariupol without any conditions.
He tweeted that he was willing to carry out the negotiations “to save our guys, Azov [battalion], military, civilians, children, the living and the wounded”.
08:49 PM
Norway donates 100 missiles to Ukraine
Norway has donated around 100 Mistral air defence missiles to Ukraine, the Norwegian defence ministry said.
Defence minister Bjørn Arild Gram said on Twitter that the air defence system was “an effective weapon” and would be a “great benefit” to Ukraine.
He said other countries have already donated similar systems to Ukraine.
08:38 PM
Macron attacks Le Pen for being ‘dependant’ on Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron accused his far-right rival Marine Le Pen of being “dependant” on Russia during a televised debate on Wednesday.
“You are dependent on the Russian government and you are dependent on Mr Putin,” Macron said.
Le Pen replied that the loan her political party had received from a Czech-Russian bank with “close” ties to the Russian government was “public knowledge”, and had only been agreed because no French bank would give her a loan.
Macron also criticised Le Pen’s decision to recognise Crimea as part of the Russian Federation after the Ukrainian territory was annexed by the Kremlin in 2014, though she said she now supported Western sanctions on Moscow because the “aggression” used in Ukraine was “unacceptable”.
08:22 PM
White House says US working ‘around the clock’ to help Ukraine
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said the US is “working around the clock to provide security assistance to Ukraine”.
Speaking to reporters during a briefing on Wednesday, Psaki said: “We made a strategic decision given we’ve seen Russia reposition their troops and their military to the eastern part of Ukraine to fight a different kind of war on the ground, which will be more shooting back and forth through long range.
“We have been working with Ukrainians and the Ukrainian military to determine exactly the kind of security assistance they need for this stage of the war. That has included an increase in artillery and ammunition”.
Psaki added that President Biden is watching footage coming out of Ukraine “with horror, with sadness, with fear for the people of Ukraine, for the families, the children, the innocent civilians at risk”.
08:08 PM
Holocaust survivor dies in Mariupol
A Holocaust survivor has died in Mariupol, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has confirmed.
Vanda Obiedkova, 91, died earlier this month while sheltering from Russian bombardment in a basement.
Her daughter Larissa told the Jewish Chabad site that the family had been “living like animals” since the Russian invasion began, and had been unable to access water, electricity or heating.
Her mother, she said, had “loved Mariupol; she never wanted to leave”.
Vanda was 10-years-old when Nazi troops entered her home city in October 1941, and while she avoided capture, her mother was among thousands of Jews who were taken from Mariupol and executed.
At 10 years old, Vanda Obiedkova survived the German occupation of Mariupol. Vanda was 91 when #Russian army invaded her city. 81 years after Nazi regime, she died. Dying in a basement, freezing, pleading for water, Holocaust survivor asked: “Why is this happening?”#SaveMariupol pic.twitter.com/yO9Gn18bJZ
— MFA of Ukraine ???????? (@MFA_Ukraine) April 20, 2022
07:47 PM
Russia’s nuclear forces will start taking deliveries of new missile later this year
Russia’s nuclear forces will start taking deliveries of the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile this year once testing is complete, Russian news agency Tass quoted the head of the Roscosmos space agency as saying on Wednesday.
Dmitry Rogozin said deliveries would start “in the autumn of this year”.
07:26 PM
Ukrainian orchestra prepares for first concert since start of war
The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra will perform on Thursday in Warsaw, Poland for its first concert since the war with Russia began.
Musicians say they hope the concert “will heal troubled souls and help boost Ukrainian culture”.
Men in the orchestra were given special permission by Ukrainian authorities to leave the country – while other men of ‘fighting age’ had to stay behind to join the military – with the arrangement set to last until the end of the tour on May 1.
“Our concerts are truly a cultural mission,” Oleksii Pshenychnikov, a 22-year-old second violin in the orchestra, told AFP.
“In Ukraine, we say there is a ‘cultural front’, meaning it is not escaping from the war, it is another aspect of the war.”
07:05 PM
US announces new Russian sanctions
The US has imposed sanctions on more Russian businesses and oligarchs in response to the war in Ukraine.
The US Treasury said the Russian commercial bank Transkapitalbank has been sanctioned, as well as a global network of more than 40 people and entities led by the Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev and the holding company of Bitcoin miner BitRiver.
Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement: “Treasury can and will target those who evade, attempt to evade, or aid the evasion of US sanctions against Russia, as they are helping support Putin’s brutal war of choice.
