War in Ukraine: Latest developments
Sunday April 03 2022
One person died and 12 others were injured in an air strike on a residential building in the capital Kyiv (AFP/Aris Messinis) (Aris Messinis)
Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
- Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes -
Ukraine accuses Russian troops of war crimes after the discovery of mass graves and civilians apparently "executed" in the streets of Bucha, near the capital Kyiv.
AFP reporters see at least 20 bodies, all in civilian clothing, strewn across a single street.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls it a "deliberate massacre" and urges G7 countries to impose "devastating" sanctions immediately.
"It looks exactly like war crimes," President Volodymyr Zelensky's spokesman tells BBC television.
- Air strikes hit Odessa -
Air strikes rock Ukraine's strategic Black Sea port Odessa Sunday morning, but the army says there were no casualties.
"High-precision sea and air-based missiles destroyed an oil refinery and three storage facilities for fuel and lubricants near the city of Odessa," the Russian defence ministry says.
- West reacts over Bucha -
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss calls for "indiscriminate" Russian attacks in Bucha and elsewhere to "be investigated as war crimes".
Germany's vice chancellor Robert Habeck says a "terrible war crime" has been carried out.
- EU chief vows more sanctions -
EU chief Charles Michel pledges further sanctions on Moscow as he condemns "atrocities" near Kyiv.
"EU is assisting Ukraine& NGO's in gathering of necessary evidence for pursuit in international courts."
- Russia says full isolation 'impossible' -
"There can be no complete vacuum or isolation of Russia, it is technologically impossible in the modern world," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells Russian state TV.
- Ukraine says mayors held by Russians -
Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk says 11 local community leaders in in the Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Donetsk regions are "in captivity".
- UN official to visit Moscow, Kyiv -
Top UN humanitarian envoy Martin Griffiths is expected in Moscow then Kyiv to seek a halt in the fighting, which by Ukrainian estimates has left some 20,000 people dead.
- Too soon for peace summit -
Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky says it is too early for a top-level meeting between Zelensky and Putin on ending the conflict.
He says Ukraine has become "more realistic" in its approach to issues related to the neutral and non-nuclear status of Ukraine but a draft agreement for submission to a summit meeting is not ready.
- Mines and booby traps -
Zelensky accuses Russian soldiers of planting mines and other booby traps as they withdraw from northern Ukraine.
- Lithuanian filmmaker killed -
Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius is killed trying to flee Ukraine's city of Mariupol besieged by the Russians, the Ukrainian military says Sunday.
- Pope calls war 'sacrilegious' -
Pope Francis makes a plea on a visit to Malta for refugees fleeing the "sacrilegious war" in "tormented Ukraine" to be welcomed.
The number of refugees has reached nearly 4.2 million, the United Nations says.
- Russian focus on southeast: UK -
UK Defence Intelligence says Russian air activity in the last week has been concentrating on southeastern Ukraine, "likely as a result of Russia focusing its military operations in this area".
Ukraine has regained control of "the whole Kyiv region", deputy defence minister Ganna Maliar says.
- Mariupol evacuation -
The Red Cross says its team left for Mariupol Saturday for a fresh evacuation effort.