Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Russian pullback reveals horror –
Russian troops leave scenes of devastation in the city of Bucha, just outside Kyiv, where nearly 300 people have been buried in a mass grave, mayor Anatoly Fedoruk told AFP.
The heavily destroyed city is littered with corpses, with 20 bodies dressed in civilian clothing strewn across a single tree-lined street.
Some lie with sightless eyes staring at Ukraine’s overcast sky, some lie face down on the tarmac.
One has his hands tied behind his back with a white cloth, his Ukrainian passport left open beside his corpse.
“All these people were shot, killed, in the back of the head,” Fedoruk says.
– Ukraine claims control of ‘whole Kyiv region’ –
Ukraine has regained control of “the whole Kyiv region” after invading Russian forces retreated from some key towns near the Ukrainian capital, deputy defence minister Ganna Maliar said.
As it withdraws from northern areas, “Russia is prioritising a different tactic: falling back on the east and south,” according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak.
– Mariupol evacuation –
The Red Cross heads to the besieged southern port of Mariupol for a fresh evacuation effort after it was forced to turn back Friday.
“They are spending the night en route to Mariupol and are yet to reach the city,” a spokesperson said.
Some residents managed to flee the region Friday by taking a convoy of buses and private cars to Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia.
– Ukrainian journalist found dead –
Ukrainian photographer Maks Levin has been found dead near Kyiv after going missing more than two weeks ago, the government says.
“According to preliminary information, unarmed was killed by servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces with two shots from small firearms,” Ukraine’s General Prosecutor’s Office said on Telegram.
– Baltic states stop Russian gas imports –
The head of Latvia’s natural gas storage operator says the Baltic states are no longer importing Russian natural gas.
– Ukraine says Russia agrees to Kyiv proposals –
Ukraine’s top negotiator in peace talks with Russia says that Moscow had “verbally” agreed to key Ukrainian proposals, raising hopes that talks to end fighting are moving forward.
– Ukraine accuses Russia of firing on protesters –
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova accuses Russian forces of opening fire on peaceful demonstrators, injuring four with “severe burns”, in the southern city of Enerhodar occupied by Moscow’s forces.
– Russian protesters detained –
Russian police detain 211 people in various cities around the country at protests against Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, according to OVD-Info, an NGO.
In the Swiss capital Bern, thousands of people brave a surprise spring snowstorm to protest the war.
– 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”, saying “some countries cannot respond to the entire problem, while others remain indifferent onlookers”.
He added that he is still considering a visit to Kyiv.
– 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 said.
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