Ukraine news – live: Bucha attack ‘like genocide’, Johnson says as new Russian attack ‘expected in days’

Boris Johnson has gone further in his condemnation of the Russian military’s alleged actions in Bucha, saying the murders of Ukrainian civilians are not “far short of genocide”.

Speaking during a visit to a hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, the UK prime minister said “it is no wonder people are responding in the way that they are” and that he was confident the “international community, Britain very much in the front rank, will be moving again in lockstep to impose more sanctions and more penalties on Vladimir Putin’s regime”.

His remarks come as Russian forces will likely launch a full-scale offensive in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region in “approximately a few days”, the region's governor has said.

Serhiy Haidai told Sky News that the scale of death and destruction in Luhansk could be worse than that seen in Mariupol, Bucha and Irpin.

Mr Haidai described “constant shelling” of the areas still held by Ukraine.

“We don't have a single hospital left that has not been shelled,” he added.

Key Points

• Bucha killings ‘not far off genocide,’ says Boris Johnson

• US to outline new sanctions to ‘prosecute criminal Russian activity’ – officials

• Zelensky denounces UN: ‘Unable to carry out its functions’

• 3,846 people evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors

• Nearly 5,000 Russian war crimes ‘under scanner in Ukraine'

• UN secretary general says he ‘will never forget’ images of civilians killed in Bucha

Labour to support any new sanctions against Russia, Keir Starmer says

15:19 , Thomas Kingsley

Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour will support any new sanctions the government brings forward against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

Speaking during a visit to Bacup in Lancashire, the Labour leader said the UK should provide the Ukrainians with all the support it can.

“That means military support to help them defend their cities and defend their country,” he said.

“It means being absolutely clear with one voice that these war crimes, and they are war crimes, will end up with those responsible being hunted down.

“If the government wants tougher sanctions it knows what it needs to do. Put a package before Parliament, we'll vote for it, it will go through very quickly.”

Ukraine war could be a ‘long haul,’ Nato head says

15:04 , Thomas Kingsley

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine could be “a long haul”, with Vladimir Putin still intent on eventually taking control of the whole country.

“We have all seen the atrocities that have been committed in Bucha and other places in Ukraine,” he said.

“This reveals the true nature of president Putin's war. Any targeting and killing of civilians is a war crime and therefore Nato allies are supporting international efforts to establish all the facts, to investigate and to make sure that perpetrators are punished.”

Speaking as Nato foreign minister gathered in Brussels, he said Russia's forces were being moved out of northern Ukraine to redeploy into the Donbas region in the country's east “where we are expecting a major offensive”.

“We have seen no indication that President Putin has changed his ambition to control the whole of Ukraine and also to rewrite the international order so we need to be prepared for a long haul.”

‘More military support to come’ former UK national security adviser says

14:50 , Thomas Kingsley

Sir Mark Lyall Grant, former UK national security adviser and former UK permanent representative to the UN, said he expected “pledges of more military support”.

He told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: “Getting the balance right between military support for Ukraine which helps them in the fight against this Russian invasion and not giving Putin an excuse to escalate the conflict even further.

“I think we will see pledges of more military support of the sort of anti-tank weapons, perhaps also some anti-ship missiles, which haven't so far reached the theatre, and also surface-to-air missiles.

“When it comes to tanks and fighter aircraft ... Nato has so far been very reticent, but now that the Czech Republic appears to be deciding to send Russian-made tanks into the theatre, there may be some other Nato members who will press to do that as well.”

He added: “Certainly, the evidence of war crimes and human rights abuses that have been uncovered in recent days has raised the level of outrage in the West and definitely increased the willingness to consider further supplies of weapons ... if Ukraine is now going to go on the offensive to try and take back territory that's being occupied by Russia in the east of the country, they are going to need slightly different type of weapons.”

Watch live as Nato foreign ministers arrive at Ukraine meeting in Brussels

14:35 , Thomas Kingsley

Hungary ready to pay for gas in roubles if Russia wants that, PM Orban says

14:20 , Thomas Kingsley

Hungary would have no difficulty with paying for gas shipments from Russia in roubles and if Russia asks it to Budapest will do so, prime minister Viktor Orban told a news conference on Wednesday, in reply to a Reuters question.

