Ukraine says a planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol didn't work on Wednesday, blaming Russia. Moscow's deadline for Ukrainian troops to surrender expired, as the city's defenders fight on.
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Russian forces have continued their new offensive in the east of Ukraine, assaulting cities and towns along a front hundreds of kilometres long.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian military was throwing everything it has into the battle, which could be pivotal for control of the country’s eastern industrial heartland.
Read more about Wednesday's events as they unfolded in our blog below, and watch our TV reporting in the video player above.
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Wednesday's key points:
Ukraine says a planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol did not work as planned, blaming Russia for not holding to a ceasefire despite an agreement on a humanitarian corridor. Efforts will resume on Thursday.
Russia's surrender deadline for Mariupol expired Wednesday afternoon, as the city's Ukrainian defenders say they are facing their "last hours".
Russia has tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile, which Putin says should make its enemies "think twice". The US responded that the launch was "routine" and did not constitute "a threat".
Russian troops have poured into eastern Ukraine in what both sides describe as a new phase of the war, a potentially pivotal battle for control of the country’s industrial heartland.
Visiting Kyiv, European Council President Charles Michel said Putin would succeed neither in destroying Ukraine's sovereignty, nor in dividing the EU. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said that his country's joining the EU would be a "priority".
Russia says it has presented Ukraine with a draft document outlining its demands as part of potential peace talks, but Kyiv says it hasn't received it.
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine has topped five million, says the UN.
Poll finds majority of Swedes are in favour of joining NATO, as the country deliberates membership of the defensive alliance. Finland's parliament has also opened a debate on its NATO stance.
Wimbledon has banned tennis players from Russia and Belarus from this summer's tournament.
EU's Michel calls for justice for war crimes during Kyiv visit
European Council President Charles Michel used the trip to reaffirm the EU's support for the eastern European nation as it fights to repel Moscow's invasion.
He also travelled to Borodianka, a small town outside Kyiv, where alleged atrocities were committed by Russian forces.
Read more and watch the report:
No Ukraine peace demands received from Russia, says Zelenskyy
euronewsThe Ukrainian president said he not seen or heard about any draft document that Moscow says it has passed on indicating its requirements to end the war. #EuropeNewsMariupol evacuation effort to resume Thursday after latest breakdown
A top Ukrainian official said Wednesday's planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol has failed because of the Russian failure to observe a cease-fire.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said “the humanitarian corridor didn’t work as planned” on Wednesday. She added that “the occupiers have failed to ensure a proper cease-fire die to the lack of control over its own military.”
Vereshchuk also charged that “due to the sloppiness” of the Russian military, it has failed to timely deliver those who were willing to evacuate to an area where Ukrainian buses were waiting for them.
She said that efforts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol will resume Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said about 120,000 people remain under siege in the city.
(AP)
Walkout at G20 in protest at Russia
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko walked out of a Group of 20 meeting Wednesday as Russia’s representative started talking.
Several finance ministers and central bank governors also left the room, according an official familiar with the meetings, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the event was not public. Some ministers and central bank governors who attended the meeting virtually turned their cameras off when the Russia representative spoke, the person said.
The brutal effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine have taken center stage at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings, in which finance heads gather to tackle the world’s most pressing issues.
President Joe Biden has said that Russia should not remain a member of the G-20, an international body of the world’s biggest economies that promotes economic cooperation between countries.
(AP)
Blinken blames Russia for Mariupol evacuation failures
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expressing concerns about a humanitarian corridor Ukraine is trying to set up to evacuate people trapped by Russian forces in Mariupol.
“The conditions there, the situation there, as a result of this Russian aggression, are truly horrific,” Blinken said Wednesday. “Of course, we want to see people who are in harm’s way, if they are able to, to leave it safely and securely.”
Blinken said the U.S. is trying to help by sharing its assessments, but the decision to risk leaving shelter is ultimately up to the Ukrainian government and the people themselves.
“What gives pause is the fact there have been agreements on humanitarian corridors established before that have fallen apart very, very quickly, if not immediately, principally because the security has been violated by Russian forces. And so people leaving, believing that they could do so safely and securely, were fired on,” he said. “We will do everything that we can to try to inform that decision.”
