Finland and Sweden under threat of Russian malign influence ahead of NATO decision

Finland and Sweden must prepare for increased Russian spy operations, cyber-attacks and attempts to influence lawmakers as they consider joining NATO after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the Nordic nations' intelligence chiefs said on Wednesday.

Swedes and Finns, especially decision-makers, should be more vigilant than before in spotting attempts by Russia to influence policy and perceptions, the head of Finland's security service told a joint news conference with his Swedish and Norwegian counterparts.

"Russia's possibilities for human intelligence operations are currently limited because the willingness of Finns to cooperate with Russian diplomats is at a low level," Antti Pelttari said.

Russia's invasion has forced Sweden and Finland to reassess their longstanding military neutrality, and they are expected to announce in May whether they will join the US-led NATO alliance.

Moscow forces disperse protest in occupied Kherson with tear gas, stun grenades

Russian forces used deterrents to disperse a pro-Ukraine rally in the occupied city of Kherson on Wednesday, Ukraine's Prosecutor General said, as Moscow tightened its grip over the southern Ukrainian region.

"During a peaceful pro-Ukrainian rally on Freedom Square in the city of Kherson, servicemen of the Russian armed forces used tear gas and stun grenades against the civilian population," the office of Ukraine's Prosecutor General said in a statement.

Local authorities say Russia appointed its own mayor of Kherson on Tuesday after its troops took over the administration headquarters in the regional capital, which was the first big urban centre to be seized after the 24 February invasion.

Some residents have staged occasional anti-occupation rallies in Kherson and crowds gathered in the city centre again on Wednesday -- the date Kyiv had said Russia planned to run a referendum to create a breakaway region like those in eastern Ukraine.

Russian aggression helped Europe unite, Italian president says

The Russian invasion of Ukraine "gave additional drive" to the process of European unity, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Wednesday as he addressed the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg.

He added that Italy is ready to impose eventual additional EU sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine "without any hesitation".

"Russia's aggression gives additional drive towards the unity of the European countries and peoples who believe in peace, democracy and the respect of international law and the rule of law," Mattarella said.

Asked by a British Conservative delegate whether all Italian companies were respecting the sanctions regime, Mattarella responded by saying that "the sanctions framework is fully operational in Italy".

"With respect for the principles of the rule of law and of the free-market economy that are in force in Italy (...) companies autonomously apply the consequent rules, as happens in countries that have a free market," he stated.

UN preparing team to coordinate Mariupol plant evacuation

The UN says its humanitarian office is mobilising an experienced team from around the world to coordinate the complex evacuation of civilians from the besieged steel plant in the battered Ukrainian city of Mariupol with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle to UN and ICRC participation in the evacuation from the plant during a nearly two-hour, one-on-one meeting Tuesday.

The sprawling Azovstal complex, which has been almost completely destroyed by Russian attacks, is the last pocket of organized Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol.

An estimated 2,000 troops and 1,000 civilians are said to be holed up in bunkers underneath the wrecked structure.

UN officials are having follow-on discussions Wednesday with authorities in Moscow and Kyiv “to develop the operational framework for the timely evacuation of civilians,” while Guterres will be meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday.

EU suspending customs duties would maximise Ukraine's economic activity, Zelenskyy says

The proposal by Brussels to suspend all customs duties on Ukrainian products imported into the EU for a year will "support economic activity to the maximum," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

"This will allow us to support economic activity to the maximum in Ukraine and preserve our national production," Zelenskyy said in a video posted on Telegram.

The proposal still needs to be approved by the European Parliament and the 27 EU member states.

United Nations Secretary-General arrives in Ukraine

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has arrived in Ukraine for talks with the country's leadership in Kyiv. 

Guterres was in Moscow on Tuesday where he met with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and called for an independent investigation into allegations of war crimes in Ukraine. 

Arriving in Ukraine he said that the UN "will continue our work to expand humanitarian support & secure the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones." 

"The sooner this war ends, the better -- for the sake of Ukraine, Russia, and the world." 