Pictured: Woman rescued from debris after a military strike in the town of Rubizhne in Luhansk

14:05 , Thomas Kingsley

A combination picture shows a woman before and after she was removed by rescuers from debris following a military strike, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in the town of Rubizhne, in Luhansk region, Ukraine April 6, 2022.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine confirmed to The Independent that the woman is alive following the strike.

Pictured: Firefighters work at a site of burning fuel storage facilities damaged by an airstrike in Dnipropetrovsk

13:47 , Thomas Kingsley

Watch: Ukraine residents return to destroyed village in Chernihiv

13:23 , Sam Hancock

Russia-Ukraine talks continue despite Bucha allegations, Kremlin says

13:21 , Sam Hancock

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says negotiations with Ukraine are continuing, despite allegations of “genocide” and “war crimes” against innocent civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.

Mr Peskov said today the negotiations with Ukraine were continuing but that the Bucha revelations – which he referred to as a “staging” – had hampered talks and there was “a fairly long road ahead.”

“The working process continues but it is going much more tough than we would like. Of course we would like to see more dynamism from the Ukrainian side, but the process has not been broken off and is continuing,” he added.

Russia eventually retreated from areas around Kyiv and the northern cities of Chernihiv and Sumy after talks with Ukraine in Turkey last week. However, Ukrainian troops re-entering the areas found evidence of widespread killings of civilians.

Russia denies any war crimes and has alleged Ukraine faked the incidents to make Moscow “look bad”.

Watch: Zelensky calls for Nuremberg-style trials after Russian ‘war crimes’ in Ukraine

13:02 , Sam Hancock

US to outline new action to ‘prosecute criminal Russian activity’ - justice officials

12:51 , Sam Hancock

The US Department of Justice is to outline new enforcement actions “to disrupt and prosecute criminal Russian activity” later today.

Top Justice officials, including attorney general Merrick Garland and FBI director Christopher Wray, will discuss the action at 10am (2pm GMT), the department said in a statement.

New sanctions were announced earlier today by the US and its allies on Russian banks and officials.

They also plan a ban on new investment in Russia, the White House said, after officials in Washington and Kyiv accused Moscow of committing war crimes in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

What is the legal definition of genocide and how is it prosecuted?

12:47 , Sam Hancock

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is attempting to commit genocide in his country after reports emerged that 20 civilians were left dead in the street in Bucha, some with their hands bound, and satellite imagery revealed the presence of a mass grave.

Five weeks into Vladimir Putin’s invasion, the Russian military has repeatedly been accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine. Children’s nurseries, maternity hospitals, residential apartment blocks, a community theatre, a shopping centre and a Holocaust memorial are among the sites to have been reduced to rubble by Russian missiles so far, although the Kremlin denies intentionally targeting civilians.

Russian troops have also been accused of engaging in rape, torture and murder as weapons of war.

But how exactly is genocide defined and how is it prosecuted? Joe Sommerlad takes a closer look.

What is the legal definition of genocide and how is it prosecuted?

Bucha killings ‘not far off genocide,’ says Boris Johnson

12:15 , Sam Hancock

In the UK, Boris Johnson has said the actions of Russian forces in the Ukrainian town of Bucha “doesn’t look far short of genocide”.

Speaking during a visit to a hospital in Welwyn Garden City, the prime minister said he was confident there would be more international sanctions imposed on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s regime.

“I’m afraid when you look at what’s happening in Bucha, the revelations that we are seeing from what Putin has done in Ukraine doesn’t look far short of genocide to me,” he said.

“It is no wonder people are responding in the way that they are. I have no doubt that the international community, Britain very much in the front rank, will be moving again in lockstep to impose more sanctions and more penalties on Vladimir Putin’s regime.”

His remarks come after dozens of Ukrainian civilians were found dead on the streets of Bucha – just outside the capital city of Kyiv – after Russian troops retreated from the town as part of their reported plans to abandon northern Ukraine and focus on the south and the east.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow’s forces of torturing, raping and killing innocent people “just for pleasure”.

Czech Republic is first Nato member to send tanks to Ukraine’s aid in war against Russia

11:44 , Thomas Kingsley

The Czech Republic has stepped up weapons supplies to Ukraine, becoming the first country and first Nato member to send tanks to help in the war against Russia.

A train loaded with dozens of Soviet-built T-72 tanks and armoured vehicles was seen passing through the Czech countryside yesterday. The weapons were described as a “gift” from the Czech army. Ukrainian crews are familiar with the Soviet-built tanks.