Blinken said the world witnessed “death and destruction and atrocities” after the Russians retreated from Bucha, and “we can only anticipate that when this tide also recedes from Mariupol we’re going to see far worse, if that’s possible to imagine.”
(AP)
Zelenskyy offers trade for trapped Mariupol civilians
About 1,000 civilians are trapped at a steel mill in Mariupol along with Ukrainian soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
“Behind the backs of our guys in Mariupol there are around a thousand civilians, including women and children,” he said after talks with European Council President Charles Michel.
Zelenskyy added that Russia has stonewalled Ukraine’s attempts to negotiate a safe exit for them. “We are open to different formats of exchange of our people for Russian people, Russian military that they have left behind," he said.
Ukraine also has tried to get Russia to agree on a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the 120,000 people who Zelenskyy said remain under siege in Mariupol.
(AP)
Mariupol evacuation stalls, Ukraine blames Russia
Ukraine's deputy prime minister said on Wednesday that an agreed humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol had not worked as planned, blaming Russian forces for not holding their ceasefire.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk also said Russian-organised buses failed to deliver evacuees on time to the point where Ukrainian buses and ambulances were waiting.
Ukrainian officials estimated that about 1,000 civilians were sheltering underneath the vast Azovstal steel plant, which is the last Ukrainian stronghold in the southeastern port city of Mariupol.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said that country's armed forces have been unable to "unblock" Mariupol, which has been besieged by Russian forces in a recent push by its military.
He was speaking at a news conference alongside European Council President Charles Michel.
Michel is the latest European leader to visit Zelenskyy in Kyiv since the beginning of the conflict.
(Reuters and AP)
Testing of Russian missile 'not a threat', says US
The Pentagon has responded to Russia's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, saying it does not constitute "a threat" to the United States or its allies.
The US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby described the launch as "no surprise."
Moscow "appropriately informed" the US that it would take place, in accordance with Russia's obligations under existing nuclear treaties.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the test fire took place at 3:12 p.m. (12:12 GMT) and hit a target located more than 5,000 kilometres away.
Vladimir Putin praised the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile as "a unique weapon."
"[It] will ensure Russia's security against external threats. and which will make potential opponents think twice," he said.
The missile - which weighs over 200 tons - is supposed to outperform previous Russian models, which can hit targets 11,000 km away.
Zelenskyy: Ukraine 'ready' to swap Russian prisoners of war
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says he is ready to swap Russian prisoners of war in exchange for safe passage for civilians and Ukrainian troops in Mariupol.
Zelenskyy said there are an estimated 1,000 civilians sheltering in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant, following a visit from President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
He added that the situation in the besieged Ukrainian city is worsening, with hundreds of wounded without access to medical care.
The Ukrainian leader went on to say that he had not seen or heard about a document that the Kremlin said it had sent to Ukraine in connection with peace talks.
Earlier Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow was waiting for a response after it had handed a document to the Ukrainian side.
New Russian offensive in Kyiv still possible, warns city's mayor
In an interview with Euronews, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko did not rule out a another Russian offensive against the Ukrainian capital.
Russia tests new intercontinental ballistic missile
The Russian Defence Ministry has said it test-launched a new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, according to Reuters.
Speaking on Russian TV, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the missile would provide "food for thought" for those threatening Russia.
He says the missile - one of six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled in 2018 - has no comparison elsewhere in the world.
In the west, the Sarmat is known as the Satan II. Putin and his officials have claimed it is capable of penetrating any prospective missile defense.
The Russian leader called the launch “a significant event” for Russia’s defence industry.
He said the Sarmat will protect Russia from external threats and "make those who, in the heat of frantic, aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice.”
Putin made the remarks about the missile on TV, while he was being briefed by the country's mlitary.
The missile was shown launching from Plesetsk in northwestern Russia and it allegedly hit a target in the Kamchatka peninsula in the far east.
Joining EU a 'priority', Zelenskyy tells Michel
The EU will do "everything possible" to help Ukraine win the war with Russia, European Council President Charles Michel has said during a visit to Kyiv.
