Russia-Ukraine latest news: Britain to reopen embassy in Kyiv, Boris Johnson announces

Britain will reopen its shuttered embassy in Kyiv, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

“I can announce today that we will very shortly next week reopen our embassy in Ukraine’s capital city,” he said on a two-day visit to India.

The British government said in February, days before Russia invaded Ukraine, that its embassy office in Kyiv was relocating temporarily and staff were operating from an embassy office in the city of Lviv.

Melinda Simmons, the UK’s ambassador in Ukraine, said she was “looking forward” to returning to the city and a consular presence will be reestablished.

The move comes after Italy, Spain and Romania announced they would reopen their embassies following Russian troops withdrawing from the area amid heavy losses.

The embassy’s reopening is a sign of growing confidence that Russia will fail to take the Ukrainian capital as the second phase of war, expected to last months, begins in the east.

​​Follow the latest updates below.

02:31 PM

We share struggle against authoritarianism, Taiwan tells Ukraine

Taiwan’s foreign minister told the mayor of Ukraine’s capital on Friday their democracies stood on “the frontline of resisting the expansion of authoritarianism as he announced a donation of £6.2 million to Kyiv and Ukrainian medical institutions.

The war in Ukraine has garnered broad sympathy in Taiwan, with many seeing parallels between Russia’s invasion and growing military pressure from China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory.

Taiwan has condemned Russia’s invasion, joined Western-led sanctions and donated £15.5 million for Ukrainian refugees, mostly raised from the public. China has not condemned Russia.

Speaking by video conference to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu added: “The Taiwanese government and people also face a high threat from the authoritarian regime across the Taiwan Strait, and therefore feel the current situation faced by Ukraine as though it is happening to ourselves.”

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02:19 PM

War in Ukraine: latest pictures

02:06 PM

Nuclear watchdog chief to visit Ukraine’s Chornobyl next week

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Ukraine’s Chornobyl dormant nuclear plant next week, the watchdog said on Friday.

Rafael Grossi will head an expert mission to step up efforts to help prevent the danger of a nuclear accident during the conflict in the country, the agency said in a statement.

The team of nuclear safety, security and safeguards staff will be in Chornobyl from April 26 to deliver vital equipment and conduct radiological and other assessments at the site, which was held by Russian forces for five weeks before they withdrew on March 31, it said.

Grossi added that more IAEA missions to Chornobyl and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine would follow within weeks.

01:57 PM

British ambassador ‘looking forward’ to Kyiv return

01:47 PM

Kyiv refusing to allow Mariupol troops to surrender, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Kyiv of refusing to allow Ukrainian troops to surrender in the besieged port city of Mariupol, as he spoke to EU chief Charles Michel.

“All servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces, militants of the national battalions and foreign mercenaries who laid down their arms are guaranteed life, decent treatment in accordance with international law, and the provision of quality medical care,” Putin told the European Council President, according to the Kremlin.

“But the Kyiv regime is not allowing for this opportunity to be used.”

Ukraine says hundreds of its forces and civilians are holed up inside the sprawling Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and Kyiv has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to allow women, children and the elderly to safely exit the shattered city.

During what the Kremlin called “lengthy” phone talks with Michel, Putin also claimed that “numerous war crimes” of Ukrainian forces have been ignored.

01:36 PM

France sending heavy artillery to Ukraine

France is sending several heavy artillery pieces to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron has announced, as growing numbers of Western nations contribute heavier arms.

“We are delivering significant equipment, from Milan (anti-tank missiles) to Caesar (self-propelled howitzers),” Mr Macron told regional newspaper Ouest-France.

“I think we have to continue on this route. Always with the red line that we will not become parties to the conflict.”

Defence Minister Florence Parly confirmed on Twitter that France would send “several Caesar artillery cannons and thousands of shells”.

Built by partly state-owned arms maker Nexter, the Caesar is a 155mm howitzer mounted on a six-wheeled truck chassis, capable of firing shells at ranges of more than 40 kilometres (25 miles).

01:29 PM

Moscow lifts lid on next phase of invasion

Russia has given the most detailed description yet of its goals in the “second phase” of its war on Ukraine, saying it wants to carve out a sizeable slice of the country.

