Ukraine-Russia war LIVE – Evil Putin's bloodthirsty troops SHOOT innocent civilians hours after saying they could leave

Vladimir Putin's Russian forces have been accused of violating a ceasefire at the Azovstal steel works – killing one Ukrainian fighter and wounding six others.

Mariupol authorities have also accused Russian troops of firing at a car involved in the evacuation efforts.

Mariupol city council said in an online post: "During the ceasefire on the territory of the Azovstal plant a car was hit by Russians using an anti-tank guided weapon. This car was moving towards civilians in order to evacuate them from the plant".

"As a result of the shelling, 1 fighter was killed and 6 were wounded. The enemy continues to violate all agreements and fails to adhere to security guarantees for the evacuation of civilians."

Russia did not immediately comment on the council's statement. It denies targeting civilians.

Hundreds of civilians are still thought to be trapped in the southern city's steel plant, and United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said it was vital that humanitarian workers "do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes".

Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…

  • Milica Cosic

    Ukrainian beer to be brewed in Belgium

    A popular Ukrainian beer is being brewed in Belgium at the moment due to not being able to be produced in the country.

    Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) halted production of Chernigivske lager and other beers at its three breweries in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion.

    Ukraine's ambassador to Belgium, Oleg Shamshur, saw the first cans rolling off the production line as he visited AB InBev's site in Leuven on Friday.

    AB InBev said all profits would go to humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

  • Milica Cosic

    G7 leaders to hold video conference with Zelensky on Sunday

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will take part in a G7 virtual discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, a German government spokesperson said.

    They will discuss matter about the situation in Ukraine.

    “It will cover current issues, particularly the situation in Ukraine. President Zelensky will take part and report on the current situation in his country,” said Christiane Hoffmann, German government spokesperson.

  • Milica Cosic

    Refugees arriving under Ukraine visa schemes up 10,000

    Figures show that the number of refugees arriving in the UK under Ukraine visa schemes has risen by more than 10,000 in just over a week.

    Around 37,400 people had arrived in the UK under Ukraine visa schemes as of Tuesday, according to government figures published on Friday.

    This is up from 27,100 by April 25.

    The latest arrivals include 19,500 under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme – a rise of three-quarters from 11,100 last week.

    And 17,900 people have arrived under the family scheme, up from 16,000.

  • Milica Cosic

    Jill Biden to meet with Ukrainian refugees

    First lady, Jill Biden, will use her second solo overseas trip to get an up-close look at the Ukrainian refugee crisis by visiting Romania and Slovakia.

    There, she will spend Mother's Day meeting with displaced families in a small Slovakian village on the border with Ukraine.

    "Its so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them," Jill Biden told reporters travelling with her Thursday night.

    "I can only imagine the grief families are feeling," Jill Biden said this week.

    "I know that we might not share a language, but I hope that I can convey, in ways so much greater than words, that their resilience inspires me, that they are not forgotten, and that all Americans stand with them still."

    The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials and U.S. embassy personnel, the White House said.

  • Milica Cosic

    Bus with 12 civilians leaves Azovstal plant in Mariupol 

    Twelve civilians, including children, have been evacuated by bus from the Azovstal complex in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol,the Russian state news agency RIA has reported, citing its correspondent on site.

    Ukrainian officials had accused Russia of violating a ceasefire on Friday aimed at evacuating scores of civilians trapped underground in the bombed-out steelworks, after fighting thwarted efforts to rescue them the previous day.

  • Milica Cosic

    More than 40 people 'return to Ukraine after prisoner swap'

    Forty-one people, including 28 in the military, have returned to Ukraine according to Ukraine's deputy prime minister.

    This comes following a prisoner exchange with Russia. 

  • Milica Cosic

    Hungary will not support EU ban on Russia oil imports

    Hungary has said it will not support the European Union’s sanctions package on Russia, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said today,

    The package includes an embargo on oil imports.

    Hungarian PM says proposals would be like dropping an ‘atomic bomb’ on the country’s economy.

  • Milica Cosic

    Russia to stay in southern Ukraine 'forever': senior lawmaker

    A senior official from the Russian parliament said Friday that Russia will remain in southern Ukraine "forever", speaking on a visit to the Moscow-controlled city of Kherson.

    "Russia is here forever. There should be no doubt about this. There will be no return to the past," Andrey Turchak said, according to a statement from the ruling United Russia party.

  • Milica Cosic

    Countries vow to boost food security amid Ukraine war

    The European Union, the United States and more than two dozen other countries have today vowed to shore up global food security in a joint statement to the World Trade Organization.

    Voicing alarm at the "global effects on food security" triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they stressed "the urgency and importance of maintaining open and predictable agricultural markets and trade".