He has been giving a joint news conference with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy after the two leaders went on a walk in the city (see earlier post).
Zelenskyy said that joining the EU is a "priority" for his country.
"You are not alone, we are with you and we will do everything we can to support you and to ensure that Ukraine wins the war," Michel said.
He added that Putin "will not succeed" in dividing the EU.
The news conference can be viewed on Charles Michel's Twitter account:
Wimbledon bans Russian and Belarussian players
Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced Wednesday.
The reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev will not be able to attend the UK's prestigious tennis tournament, despite recently being ranked as the world number one.
Other prominent players affected by the ban are men's number eight Andrey Rublev, Aryna Sabalenka, a 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist and Victoria Azarenka, former women’s number 1, who has won the Australian Open twice.
Wimbledon begins on June 27.
Russian athletes have been banned from competing in many sporting competitions following their country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus has also been sanctioned for aiding Russia.
End the 'crazy war', says Russian oligarch
One of Russia's ultra-rich businessmen has taken to social media to criticise the "massacre" in Ukraine and called for an end to the "crazy war."
Oleg Tinkov, who has a net worth of $800 million (€737 million), wrote in a colourfully-worded Instagram post that "90% of Russians" are against the Ukraine invasion.
Tinkov added he could not see "any beneficiary" of the conflict, and called on the west to give Putin a credible exit strategy.
Tinkov is one of Russia's most high-profile entrepreneurs and founded the global online finance firm Tinkoff Bank and owned the cycling team Tinkoff-Saxo.
He is one of the most prominent Russian oligarchs to publicly condemn President Vladimir Putin's actions.
Zelenskyy posts video of himself with President of European Council
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has tweeted a video of him and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, walking around Kyiv.
The tweet reads: “Sanctions against Russia, defence and financial support of our state, and answers to the questionnaire on compliance with EU criteria were discussed. Thank you for a meaningful meeting and solidarity with the people of Ukraine."
Russia alleges Russia-speaking civilians taken hostage by 'those trained in NATO'
A spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry has alleged that Russia-speaking civilians in Ukraine's Donbas region are being taken hostage by "those who have been trained in NATO countries," according to Reuters.
"Now those people are torturing those who are suspected of sympathising with Russia," said Maria Zakharova in a briefing on Wednesday. "By Nato personnel, I mean everyone who has been trained in Nato countries or under the leadership of Nato military.”
These claims cannot be independently verified.
Zakharova also said Russia is collecting evidence of what it claims are crimes committed by Ukrainian forces.
"Not a single Ukrainian nationalist involved in crimes against the civil population and Russian military personnel will escape fair retribution,” she said.
Again this claim cannot be verified.
Russia will make sure life in Ukraine’s east 'normalises', says Putin
Russia will “act consistently” to make sure that life in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland “normalises,” President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, speaking at a meeting with members of a state-funded non-profit group.
Putin said that hostilities in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014, prompted Russia to launch its military operations.
“All these eight years, bombing, artillery strikes and hostilities continued there. And of course, it was very, very hard for people,” he said. “The goal of the operation is to help our people living in Donbas.”
(AP)
Estonia bans Russian flags and military symbols during Victory Day celebrations
Estonia says it is prohibiting public meetings where people display Russian flags and military symbols during the Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, which is traditionally celebrated by the Baltic country’s sizeable ethnic-Russian population to mark the end of World War II.
“The Estonian state has so far been tolerant of the events of May 9, but Russia’s current activities in Ukraine preclude public meetings in Estonia expressing support for the aggressor state and displaying war symbols," Police and Border Guard chief Elmar Vaher said Wednesday.
Police said Wednesday that commemorating those killed in World War II wasn’t forbidden in the country but “it’s not to be used to incite violence and hatred between people."
Among the banned symbols are the flags of the Soviet Union and Russia, USSR military uniforms and the black-orange Ribbon of Saint George worn in Russia to mark the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The ban is valid until May 10 and applies to the capital, Tallinn, and its surrounding areas.