Ukraine’s government, emboldened by a fresh influx of high-grade Western weaponry, said its beleaguered forces were still holding out inside a sprawling, seaside steelworks in the razed city of Mariupol.

But the Kremlin has claimed the “liberation” of Mariupol, whose control is pivotal to its war plans nearly two months after the invasion.

“Since the start of the second phase of the special operation… one of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over the Donbas and southern Ukraine,” Russia’s Major General Rustam Minnekaev said.

“This will provide a land corridor to Crimea,” he added, according to Russian news agencies, referring to the peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

01:22 PM

US politicians call for field hospitals on Ukrainian border

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is calling on the Biden administration to establish field hospitals near Ukraine’s border and ramp up medical support.

Forces aligned with Ukraine have suffered thousands of casualties since Russia invaded on February 24, while Russian strikes on hospitals and other non-military targets have killed large numbers of civilians.

The Associated Press has documented three dozen Russian attacks on medical facilities, hitting medics, patients and even newborns.

More than a dozen House of Representatives members wrote on Friday to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin asking for the US to fill gaps in Ukraine’s medical infrastructure.

The steps recommended by the group include opening field hospitals in eastern Poland, providing Ukraine with armored ambulances and taking some of the sick and wounded to the US military’s Landstuhl regional hospital in western Germany.

01:07 PM

EU says gas payments may be possible in Russian roubles

European Union companies may be able to comply with Russia’s proposed system to pay for gas in roubles without falling foul of the bloc’s sanctions against Moscow, but it is not yet clear how such a procedure would work, the European Commission said on Friday.

Moscow in March issued a decree proposing that energy buyers open accounts at Gazprombank, where payments in euros or dollars would be converted to roubles. That decree does not necessarily prevent a payment process that would comply with the EU’s sanctions regime, the Commission said in a guidance document sent to EU member states and published online.

“However, the procedure for derogations from the requirements of the decree is not clear yet,” the document said.

12:52 PM

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians still fleeing war, UN says

A total of 5,133,747 Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia invaded on February 24, the UN refugee agency said Friday.

The figure marks an increase of 48,387 from Thursday’s data, UNHCR said.

Some 1,098,000 Ukrainians have left the country during April so far, compared with 3.4 million for the whole of March.

Women and children account for 90 percent of those who fled abroad, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military call-up unable to leave.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said an additional 218,000 citizens of third-countries – largely students and migrant workers – have also escaped to neighbouring countries.

Beyond the refugees, the IOM estimates 7.7 million people are displaced within in Ukraine.

12:51 PM

Britain considering sending tanks to Poland to support Ukraine’s fight, Boris Johnson says

Boris Johnson today revealed the UK is considering donating tanks to Poland to replace any heavy armoured vehicles which the country may decide to give to Ukraine as it fights back against the Russian invasion.

The Prime Minister said the Government is “looking more at what we can do to backfill in countries such as Poland who may want to send heavier weaponry to help defend the Ukrainians”.

The arrangement would see the UK send tanks to Poland should Warsaw decide to donate some of its fleet of Russian-made T-72s to Ukraine.

The announcement represents a significant step forward in Britain’s response to the war as it continues to expand its offer of support to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson also predicted the UK and other Western allies will eventually give “security guarantees” to Ukraine in order to deter a future Russian attack.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, India, Mr Johnson said countries are likely to promise Ukraine weaponry, training and intelligence sharing to “make sure that their territory is so fortified as to be impregnable”.

Jack Maidment has all the latest politics news on our dedicated live blog.

12:46 PM

Putin tells EU’s Michel Ukraine is being ‘inconsistent’ at talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin told European Council President Charles Michel that he would only hold direct talks with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky if ongoing discussions between the two countries produce concrete results, the Kremlin said on Friday.

Putin told Mr Michel that Kyiv was showing that it was not ready to seek mutually acceptable solutions and accused the Ukrainian side of being “inconsistent” in negotiations.