“The United States will work to ensure that the sanctions we have imposed, in close coordination with our international partners, degrade the Kremlin’s ability to project power and fund its invasion”.
06:41 PM
Pentagon: Ukraine given aircraft parts, not whole jets
The US said on Wednesday that a previous announcement that it had supplied Ukraine with aircraft was inaccurate, as it had actually supplied the country with aircraft parts rather than whole jets.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby retracted his statement from Tuesday that Ukraine had received fighter jets from an unnamed ally.
While fixed-wing aircraft have been offered by an unidentified country to bolster Kyiv’s defences, “they have not received whole aircraft from another nation,” Kirby told reporters.
“I was mistaken. They have not received whole aircraft from another nation,” Kirby said.
“That said, Ukrainians have received through United States coordination and provision enough spare parts and additional equipment such that they have been able to put in operation more fixed-wing aircraft in their fleet than they had even two to three weeks ago.”
06:17 PM
Ukraine to name street after Boris Johnson
By Dominic Penna, Political Reporter
A street in Ukraine has been named after Boris Johnson as the Prime Minister was hailed for leading the international response to the Russian invasion.
A council in Fontanka – a village on the outskirts of the port city of Odesa – is now planning to name a residential road after Mr Johnson.
It said in a statement: “The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion, a leader in sanctions on Russia and defence support for Ukraine.
“Rename Mayakovsky Street to Boris Johnson Street.”
The news was broken in an online post by a council official, who added that the new name represented “new heroes”.
Vladimir Mayakovsky, who the street was named after until now, was a famous Russian poet and playwright at the forefront of the ‘Russian futurist’ movement.
06:01 PM
Mariupol evacuation fails to go ahead as planned
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said on Wednesday that an agreed humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol had not worked as planned because Russian forces had failed to abide by conditions of their ceasefire.
Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian-organised buses failed to deliver evacuees on time to the point where Ukrainian buses and ambulances were waiting.
05:42 PM
I dream of peace in Donbas, Putin tells schoolchildren
Vladimir Putin told schoolchildren he dreams of bringing peace to Donbas – just as Russian forces were intensifying their bombardment of Ukrainian soldiers.
A video of Putin meeting the children at the Kremlin showed them looking at him in awe as he told them he had invaded Ukraine in order to protect people living in two breakaway regions.
“[This] simply forced Russia to launch this military operation, which everyone is well aware of today,” he said. “As I have said from the very beginning, the purpose of this operation is to help people living in the Donbas, our people living in the Donbas. Just like you.”
05:27 PM
Pictured: War rages on in Ukraine
05:06 PM
UN chief seeks separate meetings with Putin and Zelensky
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has separately asked Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet with him to discuss steps to ending the war in Ukraine.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said separate letters were handed to the permanent missions of Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon.
The letters asked Putin to receive Guterres in Moscow and Zelensky to receive him in Kyiv.
“The Secretary-General said, at this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” Dujarric said in a statement.
04:45 PM
Pentagon: Russia notified US ahead of ballistic missile launch
Russia notified the US ahead of its test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, adding it saw the test as routine and not as a threat to America.
Russia said earlier on Wednesday it had conducted a first test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a new addition to its nuclear arsenal.
04:09 PM
Peace talks hinge on Kyiv’s readiness to meet Moscow’s demands, says Kremlin
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone call on Wednesday that the outcome of peace talks with Ukraine depend on Kyiv’s readiness to take into account Russia’s demands.
The Russian foreign ministry also said Lavrov and Cavusoglu discussed the situation in Mariupol and potential measures aimed at providing safety to civilians, including from foreign countries.
03:50 PM
Ukraine fights on in Mariupol as Russian surrender deadline expires
A Russian ultimatum for Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to surrender or die expired on Wednesday afternoon with no mass capitulation, but a commander of a unit holding out in the city warned that his forces could survive just days or hours.
Russian forces had given Ukrainian defenders holed up in the final stronghold at the Azovstal steel plant until 2pm to surrender.
However, Russian-backed separatists said that just five people had surrendered when the deadline passed. It comes after no Ukrainian soldiers were believed to have responded to a similar surrender demand on Tuesday.
Despite the perseverance of Ukrainian fighters, the commander of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade warned that they “may have only a few days or hours left”.
Major Serhiy Volyn said in a video uploaded on Facebook: “The enemy units are dozens of times larger than ours, they have dominance in the air, in artillery, in ground troops, in equipment and in tanks.”