Ethnic Russians make up about 25% of Estonia’s 1.3 million population and they traditionally gather to lay flowers on 9 May at Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier statue commemorating the fallen Red Army troops in World War II battles in Estonia.
(AP)
Cyprus revokes citizenship of sanctioned Russians
Cyprus is revoking the citizenship of four sanctioned Russians, authorities said on Wednesday, according to Reuters, bringing the number of passports rescinded by the EU member state to eight this month. The individuals were not named, in keeping with government policy.
Cyprus gave citizenship to 2,886 Russian nationals between 2007 and August 2020, as part of a now discredited cash-for-passports scheme.
Cyprus’ cabinet previously revoked the citizenship of four Russians on 7 April, after they were named on the list of individuals sanctioned by the EU over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Passports would also be revoked from their families, deputy government spokeswoman Niovi Parisinou said in a statement.
Majority of Swedes in favour of joining NATO: Poll
A growing majority of Swedes are in favour of joining NATO, a poll showed on Wednesday, as policy-makers in both Sweden and Finland weigh up whether Russia's invasion of Ukraine should lead to an end to decades of military neutrality.
The poll by Demoskop, and commissioned by the Aftonbladet newspaper, showed 57% of Swedes now favoured NATO membership, up from 51% in March. Those opposed to joining fell to 21%, from 24%.
The March poll was the first to show a majority of Swedes in favour of joining NATO.
Sweden has built its security policy on "non-participation in military alliances". But like Finland, the invasion of Ukraine has forced a radical rethink. Both countries are now seen as highly likely to join the 30-nation alliance.
The Demoskop poll consisted of 1,177 interviews carried out between April 14 and April 19.
(Reuters)
Russia has presented Ukraine with document outlining its peace talk demands
The Kremlin's spokesman says Russia has presented Ukraine with a draft document outlining its demands as part of peace talks and is now awaiting a response from Kyiv.
Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters Wednesday that Russia has passed on a draft document containing “absolutely clear, elaborate wording” to Ukraine and now “the ball is in their court, we’re waiting for a response.”
Peskov didn't give further details. He blamed Ukraine for the slow progress in negotiations, and claimed that Kyiv constantly deviates from previously confirmed agreements. “The dynamic of work on the Ukrainian side leaves much to be desired, the Ukrainians do not show a great inclination to intensify the negotiation process," he said.
Ukraine presented Russia with its own draft last month in Istanbul, where the two sides held talks aimed at ending the conflict. It has been unclear how regularly the two sides have spoken to each other since then.
(AP)
What are the steps to join NATO?
Finland and Sweden are moving closer to NATO membership. But what exactly are the steps to join?
Watch our explainer
Mariupol surrender deadline expires
Russia's latest ultimatum to Ukrainian fighters in the besieged city of Mariupol expired Wednesday afternoon, with no sign of a mass surrender, according to Reuters.
In a statement published Tuesday, the Russian military demanded that Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol lay down their arms from 2:00 p.m. (Moscow time) on Wednesday, 20 April.
This deadline has now passed.
But Ukrainian resistance is continuing, with troops holding out in Maripol's Azovstal power plant.
Earlier Wednesday morning a Ukrainian commander at the plant issued a desperate plea for help, saying his marines were "maybe facing our last days, if not hours."
"The enemy is outnumbering us 10 to one," he added.
Thousands of Russian troops backed by artillery and rocket barrages are attempting to capture Mariupol as part of what Ukrainian officials have called the Battle of the Donbas.
Russia's nearly eight-week-long invasion has failed to capture any of Ukraine's largest cities.
Germany keeps contents of weapons delivery to Ukraine partially secret
Berlin has not disclosed all of the weapons it sent to Ukraine, Germany's foreign minister said.
"We have delivered anti-tank missiles, Stingers and other things that we have never spoken about publicly so these deliveries could happen quickly," said Annalena Baerbock at a news conference in Riga, Latvia, which was reported on by Reuters.
She added that Germany would help Kyiv maintain more advanced weapons systems it may buy, alongside training Ukrainian soldiers on how to use them.
