Russia’s defence ministry has said that 265 Ukrainian soldiers, including several dozen wounded, surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol.
“Over the past 24 hours, 265 militants laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 heavily wounded,” the ministry said in a briefing, adding that those in need of medical care were transferred to a hospital in the town of Novoazovsk.
Ukraine is working on “further stages” of the evacuation of fighters defending the Azovstal steel plant in the southern city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
She gave no other details in a post on the Telegram messaging app but wrote: “God willing, everything will be fine.”
On Monday, more than 50 wounded troops were taken from Azovstal to a hospital in the Russian-controlled town of Novoazovsk, and more than 210 others were taken to the town of Olenivka in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
Follow the latest updates below.
09:26 AM
Finland, Sweden joining Nato makes ‘no big difference’ – Sergei Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Finland and Sweden joining Nato would probably make “not much difference” as the two countries had long participated in the alliance’s military drills.
“Finland and Sweden, as well as other neutral countries, have been participating in Nato military exercises for many years,” Mr Lavrov said.
“Nato takes their territory into account when planning military advances to the East. So in this sense there is probably not much difference. Let’s see how their territory is used in practice in the North Atlantic alliance.”
09:10 AM
Talks with Ukraine are not going on ‘in any form’ – Kremlin
Russia and Ukraine are not holding talks “in any form”, the Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko as saying.
“No, negotiations are not going on. Ukraine has practically withdrawn from the negotiation process,” Interfax cited Rudenko as saying.
08:55 AM
Russia-backed separatists say 256 Ukrainians surrendered in Azovstal
Russia-backed separatists have said 256 Ukrainian servicemen who had been holed up in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant “have surrendered” and that 51 were wounded.
Earlier Ukraine’s military said it was working to evacuate all remaining troops from their last stronghold in the besieged port of Mariupol, ceding control of the city to Russia after months of bombardment.
You can read our full report on the surrender of the steelworks here.
08:34 AM
Bank of England warns of ‘apocalyptic’ global food shortage
The Governor of the Bank of England has warned of “apocalyptic” global food price rises and said he is “helpless” in the face of surging inflation as the economy is battered by the war in Ukraine, reports Tim Wallace.
Andrew Bailey said he has “run out of horsemen” when counting the shocks facing Britain, with runaway energy and food costs driven by global market forces beyond his control.
Prices are rising at the fastest rate in 30 years, creating a “very big income shock” that is expected to intensify in coming months with a risk of double-digit inflation before the end of the year.
Mr Bailey told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that he is increasingly concerned about a further surge in food costs if Ukraine, a major crop grower, is unable to ship wheat and cooking oils from its warehouses because of a Russian blockade.
You can read Tim’s report in full here.
08:12 AM
Turkey ‘won’t prevent’ Sweden, Finland joining Nato
Luxembourg’s foreign minister says he doesn’t believe Turkey will prevent Sweden and Finland from joining Nato, despite the Turkish president’s stated objections.
All 30 current Nato members, among them Turkey, must agree to let the Nordic neighbors join. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said they failed to take a “clear” stance against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers terrorists, and imposed military sanctions on Turkey.
However, Luxembourg’s long-serving Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio on Tuesday that he suspects Erdogan is merely “pushing up the price” for the two countries’ membership.
He said: “At the end of the day, I am convinced that Turkey can’t slam the brakes on this.”
Mr Asselborn added that “this will take some time, I hope not too long.”
07:55 AM
Vladimir Putin takes personal control of Russia’s faltering Donbas offensive
Vladimir Putin has taken personal control over Russia’s faltering efforts to capture Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, a source said.
The Russian President and the head of his armed forces, General Valery Gerasimov, were said to be interfering in low-level tactical decisions usually made by much junior figures.
“We think Putin and Gerasimov are involved in tactical decision-making at a level we would normally expect to be taken by a colonel or a brigadier,” the source said.
The source added that Mr Putin’s most senior general was still “up and running” despite claims he had been suspended after a series of military failures in Ukraine.
You can read the full report from our Europe correspondent Joe Barnes and our defence & security correspondent Dominic Nicholls here.