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Putin promises 'rapid' response in the event of external intervention

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned against any outside intervention in the conflict in Ukraine, promising it would be met with a "swift and devastating" response.

"If someone intends to interfere from the outside in what is happening [in Ukraine] and to create unacceptable threats for Russia, they must know that our response [...] will be lightning-fast," Putin told the Russian parliament.  

According to Putin, Russia will not hesitate to use its most modern weapons in response.

"We have all these tools that no one else can brag about right now. We're not going to brag: we're going to use them if we have to. And I want everyone to know that," he said.

"All the decisions on this have already been made," he added.

(AFP)

Russia withdraws from UN's World Tourism Organisation

Russia announced it was withdrawing from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation on Wednesday -- just hours before the body’s assembly voted to temporarily suspend the country’s membership over the invasion of Ukraine, officials said.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili made the announcement on his official Twitter account. He said it was the first UN body to address Russia’s membership.

The organisation went ahead and approved the suspension at a special meeting in Madrid on Wednesday, where the organization has its headquarters.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s military offensive is an attack on the founding principles of the United Nations and on the values that tourism represents, such as peace, prosperity and universal respect and the observance of human rights,” Spanish Industry, Trade and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said in a statement following the decision.

Two men arrested in Poland for allegedly spying for Russia

Security authorities in Poland say that a Russian and a Belarusian man have been arrested on allegations that they spied for Russian intelligence.

A spokesman for Poland’s state security bodies, Stanislaw Zaryn, said Wednesday that material gathered by Polish military intelligence led to their arrest.

He said that they were gathering sensitive military data, including information about Polish troops in the area near Poland’s border with Belarus.

The men were arrested separately last week.

Top Bulgarian officials visiting Ukraine

The Bulgarian government says the country's PM and top defence official will go to Ukraine to meet with that country's leaders.

The government press office said Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and Defense Minister Dragomir Zakov were being accompanied on Wednesday by members of Parliament.

In Kyiv, they will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and with members of the 200,000-strong Bulgarian community in Ukraine.

They also will visit Borodyanka, Bucha and Irpin, in the Kyiv region, to see the damage caused by the Russian invasion.

No deal reached yet on Putin-Zelenskyy meeting, says Ukraine’s lead negotiator

Ukraine’s lead negotiator said on Wednesday no agreement had been reached for the Ukrainian and Russian presidents to discuss the war in Ukraine, despite efforts by Turkey to arrange such talks.

Mykhailo Podolyak said “the time of a meeting of the two countries’ presidents and the context of the meeting have not yet been determined.” He drew attention also to increased hostilities in east Ukraine and Russian attempts to “completely destroy” the southern city of Mariupol.

(Reuters)

Brussels proposes suspension of all EU import tariffs on Ukrainian goods

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to suspend for one year all customs duties on Ukrainian products imported into the EU, in order to support the economy of the country attacked by Russia.

This proposal, which still needs to be approved by the European Parliament and the 27 member countries, is "an unprecedented gesture of support for a country at war", the European executive said in a statement. The United Kingdom announced on Monday the elimination of its customs duties on products imported from Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she initiated the measures after discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "We both agree on the crucial importance of a tariff suspension to support Ukraine's economy," she said.

Bilateral trade between the EU and Ukraine accounted for €52 billion last year, according to the EU executive, a figure that has doubled since 2016.

However, since late February and the outbreak of war by Russia, Ukraine's agricultural and industrial production has been severely affected, as well as its trade relations with the rest of the world, including the country's access to the sea.

Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to drop by 35% this year, according to a forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published on 19 April.

(AFP)

Level of safety at Russian-occupied nuclear plant like a “red light blinking”, says IAE chief

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general says the level of safety at Europe’s largest nuclear plant, currently under Russian occupation in Ukraine, is like a “red light blinking” as his organisation tries in vain to get access for work including repairs.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Rafael Grossi said that the IAEA needs access to the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine so its inspectors can, among other things, reestablish connections with the Vienna-based headquarters of the UN agency. And for that, both Russia and Ukraine need to help.