12:45 PM

Pictured: British embassy in Kyiv which is due to reopen next week

12:32 PM

Watch: Russia claims victory in Mariupol despite Azov Commander saying Ukrainian troops hold the city

12:17 PM

Ukraine’s postal service hit by cyberattack after sales of warship stamp go online

Ukraine’s national postal service Ukrposhta said it had been hit by a cyberattack on Friday after sales of a postage stamp depicting a Ukrainian soldier making a crude gesture to a Russian warship went online.

Queues formed to buy the stamp when it went on sale at the postal headquarters in Kyiv last week following the sinking of the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Kyiv said it had hit the cruiser Moskva with missiles. Russia said the ship sank while being towed in stormy seas after a fire caused by an explosion of ammunition.

Ihor Smilianskyi, Ukrposhta’s director general, issued an apology to customers for what he said was a DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack but did not say who might be behind it.

“We are really doing everything, together with internet providers, to restore both the online store and other Ukrposhta systems that are also temporarily not working due to a DDos attack on our systems,” he wrote on Facebook.

12:10 PM

EU chief pushes Putin for Mariupol humanitarian access

European Council president Charles Michel said he urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call Friday to allow humanitarian access to the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol during Orthodox Easter.

“Strongly urged for immediate humanitarian access and safe passage from Mariupol and other besieged cities all the more on the occasion of Orthodox Easter,” Mr Michel said on Twitter after the call, adding he “firmly reiterated the EU’s position: support for Ukraine and her sovereignty, condemnation and sanctions for Russia’s aggression.”

11:35 AM

Russia ready for truce at Mariupol plant ‘at any moment’

Russia’s defence ministry said Friday it was ready for a humanitarian ceasefire at Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant – the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the strategic port city – if Kyiv’s soldiers surrender.

“We once again declare that Russia is ready at any moment to introduce a regime of silence and announce a humanitarian pause for the evacuation of civilians,” the defence ministry said, adding that the ceasefire would start with the “raising of white flags” by Ukraine’s forces.

11:25 AM

Erdogan says he plans calls with Putin and Zelensky for leaders’ meeting

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he was planning to hold phone calls with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in the coming days, adding that he hoped the calls could lead to a leaders’ meeting in Turkey to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Nato member Turkey shares a martime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, has good ties with both, and has taken a mediating role. It has hosted talks between the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers in Antalya, and negotiators from both countries in Istanbul, while pushing for a leaders’ meeting.

“We are not without hope,” Mr Erdogan told reporters when asked about the peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.

“Our friends will get in touch with them today, we plan to hold a call again with Putin and Zelensky today or tomorrow,” he said.

“With the calls, we plan to carry the process in Istanbul to the leaders’ level,” he added.

10:53 AM

Russia prepared to stop firing to allow evacuation of Mariupol’s Azovstal plant, RIA reports

Russia is prepared to stop firing to allow fighters at the Azovstal steel works in Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol to leave the plant, along with any civilians that are still there, RIA cited the defence ministry as saying on Friday.

The ministry said claims by Ukraine and some western countries that Russia was preventing civilians from leaving the city were “groundless”, the TASS news agency reported.

10:29 AM

Over 369,000 refugees from Ukraine registered in Germany

More than 369,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine have been recorded in Germany thus far, said a German Interior Ministry spokesperson.

The tally since the start of the war was at 369,381, said the spokesperson at a regular government news conference on Friday, adding that the actual number is likely much higher.

10:04 AM

Pictured: Ukrainian family gets in car after loading up belongings in Borodyanka

10:01 AM

Baltic nations not buying Russian gas at the moment, Latvia says

Baltic European Union members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are not buying Russian gas at the moment and aim to also avoid doing so in the future, Latvia’s Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said on Friday.

“We will cooperate for that, to ensure enough gas supplies, and we will use the underground gas storage in Latvia,” Mr Karins told a joint news conference following a meeting of the three Baltic prime ministers.

09:47 AM

Scholz says top priority is avoiding Nato confrontation with Russia

Nato must avoid a direct military confrontation with Russia that could lead to a third world war, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with Der Spiegel when asked about Germany’s failure to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine.

Mr Scholz is facing growing criticism at home and abroad for his government’s apparent reluctance to deliver heavy battlefield weapons, such as tanks and howitzers, to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks, even as other Western allies step up shipments.

