PUTIN’s Russian forces have bombed a school in Luhansk causing two to die and up to 60 are feared to be dead as they remain under the debris.
Luhansk’s governor has said that two people were killed yesterday in a Russian bombing of a school.
Serhiy Gaidai said many people were sheltered in the building after the town’s bomb shelter had been destroyed earlier.
It is feared that around 60 people could have died as they remain under debris following the bombing, Reuters reported.
The news comes as Boris Johnson has pledged a further £1.3 billion to help Ukraine as Putin’s ‘brutal attack’ is ‘threatening’ peace in Europe.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement on Saturday that he would be pledging more military aid to support Ukraine.
A further 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6 billion), double its previous spending commitments will go to supporting Ukrainians.
Boris Johnson said: “Putin’s brutal attack is not only causing untold devastation in Ukraine – it is also threatening peace and security across Europe.”
The PM also stated that the UK was the first country to recognise the ‘threat’ and responded first.
The PM added: “The UK was the first country to recognise the scale of the threat and send arms to help the Ukrainians defend themselves.
“We will stand by that endeavour, working with our allies to ensure Ukraine can continue to push back the Russian invasion.”
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…
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Ukraine’s Ministry of foreign affairs ‘strongly condemns’ attack
Ukraine’s Ministry of foreign affairs has ‘strongly condemns’ the Russian shelling of a school that has killed two.
In a post on Twitter the ministry said: “#Russia committed this brutal war crime shortly before the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, constantly repeating the tragedy of World War II. #StopRussianWar”
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UK Ministry of Defence latest
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have released their daily morning briefing of the latest defence intelligence in Ukraine.
The UK MoD has said that ‘flawed planning assumptions and failures in sustainment’ have continued to ‘undermine Russian progress’.
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Brit YouTube star & female companion arrested close to Russian rocket launchpad
A BRITISH YouTube star and his female pal have been arrested close to a Russian rocket launchpad as officials probe their “illegal activity.”
YouTuber Benjamin Rich, who has over 3.5million subscribers, was detained at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, officials said.
The Brit is known for his vlogging account, Bald and Bankrupt, where he shares videos from some of the most dangerous parts of the world.
He’s currently being held by city authorities after he was detained at the Russian spaceport, along with Belarusian woman Alina Tseliupa.
The daring YouTuber was arrested after being “linked to the organisation of illegal actions,” according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The agency’s chief, Dmitry Rogozin, posted pictures of Rich’s visa and Tseliupa’s passport – while authorities determine the “exact level of illegal participation” the pair were involved in.
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WHO gathers evidence for possible war crimes investigation against Russia
The World Health Organization is gathering evidence for a possible war crimes investigation into attacks it says it has documented by Russia on healthcare facilities in Ukraine.
WHO Emergencies Director Mike Ryan told a news conference that WHO had already documented 200 attacks on hospitals and clinics in the country.
“Intentional attacks on healthcare facilities are a breach of international humanitarian law and as such – based on investigation and attribution of the attack – represent war crimes in any situation,” Mr Ryan said.
“We continue to document and bear witness to these attacks … and we trust that the U.N. system and the International Criminal Court and others will take the necessary investigations in order to assess the criminal intent behind these attacks.”
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‘Two killed’ in Russia school bombing
It has been reported that Luhansk’s governor has said that two people were killed yesterday in a Russian bombing of a school.
Serhiy Gaidai said many people were sheltered in the building after the town’s bomb shelter had been destroyed earlier.
It is feared that around 60 people could have died as they remain under debris following the bombing, Reuters reported.
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WHO says it stands with Ukraine
World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has told Ukrainians from Kyiv yesterday that the WHO stood by them in their conflict with Russia – and urged Moscow to stop waging war on its neighbour.
“My message to all the people of Ukraine is this,” he said, speaking from the government media centre in the capital.
“WHO stands by you.”
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Putin believes ‘doubling down’ will improve Ukraine war outcome
US CIA Director, William Burns, has said that Vladimir Putin believes doubling down on the military conflict in Ukraine will improve his outcome in the war.
“He’s in a frame of mind in which he doesn’t believe he can afford to lose,” Mr Burns said at a Financial Times event in Washington.
“I think he’s convinced right now that doubling down still will enable him to make progress.”
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Moment Ukrainian drone strike wipes out Russian targets on Snake Island
THIS is the dramatic moment a Ukrainian drone strike wiped out Russian targets on Snake Island.