07:29 AM
Russian state TV commentator admits Russia is isolated and Ukraine’s military is formidable
[embedded content]
07:17 AM
McDonald’s to quit Russia after 32 years over Ukraine war
McDonald’s is pulling out of Russia after more than 30 years of selling milkshakes and hamburgers in the country, taking a $1.4bn (£1.1bn) hit from the decision, reports Laura Onita.
The fast-food giant is seeking to sell its operations, including 850 restaurants with 62,000 employees.
It is one of the most high profile retreats by a Western firm since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. McDonald’s temporarily halted its business in Russia in March but today said it will permanently leave.
The company opened its first restaurant in Moscow in 1990, attracting queues of an estimated 30,000 people in Pushkin Square in what came to be seen as a defining moment for the triumph of capitalism after the Cold War.
You can read Laura’s report in full here.
07:01 AM
Russia’s takeover of Mariupol ‘symbolic’
Oleksandr Danylyuk, a former Ukrainian national security chief and finance minister, currently serving as an officer in the Ukrainian army, has told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the situation at the Mariupol steelworks is Russia’s takeover is purely “symbolic”.
He wouldn’t say exactly how many remain at the plant, but said there are many more left there, some of them wounded.
“It’s a relief, but it’s not the end.”
Their main mission is completed and their lives need to be saved, he said.
Russia controls Mariupol but they don’t control the steel plant, though the strategic importance of the plant is minimal at this stage, he added, so it’s rather symbolic for Russia to take full control of the city.
“But that symbolic action will cost them a lot of lives.”
06:39 AM
Japan respects Sweden’s decision to join Nato
Japan respects Sweden’s “serious decision” to apply for Nato membership, Japan’s chief government spokesman has said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an issue affecting not only Europe but also the Indo-Pacific region, Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular news conference.
06:20 AM
Ukraine eyes higher grain exports
Poland will simplify veterinary controls and add inspectors in an effort to boost the volume of Ukrainian grain exports through its territory, Ukraine’s agriculture ministry said, after a pact signed by the neighbours.
With Ukraine’s ports blocked off by Russia’s invasion, the major grain grower and global exporter is forced to send shipments across its western border, relying on limited railroad capacity and small Danube river ports.
Traders and officials have said customs procedures and sparse Polish officials limit capacity at Ukrainian-Polish border crossings, however.
“The measures envisaged … will significantly simplify the border crossing of our grain goods and increase export volumes, which is the ministry’s priority,” Ukraine’s agriculture minister, Mykola Solskiy, said in a statement on Monday.
Ukraine’s grain exports have more than halved in the first 10 days of May to about 300,000 tonnes, from 667,000 tonnes in the corresponding period last year.
It exported up to 6 million tonnes of grain each month before Russia’s invasion in February. Last week, ministry data showed Ukraine has exported 46.17 million tonnes so far in the season from July 2021 to June 2022, against 39.65 million a season earlier.
05:34 AM
Thousands of buildings damaged in Chernihiv region
The Ministry of Defence said approximately 3,500 buildings are estimated to have been destroyed or damaged in the Chernihiv region, north of Kyiv, during Russia’s abandoned advance towards the capital.
Residential buildings were damaged the most, making up about 80 per cent of the destruction.
“The scale of this damage indicates Russia’s preparedness to use artillery against inhabited areas, with minimal regard to discrimination or proportionality,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Russia has likely resorted to an increasing reliance on indiscriminate artillery bombardment due to a limited target acquisition capability, and an unwillingness to risk flying combat aircraft routinely beyond its own frontlines.”
04:51 AM
Missile strike in Lviv potentially the largest since start of war
According to reports by Ukrainian media, the missile strike in Lviv could potentially be the largest since the beginning of the war.
04:26 AM
Resident recalls terrifying shelling in Ukrainian village near Russian border
Trembling in fear, Ukrainian resident Rostislav Stepanenko has recalled how he survived devastating shelling in his village, which was caught in the firing line between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Waving his arms in a state of agitation, he asked Ukrainian soldiers if he could safely cross the remains of a destroyed bridge in the village of Ruska Lozova near the Russian border.