03:46 PM
Joining EU is a ‘priority’ for Ukraine, says Zelensky
EU membership is a “priority” for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday during a joint press conference with visiting EU chief Charles Michel.
“Regarding our future membership in the EU, it is a priority for our state, for the strength of our people, those who are ready to defend our land against Russian invaders even without arms,” Zelensky said.
03:32 PM
Russian oligarch calls for end to ‘crazy war’ in Ukraine
A Russian oligarch has called for the end of the “crazy war” in Ukraine and labelled Russia’s military operation in the country a “massacre”.
Oleg Tinkov, one of Russia’s most high-profile entrepreuners, wrote on Instagram that he did not see “any beneficiary” of the conflict.
He said “90 per cent” of Russians were against the war and added “morons in any country are 10 per cent”.
03:06 PM
Captured British fighter’s family accuse Russia of war crime
The family of a British man captured fighting in Ukraine have accused Russia of breaking the Geneva Convention after it broadcast a “distressing” video of him.
Russian state TV aired a video on Monday of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner – another captured British fighter – asking to be exchanged in a prisoner swap for Viktor Medvedchuk, a wealthy businessman close to Vladimir Putin who was detained by Ukrainian forces.
“The video of Aiden speaking under duress and having clearly suffered physical injuries is deeply distressing,” Mr Aslin’s family said in a statement released by his local MP Robert Jenrick.
“Using images and videos of prisoners of war is in contravention of the Geneva Convention and must stop.”
The statement added that the family was in touch with the Foreign Office “to ensure the Russian authorities meet their obligations to prisoners of war under international law”.
02:56 PM
Russia tests new intercontinental ballistic missile
Russia said on Wednesday it has test-launched its new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a strategic weapon President Vladimir Putin said had no analogues elsewhere and would make other countries think before threatening Russia.
Putin was briefed by the military that the missile had been launched from Plesetsk in the country’s north west and hit targets in the Kamchatka peninsula in the far east.
02:31 PM
Zelensky voices support for Macron in upcoming election
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced support for French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of Sunday’s election that pits Macron against the Putin-friendly far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.
Zelensky said: “While I do not think that I have the right to influence what happens in your country, I want to say I have a relationship with Emmanuel Macron and I would not want to lose that.”
He said that his relationship with Le Pen “could change” if she admitted that “she has made a mistake” by supporting Putin in the past.
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny also tweeted his support for Macron, calling on French citizens to vote for him on Sunday.
He said: “I certainly, without hesitation, urge the people of France to vote for @EmmanuelMacron on April 24”.
02:14 PM
Russia to update its strategy in World Trade Organisation amid sanctions
Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that “illegal” sanctions imposed on Russian companies by the West ran counter to World Trade Organisation rules and told the Russian government to update the country’s strategy in the WTO.
“These measures (sanctions) run counter to WTO principles, to which European colleagues have constantly reiterated their adherence”, he said.
02:04 PM
Israel to supply vests and helmets to Ukrainian emergency services
Israel’s defence minister on Wednesday authorised the supply of helmets and vests to Ukrainian rescue services.
“In the light of the request made by the Ukrainian side, Israel will provide protective gear for the needs of Ukrainian rescuers and emergency services,” the statement said.
01:39 PM
Too early to know if Mariupol humanitarian corridors will work, says deputy mayor
It is too early to know whether humanitarian corridors established to evacuate remaining civilians from the besieged port of Mariupol will work, the city’s deputy mayor has said.
Sergei Orlov told the BBC that Ukrainian officials have buses ready in Mariupol to evacuate civilians but the city remains “totally without electricity – no mobile phones” which makes the evacuation effort more difficult.
Orlov said he does not trust Russian troops to allow a safe passage for civilians but “who knows, maybe this will be the first time such a corridor is set up”.
He added that around 90 per cent of buildings in the city have been damaged by shelling, with 40-45 per cent of the city’s infrastructure having been completely destroyed and beyond repair.
01:20 PM
Moscow court rejects appeal by banned radio station
Lawmakers in Moscow have rejected an appeal by Ekho Moskvy, the liberal radio station that was removed from air last month over its coverage of the war in Ukraine, in a further crackdown on independent journalism in Russia.
The prosecutor general’s office said the decision to take the channel off air was down to its spreading “deliberately false information” about the invasion.
Ekho Moskvy’s editor-in-chief, Alexander Venediktov, said on Telegram: “The court has rejected Ekho’s request to have the radio station and website restored. We will appeal”.
