Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Kyiv says Russians retreating from north –
Ukraine says Russian forces are making a “rapid retreat” from northern areas around the capital Kyiv and the city of Chernigiv.
“Russia is prioritising a different tactic: falling back on the east and south,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak says on social media.
– Mariupol evacuation –
The Red Cross prepares for a fresh evacuation effort from the besieged southern port of Mariupol after it was forced to turn back Friday after “arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed”.
Some residents managed to flee the region Friday by taking a convoy of buses and private cars to Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says over 3,000 people have been rescued from Mariupol, though it is not immediately clear if he is referring to the bus passengers.
– Ukrainian journalist found dead –
Ukrainian photographer and documentary maker Maks Levin has been found dead near Kyiv after going missing more than two weeks ago, presidential aide Andriy Yermak says.
The Institute of Mass Information, a non-governmental organisation, cites preliminary findings from the prosecutor’s office saying he was killed by “two shots” from the Russian military.
– Call for ICC to issue Putin arrest warrant –
Veteran war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte calls for the International Criminal Court to quickly issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over actions in Ukraine.
– Pope urges ‘shared response’ on refugees –
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine has passed 4.1 million, the United Nations says.
Pope Francis calls for “a broad-based and shared response” to “the growing migration emergency”.
“Some countries cannot respond to the entire problem, while others remain indifferent onlookers,” he says in Malta.
– US commits $300 mn in ‘assistance’ –
The US Defence Department announces it is allotting $300 million in “security assistance” for Ukraine to bolster its defence capabilities, adding to the $1.6 billion Washington has already committed since Russia’s invasion.
– Ukraine accused of Russia attack –
Ukrainian helicopters have carried out a strike on a fuel storage facility in Russia’s western town of Belgorod, according to the local governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Kyiv would not be drawn on whether it was behind the attack, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba saying he did “not possess all the military information”.
– Peace talks resume –
Peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials resume via video conference, but Moscow warns that the helicopter attack will hamper negotiations.
– UN official to visit Moscow, Kyiv –
A top UN official is set to fly to Moscow Sunday, and then on to Kyiv to try and secure a “humanitarian ceasefire” in Ukraine, says the body’s chief Antonio Guterres.
Both Russia and Ukraine have agreed to meet Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Guterres says.
– China warned –
The EU’s top officials have warned China’s leaders at a summit not to help Russia wage war on Ukraine or sidestep Western sanctions, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen says.
– Chernobyl radiation –
Russian soldiers were likely exposed to radiation while they were occupying the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power station, Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom says.
– Landmarks damaged –
The UN’s cultural agency UNESCO says it has confirmed that at least 53 Ukrainian historical sites, religious buildings and museums have sustained damage during Russia’s invasion.
