As we've been reporting, a Russian oil depot - near the Ukrainian border - is on fire after being struck by missiles.

If it was a Ukrainian attack, it would be the first known time Ukraine has flown into Russian airspace to attack.

Here's Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba being asked whether Kyiv was responsible...

Image source, Reuters

More now on the news that Russian troops have withdrawn from the now-defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which they seized on 24 February - the first day of the war.

The mayor of Slavutych, the town where most of Chernobyl's workers live, told the BBC that around 200 Ukrainian national guard members - who were among those stuck at the power plant while it was under Russian control - have likely been taken prisoner by the Russian troops as they left.

"We consider them prisoners of war," Yuri Fomichev said, adding that they have been out of contact since Thursday. "We are working on a prisoner swap."

It is not yet clear if Russian troops had left the entire Chernobyl exclusion zone, or just the immediate area around the power plant, Fomichev said.

"The whole Chernobyl zone is very big. We can't monitor it all - we only know what is happening directly around the power station where our workers are."

According to the mayor, the situation around the power plant is too uncertain to allow current workers at the site to be relieved by a new group of employees.

Chernobyl was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986, when one of the reactors exploded.

A 4,000-sq-km (2,485 sq-mile) uninhabited exclusion zone was set up around the plant to protect the population from the radiation.

Here's a little more from the ICRC statement, explaining why it has postponed its planned civilian evacuation of Mariupol.

"Our presence will put a humanitarian marker on this planned movement of people, giving the convoy additional protection and reminding all sides of the civilian, humanitarian nature of the operation.

"The parties to the conflict would also need to fulfil the agreements reached to allow for this operation to happen."

Image source, ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has postponed an attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged city Mariupol.

"The ICRC team that had been on its way to Mariupol on Friday to facilitate the safe passage of civilians had to return to Zaporizhzhia after arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed," the ICRC said.

"The ICRC team, which consists of three vehicles and nine personnel, did not reach Mariupol or facilitate the safe passage of civilians today.

"They will try again on Saturday to facilitate the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol.

"For the operation to succeed, it is critical that the parties respect the agreements and provide the necessary conditions and security guarantees.

"If and when the safe passage operation does happen, the ICRC’s role as a neutral intermediary would be to accompany the convoy out from Mariupol to another city in Ukraine."

Image source, .

The governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region has accused Russia of breaking its promise to allow humanitarian aid to reach the besieged city of Mariupol.

"Humanitarian deliveries, despite all the agreements and promises of the Russian side, are not being carried out," Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a televised address.

He added the humanitarian corridor "is essentially not operational."

There are now fears a Red Cross convoy travelling to Mariupol may not make it to the city today.

Image source, PA Media

As the draw for this year's Fifa World Cup begins in Doha, a Ukrainian football expert believes it increasingly likely that Ukraine's qualifier against Scotland will go ahead in June.

There were fears the clash wouldn't be possible after the scheduled match, due to be played at Hampden Park in Glasgow last week, was cancelled due to Russia's invasion.

Journalist Andrew Todos has said "there's growing optimism" that the national team will be "allowed to convene outside of Ukraine in the next month or so".

The winner is set to play Wales for a place in the tournament - to be held in Qatar later this year - and as a result all three teams will feature in today's draw.

Image source, EPA

More now on the exchange of captured troops announced by Ukraine in the past hour. Ukraine said it was regaining 86 troops, including 15 women.

The country's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the troops are "already being taken home".

"I would like to address all our [people] who are still being held prisoner: We will fight for each of you! And will bring you home.

"Stay strong."

If you're just joining our coverage of the Ukraine war, here are details of what's been happening so far today:

On the ground:

• Russia says Ukrainian helicopters attacked an oil depot in Belgorod - a Russian city just north of Ukraine

• Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says he cannot confirm or deny Ukraine was involved
• If confirmed, it would be the first known time Ukraine has flown into Russian airspace to attack
• The alleged strikes do not create "comfortable conditions" for peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says

• The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi says he will head a safety mission to the Chernobyl nuclear power after Russian troops were reported to have left the site
• There are fears a Red Cross convoy travelling to the besieged city of Mariupol may not make it today

• Ukrainian forces are pushing back Russian troops north-east and north-west of the capital Kyiv, an adviser to Ukraine's president says

On the diplomatic stage:

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met his counterpart in India. Following their Delhi meeting Lavrov praised India for not judging the conflict in Ukraine in a "one-sided way"
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there is not an immediate threat to Europe’s gas supplies
• China's reputation is at stake if it helps Russia to evade international sanctions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned

Ukraine and Russia have exchanged captured troops, the Ukrainian president's deputy chief of staff has said, according to the AFP news agency.

As a result of the exchange, 86 servicemen - including 15 women - are "already safe", Kyrylo Tymoshenko is quoted as saying in a video message on Telegram.

The Kremlin has not yet responded.

It is not yet clear if Russia has also regained the same number of troops.

India welcomes Lavrov in diplomatic balancing actpublished at 16:49 British Summer Time 1 April 2022

16:49 BST 1 April 2022

Rajini Vaidyanathan
BBC South Asia Correspondent

In recent weeks there has been a conveyor belt of visiting dignitaries and diplomats to India from the UK, US, China, Japan, Germany, Austria, Mexico, Nepal and Greece.