Ukraine released a video yesterday of an alleged military drone hit on Kremlin landing ship supplying a TOR anti-aircraft missile system to the island in the Black Sea.
The aerial footage appears to show the destruction of a large Serna-type landing craft in an air strike.
In the video, a drone appears to be locking onto a target before unleashing its powerful cargo on the unsuspecting Russians.
Thick black smoke was seen rising overhead in satellite photos in the aftermath of the strike.
Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko said: “Enemy units remaining on Snake Island remain without air cover and will be destroyed and burned out like cockroaches or locusts.”
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Chelsea sale agreed
Chelsea Football Club is being sold to a consortium fronted by American sports investor Todd Boehly.
The deal ends 19 years of ownership and lavish investment by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea confirmed that terms had been agreed for the new ownership group led by Mr Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss to acquire the club in a deal reportedly worth around £4.25bn.
Abramovich cannot receive the proceeds of the sale.
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Ukraine braces for escalated attacks ahead of Russia’s Victory Day
Cities across Ukraine are preparing for an expected increase in attacks ahead of Russia celebrating Victory Day on Monday.
Russia’s national holiday commemorates the former Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
Bracing for escalated attacks, Ukrainian troops are taking a stand to prevent a takeover and have also solidified their positions around the nation’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, in the north east of the country.
Officials have urged residents to heed air raid warnings.
“These symbolic dates are to the Russian aggressor like red to a bull,” Ukraine’s first deputy interior minister Yevhen Yenin said.
“While the entire civilised world remembers the victims of terrible wars on these days, the Russian Federation wants parades and is preparing to dance over bones in Mariupol.”
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Croatian citizen fighting for Ukraine detained by Russians
A Croatian citizen who fought alongside Ukrainian troops in Mariupol has been detained by the Russian army, Croatian state media reported Saturday.
Croatia’s Foreign Ministry also confirmed that it has knowledge of a detained Croatian citizen,” and is working with the Ukrainian authorities to resolve the situation. It offered no further information due to sensitivity of the situation.
The state HRT television reported that the Croatian man tried to flee Mariupol with other Ukrainian fighters but was caught by the Russians. No other details were immediately available.
The N1 regional television said the arrest was first reported by Russian media.
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Artworks go back up in Lviv
Artworks from Lviv’s National Gallery are going back up on display in key buildings around the western Ukraine city.
Many of the artworks were removed for safekeeping at the outbreak of the Russian invasion.
Gallery director Taras Voznyak told the New York Times putting up the work was an act of resistance.
“Putin now has the goal of turning Ukrainians into nobody, into nothing,” he says.
“In order to show that we are alive, we have opened several branches,” he adds.
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Putin’s fighter jets form sickening ‘Z’ symbol as troops prepare for huge parade
VLADIMIR Putin’s fighter jets were captured forming a sickening Z symbol as his army prepared for a huge parade despite a massive death toll.
The dress rehearsal of the Victory Parade began in Moscow today with the event set to be attended by 11,000 troops.
Servicemen, cadets and representatives of military units will walk along the cobblestones of Red Square with nukes also paraded.
And eight jets were pictured in a “Z” formation with the letter becoming synonymous with the invasion of Ukraine.
The military parade has become an annual event on May 9, marking victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
Under Putin, Victory Day is not only to remember the sacrifices of World War Two but has become a show of strength of troops and military hardware
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Top news from this evening
Thank you for reading my coverage this evening. My colleague Louis Allwood will be back with you tomorrow morning.
Before I log off, I’ll leave you with a summary of the top news from this evening:
- Ukraine’s Deputy Prime, Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, has announced women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol
- Four missiles hit the port city of Odesa in the afternoon, with locations around the airport targeted and radar equipment destroyed.
- No casualties have been reported
- WHO has said it has documented 200 attacks on healthcare centres in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion
- It is also gathering evidence for a possible war crimes investigation into attacks by Russia
- A Chelsea Football Club sale has been agreed – being sold to a consortium fronted by American sports investor Todd Boehly
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WHO: 200 healthcare facilities hit in Ukraine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it has documented 200 attacks on healthcare centres in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion.
WHO’s emergencies director Mike Ryan told a news conference that it would pass its findings on to those who could assess whether crimes had been committed.
