Ukraine-Russia war LIVE – Russian flagship warship sinks as Putin warns West of 'very painful consequences'
UKRAINE'S capital city, Kyiv, was struck early this morning as "explosions" were reported in the astern part of the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in an online post.
Thick smoke was seen rising from the site on the eastern side of Kyiv, and all the way downtown near the Dnipro River.
Klitschko has urged residents who have fled the capital not to return for now for their safety.
Rescuers and paramedics were on the scene and that victims' details would be released later, he added.
Meanwhile, it has also been reported that Russian troops have been 'digging up graves' in besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Based on testimonies from local residents, Mariupol City Council said: “A watchman has been assigned to each courtyard and is not allowing Mariupol residents to lay to rest dead relatives or friends."
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…
- Milica Cosic
Mariupol ‘to be isolated'
Mariupol is ‘to be isolated to allow Russia’s filtration of population’ as Russian troops in Mariupol are preparing to close all entries and exits to the Black Sea port city on 18 April.
All movement in the besieged city will be banned to carry out a “filtration” process among the city’s male population that is already in operation – Petro Andriushchenko, advisor to Mariupol’s mayor, said on Telegram.
Mr Andriushchenko said: “Occupiers report that, on Monday, they will not only finally close all entries and exits to the city for everyone, but will institute a ban for movement across all neighbourhoods for a week.
“During this time, 100% of the city’s remaining male population will be ‘filtered.’ To this end, they will all be moved to Novoazovsk [a town closer to the border with Russia].
“Some of the people are going to be mobilised to the Russian occupation corps, some will be forcibly deployed to clear the rubble, and those classified as unreliable will be isolated.”
- Milica Cosic
Boris Johnson among others barred entry to Russia
Earlier we reported that Russia's foreign ministry has banned Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and 10 other British government members from entering Russia.
The move was taken "in view of the unprecedented hostile action by the British government, in particular the imposition of sanctions against senior Russian officials," the ministry said in a statement, adding that it would expand the list soon.
Also banned from entering Russia are:
- Dominic Raab
- Grant Shapps
- Priti Patel
- Rishi Sunak
- Kwasi Kwarteng
- Nadine Dorries
- James Heappey
- Nicola Sturgeon
- Suella Braverman
- Theresa May
News from this morning
- Explosions hit Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, as well as the western city of Lviv, according to Ukrainian officials.
- It is not known what sites were attacked
- As many as 10,000 have been injured
- Milica Cosic
Putin's troops digging up graves in Mariupol
It has also been reported that Russian troops have been 'digging up graves' in besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Based on testimonies from local residents, Mariupol City Council said: “A watchman has been assigned to each courtyard and is not allowing Mariupol residents to lay to rest dead relatives or friends."
- Milica Cosic
Kyiv military factory targeted in strikes
A military hardware factory in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was hit by strikes early this morning, an AFP journalist said.
Smoke rose from the area and there was a heavy police and military presence after Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on social media there had been explosions in the capital's Darnyrsky district.
Russia's defence ministry said Moscow's forces had used "high-precision long-range" weapons to hit facilities at an armaments plant in Kyiv.
The strike on the Ukrainian capital is among the first since invading Russian forces began withdrawing from regions around Kyiv last month.
- Milica Cosic
BREAKING: Putin BANS Boris Johnson, Liz Truss & Ben Wallace from entering country
VLADIMIR PUTIN has banned British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a number of cabinet ministers from visiting Russia.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace have also been barred and been placed on the Kremlin's "stop list".
The shock news follows a new wave of Russian sanctions being rolled out by twisted Putin.
- Milica Cosic
Almost 100 people deported from Izium to Russia
Moscow has announced that Ukrainian citizens from Izium in the Kharkiv region have been deported to Russian territory.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported: “The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has deported the first group of refugees, nearly 100 people, from Izium in the Kharkiv region. Their destination is the Belgorod region.”
- Milica Cosic
BA apologises for refusing to let Ukrainian family fly
British Airways has had to apologise for refusing to let a Ukrainian family with the correct documents fly.
The family of three, from Kharkiv, included a 68-year-old grandmother and an eight-year-old girl.
They travelled 800 miles to Warsaw airport in Poland, where they were due to fly to London under the British government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.
The family passed through airport security and minutes before they were due to board their flight Vira Rybalchenko, 68, was wrongly told by BA staff she could not leave without her original passport.