Asked in an extensive interview published on Friday why he thought delivering tanks could lead to nuclear war, he said there was no rule book that stated when Germany could be considered a party to the war in Ukraine.

“That’s why it is all the more important that we consider each step very carefully and coordinate closely with one another,” he was quoted as saying. “To avoid an escalation towards Nato is a top priority for me.”

“That’s why I don’t focus on polls or let myself be irritated by shrill calls. The consequences of an error would be dramatic.”

09:41 AM

One dead in Ukraine transport plane crash

Ukraine said Friday that at least one person died and two were injured when a transport plane crashed over the centre of the country, the latest incident involving accident-prone Soviet-era aircraft.

“An AN-26 aircraft, which according to preliminary information belonged to Ukraine, crashed today in the vicinity of Mikhailovka in the Zaporizhzhia region,” the region’s administration wrote in a statement on social media.

“The aircraft was performing a technical flight. It has been established that one person was killed and two more were injured.”

Crew numbers and the cause of the crash were being investigated, the statement added.

The Soviet-designed Antonov aircraft, still widely used in military and civilian aviation across Russia and the former USSR, crash regularly.

09:29 AM

Russian actions in Ukraine ‘may amount to war crimes’, UN says

The United Nations on Friday accused Russia of taking action in Ukraine “that may amount to war crimes”, including indiscriminate bombing that killed civilians and destroyed schools and hospitals.

“Russian armed forces have indiscriminately shelled and bombed populated areas, killing civilians and wrecking hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure, actions that may amount to war crimes,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

09:21 AM

Kremlin condemns suspension of Olympic swimmer Rylov over Ukraine stance

The Kremlin on Friday condemned the nine-month suspension of Olympic champion swimmer Evgeny Rylov over his presence at a rally in support of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.

“We believe this is absolutely contrary to the ideas of sport,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the decision by swimming’s world governing body FINA to suspend Rylov. “When the strongest (competitors) lose the opportunity to participate, this ultimately harms international federations and international competitions.”

Mr Rylov, who won gold in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke events at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was among several athletes who attended a massive rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium last month hosted by President Vladimir Putin.

08:51 AM

Ukraine says 21,200 Russian personnel killed since invasion started

Ukraine has said that 21,200 Russian personnel have been killed since the beginning of the invasion.

In its latest update, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that Russia had lost 2162 armoured vehicles.

08:42 AM

Pope says June meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch is off

Plans for Pope Francis to meet in Jerusalem in June with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia’s war in Ukraine, have been suspended, the pope has told an Argentine newspaper.

Reuters reported on April 11 that the Vatican was considering extending the pope’s trip to Lebanon on June 12-13 by a day so that he could meet with Kirill on June 14 in Jerusalem.

Pope Francis told La Nacion in an interview that the plan was “suspended” because Vatican diplomats advised that such a meeting “could lend itself to much confusion at this moment”.

08:27 AM

Lithuania’s president calls for more Nato troops

Nato should increase its deployment of troops in Lithuania and elsewhere on Europe’s eastern flank following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania’s president told Germany’s foreign minister during a meeting in Vilnius on Friday.

Nato’s Enhanced Forward Presence Battalion should be transformed into “at least” the size of a brigade, while air defences should be improved, President Gitanas Nauseda said in a statement.

He also called for a reinforcement of the Baltics’ only overland connection to the rest of the European Union, a narrow strip of land between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave known as the Suwalki corridor.

08:22 AM

Russia says it plans to take full control of Donbas and Southern Ukraine, Ifax reports

Russia plans to take full control of Donbas and Southern Ukraine as part of the second phase of the military operation, the deputy commander of Russia’s central military district said on Friday, the Interfax news agency reported.

He was also cited as saying that Russia planned to forge a land corridor between Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and Donbas.

08:04 AM

Russia says its air force struck 58 military targets in Ukraine overnight

Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday it had struck 58 military targets in Ukraine overnight, including sites where troops, fuel depots and military equipment were concentrated.

The ministry said it had also struck three targets using high-precision missiles in Ukraine, including an S-300 air defence system and a large concentration of Ukrainian troops with their equipment.

