The devastated city of Mariupol “continues to resist” despite Russian claims to have captured it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Russia claimed on Thursday that it had “liberated” the city, with just a few thousand Ukrainian soldiers left in the Azovstal steel plant complex, where thousands more civilians are also believed to have taken refuge.
However, Mr Zelensky has said the battle continues.
“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.
“They can only delay the inevitable – the time when the invaders will have to leave our territory, in particular Mariupol, a city that continues to resist Russia, despite everything the occupiers say.”
It came as a British military update on Friday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to blockade the Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine likely indicates a desire to contain resistance in Mariupol.
The southern port city has been the target of relentless Russian attacks as Moscow bids to create a land bridge connecting annexed Crimea and the Russian-based separatist statelets in the Donbas region.
Follow the latest updates below.
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
NEWS: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III to Host Meeting in Germany to Discuss Ukraine’s Long-Term Defense Needs https://t.co/xsJbDi27tV
— Department of Defense ???????? (@DeptofDefense) April 22, 2022
01:27 AM
Today’s top stories
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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
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Working from home increases the risk of Russian cyber attacks, intelligence agencies have warned
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A video of Vladimir Putin tightly gripping a table during a televised meeting has sparked speculation over the Russian leader’s health
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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
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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
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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
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The US will supply Ukraine with deadly so-called “ghost drones” developed specifically for Ukrainian forces to use against Russian troops