01:00 PM
Over a million Ukrainians have returned to country since invasion
Over a million Ukrainians have returned to their country since Russia launched its devastating invasion at the end of February, a spokesman for Kyiv’s border force said today.
“From that period of time, 1.1 million of our citizens entered Ukraine,” border official Andriy Demchenko said at a press conference.
He added that “almost five million people” crossed the Ukrainian border in both directions since the Russian invasion.
12:51 PM
Ukraine pleas for military aid from Bulgaria
Ukraine’s foreign minister appealed to Bulgaria to join international efforts and supply military aid to his country, as Russia’s traditional ally remained one of the last hold-outs in the EU.
Ukraine has repeatedly pressed for Nato and EU member states to speed up their supply of military help since Russia invaded it on February 24, but Bulgaria – which has had traditionally close ties with Russia – has so far refused to do so.
“The government of Bulgaria and the parliament of Bulgaria know perfectly what the Ukrainian requests are… When you fight a war, you need everything – from bullets to fighting planes. We gave the same list to all Nato members,” Dmytro Kuleba said Wednesday after meetings in Bulgaria’s parliament.
12:47 PM
Vova, 10, looks at the grave of his mother, Maryna, in Bucha
12:42 PM
Moscow has deported 500,000 people to Russia, Ukrainian lawmaker claims
A leading Ukrainian lawmaker told the European Parliament that Moscow has deported 500,000 people from Ukraine to Russia, calling on the Red Cross to establish contact with those missing.
“Half a million of Ukrainian citizens were deported from Ukraine to the Russian Federation without agreement from their side,” said Mykyta Poturayev, the head of the Ukrainian parliament’s humanitarian committee.
The figure has not been independently verified and Mr Poturayev did not give details or supporting evidence.
“Unfortunately there is no opportunity for now even (to make) contact with these people,” Mr Poturayev told members of the European Parliament by video link.
12:27 PM
Russian defence ministry seeks greater secrecy on military deaths
The Russian defence ministry has proposed that relatives of soldiers killed in Ukraine should have to apply to military rather than civilian authorities for compensation payments, imposing an extra level of secrecy around its war losses.
Russia already classifies military deaths as state secrets even in times of peace and has not updated its official casualty figures in Ukraine for nearly four weeks.
In its proposal, the defence ministry asked that the benefits paid to the families of fallen soldiers no longer be overseen by civilian officials but handled by enlistment offices instead. The move is designed to “limit the circle of people” with information on Russian troops killed in Ukraine, it said.
12:14 PM
Pictured: Ukrainian refugees are hosted at Ballindooley Castle in Galway, Ireland
12:03 PM
Finnish MPs open debate on joining Nato
Finland’s parliament is to open a debate on whether to seek Nato membership, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a surge in political and public support for joining the military alliance.
Despite Russia warning of a nuclear build-up in the Baltic should Finland and neighbouring Sweden join the military alliance, Finland’s prime minister said that her country would now decide quickly on whether to apply for membership.
“I think it will happen quite fast. Within weeks, not within months,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last week.
Sweden is also discussing whether to submit a membership bid following Russia’s February 24 invasion.
11:53 AM
Cyprus to strip citizenship from another four sanctioned Russians
Cyprus is revoking citizenship from four sanctioned Russians, bringing the number of passports pulled from people for links to the Kremlin to eight this month.
Passports would also be revoked from their families, deputy government spokeswoman Niovi Parisinou said in a written statement. The names of the individuals were not disclosed, in line with government policy.
Cyprus’s cabinet on April 7 decided to revoke citizenship from four Russians for being on a list of individuals sanctioned by the European Union over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and considered close to Vladimir Putin.
More than 1,000 Russians have been sanctioned by the bloc.
11:42 AM
PM urges Russia to treat captured Briton with compassion
Boris Johnson urged Russia to treat a Briton who was captured in Ukraine with compassion, adding that Aiden Aslin had served in the Ukrainian army for some time and was not a mercenary.
Asked about a video of Mr Aslin that was released on Russian state TV, the Prime Minister urged the Russian state to treat him “humanely and compassionately”.
“Although… we actively dissuade people from going to that theatre of conflict, I understand that he’d been serving in the Ukrainian forces for some time and his situation was very different from that of a mercenary,” Mr Johnson told lawmakers.
“I hope that he is treated with care and compassion.”
11:39 AM
Pictured: Protesters outside the Russian Embassy in Tokyo
11:33 AM
Ukrainian forces stop Russian advance towards Sloviansk
Ukrainian troops have held up an advance by Russian forces from the northeastern city of Izyum towards nearby Sloviansk, Oleksiy Arestovych, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said.