07:46 AM

Transport plane crashes in south Ukraine on technical flight, casualties reported

A Ukrainian AN-26 transport plane crashed during a “technical flight” in southern Ukraine on Friday and there were casualties, local authorities said.

Details of the crash, in the Zaporizhzhia region, were being verified.

07:31 AM

Swimming governing body suspends Olympic champion for nine months over Putin rally

Swimming’s world governing body FINA said on Friday it had suspended Russian Olympic gold medallist Evgeny Rylov for nine months after he attended a rally in Moscow in support of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Mr Rylov, who won gold in 100 and 200 metres backstroke events at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was among several athletes who attended a massive rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium last month hosted by President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Rylov and other athletes wore the letter “Z” on their outfit, an identifying symbol used by supporters of what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

FINA said the suspension came “following Mr. Rylov’s attendance and conduct at an event held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow”.

There was no immediate reaction from Mr Rylov, who also lost his sponsorship deal with swimwear maker Speedo over his presence at the rally.

07:18 AM

Gazprom’s Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine edge up on Friday

Russian gas producer Gazprom was supplying natural gas to Europe via Ukraine on Friday in line with requests from European consumers, it said.

Requests stood at 58.2 million cubic metres for April 22, the company said, up from 57.3 million cubic metres for April 21.

07:17 AM

Russia’s Petropavlovsk applies for export licence amid struggle to sell gold

Russian gold miner Petropavlovsk said on Friday it has applied for a new export licence as the company struggles to sell its gold to sanctions-hit lender Gazprombank, the only buyer of the mining group’s entire gold output.

The sanctions imposed on several Russian companies prohibit any financial dealings with such firms and Petropavlovsk is even restricted from making debt repayment to Gazprombank, also its main lender.

The restrictions put the London-listed miner, which has not been targeted by sanctions, in a difficult position as it has an extensive commercial and financial relationship with Gazprombank.

Petropavlovsk said it continues to explore options for sale of its gold, including with other potential buyers, even as it cut its annual total gold production outlook, hurt by supply chain disruptions to output from third-party concentrate.

The company said it now expects an annual total gold production in the range of 375 kilo ounces (koz) to 405 koz, down from a previous outlook of 380-420 koz.

06:42 AM

Mariupol mayor appeals for ‘full evacuation’ of his southern Ukrainian city

The mayor of Mariupol issued a new appeal on Friday for the “full evacuation” of the southern Ukrainian city which President Vladimir Putin says is now controlled by Russian forces.

“We need only one thing – the full evacuation of the population. About 100,000 people remain in Mariupol,” Mayor Vadym Boichenko said on national television.

06:41 AM

No civilian evacuations to take place in Ukraine on Friday

No evacuations of civilians will take place in war-torn Ukraine on Friday as the situation on the roads is too dangerous, a senior official has said.

“Because of the insecurity along the routes, there will be no humanitarian corridors today, April 22,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

06:40 AM

The latest pictures from Ukraine

06:12 AM

Britain permits gas payments to Gazprombank until May 31

Britain has granted a licence for payments until May 31 to Russia’s Gazprombank and its subsidiaries, so as to ensure gas supplies to the European Union, a Treasury document showed.

The licence permits an individual or company to continue payments under contracts that began before April 21, and allows actions such as opening and closing bank accounts in order to make such payments, the document published online showed.

06:08 AM

Britain says Russia blockaded Azovstal plant to contain Ukraine resistance

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to blockade the Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine likely indicates a desire to contain resistance in Mariupol, a British military update said on Friday.

“A full ground assault by Russia on the plant would likely incur significant Russian casualties, further decreasing their overall combat effectiveness,” the update added.

Heavy shelling continued in the eastern Donbas as Russia seeks to advance further towards settlements, including Krasnyy Lyman, Buhayikva, Barvinkove, Lyman and Popasna, the UK Ministry of Defence tweeted in a regular bulletin.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

04:55 AM

Mariupol ‘continues to resist’, Zelensky says

The devastated city of Mariupol “continues to resist” despite Russian claims to have captured it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday as he welcomed fresh US aid to help confront Moscow’s eastern offensive.