Ukraine foreign minister calls on EU to ban Russian oil and gas

11:30 , Thomas Kingsley

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has welcomed a new tranche of EU sanctions against Russia which include bans on Russian coal, vessels accessing EU ports and road transport operators.

However, he called on the EU to take further action in the form of banning Russian gas and oil and “de-SWIFTing” all Russian banks.

“Difficult times require difficult decisions,” Mr Kuleba added.

Pictured: EU officials discuss fresh Russia sanctions in France

11:15 , Thomas Kingsley

Governor shares aftermath of Donetsk 'airstrike’

11:14 , Thomas Kingsley

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko shared images from an alleged airstrike in the region today.

“The site of the humanitarian aid was fired upon by Russian fascists from jet artillery in Vugledar,” Mr Kyrylenko wrote on Twitter.

It is currently known that two people were killed and five were injured, the governor added.

EU fuel payments to Russia outweigh military aid to Ukraine

11:00 , Thomas Kingsley

EU foreign minister Josep Borrell said the EU’s fuel payments to Russia are outweighing its military aid to Ukraine.

The European Union has spent €35 billion on Russian fuel since the start of the war, compared to only €1 billion to Ukraine in arms and weapons, Mr Borrell said.

“We have to help Ukrainians defend themselves. We have given Ukraine €1 billion. It might seem a lot but €1 billion is what we pay Putin everyday for the energy he provides us,” he told the European parliament.

Josep Borrell said it was unable to ban Russian gas imports because some member states were so dependent on it that they were refusing to budge, despite widespread revulsion at Putin’s aggression.

Mr Borrell acknowledged that EU energy payments were effectively ‘financing the war’ in Ukraine.

Ukrainian sniper ‘Charcoal’ is lauded as modern-day ‘Lady Death’

10:45 , Thomas Kingsley

A female Ukrainian sniper codenamed “Charcoal” has been hailed as a national hero, drawing comparisons to a legendary Second World War sharpshooter nicknamed “Lady Death”.

The Ukrainian army has released images of Charcoal, with her face partially covered to mask her identity.

The unnamed markswoman joined Ukraine’s armed forces in 2017, fighting in the east of the country against Russian-backed separatists.

Our reporter, Rory Sullivan, has the full story below:

Ukrainian sniper ‘Charcoal’ is lauded as modern-day ‘Lady Death’

Watch: Emotional moment Husky meets owner in war-torn Bucha after being rescued

10:30 , Thomas Kingsley

NEW: Governor of Ukraine’s Donetsk region says two civilians killed in artillery strike on humanitarian aid distribution point

10:25 , Thomas Kingsley

Governor of Ukraine's Donetsk region says two civilians were killed in an artillery strike on humanitarian aid distribution point on Wednesday.

It comes after authorities in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk urged civilians on Wednesday to evacuate “while it is safe,” warning that Russian bombardments could cut off escape routes.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in online comments that Ukraine aimed to open 11 humanitarian corridors on Wednesday to evacuate civilians.

Russia is using hunger as a weapon in its war against his country, president Zelensky warns

10:20 , Thomas Kingsley

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the Irish Parliament that Russia is using hunger as a weapon and an instrument of domination

Addressing a joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas via a translator, he said: “This night, our territory was again hit by Russian missiles.

“They are destroying things that are sustaining livelihoods to people.

“They also have blocked all of our sea ports, together with the vessels that had already agricultural cargoes for exports. Why are they doing this? Because for them hunger is a weapon against us, ordinary people as an instrument of domination.

“Ukraine is one of the leading food-supplying country in the world with exports.

“There will be a shortage of food and the prices will go up, and this is reality for the millions of people who are hungry, and it will be more difficult for them to feed their families.”

Kharkiv zoo prepares to kill lions and tigers in case Russian shelling lets them loose in city

10:15 , Thomas Kingsley

The owner of a zoo in the war-torn Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has taken a heartbreaking decision to put down all the large animals including tigers and lions.

Although several animals at the Feldman Ecopark survived the incessant bombing by the Russian forces for over five weeks, the facility was devastated leading to risks of the predators venturing in the city.

He says the animals who survived can escape at any time, and must be put down, though he holds out hope some adolescent big cats may be saved and transported elsewhere.