“They have focused their forces there, that is where they are trying to advance, but so far they are not succeeding,” he said in a video address.
Mr Arestovych added that Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol have been holding out, despite persistent Russian attacks on the Azovstal steel plant.
11:17 AM
Russia says it’s not banning foreign journalists but ‘tightening visa rules’
Russia is not planning to stop foreign journalists from entering the country but is tightening visa rules for those from “unfriendly countries”, a deputy foreign minister said today.
Yevgeny Ivanov told Russian lawmakers that this was in response to moves by the European Union and other countries to make it harder for the Russian business community to obtain visas.
“We have responded by making it harder for journalists from unfriendly countries to obtain visas. They will now get a single-entry visa and pay a higher visa fee,” he said.
10:58 AM
UN: More than five million Ukrainians have fled war
More than five million Ukrainians have now fled their country following the Russian invasion, the UN said today, in Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 5,034,439 Ukrainians had left since Russia invaded on February 24 – an increase of 53,850 over Tuesday’s total.
“Eight weeks into the conflict, we are at five million and counting, with five million unique stories of loss and trauma,” said deputy UNHCR chief Kelly T. Clements.
The UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says more than 218,000 third-country nationals – largely students and migrant workers – have also escaped to neighbouring countries, meaning more than 5.25 million people in all have fled Ukraine since the war began.
10:55 AM
Mariupol’s final defenders facing ‘last hours’, warns trapped fighter
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10:52 AM
Kremlin says Russian metal companies facing difficulties from ‘unfriendly countries’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian metallurgical companies were facing “hostile attitudes” from what Moscow calls unfriendly countries, and that Russia would come up with a plan to combat this.
“We are among world leaders in this industry, and our metallurgists have begun to face hostile attitudes, … our companies are experiencing some difficulties,” Mr Peskov said.
Vladimir Putin was due to meet representatives of the metals industry later today.
10:50 AM
‘History will not forget war crimes’ in Ukraine, says EU chief
EU chief Charles Michel said that there must be justice for war crimes committed in Ukraine as he toured the devastated town of Borodianka on a visit to the country.
“In Borodianka. Like Bucha and too many other towns in Ukraine. History will not forget the war crimes that have been committed here. There can be no peace without justice,” the European Council head wrote on Twitter.
10:49 AM
Germany has not disclosed all weapons sent to Ukraine, minister says
Germany has chosen not to make public all the weapons it has sent to support Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, adding that Berlin would help Kyiv maintain more advanced weapons systems it might buy and train soldiers to use them.
“We have delivered anti-tank missiles, Stingers and other things that we have never spoken about publicly so these deliveries could happen quickly,” she said at a news conference in Riga with her Latvian counterpart.
Asked whether Germany would be sending its Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery system – which some experts say Ukraine needs to mount a counterattack against Russian forces in its Donbas region – Ms Baerbock said Germany would train Kyiv’s soldiers on using and maintaining more advanced systems which it might obtain from other allied countries or buy outright.
“If partners deliver artillery that we can no longer deliver, we will help with training and maintenance,” she said.
10:10 AM
Kremlin: Reported Wimbledon ban on Russian players is ‘unacceptable’
The Kremlin said that a reported ban on Russian players taking part in this year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament would hurt the tournament itself given Russia’s tennis prowess and was “unacceptable”.
“Given that Russia is a strong tennis country the competitions (which take this decision) will suffer from this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
“To make sports people hostages of political intrigue is unacceptable. I hope the players won’t lose their fitness.”
10:06 AM
Kremlin accuses Ukraine of changing tune during peace talks
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of going back on commitments it made during peace talks and said this was having bad consequences for the negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the pace of talks left much to be desired and the ball was in Kyiv’s court after Russia handed a document to the Ukrainian side. He said Moscow was waiting for a response.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator said on Tuesday it was hard to predict when peace talks might resume.
09:53 AM
Russian radio station loses appeal against being taken off air
A Moscow court has rejected an appeal by liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy, one of the leading current affairs channels in Russia, against the authorities’ move to take it off air over its coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Ekho Moskvy stopped broadcasting last month after the prosecutor general’s office demanded that access to the station be restricted. It also ordered that its website be blocked for spreading what it called “deliberately false information” about Russia’s military operation.
The station, which has rejected the charges, later shut down under pressure from the authorities.