Russia says it has “liberated” the city, with just a few thousand Ukrainian soldiers left in the Azovstal plant complex, where thousands more civilians are also believed to have taken refuge.

But Mr Zelensky said the battle continued.

“In the south and east of our country, the occupiers continue to do everything to have a reason to talk about at least some victories,” he said in a video address.

04:13 AM

Clearing Azovstal steel plant ‘pointless’, says Putin

Putin expressed concern for the lives of Russian troops in deciding against sending them in to clear out the sprawling Azovstal steel plant, where the die-hard defenders were hiding in a maze of underground passageways.

At a joint appearance with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin declared, “The completion of combat work to liberate Mariupol is a success,” and he offered congratulations to Shoigu.

Shoigu predicted the steel plant could be taken in three to four days, but Putin said that would be “pointless.”

“There is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities,” the Russian leader said. “Block off this industrial area so that not even a fly comes through.”

03:50 AM

Local official in Kherson kidnapped by Russian troops, says Ukrainian deputy PM

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russian troops kidnapped a local official heading up a humanitarian convoy in the southern Kherson region. She said the Russians offered to free him in exchange for Russian prisoners of war, but she characterized that as unacceptable.

Vereshchuk also said efforts to establish three humanitarian corridors in the Kherson region failed Thursday because Russian troops did not hold their fire

03:27 AM

Tennis-Wimbledon ban will ‘incite hatred,’ says Belarus federation

The decision to bar Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine will incite “hatred and intolerance”, the Belarus Tennis Federation (BTF) said, adding that they are seeking legal advice on the ban.

The grasscourt major announced on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian competitors would be banned from this year’s tournament. Belarus is a key staging area for the invasion, which Russia calls a “special military operation”.

“The Belarusian Tennis Federation categorically condemns the decision of the Wimbledon organizers to suspend the Belarusian and Russian tennis players,” BTF said in a statement on Thursday.

03:16 AM

In pictures: Volunteer prepares dough for traditional Easter cakes in an old bakery that survived during Russia’s invasion of Bucha

02:32 AM

Biden bans Russian ships from US ports

President Joe Biden announced on Thursday the United States will ban Russian-affiliated ships from American ports, joining Canada and European nations in the latest step to pressure Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters first reported Biden’s planned action on Thursday and had reported in early March that the ban was under consideration by the White House.

“That means no ship, no ship that sails under the Russian flag or that is owned or operated by a Russian entity, will be allowed to dock in a United States port or access our shores. None,” Mr Biden said on Thursday.

02:10 AM

New satellite images show what appear to be mass graves near Mariupol

Satellite images released on Thursday showed what appeared to be mass graves near Mariupol, and local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place in the siege of the port city.

Satellite image provider Maxar Technologies released the photos, which it said showed more than 200 mass graves in a town where Ukrainian officials say the Russians have been burying Mariupol residents killed in the fighting.

The imagery showed long rows of graves stretching away from an existing cemetery in the town of Manhush, outside Mariupol.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused the Russians of “hiding their military crimes” by taking the bodies of civilians from the city and burying them in Manhush.

01:49 AM

US to host Ukraine-focused defense talks in Germany

01:27 AM

Today’s top stories

• Britain is training Ukrainians in the use of armoured vehicles on UK soil to help Kyiv’s forces launch counter-offensives against Vladimir Putin’s invading army in eastern Ukraine

• Working from home increases the risk of Russian cyber attacks, intelligence agencies have warned

• A video of Vladimir Putin tightly gripping a table during a televised meeting has sparked speculation over the Russian leader’s health

• The “Butcher of Bucha” has been sanctioned by the UK after committing “heinous” acts in Ukraine, as Liz Truss announced a crackdown on Vladimir Putin’s generals

• A deadly fire in Russia on Thursday destroyed the building of a top-secret military research institute working to develop Russia’s newest ballistic missiles

• Germany was accused of backtracking on its pledge to buy heavy weapons for Ukraine on Thursday, amid reports it vetoed key items requested by Kyiv

• The US will supply Ukraine with deadly so-called “ghost drones” developed specifically for Ukrainian forces to use against Russian troops