Our reporter, Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, has the full story below:

Kharkiv zoo to kill lions and tigers in case Russian shelling lets them loose

‘Evacuate while it is safe,’ Luhansk authorities warn as humanitarian corridors open

10:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Authorities in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk urged civilians on Wednesday to evacuate “while it is safe,” warning that Russian bombardments could cut off escape routes.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in online comments that Ukraine aimed to open 11 humanitarian corridors on Wednesday to evacuate civilians.

“We will take everyone out if the Russians allow us to get to the meeting places (for evacuation). Because, as you can see, they don’t always observe ceasefires,” the Luhansk region governor, Serhiy Gaidai, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

“I appeal to every resident of the Luhansk region - evacuate while it is safe ... While there are buses and trains - take this opportunity.”

Pope, holding Ukrainian flag, condemns 'atrocities, such as the massacre of Bucha'

09:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned “the massacre of Bucha” and held up a Ukrainian flag that was sent to him from the town where tied bodies shot at close range, a mass grave and other signs of executions were found.

“Recent news from the war in Ukraine, instead of bringing relief and hope, brought new atrocities, such as the massacre of Bucha,” he said at the end of his weekly audience.

“Cruelty that is increasingly horrendous, even against civilians, defenceless women and children. They are victims whose innocent blood cries out up to heaven and implores: 'Stop this war!'” he said.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Western allegations Russian forces committed war crimes by executing civilians in Bucha were a “monstrous forgery” aimed at denigrating the Russian army.

Dutch government preventing 14 Russian yachts from leaving due to sanctions

09:30 , Thomas Kingsley

The Dutch government said on Wednesday it is currently preventing 14 yachts - including 12 that were under construction - from leaving the country due to sanctions on Russia.

The ministry of foreign affairs made the statement in a letter to parliament, updating lawmakers on the enforcement of sanctions after criticism that the Netherlands had lagged behind other European countries in enforcement and seizures.

Yacht-building is a significant industry in the Netherlands, with chamber of commerce records showing that major builders Heesen, Feadship, Damen Shipyards and Oceanco had combined sales of around €1.5 billion ($1.66 billion) in 2020.

Wednesday's letter said that while no "superyachts" are anchored in Dutch territories, including Caribbean islands like St. Maarten, the 12 yachts under construction for Russian owners "cannot at this moment be delivered due to the current export measures" and their ownership structures are being investigated.

Watch: Zelensky tells the UN Security Council to punish Russia or ‘dissolve itself’

09:15 , Thomas Kingsley

Russia’s war in Ukraine increasingly looks ‘like genocide’, the former head of the British Army has said

09:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Russia's war in Ukraine increasingly looks "like genocide that is plotted from the top", the former head of the British Army has said.

Lord Dannatt told Sky News: "The war crimes are stacking up to the point that it looks like a concerted effort to reduce the Ukrainian population, and that is getting very close to the definition of genocide.

"It's absolutely right and proper that all these war crimes are being chronicled and evidence is being gathered.

"It is looking to me increasingly like genocide that is plotted from the top. The top, therefore, must bear responsibility and maybe one day, even if not in a physical court but in a court of history, be condemned."

Lord Dannatt was unsure if Vladimir Putin or his senior generals would face trial, but added that it is still possible.

Putin critic calls for Russia state media to be sanctioned

08:45 , Thomas Kingsley

Putin critic and Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny called for state media programmes to be sanctioned over claims of “warmongering” during the invasion of Ukraine.

In a 14-post Twitter thread, Mr Navalny shared how many Russians are viewing TV in the nation during the war.

He claimed that a Channel One state media anchor described the civilian killings in Bucha as Nato preparing provocation in the reigon.

“NATO has been preparing the provocation in Bucha for a long time and at the highest level. It is also confirmed by the fact that President Biden called Putin a “butcher” not long ago”, Mr Navalny claimed the anchor said.

“Listen how consonant the English word ‘butcher’ and the name of the city ‘Bucha’ are. This is how the Western audience was subconsciously prepared for this provocation.”

He claimed that “lies” told by Russian state media are “unimaginable.”

The world must act to stop ‘mass murder’ in Ukraine - Sajid Javid

08:30 , Thomas Kingsley

The world must act to stop the mass murder in Ukraine, UK health secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday, comparing reports of civilian killings by Russian troops to a 1995 genocide in Bosnia.