“The court has rejected Ekho’s request to have the radio station and website restored,” its longtime editor-in-chief, Alexander Venediktov, wrote on Telegram. “We will appeal.”
09:44 AM
Who is Graham Phillips, the ex-Whitehall civil servant now pushing Russian propaganda?
Accused of being a modern-day Lord Haw-Haw, the journalist has been pushing videos denying evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, report Daniel Capurro and Verity Bowman.
He started his professional life as a faceless bureaucrat for the now-defunct Central Office of Information, the UK Government’s marketing arm.
Nowadays, Graham Phillips seemingly finds himself spreading Russian lies and propaganda, and “interviewing” prisoners of war.
On Friday, the British blogger uploaded to YouTube an “interview” with Aiden Aslin, a British man deployed with Ukrainian marines and captured in Mariupol, in which Mr Phillips insisted that the visibly handcuffed PoW was not being coerced.
He proceeded to verbally probe and prod Mr Aslin into denouncing Ukraine, recognising the breakaway Russian puppet states in the Donbas and asking for a prisoner exchange to save himself from execution.
09:29 AM
Wimbledon to ban Daniil Medvedev and all other Russian players
Wimbledon are preparing a ban on all Russian players this year, meaning that US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, the world No 8, will be absent from SW19, reports Jeremy Wilson.
The decision, which comes amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, will also impact on the women’s draw and rule out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova, who are among the world’s top 30.
The ban is also expected to extend to players from Belarus, meaning that Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 4, and Victoria Azarenka, who was a gold medallist at London 2012 in the mixed doubles, could also miss Wimbledon this year.
Confirmation is expected on Thursday, with the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club poised to become the first tennis organisation to issue a blanket ban on individual players regardless of whether they have denounced the war.
09:23 AM
Norway gives Ukraine anti-air missiles
Norway has given Ukraine around 100 French-made Mistral anti-air missiles, the Norweigan Government said today.
The Mistral launchers and missiles, which have already been delivered, had until now been mounted on Norwegian navy vessels, the defence ministry said in a statement.
Built from the end of the 1980s by defence group Matra, which later merged with European missile developer MBDA, the Mistral is a very short-range surface-to-air missile. It is portable and can be used on vehicles, ships and helicopters.
09:12 AM
Biden to host military chiefs at annual White House gathering
President Joe Biden will convene top US military leaders in an annual White House gathering that takes on special significance as the war in Ukraine enters a new phase.
A “variety of topics” will be discussed by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and senior military leaders, a National Security Council spokesman said.
While the annual military policy meeting rarely makes news, weighty issues are on the agenda this year, topped by the conflict in Ukraine that officials fear could imperil European security for years to come.
08:57 AM
Hundreds of pets move to Ireland with their Ukrainian owners
More than 600 pets have been brought to the Republic of Ireland since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
With the vast majority being cats and dogs, the pets and their 485 owners have made Ireland their new home.
The Government confirmed the figures on Wednesday, with Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue promising Ireland will continue to operate an open-door policy for Ukrainians and their pets.
According to the figures, 333 dogs and 285 cats have travelled to Ireland with their owners from Ukraine, in addition to a number of smaller household pets.
Ireland has taken in just under 25,000 refugees so far from the war-torn country.
08:37 AM
Pictured: Mariupol residents cycle through destroyed city
08:27 AM
Russia seizes Ukrainian village to claim first ‘victory’ in battle for the Donbas
Russian troops claimed early success in their offensive in eastern Ukraine after seizing a village at the advent of the second phase of the war.
They took control of Kreminna, in the Luhansk region, on Tuesday afternoon in a small but significant advance towards Ukrainian strongholds.
“Kreminna is under the control of the Orcs. They have entered the town,” said Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk region. “Our defenders had to withdraw. They have entrenched themselves in new positions and continue to fight the Russian army.”
Mr Haidai did not say when the Russian forces established control over Kreminna but explained that they had attacked “from all sides”. He said official civilian casualty figures listed “about 200 dead, but in reality there are many more”.
08:14 AM
Children trapped underground in Mariupol bunkers beg to see sunlight
Families hiding underground in besieged Mariupol claimed on Tuesday that the lack of sunlight was making their children ill, as Russian forces were accused of using “bunker-buster” bombs.
In video footage of families hiding in Mariupol’s vast Azovstal metal plant, one mother complained that her three children were suffering from Vitamin D deficiency after weeks without daylight.
“The conditions are not great for kids here,” she said. “Children’s teeth are getting worse. They’re lacking in vitamin D. There’s no sun.”