The plant requires repairs, “and all of this is not happening. So the situation as I have described it, and I would repeat it today, is not sustainable as it is,” Grossi said. “So this is a pending issue. This is a red light blinking.”

He spoke in an interview Wednesday, a day after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the issue.

(AP)

Strikes on strategic bridge could affect Ukrainian grain exports

Russia launched two missile strikes and damaged a strategic bridge in Ukraine's Odessa region, state railways and local officials said on Wednesday, an event that could affect Ukrainian plans to expand exports through Danube ports.

The bridge across the Dniester Estuary is a part of the only fully Ukrainian-controlled railway route to Ukraine's ports on the Danube, which Kyiv regard as a promising route for exports in a situation where Black Sea ports are blocked.

Ukraine, a major agricultural producer, used to export most of its goods through seaports but since Russia's invasion in February has been forced to export by train via its western border or via its small Danube river ports.

The first attack was on Tuesday evening, and as a result of a rocket hit the bridge over the estuary was damaged. However, according to local officials, it could be quickly restored.

The second strike was on Wednesday morning and the condition of the bridge has not yet been reported.

(Reuters)

Kremlin warns that other countries could have gas supplies cut

The Kremlin says that Russia may halt gas supplies to other European customers following a cutoff to Poland and Bulgaria if they also refuse to switch to payment in rubles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, argued that the Russian demand to switch to rubles in payments for gas resulted from the Western action to freeze Russian hard currency assets. He said those were effectively “stolen” by the West in an “unprecedented unfriendly action.”

Speaking in a conference call Wednesday with reporters, Peskov warned that other European customers may see the taps turned off if they refuse to pay for gas in rubles by the time payment is due. Peskov argued that refusing to switch to rubles reflects a Western desire to “punish Russia at any cost to the detriment of their own consumers, taxpayers and producers.”

He rejected the EU’s description of the Russian move to halt supplies to Bulgaria and Poland starting Wednesday as blackmail, insisting that “Russia has remained a reliable supplier of energy resources” and stuck to its contractual obligations.

Peskov argued that the demand for payment in rubles is purely technical and doesn’t change price or other contract conditions for consumers.

(AP)

Serbia says it's not affected by Russian gas cutoff

Serbia says that the Russian suspension of gas supplies to Bulgaria is not affecting the Balkan country.

Serbia receives some 6 million cubic meters of Russian gas daily via neighboring Bulgaria, and Energy Minister Zorana Mihailovic in a statement on Wednesday that supplies have not been halted.

Mihailovic said authorities nonetheless were looking into backup options in case the situation becomes more complicated.

Serbia depends heavily on Russian gas and the country’s main oil monopoly is owned by the Russian giant Gazprom. The country has refused to join sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Mihailovic added that the Serbian government is already preparing plans for next winter. She said that “we have to secure energy stability in any possible way because at this moment it is every state for itself.”

Serbia sold 51% of the Serbia Oil Industry company to Gazprom in 2008.

(AP)

Russia bans 287 British politicians 

Russia on Wednesday banned 287 members of Britain's parliament from entering the country, in retaliation for a similar move by London against Russian MPs who backed the Ukraine offensive .

"The targeted personalities, whose entry into Russia has been banned, participated most actively in the imposition of anti-Russian sanctions by London and promote an unwarranted exacerbation of Russophobic hysteria in Britain," the statement said.

The list includes House Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, Brexit Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and Environment Secretary George Eustice. Also on the list is Diane Abbott, a close friend of former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn.

On 16 April, Moscow had already banned Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several other senior British officials from entering Russia: Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Foreign Minister Liz Truss, Defence Minister Ben Wallace, former PM Theresa May, and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.  

In the past two weeks, Russia has also barred dozens of US and Canadian lawmakers from entering, in response to similar moves by Washington and Ottawa. 

(AFP)

Pro-Russia Transnistria authorities report attack on ammunition depot

Authorities in Moldova's pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria said on Wednesday that a village on the border with Ukraine housing a large Russian army ammunition depot had been fired upon.

"Last night, several drones were spotted over the village of Kolbasna," Transnistrian authorities said in a statement, adding that on Wednesday morning, "shots were fired in the direction of Kolbasna from Ukraine," without causing any casualties.