Since Russian troops withdrew from towns and villages around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Ukrainian troops have been showing journalists corpses of what they say are civilians killed by Russian forces, destroyed houses and burnt-out cars. “This is mass murder on an unprecedented scale in Europe. We haven't seen the likes of this I think since 1995,” he told BBC television.

“I don't want to be commemorating another genocide in Europe years from now. We have the power, the world has the power to stop this, and it must act,” Javid said.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that western allegations that Russian forces committed war crimes by executing civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha were a “monstrous forgery” aimed at denigrating the Russian army.

Watch: Ambulance destroyed by Russian airstrike outside children’s hospital in Mykolaiv

08:15 , Thomas Kingsley

08:00 , Thomas Kingsley

The United States and its allies on Wednesday prepared new sanctions on Moscow over civilian killings which President Volodymyr Zelensky described as "war crimes."

Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the biggest assault on a European nation since World War Two, gained new impetus this week after dead civilians shot at close range were discovered in the northern town of Bucha, seized back from Russian forces.

Moscow denied targeting civilians in Bucha and described evidence presented as a "monstrous forgery" staged by the West to discredit it.

New sanctions set to be unveiled Wednesday are in part a response to Bucha, the White House said. The measures, coordinated between Washington, Group of Seven advanced economies and the European Union, will target Russian banks and officials and ban new investment in Russia, the White House said.

Proposed EU sanctions, which the bloc's 27 member states must approve, would ban buying Russian coal and prevent Russian ships from entering EU ports.

EU executive Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was working on banning oil imports, as well. Europe, which obtains about a third of its natural gas from Russia, has been wary of the economic impact a total ban on Russian energy would bring.

Humanitarian situation in Mariupol ‘worsening,’ according to British Intelligence

07:46 , Thomas Kingsley

The humanitarian situation in the southern port city of Mariupol is “worsening” British intelligence has said today.

According to the update from the UK defence ministry, airstrikes and heavy fighting has continued in the “encircled” city of Mariupol.

“The humanitarian situation in the city is worsening. Most of the 160,000 remaining residents have no light, communication, medicine, heat or water,” the update claimed.

“Russian forces have prevented humanitarian access, likely to pressure defenders to surrender.”

Russian media campaign dismisses Bucha deaths as fakes

07:35 , Thomas Kingsley

As gruesome videos and photos of bodies emerge from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, Kremlin-backed media are denouncing them as an elaborate hoax — a narrative that journalists in Ukraine have shown to be false.

Denouncing news as fake or spreading false reports to sow confusion and undermine its adversaries are tactics that Moscow has used for years and refined with the advent of social media in places like Syria.

In detailed broadcasts to millions of viewers, correspondents and hosts of Russian state TV channels said Tuesday that some photo and video evidence of the killings were fake while others showed that Ukrainians were responsible for the bloodshed.

Read the full report below:

Russian media campaign dismisses Bucha deaths as fakes

ICYMI: Ukraine has one of the highest HIV rates in Europe. Russia’s war could set back fight against virus 20 years

07:17 , Thomas Kingsley

Under shelling and missiles, medics risk their lives to treat the 250,000 people in Ukraine with HIV amid fears that the war could set their efforts back decades, reports Bel Trew from Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

The shelling is so intense that on bad days it turns the sky orange. But despite this, Iryna Bondarenko and her team get in their cars and drive through the explosions to deliver life-saving medicines and services to those living with HIV in Ukraine.

Read the full report below:

Ukraine has one of Europe’s highest HIV rates. War is devastating efforts to fight it

Ukraine ‘will win’ war against Russia but cost remains unclear, says Sean Penn

06:33 , Arpan Rai

Sean Penn says Ukraine “will win” the ongoing war with Russia but that the cost of victory remains unclear.

The 61-year-old filmmaker and Oscar-winning actor said “no one on the planet has been tested in leadership” like Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Penn, who has been in and out of Ukraine while making a documentary about the ongoing Russian invasion, appeared on Fox News’s Hannity on Tuesday (5 April) evening.

Sean Penn says Ukraine ‘will win’ war against Russia but cost remains unclear

Putin’s daughters may face US sanctions next - Report

06:19 , Arpan Rai

The US is set to impose sanctions on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s daughters in response to the Moscow-led invasion of Ukraine, officials said.

This is the first move in which Mr Putin’s immediate and close family members will face economic sanctions from the US, after the European Union made the suggestion for new restrictions.

The sanctions against Mr Putin’s children could be rolled out this week, the officials said, reported The Wall Street Journal.

