Ukraine’s president has accused Nato of giving a “green light” to Russian bombing because the alliance refuses to impose a no-fly zone over his country.
Nato on Friday rejected Kyiv’s request to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid fears that it could drag Western countries into direct military conflict with Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky attacked the Nato gathering as “weak” and “confused” and said the alliance knew that further Russian aggression was likely.
He accused Nato of having blood on its hands.
“All the people who die starting today will also die because of you. Because of your weakness, because of your disconnection,” Mr Zelensky said.
“Today the leadership of the alliance gave the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages, refusing to make a no-fly zone.”
Follow the latest updates below.
03:33 AM
Mariupol mayor focussed on ceasefire
Mariupol’s mayor said his priority is to establish a ceasefire and set up a corridor to bring in food and medicine as the city comes under blockage by Russian forces.
The city has endured days of “ruthless” attacks, said its mayor.
Capturing Mariupol would give Moscow’s invasion a strategic advantage, connecting it to the Russian forces coming from annexed Crimea – which have already taken the key ports of Berdiansk and Kherson – as well as to the troops in the Donbas.
“For now, we are looking for solutions to humanitarian problems and all possible ways to get Mariupol out of the blockade,” said Mayor Vadim Boychenko.
“For five days, our hometown, our family of half a million people, has been under ruthless attack,” he wrote on Saturday, while calling for continued resistance.
Located on the Sea of Azov, the city of 450,000 people has been bombarded by shellings and cut off without water or electricity in the depths of winter.
03:15 AM
Mariupol has been ‘blockaded’, says Mayor
The strategic Ukrainian port city Mariupol has been ‘blockaded’ by Russian forces says its mayor, AFP is reporting.
The city has been desperately clinging on in the face of a Russian onslaught with no water, heat or electricity and dwindling supplies of food.
Mayor Vadym Boychenko has appealed for military assistance and for a humanitarian corridor to be created to evacuate some of the city’s 400,000 residents after five days of bombardment by encircling Russian troops.
03:01 AM
Instagram influencer calls on people to donate to Ukraine via Airbnb bookings
An Instagram influencer has called on people to donate to Ukrainians by booking Airbnb rentals in the country, saying doing so will benefit Ukrainians directly.
Tommy Marcus, 26, from New York, runs the Quentin Quarantino page on social media, set up in 2020.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Marcus said the idea had originally come from one of his followers on social media.
He added that followers have now received messages of gratitude from Ukrainians who have received bookings via Airbnb.
He told PA: “I certainly did not foresee it going so viral… so many of my followers have told me ‘I got this message (of gratitude from a Ukrainian) and then immediately started crying’.
“And that’s maybe not something that happens when you give 20 dollars (£15) to charity. That’s not to say that that money doesn’t go as far when you give it to a charity, but there’s definitely that emotional element that’s unique about this, which I think is probably a very big driving factor and why it was so viral.”
He warned, however, that people should check the Airbnb listing before booking to ensure they know who would receive the money.
02:39 AM
Russian forces closing in on second power plant
Russian forces are just 20 miles away from closing in on Rivne, Ukraine’s second largest nuclear power facility, said the US ambassador to the UN.
The warning comes after Russian forces seized the country’s largest nuclear power plant yesterday after heavy shelling and a fire at the plant.
“Russian forces are now 20 miles and closing from Ukraine’s second largest nuclear facility. So this imminent danger continues,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
02:38 AM
Putin the powerless
A week ago, Vladimir Putin seemed unstoppable, Justin Huggler writes. Russian troops had crossed into Ukraine in overwhelming numbers, and it seemed that it was a matter of days until resistance was crushed.
The West looked powerless to do anything about it. The courage of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainians was already clear, but they looked doomed to a hopeless last stand. Putin was the master manipulator who had outplayed the West.
However, a week can be a long time in war. The Russian president cut a diminished figure as he met with the same National Security Council by video link from an undisclosed location on Thursday.
There were dark patches beneath his eyes and he seemed to falter as he stood to honour the Russian dead.
Read more: The week Vladimir Putin lost control
02:34 AM
Today’s top stories
-
Boris Johnson on Friday night warned that “radioactive clouds” could spread over Europe if the West does not act following Russia’s unprecedented assault on a nuclear power plant
-
The attack at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, was condemned by Western leaders and raises the prospect of widening the war in Ukraine after nine days of conflict
-
Western allies have refused to implement a no-fly zone, which would bring Nato into direct conflict with Russia
-
The Pentagon on Friday confirmed that it had established a new hotline with Russia’s ministry of defence to prevent “miscalculation, military incidents and escalation”
-
Writing for The Telegraph, Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, said a Nuremberg-style trial may be needed to bring Putin and his regime to justice
-
The mayor of Mairupol said the city of 400,000 residents was without water, heat or electricity and was running out of food
-
US officials said Russia had now deployed 92 per cent of the troops it had massed on Ukraine’s borders prior to the invasion
-
In Kherson, the first Ukrainian city captured by the Kremlin’s forces, the conquerors staged a fake victory parade, bussing in Russians from Crimea in an artificial show of support for the invading army