The village of Kolbasna -- Cobasna in Romanian -- is located about two kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

A large arms depot, dating from the Soviet period, is under the control of Russian soldiers deployed in the breakaway territory which is sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. 

The self-proclaimed "republic" of Transnistria broke away from Moldova in 1992, after a short war with Chisinau. Since then, about 1,500 Russian troops have been stationed there.

In recent days, fears that the conflict in Ukraine could spread to Transnistria have grown, after a Russian general claimed that the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine was aimed at establishing a corridor to the breakaway region.

Separatists said a series of explosions occurred on Monday and Tuesday in the self-proclaimed "republic".

In response, Moldova announced measures to tighten its security and called for calm.

For its part, Kyiv accused Russia of wanting to "destabilise" Transnistria in order to justify military intervention.

(AFP)

Germans told to take their foot off the pedal to reduce Russian fuel reliance 

Germany’s influential ADAC auto club is calling on its 21 million members to help reduce the country’s oil imports from Russia by driving less and taking their foot off the gas where possible.

In an open letter posted on its website Wednesday, the club’s leadership said driving more slowly and anticipating stops were among the ways drivers could reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%.

They also urged drivers to consider whether they really need to take the car or could switch to walking, cycling or public transport instead.

The German government says it wants to wean the country off Russian oil imports by the end of the year.

(AP) 

Austrian Chancellor refutes 'propaganda' claims over gas payments

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is pushing back against "fake news" claims he says are spreading in Russian media, that Austria would break EU sanctions and pay for Russian gas deliveries in rubles. 

Russia's state-owned Gazprom has cut off supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after President Putin's demands to be paid for the gas in rubles were not met. 

"Before fake news of Russian propaganda is spread further hear" wrote Nehammer. 

"Of course [Austrian oil and gas company] OMV will continue to pay for gas deliveries from Russia in euros. Austria is sticking to the jointly agreed EU sanctions to the point and comma" he said. 

UK says West should send heavy weapons, tanks and planes to Ukraine

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the West should send more military equipment, including planes, to Ukraine to bolster its fight against the Russian invasion. 

In a speech in London on Wednesday morning, Truss says "the fate of Ukraine remains in the balance" and calls for Western nations to increase military support for Kyiv. 

“Heavy weapons, tanks, aeroplanes – digging deep into our inventories, ramping up production.”

She says that “if Putin succeeds there will be untold further misery across Europe and terrible consequences across the globe. We would never feel safe again. So we must be prepared for the long haul and double down on our support for Ukraine."

Truss is also calling for tougher economic sanctions on Russia, saying the West must cut off Russian oil and gas imports “once and for all.”

Extracts of the speech were released in advance by the Foreign Office.

NATO nations have supplied Ukraine with military gear including missiles and armored vehicles, but have been reluctant to send fighter planes out of concern about escalating the conflict.

(AP) 

Hungary gas supplies 'unaffected' by Gazprom action

Hungary’s foreign minister says his country’s supply of Russian natural gas is unaffected by the decision of Russia’s Gazprom to cut supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.

Peter Szijjarto said in a video on Facebook Wednesday that “the news that Gazprom’s deliveries to Bulgaria have stopped may be worrying,” but the transit of Russian gas to Hungary via Bulgaria would continue.

He said: “I would like to reassure everybody that the non-delivery of gas to Bulgaria does not mean the stop of transit through Bulgaria.”

Gazprom said it would suspend gas deliveries to Bulgaria and Poland beginning on Wednesday after those countries refused to comply with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that European countries pay for gas in rubles.

Szijjarto said Hungary receives around 3.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per year via a pipeline that passes through Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia. He added that supply was assured after Hungary reached an agreement with Russia whereby gas payments would be made to Gazprombank in euros and then converted into rubles.

(AP)

Russia claims it destroyed "large quantity" of Western weapons in Ukraine

The Russian military said on Wednesday it destroyed a "large quantity" of weapons delivered to Kiev by the US and European countries, as efforts intensify to arm Ukraine against Moscow .

