The flagship, Moskva, was allegedly struck with at least two rockets, Odesa authorities claim. The Kremlin said it sustained damage after a fire broke out.
It is day 50 of the war in Ukraine, as Russian forces are expected to begin a new big offensive in the east of the country after their retreat from the Kyiv region and other parts of the country revealed growing evidence of human rights atrocities.
Despite Moscow's blanket denials, horrific discoveries of civilian murders, torture and other barbaric acts continue coming to light, with Ukrainian authorities claiming tens of thousands of civilian casualties in Mariupol alone.
Kyiv forces continue to prepare for the renewed assault, while Western nations keep tightening sanctions against Moscow and NATO and condemnations of Vladimir Putin's actions continue to grow.
Follow Thursday's events as they unfold in our blog below, or watch TV coverage in the video player above.
Thursday's key points:
The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet has sunk after it was badly damaged and its crew evacuated due to a possible Ukrainian missile hit on Thursday. The Kremlin claims it was a fire not an attack.
Russia has threatened a military build-up, should Finland or Sweden join NATO.
Kyiv said it's reached agreement to reopen humanitarian corridors to resume in Mariupol.
Mariupol's mayor claims Russian planes dropped chemical agent on the outskirts of the southern port city on 11 April.
Europe is "still not united enough to make Ukraine much stronger and Russia much weaker," Slovenian Prime Miniter Janez Janša told Euronews on Thursday.
Joe Biden accused Vladimir Putin of 'genocide', although Macron stopped short of repeating the term arguing against an 'escalation of words'.
Vladimir Putin vows Russia's goals in Ukraine will be achieved as they press on with military action. He said the negotiations were now in a deadlock.
Russia claims Ukraine has struck its territory with airstrikes. This cannot be independently verified.
New mass graves were unearthed in Bucha on Wednesday, as Ukrainian authorities state that at least 720 civilians were killed in this and other Kyiv suburbs.
More than 4.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion, with millions being displaced internally, mostly in the western parts of the country.
Additionally, 4.8 million of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children have been displaced since 24 February, said UNICEF.
This is the end of today's live blog. Euronews is signing off.
Russia's flagship now lies on the seabed
The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, has sunk, the Russian Defence Ministry has announced.
The Moskva, which has a crew of 500 and carries 16 cruise missiles, was badly damaged in a possible Ukrainian missile strike earlier today, although Russia claimed there was a fire on board, not an attack.
"During the towing of the cruiser Moskva to the port of destination, the ship lost its stability due to hull damage sustained in the fire from the detonation of ammunition. In rough sea conditions, the ship sank," said the ministry, as quoted by the state agency TASS.
Jewel of Russia's fleet in tatters
Russia's navy sustained a devastating blow on Thursday when the flagship of the country's Black Sea fleet was purportedly struck by a Ukrainian missile.
The warship, sailing off the south of Odesa, was badly damaged and its 500 strong crew were evacuated after fire broke out, although Russia maintains there was no attack.
If confirmed, the loss of the ship would be a major blow for Russia, both symbolically and militarily, as the country tries to launch its renewed offensive in the east of Ukraine.
The Moskva, which can carry 16 long-range cruise missiles, was still battling flames hours later while heading east, according to a Pentagon official.
Its removal from combat would significantly dampen Russia's firepower in the Black Sea.
French Embassy returns to Kyiv
France is moving its Ukrainian embassy back to Kyiv from the western city of Lviv, since Russian troops have withdrawn from the area around the capital.
A moving date has not yet been confirmed.
France maintained its embassy in Kyiv at the outbreak of war, but relocated to safer Lviv in March.
Europe 'still not united enough' on Ukraine, Slovenian PM tells Euronews
Europe is "still not united enough to make Ukraine much stronger and Russia much weaker," Slovenian Prime Miniter Janez Janša told Euronews correspondent Anelise Borges on Thursday, stating that the EU needed to send "military aid".
"I think that the European reaction on the Russian aggression was much more united and much stronger than it was expected in the Kremlin," Janša said but added that it was "not strong enough".
"We have to concentrate on military aid to Ukraine because otherwise, this war will go on," Janša added.
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian parliament votes to call Russian actions 'genocide'
The Ukrainian Parliament voted on Thursday to recognise the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine as "genocide", according to its Telegram channel.
"Russia's actions aim to systematically and coherently destroy the Ukrainian people, to deprive them of the right to self-determination and independent development," states the text voted by a majority of 363 votes.
Macron declines to use the term 'genocide' to describe Russia's Ukraine war
French President Emmanuel Macron declined to use the term "genocide" to describe Russia's war in Ukraine, arguing against an "escalation of words."
“The word genocide must be spelt out by jurists, not by politicians,” he said when asked about US President Joe Biden's use of the term earlier in the week.
Macron added he will do “everything to end this war and stay by the Ukrainians’ side.”
(AP)
Russia accuses Ukraine of border airstrikes
Authorities in Russia have accused Ukrainian forces of launching airstrikes on the Russin region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.
Russia’s Investigative Committee alleged that at least six houses in the village of Klimovo were damaged and seven people, including a toddler, sustained injuries in the attack.
It claimed two Ukrainian military helicopters entered Russia’s air space on Thursday and, “moving at low altitude, acting deliberately, carried out at least six airstrikes on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo,” about 11 kilometres away from the Russian border.
Russia's report could not be independently verified.
This strike is the latest in a string of allegations of cross-border Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
Earlier in April, Ukraine's top security officials denied that Kyiv was behind an airstrike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, 35 miles from the border.
(AP)