    That would "ensure the continued flow of food, as well as products, services and inputs essential for agricultural and food production and supply chains", they added.

    The United Nations has warned the war and economic sanctions on Moscow have disrupted global food supplies, sparking fears of widespread hunger.

    "The bullets and bombs in Ukraine could take the global hunger crisis to levels beyond anything we've seen before," World Food Programme chief David Beasley warned back in March.

    The conflict, he later told the UN Security Council, would mean "skyrocketing food, fuel and shipping costs, less food for the starving and even more people going hungry."

  • Milica Cosic

    Zelenskyy urges German leader to visit Kyiv on Russia's 'Victory Day'

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz  to take a "powerful step" and visit Kyiv on Monday.

    This is the date when Russia commemorates the Soviet Union's victory in the Second World War.

    Speaking via a translator to London's Chatham House think tank, the Ukrainian President said: "He's invited, the invitation is open, it has been for some time now.

    "He's invited to come to Ukraine, he can make this very powerful political step to come here on the 9th of May, to Kyiv. I am not explaining the significance, I think you're cultured enough to understand why."

  • Milica Cosic

    '25 million tonnes of grains stuck in Ukraine due to war'

    It has also been reported by a UN food agency official that almost 25 million tonnes of grains are stuck in Ukraine and unable to leave the country due to infrastructure challenges and blocked Black Sea ports including Mariupol.

    The blockages are seen as a factor behind high food prices, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.

    "It's an almost grotesque situation we see at the moment in Ukraine with nearly 25 million tonnes of grain that could be exported but that cannot leave the country simply because of lack of infrastructure, the blockade of the ports," Josef Schmidhuber, FAO deputy director told a news briefing.

    He said that this could result in storage shortages during the next harvest in July and August, adding: "Despite the war the harvest conditions don't look that dire. That could really mean there's not enough storage capacity in Ukraine, particularly if there's no wheat corridor opening up for export from Ukraine".

  • Milica Cosic

    UN: Russians stealing grain from Ukraine

    The U.N.s Food and Agricultural Organization is pointing to evidence that Russian forces are stealing grain from Ukraine.

    Josef Schmidhuber, deputy director of FAOs markets and trade division, told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva that about 700,000 tons of grain had disappeared in Ukraine.

    He cautioned that there were no statistics about possible theft.

    Theres anecdotal evidence that Russian troops have destroyed storage capacity and that they are looting the storage grain that is available, he said. They are also stealing farm equipment.

  • Milica Cosic

    Zelensky: We won’t give in

    Appearing over video-link at a Chatham House Q&A session, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not be prepared to cede any of Russia’s territorial gains in peace talks.

    The Ukrainian president said: “The minimum step before we stop the war … should be regaining the situation as of the 23rd of February”.

    He added: “Despite the fact that they are destroying our bridges, I think that not all the bridges are yet destroyed, figuratively speaking.”

  • Milica Cosic

    Afternoon, Milica Cosic logging on. I’ll be covering all the latest news and updates on this blog until 10pm tonight.

  • Joseph Gamp

    More civilians rescued from tunnels under Mariupol's steel plant

    More civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol, a Ukrainian official said Friday, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategic port city.

    The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold of a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

    Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukraine said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there and as the battle has ramped up in recent days, fears for their safety have only grown.

  • Joseph Gamp

    Finnish chemical company Kemira exits Russia

    Kemira will withdraw from the Russian market and shut down operations in the country as a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Finnish chemical solutions provider said on Friday.

    The company has 45 employees in Russia and its sales in the country accounted for 3% of its revenue in 2021.

  • Joseph Gamp

    Ukraine Paralympic chief fears disabled sport 'will die'

    Ukraine's top Paralympic official fears that the country's programme for disabled athletes is on the cusp of collapse after Russia's invasion and is warning of dire consequences.

    The eastern European country has 2.7 million people living with disabilities and has traditionally punched above its weight at both Summer and Winter Paralympic Games.

    But 10 weeks into a conflict that has killed thousands of people, the Ukrainian government has been forced to channel all resources into the war effort and can no longer fund its Paralympic programme.

    The National Sports Committee for the Disabled of Ukraine needs an urgent injection of funds and is seeking international donations.

    "We are leaders in the Paralympic movement and Deaflympics," Ukraine Paralympic committee president Valeriy Sushkevych told AFP by telephone from Brazil.

    "Today I am afraid that sports for disabled in Ukraine will die."

  • Joseph Gamp

    Russia slams 'fake' claims it is stealing grain from Ukraine

    Information that Russia is stealing grain from Ukraine is likely to be fake, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, after a U.N. food agency official said there were signs that Russia had been trucking grain out of occupied regions of its neighbour.