Asked whether Germany would send its Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery system to Ukraine, Baerbock said Germany would train Kyiv's soldiers on using and maintaining more advanced systems, which it might obtain from other allied countries or buy outright.
Some experts say Ukraine needs this powerful artillery system to mount a counterattack against Russian forces in the country's east.
More than 5 million have fled Ukraine, says UN
The United Nations' refugee agency has said more than five million people have fled Ukraine, since the outbreak of war.
5.01 million was the exact figure given by the Geneva-based UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Neighbouring countries Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova and Russia itself have borne the brunt of this influx, with Poland taking in more than half of the total.
Yet it is unclear how many Ukrainian refugees have remained in the countries they first entered or travelled elsewhere.
On March 30, the UNHCR announced that 4 million people had fled Ukraine, meaning the total number of Ukrainian refugees has increased by one million in under a month.
(AP)
'Do not be frightened' - Mariupol mayor urges people to leave city
The mayor of Mariupol is urging people to leave the city, saying "don't be frightened and evacuate."
Vadym Boychenko made the appeal on Wednesday to all those who remain in the besieged port city.
He said 200,000 had already fled Mariupol, which had a pre-war population of more than 400,000 people.
“Do not be frightened and evacuate to Zaporizhzhia, where you can receive all the help you need -- food, medicine, essentials -- and the main thing is that you will be in safety,” he wrote in a statement issued by the city council.
Boychenko said buses would be evacuating people from three pickup points, one of them near the Azovstal steel mill which is one of the latest bastions of Ukrainian resistance in the city.
Attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol have routinely failed in the past, with people leaving the city in their own vehicles.
(AP)
Israel ready to play host to Russia-Ukraine meeting: TASS
In an interview with Russian news agency TASS, Israel's ambassador to Russia, Alexander Ben Zvi, said that his country was ready to host a possible meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine.
Israel would consider it "a great honour" to host possible talks between the two presidents, he said, adding that it was up to Putin and Zelensky to make the decision.
Turkey has previously hosted face-to-face meetings between the two countries.
Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have held several telephone conversations since the beginning of the year, according to the news agency, with the Israeli prime minister also making a brief visit to Moscow in early March.
Norway donates Mistral short-range missile systems to Ukraine
Norway is donating about 100 air defence systems to Ukraine, with the Scandinavian country’s defence minister saying that “the country is depending on international support to resist Russian aggression.”
Bjørn Arild Gram said Norway had donated French-made Mistral short-range missile systems which currently are being phased out by the Norwegian Armed Forces, “but it is still a modern and effective weapon that will be of great benefit to Ukraine”.
The weapons have already left Norway which previously has donated 4,000 anti-tank missiles, protective equipment and other military equipment to Ukraine, he added.
(AP)
90 buses set to head to Mariupol to evacuate civilians
Ukraine hopes to send 90 buses to Mariupol on Wednesday to evacuate about 6,000 women, children and elderly people, the city's mayor Vadym Boichenko said, according to Reuters.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced earlier today that Ukraine had reached a preliminary agreement with Russia on establishing a humanitarian corridor to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the besieged city of Mariupol, with the attempted evacuation set to start at 2pm (1100 GMT).
According to Boichenko, about 100,000 civilians remain in the city, which has become a major battleground in the fight to control eastern Ukraine.
European Council president arrives in Kyiv
Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday in an unexpected visit to the city, as Russia continued its new offensive in the east of the country.
"In Kyiv today. In the heart of a free and democratic Europe," Michel wrote, in a tweet accompanying a photograph of him at a train station.
Michel has been vocal against Russian aggression in the country. Earlier this month he expressed his outrage at "crimes against humanity" in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities.
He also said European Union countries should think about ways to offer asylum to Russian soldiers willing to desert the war in Ukraine.
Russia forces mounting offensives at various locations in the east
The Ukrainian General Staff said Wednesday in a statement on Facebook that Russia is continuing to mount offensives at various locations in the east as its forces probe for weak points in the Ukrainian lines.
The General Staff adds that defeating the last resistance in the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol remains Russia’s top priority.