Up to 1,000 civilians have taken refuge in the warren-like network of service tunnels and utility passages that lie beneath the plant, which is also where Mariupol’s last Ukrainian defenders have holed up.
08:08 AM
‘Officially’ Ukraine did not receive new aircraft from partners, says air force
Officially
Ukraine did not receive new aircraft from partners!
With the assistance of the US Government, @KpsZSU received spare parts and components for the restoration and repair of the fleet of aircraft in the Armed Forces, which will allow to put into service more equipment.— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) April 20, 2022
07:56 AM
Family of captured Briton say ‘propaganda’ video breached Geneva Convention
The family of a British man captured while fighting with Ukrainian armed forces have spoken of their distress at TV footage of him shown on Russian television.
Relatives of Aiden Aslin also denounced claims that the 28-year-old is a “volunteer, a mercenary, or a spy” as propaganda issued by the Kremlin.
In a statement issued through their MP Robert Jenrick, who represents Newark in Nottinghamshire, the captive’s family said: “In 2018 Aiden moved to Ukraine where he met his girlfriend and eventually settled down in Mykolaiv.
“Aiden decided to join the Ukrainian marines and has served in his unit for nearly four years.
“He is not, contrary to the Kremlin’s propaganda, a volunteer, a mercenary, or a spy. Aiden was making plans for his future outside the military, but like all Ukrainians, his life was turned upside down by Putin’s barbarous invasion.
“He has played his part in defending Ukraine’s right to self-determination. The video of Aiden speaking under duress and having clearly suffered physical injuries is deeply distressing.
“Using images and videos of prisoners of war is in contravention of the Geneva Convention and must stop.”
07:52 AM
Hungary receives more nuclear fuel from Russia by air
Hungary has received another shipment of nuclear fuel for the Paks nuclear power plant from Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said this morning.
Mr Szijjarto said the latest shipment was delivered through the airspace of Belarus, Poland and Slovakia after war in neighbouring Ukraine closed the previously used rail route crossing Hungary’s eastern neighbour.
07:29 AM
Zelensky calls for world leaders to ramp up supply of weapons
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07:27 AM
Growing majority of Swedes back joining Nato, poll shows
A growing majority of Swedes are in favour of joining Nato, a poll showed today, as policy-makers in both Sweden and Finland weigh up whether Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should lead to an end to decades of military neutrality.
The poll by Demoskop and commissioned by the Aftonbladet newspaper showed 57 per cent of Swedes now favoured Nato membership, up from 51 per cent in March. Those opposed to joining fell to 21 per cent from 24 per cent, while those who were undecided dipped to 22 per cent from 25 per cent.
The March poll was the first to show a majority of Swedes in favour of joining Nato.
Sweden has not been at war since the time of Napoleon and has built its security policy on “non-participation in military alliances”.
07:21 AM
EU Council chief Charles Michel arrives in Kyiv
European Council chief Charles Michel arrived in Kyiv today to represent EU member states.
“In Kyiv today. In the heart of a free and democratic Europe,” Mr Michel wrote on his Twitter account, accompanied by a photo taken at a train station in the Ukrainian capital.
07:06 AM
Ukraine aims to evacuate 6,000 from Mariupol today
Ukraine hopes to send 90 buses to the besieged southern city of Mariupol today to evacuate about 6,000 women, children and elderly people, the city’s mayor said on national television.
Mayor Vadym Boichenko, who has left Mariupol, said he hoped a preliminary agreement with Russia on establishing a safe corridor would be firmed up and hold.
He said about 100,000 civilians remained in Mariupol and that tens of thousands had been killed in the Russian siege of the city on the Sea of Azov.
06:51 AM
Pictured: The Komodor logistics park near Kyiv lies in ruins
06:39 AM
British lawyers who acted for oligarchs should be banned from US, says congressman
Top British libel lawyers should be banned from visiting the US as punishment for representing Russian oligarchs, a congressman has urged in an official letter to Washington’s most senior diplomat, reports Robert Mendick.
Steve Cohen, the co-chairman of a US government human rights commission, said that “foreign enablers of kleptocracy” should now be denied the “privilege of travelling” to the US.
As Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine entered its eighth week, US authorities were coming under pressure to introduce sanctions against professionals, both legal and financial, in the West who have advised Russian tycoons.
In his letter to Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, Mr Cohen said that “among the worst such enablers have been certain lawyers in the United Kingdom”.
06:29 AM
Germany isolated as West sends heavy arms to defend Ukraine
Germany on Tuesday night refused to join an international coalition in sending heavy weaponry to Ukraine as the country entered a new phase of the war against Russia.
Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, said that while Germany was willing to give financial aid, he was not prepared to export tanks and armoured personnel carriers to Kyiv.
Mr Scholz said Germany would not “go it alone” on weapons, and that any decisions would be made in close cooperation with “friends and allies”.
The refusal came as the UK and US prepared to ship Nato-standard weapons to Kyiv in response to demands for more firepower to repel the Russian offensive on Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
06:22 AM
Japan formally revokes Russia’s ‘most favoured nation’ status
Japan has formally revoked Russia’s “most favoured nation” trade status over its invasion of Ukraine, as Tokyo steps up sanctions.
The stripping of Russia’s trade status is Japan’s latest move against Moscow and was part of a list of sanctions measures Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced last month that also included a decision to expel eight Russian diplomats and trade officials.
06:20 AM
Ukraine says preliminary agreement reached on Mariupol evacuations
Ukraine has reached a preliminary agreement with Russia on establishing a humanitarian corridor to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the besieged city of Mariupol today, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
“Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Mariupol, this is where we will focus our efforts today,” Ms Vereshchuk wrote on Facebook.
06:00 AM
In pictures: Desperation to salvage food and treat the injured
05:32 AM
Fighting in the Donbas intensifies
Russia’s military presence on Ukraine’s eastern border continues to build as fighting intensifies in the Donbas, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in its latest update on Wednesday.
The ministry said Russian air activity in northern Ukraine would likely remain low since it withdrew troops from north of Kyiv.
“However, there is still a risk of precision strikes against priority targets throughout Ukraine.”
05:19 AM
Elderly Ukrainian man loses arm in Russian shelling
Wearing a grey tracksuit with a sleeve rolled to his shoulder, 71-year-old Vladimir Lignov shuffles down the corridor of a refugee centre in Ukraine, revealing the remains of a severed limb he says he can still feel.
“It was on the 21st of March, I went out to smoke. Then a shell hit. I lost my arm,” he told AFP, recalling the strike on his home in Avdiivka, an industrial hub in east Ukraine.
Medical staff at the Myrnorad hospital, near ongoing fighting, have told the elderly man to return for treatment in a week.
While staff in the Dnipro maternity hospital, which hastily opened up to accommodate people fleeing Moscow’s forces, advised him to return in three days.
“I don’t understand what’s going on. Maybe it’s better if I just go to the graveyard. I don’t want to go on living,” Mr Lignov said.
04:17 AM
Baltic countries debate whether to join NATO
Finland and Sweden are discussing whether to seek NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has warned of a nuclear build-up in the Baltic should Finland and neighbouring Sweden join the military alliance.
Finland’s parliament will start debating on Wednesday whether to apply for membership.
“I think it will happen quite fast. Within weeks, not within months,” Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last week.
02:28 AM
In pictures: Mariupol devastation as fresh surrender deadline issued
02:24 AM
Mariupol marine begs for extraction from besieged factory
A commander for the Ukrainian marines fighting in the last stronghold of Mariupol said his forces were “maybe facing our last days, if not hours” and appealed to world leaders for extraction.
In a Facebook post published early on Wednesday, Serhiy Volyna from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade said: “the enemy is outnumbering us 10 to one.”
Mr Volyna is sheltering at the besieged Azovstal factory.
“We appeal and plead to all world leaders to help us. We ask them to use the procedure of extraction and take us to the territory of a third-party state.”
01:52 AM
Today’s top stories
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Russia gave Ukrainian fighters still holding out in Mariupol a fresh ultimatum to surrender on Wednesday as it pushed for a decisive victory in its new eastern offensive
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About 120 civilians living next to Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol left via humanitarian corridors, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting Russian state TV
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain would give more artillery weapons to Ukraine as the conflict with Russia moves into a new phase
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Germany on Tuesday night refused to join an international coalition in sending heavy weaponry to Ukraine as the country entered a new phase of the war against Russia
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Russian troops claimed early success in their offensive in eastern Ukraine after taking control of the village Kreminna, in the Luhansk region, on Tuesday afternoon
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Families hiding underground in besieged Mariupol claimed on Tuesday that the lack of sunlight was making their children ill, as Russian forces were accused of using “bunker-buster” bombs
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Russia handed over 60 soldiers and 16 civilians to Ukraine in the fifth such exchange of prisoners of war, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said
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The regional governor said at least four people were killed and 14 were wounded in the Russian shelling of Kharkiv