BA has admitted this was a mistake and issued an apology to the family.
It said: “We’re very sorry for the genuine error made by our team when trying to follow Home Office guidance and we’ve put measures in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again. We’re making contact with the family to apologise and will be providing a full refund of their tickets.”
Rybalchenko’s daughter, Hanna Zakhovaieva, said: “This was a horrible experience and my mum was absolutely shocked. I couldn’t leave my mum in Poland because she doesn’t understand the language and doesn’t know anyone or have anywhere to stay.”
- Milica Cosic
Good morning, Milica Cosic logging on today. I'll be bringing you the latest and most current news on the Russia- Ukraine war until 10pm tonight.
- Joseph Gamp
UK: Loss of Moskva warship will force Moscow to change naval strategy
Britains defense ministry says the loss of Russias naval flagship will likely force Moscow to change the way its naval forces operate in the Black Sea.
The Moskva sank after being damaged in disputed circumstances. Ukraine says it struck the vessel with missiles, while Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack.
In an update posted Friday on social media, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said the Soviet-era ship, which returned to operational service last year after a major refit, served a key role as both a command vessel and air defence node.
It said the sinking means Russia has now suffered damage to two key naval assets since invading Ukraine, the first being Russias Alligator-class landing ship Saratov on 24 March. Both events will likely lead Russia to review its maritime posture in the Black Sea
- Joseph Gamp
Moscow Times’ Russian site blocked over Ukraine coverage
Russia’s media regulator yesterday blocked the Russian-language website of the independent news outlet The Moscow Times over its coverage of Ukraine.
The Moscow Times, whose original English version was launched in 1992 by Dutch entrepreneur Derk Sauer, said its Russian service was shut down over what “authorities call a false report on riot police officers refusing to fight in Ukraine”.
The English-language website of the publication has not been affected.
Russia has restricted access to a growing number of independent media outlets since it launched its military campaign in Ukraine on February 24, also blocking access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Russian politicians have also passed a law introducing up to 15 years in jail for publishing information about the military deemed false by the government.
- Joseph Gamp
Five million people have fled war in Ukraine – UN
More than five million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, United Nations figures showed yesterday.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,796,245 million Ukrainians had fled across the borders, while the UN’s International Organization for Migration says nearly 215,000 third-country nationals have also escaped to neighbouring countries.
- Joseph Gamp
More than 2.75 million Ukrainians flee to Poland
The Polish Border Guard has said that 2.75 million refugees have entered Poland from Ukraine since Russia invaded the country.
Poland says 26,800 people entered Poland on Thursday, which up 8% from 24,768 who were cleared by the Polish Border Guard on Wednesday.
The highest number of refugees to enter in 24 hours was 142,300 on 6 March.
- Joseph Gamp
Captain of sunk Russian Black Sea flagship ‘killed in explosion’
Exiled Russian politician Ilya Ponomarev, 46, said today he believes only 58 out of a crew number of 510 survived the Moskva disaster.
First Rank Captain Anton Kuprin, 44, was killed after the ship was fatally holed by Ukrainian Neptune missiles, according to Kyiv sources.
He “died during an explosion and fire on board the former flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation,” said Anton Gerashenko, advisor to the Kyiv interior ministry.
There are also reports that Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, has been detained over the loss of the flagship.
- Joseph Gamp
Families of 582 dead Russian soldiers ‘received corpse photo’
It has been reported that Ukrainian officials have run more than 8,600 facial recognition searches on dead or captured Russian soldiers.
This number of scans took place since 24 February, according to the Washington Post.
The families of 582 Russian soldiers were then notified of their deaths with photos of their relative’s corpse.
The Washington Post reported Ukrainians used face-scanning software from US tech firm Clearview AI to do so.
They said it is “a brutal but effective way to stir up dissent inside Russia, discourage other fighters and hasten an end to a devastating war.”
It adds: “But some military and technology analysts worry that the strategy could backfire, inflaming anger over a shock campaign directed at mothers who may be thousands of miles from the drivers of the Kremlin’s war machine.”
- Joseph Gamp
Russia warns of ‘consequences’ if West keeps arming Ukraine
Russia has reportedly warned the US that there will be “unpredictable consequences” if Washington and Nato keep arming Ukraine.
“We call on the United States and its allies to stop the irresponsible militarization of Ukraine, which implies unpredictable consequences for regional and international security,” the Washington Post reported.