(AP)
Humanitarian corridor agreed in Mariupol
Ukraine has reached a preliminary agreement with Russia on establishing a humanitarian corridor to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the besieged city of Mariupol on Wednesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, according to Reuters.
"Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Mariupol, this is where we will focus our efforts today," Vereshchuk wrote in a message on Facebook.
Vereshchuk said the attempted evacuation would start at 2pm (1100 GMT).
"Given the very difficult security situation, changes may occur during the corridor action. So, please follow the relevant official messages," she wrote.
Desperate plea from Mariupol: We are "maybe facing our last days, if not hours"
A commander in the besieged Azovstal power plant in Mariupol has issued a desperate plea for help, saying his marines were "maybe facing our last days, if not hours".
"The enemy is outnumbering us 10 to one," Serhiy Volyna from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade said.
"We appeal and plead to all world leaders to help us. We ask them to use the procedure of extraction and take us to the territory of a third-party state."
Thousands of troops and civilians remain holed up in the plant.
An advisor to the mayor of Mariupol described a "horrible situation" in the encircled complex and reported that up to 2,000 people -- mostly women and children -- are without "normal" supplies of drinking water, food, and fresh air.
(AFP)
Russia issues new 2pm deadline for surrender of fighters in Mariupol
The Russian military has made fresh demands for the Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol to lay down their arms.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that its forces had opened a humanitarian corridor “for the withdrawal of Ukrainian servicemen and militants of nationalist formations” from the Azovstal plant, which covers about 11 square kilometres and is the last major Ukrainian pocket of resistance in Mariupol, a strategic port on the Sea of Azov.
Those withdrawing would need to be fighters ready to voluntarily lay down their arms, as well as civilians, it said.
The ministry added that as of 22:00 Moscow time on April 19, 2022, no one had used the specified corridor.
Further, the statement said that Russia would “once again” offer those fighting the option to lay down their weapons from 2pm (Moscow time) on Wednesday, 20 April.
Ukraine receives fighter planes and spare parts: Pentagon
Ukraine has received fighter planes and aircraft parts to bolster its air force in the face of Russia's invasion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, declining to specify the number of aircraft or their origin.
The announcement comes a week after US President Joe Biden unveiled an $800 million military aid package for Kyiv, including heavier equipment such as howitzers, as fighting escalates in eastern Ukraine.
The moves indicate a change in attitude in the West, which had initially refused to provide Ukraine with heavy armaments to avoid action Russia could consider direct involvement in the conflict.
Ukrainian forces "right now have available to them more fixed-wing fighter aircraft than they did two weeks ago," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.
(AFP)
Google denies reports it has made Russian military facilities visible on Maps
Misleading rumours spread on social media that Google Maps had revealed satellite images of Russia’s military infrastructure.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces had claimed on Twitter that "everyone can now see a variety of Russian launchers" after Google "opened access". The rumours were also widely shared by Ukrainian media organisations and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's former spokesperson Iuliia Mendel.
However, a Google spokesperson told Euronews. that they "haven’t made any blurring changes to our satellite imagery in Russia".
Satellite images of military facilities around the world are occasionally blurred or displayed in a lower quality on Google Maps to protect their classified status.
Russia assaults cities and towns along a boomerang-shaped front hundreds of miles long
Russian troops poured into Ukraine on Tuesday in a potentially pivotal battle for control of the country’s eastern industrial heartland of coal mines and factories.
If successful, the Russian offensive in what is known as the Donbas would essentially slice Ukraine in two. In Mariupol, the now-devastated port city in the Donbas, Ukrainian troops said the Russian military was dropping heavy bombs to flatten what was left of a sprawling steel plant and hit a hospital where hundreds were staying.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said Moscow’s forces bombarded numerous Ukrainian military sites, including troop concentrations and missile-warhead storage depots, in or near several cities or villages.
Those claims could not be independently verified.
In what both sides described as a new phase of the war, the Russian assault began Monday along a front stretching more than 480 kilometres from northeastern Ukraine to the country’s southeast.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian military was throwing everything it has into the battle, with most of its combat-ready forces now concentrated in Ukraine and just across the border in Russia.
(AP)