    "We have no information, it appears to be fake," Peskov said.

    A U.N. food agency official said on Friday that nearly 25 million tonnes of grain were stuck in Ukraine and unable to leave due to infrastructure challenges and the blockade of ports in the Black Sea.

  • Joseph Gamp

    Ukraine appeals to MSF doctors charity for help evacuating Mariupol fighters

    Ukraine has appealed to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) to help evacuate fighters holed up in the vast Azovstal steel works in Mariupol that is surrounded by Russian forces.

    Ukraine's Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories said it had written to the medical charity and asked it to assess the fighter's physical and mental condition, collect evidence of the conditions they are in and provide medical assistance to "Ukrainians whose human rights have been violated by the Russian federation."

    Russia denies targeting civilians and has urged the fighters in the sprawling plant to surrender.

  • Joseph Gamp

    Russia says it will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

    Russia will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said on Friday.

    Zaitsev told reporters the use of nuclear weapons by Russia – a risk that Western officials have publicly discussed – was not applicable to what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

    CIA director William Burns said on April 14 that given the setbacks Russia had suffered in Ukraine, "none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons."

  • Joseph Gamp

    Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund

    PICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.

    Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.

    Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.

    Donate here to help The Sun’s fund

    Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles

    £3 — text SUN£3
    £5 — text SUN£5
    £10 — text SUN£10

    Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile

  • Joseph Gamp

    Putin practises NUCLEAR missile strikes

    VLADIMIR Putin’s forces have practised nuclear missile strikes and chemical attacks in chilling war games on NATO’s border.

    Moscow confirmed its troops ran simulated nuclear missile strikes in the western enclave of Kaliningrad on Wednesday amid heightening tensions over the war in Ukraine.

    The announcement came on the 70th day of Mad Vlad‘s blundering invasion of Ukraine which has seen thousands killed and more than 13 million displaced in the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.

    Ailing Putin has made outright threats to nuke NATO if it continues to arm Ukraine.

    During Wednesday’s war games in the enclave wedged EU member states Poland and Lithuania, Russia practised simulated “electronic launches” of nuclear-capable Iskander mobile ballistic missile systems, the defence ministry said in a statement.

    They also boasted about conducting multiple strikes on mock missile systems, airfields, protected infrastructure, military equipment and command posts, the statement said.

    Military personnel are said to have carried out a manoeuvre to change their position in order to avoid “a possible retaliatory strike,” the defence ministry added.

  • Joseph Gamp

    Fears escalate for WNBA star Brittney Griner 

    THE “Tom Brady of the WNBA” could be rushed through a sham Russian trial and sent to a labor camp if the US doesn’t get her out soon, an expert warned.

    Brittney Griner – a megastar in women’s basketball – has been “wrongfully detained” in an unknown Moscow jail since February, the Biden administration officially said on Tuesday.

    She seemingly vanished for about a month after playing in a tournament within the country’s borders.

    Finally, reports surfaced in March that Russian law enforcement arrested Griner at an airport and accused her of smuggling drugs.

    The Biden administration officially condemned the arrest and said she was “wrongfully detained” in an emphatic statement.

    That means they believe the accusations are fabricated, legal expert Aron Solomon told The Sun.

  • Joseph Gamp

    President Zelenksyy launches global crowdfunding platform

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday launched a global crowdfunding platform to help Kyiv win the war with Russia and rebuild the country’s infrastructure.

    “In one click, you can donate funds to protect our defenders, to save our civilians and to rebuild Ukraine,” Zelensky said in English in a video on his Twitter page, launching the United24 platform, which can be found here: u24.gov.ua

    “Every donation matters for victory.”

    Nine weeks into Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian cities have suffered vast destruction.

    “All funds will be transferred to the national bank of Ukraine and allocated to the relevant ministries,” Zelensky said, indicating that his government would give an update “every 24 hours” about how the money was being used.

    The Ukrainian leader called on ordinary people around the world to help Kyiv defeat Moscow.

    “Only together we have the potential to stop the war and to rebuild what Russia has destroyed.”

    He said Ukraine will “always remember” their contributions.

  • Louis Allwood

    UK discusses sending long-range weapons to Ukraine

    According to reports Boris Johnson and Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the possibility of the UK sending long-range weapons to Ukraine.

    Downing Street have said that the pair spoke over the phone on Thursday about Ukraine's military needs and how the UK could support them.

    A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The leaders discussed developments on the battlefield and the Ukrainian armed forces' requirements, including the provision of longer-range weaponry to prevent the bombardment of civilians."

    Source: Read Full Article

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