"Sheds with a large amount of foreign weapons and ammunition, delivered to the Ukrainian forces by the United States and European countries, were destroyed with high-precision Kalibr missiles fired from the sea at the aluminum plant of Zaporizhia", in the south-east of Ukraine, said the Russian Ministry of Defense.

He did not specify which weapons were destroyed in the strike.

The Russian military also claims to have carried out airstrikes against 59 Ukrainian targets, including 50 where troops were located and four ammunition depots. 

(AFP)

Zelenskyy calls for controls on Russia's nuclear facilities

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for "global control over Russia's nuclear facilities and nuclear technology" in light of the country's aggressive actions in Chernobyl and at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Russia using gas as an 'instrument of blackmail,' says European Commission president

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has released a statement in response to Gazprom's moves this morning to cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria:

"The announcement by Gazprom that it is unilaterally stopping delivery of gas to customers in Europe is yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail. This is unjustified and unacceptable. And it shows once again the unreliability of Russia as a gas supplier.

We are prepared for this scenario. We are in close contact with all Member States. We have been working to ensure alternative deliveries and the best possible storage levels across the EU.
Member States have put in place contingency plans for just such a scenario and we worked with them in coordination and solidarity.

A meeting of the gas coordination group is taking place right now. We are mapping out our coordinated EU response. We will also continue working with international partners to secure alternative flows. And I will continue working with European and world leaders to ensure the security of energy supply in Europe.

Europeans can trust that we stand united and in full solidarity with the Member States impacted in the face of this new challenge. Europeans can count on our full support."

Gas prices spike in Europe after Russia halts delivers to Poland and Bulgaria

European gas prices have spiked by as much as 24% following Gazprom's statement this morning that it was suspending deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria starting Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

The spike comes even as the weather turns warmer in the Europe, lessening the demand for the natural gas for heating homes and businesses, it added.

International Energy Agency backs Poland and Bulgaria as Gazprom cuts their gas supplies

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the Paris-based International Energy Agency, has tweeted that his organisation strongly supports Poland and Bulgaria after Russian state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom said it had cut gas supplies to the countries after they refused to pay for shipments in rubles.

“Gazprom’s move to completely shut off gas supplies to Poland is yet another sign of Russia’s politicisation of existing agreements & will only accelerate European efforts to move away from Russian energy supplies,” he wrote, adding: "IEA strongly supports Poland & Bulgaria as they respond to this latest weaponization of energy supplies."

Gazprom suspends gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria

Russia’s state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom says it has cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after they refused to pay for shipments in rubles.

Gazprom said in a statement that it hasn’t received any payments since April 1 from Poland and Bulgaria and was suspending deliveries to them starting Wednesday.

It warned that if they siphon gas intended for other European customers, the deliveries to Europe will be reduced to that amount.

The move follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to switch to rubles in payments for Russian gas supplied to Europe.

(AP)

Poland arrests Russian and Belarusian accused of espionage

The Polish government has released a statement saying that it has identified "a citizen of the Russian Federation and a citizen of Belarus who were engaged in espionage activities in Poland."

The men were detained on 21 and 22 April, and are suspected of espionage activities for the Russian secret services, according to the statement. 

It added: "The material collected by the SKW [Military Counterintelligence Service] indicates that a Russian and a Belarusian, acting on behalf of the Russian intelligence against Poland, carried out activities aimed at identifying the functioning of the Polish Armed Forces, including the presence of the army in the Polish-Belarusian border zone."

"The investigation on the basis of the materials of the Military Counterintelligence Service was initiated by the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, the Military Department."

Blasts heard in Russia

Series of blasts were heard in the early hours of Wednesday in three Russian provinces bordering Ukraine, authorities said, and an ammunition depot in the Belgorod province caught fire around the same time.

Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a fire at the ammunition depot near the Staraya Nelidovka village had been extinguished and no civilians have been injured.

Russia this month accused Ukraine of attacking a fuel depot in Belgorod with helicopters and opening fire on several villages in the province.

The Belgorod province borders Ukraine's Luhansk, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, all of which have seen heavy fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago.