The village, about 11 miles from the frontier and just north of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, was recaptured by Kyiv’s forces in late April after being under Russian control for two months.
He had returned to collect some belongings but returned empty-handed and stunned by the incessant artillery fire.
He said a shell struck a neighbour’s house and blew out his home’s windows.
“I did not care if I would be killed on the way (back) or in my house,” he said.
The 53-year-old man joked his profession was “trying to stay alive”.
03:10 AM
Ukraine alleges 229 children murdered in Russia’s war
Ukraine’s Parliament has alleged 229 children have been murdered by Russian fighters in the war against Ukraine.
“We’ll never forgive and forget,” it said on Twitter.
02:29 AM
Europe accused of ‘double standard’ on Ukrainian refugees
The head of the world’s largest humanitarian network said the quick acceptance of Ukrainians fleeing war shined a light on Europe’s “double standard” on other refugees, including those fleeing violence in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said he doesn’t think “there is any difference” between someone fleeing Ukraine and someone escaping the Boko Haram extremist group in Nigeria.
“Those who are fleeing violence, those who are seeking protection, should be treated equally,” Mr Rocca said on Monday.
02:15 AM
UN warns of ‘catastrophic’ child malnutrition due to price hikes, war
More than 600,000 children could miss out on life-saving treatment for severe malnutrition due to price hikes of ingredients caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and pandemic disruptions, the United Nations’ children’s agency has warned.
UNICEF said the raw ingredients of the ready-to-eat-therapeutic food have climbed in price and without further funding in the next six months, hundreds of thousands of children may miss out on the essential treatment.
The therapeutic food is a high-energy paste made of ingredients including peanuts, oil, sugar and added nutrients.
The price rise could lead to “catastrophic” levels of severe malnutrition, the children’s agency said.
“The world is rapidly becoming a virtual tinderbox of preventable child deaths and child suffering from wasting,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said.
02:05 AM
In pictures: Wounded Ukrainian soldiers evacuate Mariupol
01:24 AM
Ukraine ends mission to defend Azovstal steel plant
Ukraine’s military command said the mission to defend the besieged Azovstal steel plant by “the heroes of our time” in the strategic southern port of Mariupol is over and pledged to rescue the soldiers still trapped inside.
“The ‘Mariupol’ garrison has fulfilled its combat mission,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in a statement in the early hours of Tuesday.
“The Supreme Military Command ordered the commanders of the units stationed at Azovstal to save the lives of their personnel.
“The defenders of Mariupol are heroes of our time. They will forever be marked down in history. This includes the special ‘Azov’ unit, the 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, the 36th Separate Brigade of Marines, border guards, police, volunteers, the Territorial Defense of Mariupol.”
01:01 AM
Today’s top stories
-
Ukrainian fighters evacuated from the Azovstal plant will be exchanged for captured Russian soldiers, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister said
-
More than 260 Ukrainian soldiers holed up in the Azovstal steel plant for 82 days were evacuated to Russian-controlled towns on Monday night
-
The western Ukrainian city of Lviv was rocked by a number of very loud explosions in the early hours of Tuesday morning
-
Ukrainian forces reached the border with Russia on Monday in a move military experts said would allow them to strike at the heart of Moscow’s supply lines
-
Sweden will formally apply for membership in Nato as a deterrent against Russian aggression, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Monday
-
Deployment of Nato military infrastructure in Finland and Sweden will trigger a response from Moscow, Vladimir Putin warned
-
The Governor of the Bank of England has claimed that policy makers have been left helpless in the face of surging inflation amid the Ukraine war
-
Russia attacked positions in eastern Ukraine as it tries to encircle Ukrainian forces in the Donbas and fend off a counteroffensive around the city of Izium
-
More than 650 victims were “executed” by Russian soldiers in the Bucha region during a month under occupation, Kyiv officials said
-
Ukrainian border guards repelled an incursion by a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group in the northeastern region of Sumy on Monday, the governor of the Sumy region said