- Joseph Gamp
What is Snake Island?
Snake Island is ruled by Ukraine, but it sits just miles from the coast of Romania.
The tiny island is strategically important as its fall will allow Russia to claim territorial waters stretching 12 nautical miles out to sea.
Russia would be able to cut off key shipping channels – isolating Ukraine from international markets and starving its economy of trade revenues.
- Joseph Gamp
Is Volodymyr Zelensky married and does he have children?
Volodymyr Zelensky has been married to Ukrainian architect and screenwriter Olena Kiyashko since 2003.
They met in the school they both attended.
The couple's first daughter, Oleksandra, was born in July 2004.
Their second child, a son named Kyrylo, was born in January 2013.
In Zelensky's 2014 movie 8 New Dates, their daughter played Sasha, the daughter of the protagonist.
- Joseph Gamp
Why is Russia invading Ukraine?
In December 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he had no plans to attack Ukraine, however, on February 24, 2022, he launched an attack on the country.
Putin is believed to want to reclaim many territories lost at the fall of the Soviet Union.
A month after the war began, Putin offered to end the war if Ukraine gave up the city of Mariupol, but Ukraine denied the chilling ultimatum.
As a result of the invasion, many countries have implemented sanctions against Russia that have reportedly already begun hurting their economy.
At this time, it remains unclear if NATO countries will get involved in the war.
- Joseph Gamp
What is the Minsk agreement?
In 2014, after fighting in Donbas, Ukraine, a ceasefire was implemented signed by Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The agreement, known as the Minsk Protocol, set out a 12 point plan to prevent any further fighting between the two nations.
This did not last long though and on February 12, 2015, a new agreement had to be signed.
Minsk II included removing weapons from borders and regions of Donbas being given self-government.
The new agreement was signed but the trouble never actually ended, leading to Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has completely disregarded the Minsk agreements as missile fire rained on civilians in Ukraine.
- Joseph Gamp
Was Volodymyr Zelensky a comedian before he was president?
Zelensky’s path to fame began when he entered a TV talent show aged 17 and then created a comedy outfit called Kvartal 95, which in 2003 began producing shows for a Ukrainian channel.
He became a household name after appearing on the country’s version of Dancing With The Stars in 2006 and began appearing in films in 2008.
Kvartal 95 started producing political satire series Servant of the People in 2015.
In the series, Zelensky's character becomes famous for an anti-corruption rant that went viral on social media, and becomes the President of Ukraine.
In the real-life presidential election, he ran under a political party with the same name as his show.
The funnyman is a fan of Britain’s Monty Python and Benny Hill and has an entertainment empire is estimated to be worth tens of millions.
- Joseph Gamp
All you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Everything you need to know about Russia's invasion of Ukraine…
- Why is Russia invading Ukraine?
- Will the UK go to war?
- How can I join the Ukraine foreign legion?
- What can I do to help Ukraine?
- Who is Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
- How much gas does the UK get from Russia?
- Is Russia a part of Nato?
- Does Russia have nuclear weapons?
- Why is Ukraine not in Nato?
- How big is the Russian army?
- What is Article 5 of the Nato treaty?
- What is the Minsk agreement?
- Which countries were in the Soviet Union?
- What does the Z mean on Russian tanks? Meaning behind symbols explained
Zelensky asked Biden to designate Russia a 'state sponsor of terrorism'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy recently made a direct appeal to U.S. President Joe Biden for the United States to designate Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism," the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with their conversation.
Biden did not commit to specific actions during that call, the newspaper reported.
The label can be applied to any country that has "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism," the newspaper said, citing a State Department fact sheet. The list currently includes four countries: North Korea, Cuba, Iran and Syria.
Zelenskiy asked Biden to designate Russia a 'state sponsor of terrorism'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently made a direct appeal to U.S. President Joe Biden for the United States to designate Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism," the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with their conversation.
Biden did not commit to specific actions during that call, the newspaper reported.
The label can be applied to any country that has "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism," the newspaper said, citing a State Department fact sheet.
The list currently includes four countries: North Korea, Cuba, Iran and Syria.
Five people killed by shelling in Mykolaiv today
Five people were killed by shelling in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Friday and cluster munitions were used, Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv region, said on Telegram on Friday.
Reuters could not independently verify the statement. Russia denies targeting civilian areas in Ukraine.
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