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WHO gathers evidence for possible war crimes investigation against Russia
The World Health Organization is gathering evidence for a possible war crimes investigation into attacks it says it has documented by Russia on healthcare facilities in Ukraine.
WHO Emergencies Director Mike Ryan told a news conference that WHO had already documented 200 attacks on hospitals and clinics in the country.
“Intentional attacks on healthcare facilities are a breach of international humanitarian law and as such – based on investigation and attribution of the attack – represent war crimes in any situation,” Mr Ryan said.
“We continue to document and bear witness to these attacks … and we trust that the U.N. system and the International Criminal Court and others will take the necessary investigations in order to assess the criminal intent behind these attacks.”
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China ‘carefully’ studying Ukraine war as it eyes Taiwan
China is closely studying Russian’s invasion of Ukraine and is likely adjusting its long-term plans for gaining control of Taiwan based on the lessons from the war, CIA director Bill Burns has said today.
“Clearly the Chinese leadership is trying to look carefully at what lessons they should draw from Ukraine about their own ambitions and Taiwan,” Burns said.
They have not given up that goal, he said, but factors including the Western response to the invasion and its impact on the global economy are “affecting their calculation about how and when they go about doing that.”
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WHO says it stands with Ukraine
World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has told Ukrainians from Kyiv today that the WHO stood by them in their conflict with Russia – and urged Moscow to stop waging war on its neighbour.
“My message to all the people of Ukraine is this,” he said, speaking from the government media centre in the capital.
“WHO stands by you.”
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All women, children & elderly evacuated from steel plant
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister has announced all women, children and elderly have been evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Making the announcement, Iryna Vereshchuk said: “The president’s order has been carried out: all women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal. This part of the Mariupol humanitarian operation has been completed.”
No further details were given.
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Putin believes ‘doubling down’ will improve Ukraine war outcome
US CIA Director, William Burns, has said that Vladimir Putin believes doubling down on the military conflict in Ukraine will improve his outcome in the war.
“He’s in a frame of mind in which he doesn’t believe he can afford to lose,” Mr Burns said at a Financial Times event in Washington.
“I think he’s convinced right now that doubling down still will enable him to make progress.”
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Moment Ukrainian drone strike wipes out Russian targets on Snake Island
THIS is the dramatic moment a Ukrainian drone strike wiped out Russian targets on Snake Island.
Ukraine released a video today of an alleged military drone hit on Kremlin landing ship supplying a TOR anti-aircraft missile system to the island in the Black Sea.
The aerial footage appears to show the destruction of a large Serna-type landing craft in an air strike.
In the video, a drone appears to be locking onto a target before unleashing its powerful cargo on the unsuspecting Russians.
Thick black smoke was seen rising overhead in satellite photos in the aftermath of the strike.
Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko said: “Enemy units remaining on Snake Island remain without air cover and will be destroyed and burned out like cockroaches or locusts.”
An aerial view shows an explosion at Snake IslandCredit: Reuters This satellite image taken by Planet Labs shows thick black smoke rising after an alleged Ukrainian drone strikeCredit: AP -
Odesa hit by Russian missiles for third weekend in a row
Four missiles hit the city of Odesa this afternoon. There are currently no reports of casualties.
Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that several locations around Odesa’s airport were hit. That includes the runway which was hit twice and a furniture production plant.
The spokesperson said that oils and chemicals used in the plant had caused black smoke and fumes that many filmed on social media.
It’s the third weekend in a row that Russian missiles have hit the port city.
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Kharkiv hit by three shelling attacks, says governor
Kharkiv’s governor has reported three shelling attacks overnight on the city and in the village of Skovorodinyvka.
It reportedly caused a fire that nearly destroyed the Hryhoriy Skovoroda Literary Memorial Museum.
Oleh Sinegubov said the museum’s collection was not damaged as it had been moved to a safer place.
Writing on social media, he said: “The occupiers can destroy the museum where Hryhoriy Skovoroda worked for the last years of his life and where he was buried. But they will not destroy our memory and our values.”
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Chelsea sale agreed
Chelsea Football Club is being sold to a consortium fronted by American sports investor Todd Boehly.
The deal ends 19 years of ownership and lavish investment by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea confirmed that terms had been agreed for the new ownership group led by Mr Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss to acquire the club in a deal reportedly worth around £4.25bn.
Abramovich cannot receive the proceeds of the sale.