Separately, Roman Starovoyt, the governor of Russia's Kursk province, which also borders Ukraine, said that explosions had been heard in Kursk city early on Wednesday which were most likely the sounds of air defence systems firing.

In Voronezh, the administrative centre of another province adjacent to Ukraine, Russia's TASS news agency cited an emergencies ministry official as saying that two blasts had been heard and the authorities were investigating.

(Reuters)

Ukraine retains control over majority of its airspace, says UK

After two months of fighting, Ukraine retains control over the majority of its airspace, according to the latest intelligence report from the British Ministry of Defence.

"Russia has failed to effectively destroy the Ukrainian Air Force or suppress Ukrainian air defences. Ukraine continues to hold Russian air assets at risk," it writes.

"Russian air activity is primarily focused on southern and eastern Ukraine, providing support to Russian ground forces. Russia has very limited air access to the north and west of Ukraine, limiting offensive actions to deep strikes with stand-off weapons."

The report adds that Russia continues to target Ukrainian military assets and logistics infrastructure across the country.

"The majority of Russian air strikes in Mariupol are likely being conducted using unguided free-falling bombs. These weapons reduce Russia’s ability to effectively discriminate when conducting strikes, increasing the risk of civilian casualties.”

US diplomats return to Ukraine

The US State Department says diplomats have begun returning to Ukraine by making day trips to temporary offices in the western city of Lviv, from neighbouring Poland, according to the Associated Press.

The department said the first group of diplomats crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border and traveled to Lviv on Tuesday morning, before returning to Poland later in the day.

The step came just two days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Ukrainian leaders during a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv that the US would start restaffing its diplomatic facilities in Ukraine this week.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the agency has accelerated its review of re-opening the US embassy in Kyiv, which was closed shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February. He said operations at the embassy would resume as soon as possible depending on the security situation in the capital.

Germany close to gas independence from Russia, says vice chancellor

Germany’s vice chancellor says his country has come “very, very close” to independence from Russian oil and that an embargo on deliveries would now be “manageable.”

Speaking Tuesday during a visit to Poland, Economy Minister Robert Habeck — who is also the vice chancellor and responsible for energy — said that his country has cut Russia’s share of its oil supply from 35% before the war in Ukraine to about 12%.

Habeck said “the situation is such that an embargo has become manageable for Germany.”

He added that “the problem that just a few weeks ago seemed very big for Germany has become significantly smaller … so that independence from Russian oil imports has come very, very close.”

(AP)

Refugees stream out of eastern Ukraine

As Russian forces intensify their shelling of eastern Ukraine, more people are leaving their homes in search of safety, writes the Associated Press.

In Pokrovsk, a town in the Donetsk region, people lined up Tuesday to board a train headed to the far west of the country along the border with Hungary and Slovakia. One person was lifted onto the train in a wheelchair, another on a stretcher.

The passengers took with them cats, dogs, a few bags and boxes, and the memory of those who did not flee in time.

“We were in the basement, but my daughter didn’t make it and was hit with shrapnel on the doorstep” during shelling on Monday, said Mykola Kharchenko, 74. “We had to bury her in the garden near the pear tree.”

He said his village, Vremivka, about 70 kilometres from Pokrovsk, was under heavy fire for four days and everything was destroyed. With tears in his eyes, Kharchenko said he somehow held himself together at home, but once he reached the train station he fell apart.

UN chief and Russia's Putin agree on key Ukraine evacuation

The United Nations says Secretary-General António Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed in principle that the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross should be involved in the evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Mariupol.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that during their one-on-one meeting Tuesday, Guterres and Putin “discussed the proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, namely in relation to the situation in Mariupol.”

The sprawling Azovstal steel plant has been almost completely destroyed by Russian attacks but it is the last pocket of organised Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol.

An estimated 2,000 troops and 1,000 civilians are said to be holed up in bunkers underneath the wrecked structure.

Dujarric said that following the Guterres-Putin agreement in principle, discussions will be held with the UN humanitarian office and the Russian Defence Ministry on the evacuation.

(AP)