In additional punitive measures, the US will also expand the sanctions on Russia’s largest financial institution, Sberbank, and one of its largest private banks, Alfa Bank, reported The Kyiv Independent.

Mariupol’s humanitarian crisis worsening, claims UK

06:10 , Arpan Rai

The British defence ministry has said most of the 160,000 residents left behind in Ukraine’s encircled city Mariupol have been left behind with no light, medicine or water as the crisis in the region worsens.

“Heavy fighting and Russian airstrikes have continued in the encircled city of Mariupol,” the defence ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

It added: “The humanitarian situation in the city is worsening. Most of the 160,000 remaining residents have no light, communication, medicine, heat or water. Russian forces have prevented humanitarian access, likely to pressure defenders to surrender.”

Putin not deterrable, says US army general Mark Milley

05:29 , Arpan Rai

Joe Biden could not have effectively deterred Vladimir Putin from launching an invasion into Ukraine, army general Mark Milley said, countering claims by Republican leaders.

“I’m not sure he was deterrable,” the top US military officer said, adding that “this [action against Ukraine] has been a longstanding objective of his that goes back years.”

“The idea of deterring Putin from invading Ukraine, deterring him by the United States, would have required the commitment of US military forces, and I think that would have risked armed conflict with Russia, which I certainly wouldn’t have advised,” the top military officer said.

Reject Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, appeals Boris Johnson to Russians

05:10 , Arpan Rai

Issuing a direct appeal to the Russian people in their own language, Boris Johnson called for them to reject the war started by president Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

The “atrocities” committed by Russian forces – including the rape and massacre of innocent civilians – were so shocking that Mr Putin had deliberately sought to hide the truth from his people, Mr Johnson said in a video posted to social media on Tuesday.

He said: “Your president knows that if you could see what was happening, you would not support his war.”

The British prime minister asked Russians to download VPNs and circumvent the Kremlin’s media controls to witness the atrocities being committed in their name.

Read the full report here:

Boris Johnson calls on Russians to reject Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine

Bucha mass grave holds 150-300 bodies, says official

04:53 , Arpan Rai

There are estimated to be between 150 and 300 bodies in a mass grave by a church in northern Ukraine’s Bucha, Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said.

Bucha, a town outside Kyiv and the site of major war crimes allegations after the withdrawal of Russian troops there, saw at least 410 Ukrainian deaths during its occupation, officials said on Monday.

Russia has denied responsibility for the mass deaths in Bucha and said the allegations coming out of town are a “monstrous forgery” aimed at denigrating the Russian army.

Russian troops are not targeting civilians, Russia’s UN ambassador told the Security Council on Tuesday.

US clears Javelin anti-tank missiles worth $100m for Ukraine

03:52 , Arpan Rai

In its latest provision of weaponry for Ukraine, the US approved a $100m transfer of Javelin anti-armour missiles on Tuesday, an administration official said.

The $100m will be used for Javelins — a portable anti-tank weapon used extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq — which was requested by the Ukrainian military to fight Russian armour, the administration official said on the condition of anonymity.

With this $100m worth of assistance, the US has now aided Ukraine to the tune of $2.4bn since president Biden took office in January last year.

This aid is part of the financial assistance for Ukraine cleared by Congress last month after Russia invaded the country.

Nearly 5,000 Russian war crimes under scanner in Ukraine - Official

03:34 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova said around 5,000 Russian war crimes are under investigation in the war-marred country.

“Even in such a cruel situation, war crimes are first on the spectrum, followed by crimes against humanity and genocide,” Ms Venediktova said at a briefing in Bucha, reported The Kyiv Independent.

US firm Intel suspends business operations in Russia

03:26 , Arpan Rai

US chipmaker Intel Corp announced it is suspending all business operations in Russia, effective immediately on Tuesday.

The company said it has implemented business continuity measures to minimise disruption to its global operations.

“Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a swift return to peace,” the chipmaker firm said.

Zelensky denounces UN: ‘Unable to carry out its functions’

03:25 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky came down on the United Nations Security Council in his nightly address and said that despite the council’s existence, there is no security in the world.

“The UN Security Council exists, and security in the world doesn’t,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that the UN “is currently unable to carry out the functions for which it was created”.

He also cornered Russia for violating the international institution with its dysfunctional activities.

Russia “discredits the UN and all other international institutions where it still participates,” the Ukrainian president said, calling for the country’s removal from the panel.

