A curfew will be imposed in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa from this afternoon until Monday night. This is in response to the bombing of the railway station in Kramatorsk and the risk of a rocket attack, reports the French Agency. 11 minutes ago 06:03 In its latest analysis, the US-based Institute for War Studies says Ukrainian forces maintain control of defensive positions in eastern and southwestern Mariupol. Russian forces continue to try to redeploy troops withdrawn from northeastern Ukraine to support an attack on eastern Ukraine. However, such troops are “unlikely to allow a Russian revolution and face bad morale,” says the ISW. Here are his main conclusions:
Ukrainian forces continued to withstand Russian attacks in areas of southwestern and eastern Mariupol, particularly the port and the Azovstal metallurgical plant, respectively. Ukrainian forces continued to repel daily Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A Russian Tochka-U missile struck a civilian evacuation point at Kramatorsk railway station in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 50 people and wounding about 100 others. Russian forces continued their attacks south of Izyum on Slovyansk and Barvinkove but did not occupy any new territory. Ukrainian counterattacks have probably occupied further territory west of the Peninsula, threatening Russian control of the city.
26 minutes ago 05:49
Zelensky says train station strike must take place in future war crimes tribunal
Following is a summary of comments made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in his speech late Friday night. Zelensky referred to the rocket attack on a train station in eastern Ukraine as a Russian war crime and said it should be one of the charges that will appear in any future court. Five children were among 50 people killed when a rocket hit Kramatorsk train station on Friday. The United States has also accused Russia of using short-range ballistic missiles. Russia has denied responsibility. Zelensky said he expected “a firm, global response.” “Like the Bucha massacre, like many other Russian war crimes, the Kramatorsk rocket attack must be one of the charges in court, which is certain to happen,” he said. “All the efforts of the people will be aimed at establishing every minute: who did what, who gave orders. “Where did the rocket come from, who carried it, who gave the order and how was the strike coordinated?” He said. Zelensky also reiterated his call for more weapons to be provided to Ukraine and for greater sanctions to be imposed on Russia. “The pressure on Russia must increase. It is necessary to introduce a complete energy embargo – on oil, on gas. It’s the energy exports that provide the lion’s share of Russia’s profits. “Russian banks also need to be completely disconnected from the global financial system.” Zelensky added that Ukraine provided details on the military equipment needed. “Any delay in the supply of such weapons to Ukraine, any excuse can only mean one thing: the relevant politicians want to help the Russian leadership more than us Ukrainians,” he said. 33 minutes ago 05:42 Hello, Rebecca Ratcliffe is with you as we continue our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here are some of the main developments of the last hour, so you can be informed:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described a rocket attack on a train station in eastern Ukraine as a Russian war crime and called for a “strong global response”. At least 52 people, including five children, were killed in a rocket attack on Kramatorsk train station. The United States has said Russia used a short-range ballistic missile at the train station. Russia has denied responsibility. Two UN agencies have called for “urgent action” to help some 1,000 seafarers stranded in Ukrainian ports and waters with limited supplies. About 6,665 civilians were evacuated via humanitarian corridors on Friday, most of whom were rescued from Mariupol and Berdyansk. Russian troops have “violently” deported more than 600,000 Ukrainians, including about 121,000 children, to Russia, said Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Lyudmila Denisova. Denisova also said that residents of the temporarily occupied city of Izium in the Kharkiv region were being forcibly relocated to Russia. Some Russian military units have suffered heavy casualties, a senior U.S. defense official has said, and the Pentagon estimates that Russia’s combat capability is between 80% and 85% of pre-invasion levels. The US Department of Defense expects Russia to focus on the Donbas region and eastern Ukraine. International food prices, including cereals and vegetable oils, hit an all-time high in March amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. The conflict has caused enormous unrest, the UN said on Friday, threatening millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere with hunger and malnutrition. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has vowed to give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a quick start to his country’s bid to join the EU. “It will not be as usual for years to form this opinion, but I think it is a matter of weeks.” Medical examiners began exhuming a mass grave in the Ukrainian city of Bukha, wrapped in black plastic and placing the bodies of civilians who officials say were killed during the Russian invasion. Since Russian troops withdrew from Bukha last week, Ukrainian officials say hundreds of civilians have been found dead. Russia’s Justice Ministry has revoked the registration of 15 foreign organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The ministry said in a statement that the Russian units of the organizations “were excluded due to the discovery of violations of the current legislation of the Russian Federation”.
