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The Ukrainian president said the situation in Mariupol was “inhumane” and called on allies to provide heavy weapons to save the city from Russian forces.
He insisted that leaders of other countries must provide weapons “immediately” or intervene to force Russia into further negotiations.
Russian troops have maintained a blockade of Mariupol since the first days of the invasion at a terrifying cost to trapped and starving civilians.
Vladimir Zelenski: The situation in Mariupol is “inhuman” – video
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Ukraine has asked the G-7 for $ 50 billion in financial support and is also considering issuing 0% coupon bonds to help cover war-related budget deficits over the next six months, President’s economic adviser Oleh Ustenko said on Sunday. .
Speaking on national television, Ustenko said these options are being actively discussed.
10:01 AM BST 10:01 AM
Lorenzo Tondo
Another rocket attack in the early hours of Sunday damaged infrastructure in the town of Brovary, near Kyiv, Brovary Mayor Igor Sapozhko said in an online post.
This is the third day of attacks in the capital after 2 weeks of relative calm.
On Friday, Russian forces destroyed a plant allegedly producing one of the missiles used to sink the Moscow warship in the Black Sea.
Then, on Saturday, it was alleged that Russian missiles hit a military equipment factory in the capital’s Darnytskyi district.
The sudden development of events is related to the destruction of the jewelry of the Russian fleet by Ukrainian forces during a combat operation in the Black Sea on Wednesday – a blow to Vladimir Putin’s military plans and the prestige of his army.
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Many of the nearly 5 million people who have fled Ukraine will have no home to return to, the UN has warned.
When Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik said in late January that his country needed to be “prepared for a wave of up to one million people” in the event of a major Russian invasion of Ukraine, many thought it was an exaggeration.
53 days after the Russian invasion, according to the UNHCR, almost 5 million Ukrainians have left the country. About 90 percent of the refugees are women and children after the government imposed martial law banning men between the ages of 18 and 60.
In early April, UNHCR announced that more than 7 million people were internally displaced.
Bogdan Lisun and his black cat Crowley late at night at Przemyśl train station. Photo: Amy Katz / Zuma Press Wire / Rex / Shutterstock
Poland remains the main destination for Ukrainian refugees, receiving approximately 2.69 million refugees, followed by Romania with about 720,000.
Last week, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel apologized for the time it took for Ukrainian refugees to arrive in the UK on two visa schemes, after new figures show that only 12,000 have reached Britain so far.
Updated at 10.01 BST
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Ukraine and Russia failed to agree on Sunday on humanitarian convoys to evacuate civilians from war-torn areas, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk.
“We failed to agree … on a ceasefire on the evacuation routes. That is why, unfortunately, we are not opening humanitarian corridors today, “she said in her Telegram profile.
Vereshchuk also said that Ukrainian authorities had requested humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilian and wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged port of Mariupol, Reuters reported.
Updated at 10:02 a.m. BST
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Russia says munitions factory near Kyiv “destroyed”
Russia’s armed forces have destroyed an ammunition factory near Kyiv, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.
“In one night, high-precision air-to-air missiles destroyed an ammunition factory near the town of Brovary in the Kiev region,” Konashenkov was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Igor Konashenkov. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense / AFP / Getty Images
Updated at 10.03 BST
8:54 AM BST 8:54 AM
Bulgaria has banned Russian-flagged ships from entering its Black Sea ports as part of expanded EU sanctions, the country’s maritime administration said on its website on Sunday.
“All vessels registered under the Russian flag, as well as all vessels that have changed their Russian flag, flag or registration in the maritime register of any other country after February 24, are prohibited from accessing Bulgarian sea and river ports.” said the body.
Exceptions will be made only for ships in distress or seeking humanitarian aid, or ships transporting energy products, food and pharmaceuticals to EU countries.
Updated at 10.03 BST
8:13 AM BST 8:13 AM
The city of Kramatorsk feels empty. Only a handful of supermarkets, restaurants and hotels are still open. The windows on the main streets are boarded up. Many residents have moved out of their apartment buildings into neighboring villages, where they believe it will be safer.
The few locals walking around behave as if they can’t hear the sirens, and they don’t seem to be startled by the occasional thunder of incoming shells.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is entering a new phase, centered in the Donbass region to the east, and most of its citizens are not taking risks. Regional mayors told the Observer that they said about 70% of the population had left since the start of Russia’s offensive in February.
The Ukrainian-controlled Donbass is surrounded by Russian forces from the north, east and south. Ukrainian authorities believe Russian forces are seeking to encircle the territory by cutting off their supply lines from the west.
Russian-backed forces have held about a third of the region since 2014. Russia had hoped and probably expected its attempts to gain more territory to be popular with the predominantly Russian-speaking population. But eight years of conflict, and especially the last eight weeks, have taken their toll.
8:01 AM BST 8:01 AM
Thank you all for following, I will now share the blog with my colleague Tom Ambrose in London.
Updated at 8.03 BST
7:53 AM BST 7:53 AM
Rocket …
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