Russia’s role at the UN is “to block everything constructive and use global architecture in order to spread lies and justify the evil it does,” Mr Zelensky said.

Kyiv now capital of global democracy, says Zelensky

03:16 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is now the capital of global democracy as it prepares for visits from the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell in the coming days.

“Now Kyiv is the capital of global democracy, the capital of the struggle for freedom for all on the European continent,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address after the speech at the United Nations Security Council.

He also called for more sanctions against Russia and said that “now is a crucial moment, especially for western leaders”.

People are still only able to flee the Mariupol on foot or by private car, says Ukraine’s deputy prime minister

02:57 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: People are still only able to flee the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol on foot or by private car as efforts to organise mass evacuations by bus to safer parts of Ukraine have failed, Ukraine‘s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Buses cannot reach the first part of the evacuation route from Mariupol, which is “nearly 80 km (50 miles)- people have to either walk or find a way to make this journey in a private car,” she said on national television.

The besieged city has been battered by Russian airstrikes and is currently suffering from a severe lack of food, water and medicine for the tens of thousands still trapped.

Read Bel Trew’s harrowing account of the survivors of the Mariupol siege below:

‘Every kindergarten is a grave’: Survivors of Mariupol siege reveal horrors of war

Pet rescue: Russia’s invasion takes huge toll on Ukraine’s animal, as well as human population

02:28 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Cats, dogs, hamsters and kangaroos are among the animals who have been rescued as the impact of the conflict is felt far beyond the human population, reports Sofia Barbarani.

Ukraine pet rescue: War takes huge toll on animal population

We’re fighting against a Nazi regime, says Ukrainian MP

02:15 , Graeme Massie

A Ukrainian MP has called for the “denazification of Russia” and for images of the nation’s alleged war crimes to be “shown on Russian television every single day”.

Inna Sovsun, the deputy leader of the Holos party, said Russia is committing genocide following the “terrifying” attack on the city of Bucha, where dead civilians have been left strewn across streets and piled into mass graves and there has been widespread evidence of rape.

We’re fighting against a Nazi regime, says Ukrainian MP

3,846 people evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors

02:03 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: A total of 3,846 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on Tuesday.

This is slightly more than the 3,376 who escaped on Monday, Ukraine‘s deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said in an online post.

Russian invasion could set back Ukraine’s fight against HIV by two decades

01:35 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: The shelling is so intense that on bad days it turns the sky orange. But despite this, Iryna Bondarenko and her team get in their cars and drive through the explosions, to deliver life-saving medicines and services to those living with HIV in Ukraine.

They work with the Alliance for Public Health (APH) , Ukraine’s largest health-focused NGO, which since the start of Russia’s invasion has continued to support thousands of people with HIV/AIDS across the country.

It is vital work as Ukraine has one of the highest HIV rates in the world: there are more than 250,000 people currently living with the virus.

Nearly half of them reside in cities and regions currently under heavy bombardment and so there are fears that war will only worsen Ukraine’s epidemic and even “reverse gains against the virus by twenty years”, if treatment and testing is curtailed, and medical supplies strangled.

Read the full story:

Ukraine has one of the highest HIV rates in Europe. Russia’s war could set back fight against virus 20 years

Boris Johnson speaks Russian as he urges citizens to find out truth about Ukraine ‘atrocities’

01:05 , Graeme Massie

ICYMI: Boris Johnson has spoken Russian in a video appeal to the nation to find out for themselves the truth about Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a video message directed to the Russian people, he highlighted the alleged massacre in the town of Bucha and encouraged them to learn about the reality of Russia’s brutal offensive.

The British prime minister said the Russian population only needed an online VPN connection to gain access to independent information from around the world.

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PM speaks Russian as he urges citizens to find out truth about Ukraine ‘atrocities’

UK to work with US and Australia to develop hypersonic missiles

Wednesday 6 April 2022 00:35 , Graeme Massie

The UK, US and Australia have agreed to work together on both hypersonic and anti-hypersonic weaponry as the three nations reiterated their “unwavering commitment” to an international system that “respects human rights”.

The countries’ leaders, prime minister Boris Johnson, US president Joe Biden, and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison issued a statement on Tuesday which came as a part of the Aukus military pact.

Eleanor Sly has the story.

UK to work with US and Australia to develop hypersonic missiles