It seems as if every nation wants to get India on side - but India has remained resolute in staying neutral. Delhi prides itself on its independent foreign policy, and its ties with Russia run deep and are also practical - it buys the vast majority of its arms from Moscow.

Today’s visit by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was a clear signal that India still sees Russia as an ally, even if many world leaders view it as an aggressor.

Prime Minister Modi even took time to meet Lavrov himself. Contrast that to UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi - both recent visitors who didn't get an audience with the PM.

India’s relationship with Russia, and its diplomatic balancing act could turn it into an unexpected broker.

Lavrov said Moscow was open to India mediating in the crisis, while a statement from Prime Minister Modi’s office said he’d conveyed India's readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts.

Image source, EPA

Indian tech giant Infosys - in which UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak's wife owns shares thought to be worth more than £400m - is closing its office in Russia.

Sources told the BBC that the company was trying to find replacement roles abroad for staff employed in Moscow.

Infosys has been under pressure to cease its Russian operations following the invasion of Ukraine.

And Sunak has faced questions over wife Akshata Murty's shares in the firm - which was founded by her father.

The chancellor was asked about the company's presence in Russia after he said he would support UK firms that voluntarily cut ties with the country. Last week he told Sky News he had "nothing to do" with the company.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

More now on the oil depot blaze in Belgorod - which Moscow says was caused by an airstrike from two Ukrainian helicopters.

Firefighters are still trying to put out the blaze, which started this morning. Ukraine's defence ministry will neither confirm nor deny it was behind the attack.

Belgorod is just across the border from Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv.

Verified security camera footage from the depot shows two low-flying helicopters releasing missiles, followed by huge explosions.

The Kremlin said the attack did not create "comfortable conditions" for peace talks.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Russian journalist Andrey Babitsky - a former fierce critic of President Putin who has backed the Russian authorities since 2014 - has died aged 57, Russian media report.

Babitsky was branded a traitor for his reporting of Russia's war in Chechnya from the rebel side for Radio Liberty - and at one stage was held in captivity by Russian troops.

But eight years ago he was sacked from Liberty after expressing support for Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

He moved to the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, and in 2015 helped to launch a TV station in the rebel-held area.

The cause of death, in his apartment in the city of Donetsk, is unknown.

Why is the Belgorod oil attack significant?published at 16:14 British Summer Time 1 April 2022

16:14 BST 1 April 2022

Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

If confirmed - and Ukraine is yet to confirm it carried out the attack on the Russian oil depot - it would be the first known time Ukrainian aircraft have flown into Russian airspace to strike a target.

Ukrainian helicopter pilots have plenty of experience of flying low and fast to avoid being detected by military radar and air defence systems. They’ve been doing exactly that in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine for years.

I experienced and witnessed the extraordinary skills of the Ukrainian military pilots in 2018 – flying barely metres above the tree line and telegraph poles.

Low-flying helicopters are vulnerable to short-range air defence systems. Flying at night would have lessened that risk, but heightened the danger of hitting an object near the ground.

This alleged attack alone will not dramatically alter the battle. But it could show Ukraine has managed to keep its air force functioning, and give a huge boost to the morale of its military.

Image source, Getty Images

Dynamo Kyiv, reigning Ukrainian Premier League champions, confirmed on Friday that they will be playing a series of friendlies against some of Europe’s top clubs to raise money for the country.

In a statement on their website, external, Dynamo said the friendlies will be held between April and June and under the slogan "Match for Peace! Stop the War!”

Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund are just three of the teams taking part in the series.

The club said the aim of the series is to inform "the international community about the terrible war in Ukraine and raise funds to support Ukrainians who suffered from the war with the Russian aggressor."

The Ukrainian Premier League has been halted by the war, its future uncertain as infrastructure belonging to clubs has been damaged, and some foreign players have left the country.

Image source, EPA

China's reputation is at stake if it helps Russia to evade international sanctions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned, following an online summit with China's President Xi Jinping.

"A prolongation of the war and more disruption to the world economy is in no-one’s interest," she tweeted, external.

China has refused to condemn Russia for its invasion - while the EU has imposed sanctions on Moscow.

Xi said China and Europe should provide stability in a volatile world, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but did not appear to offer any proposals to end the war.

European Council President Charles Michel later said China had agreed "this war is threatening global security and the world economy".

On Thursday a UK spy chief said that China's long-term interests would not be helped by aligning with Moscow.

A scheme to match Ukrainian refugees with people in the UK who want to give them a home has launched.

The UK government's Homes for Ukraine, which began last month, allows people to bring refugees into the country - but the sponsor must know the name of the refugee. As of 31 March,, external there had been 32,200 visa applications via the scheme, with 4,700 visas issued.

The new scheme - run by the charity Reset Communities and Refugees - will "match" refugees and sponsors who did not previously know each other.

Refugee organisations recently warned the Homes for Ukraine scheme could become "Tinder for sex traffickers". , externalThe BBC has reported on wider concerns about woman and children being exploited after fleeing Ukraine.

But Kate Brown, chief executive of Reset Communities and Refugees, said there would be "fair and rigorous" systems in place.

"This is an extraordinary moment for the refugee welcome movement in the UK," she said.

"With 200,000 people signed up to offer their homes under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and hundreds of thousands more offering support, we are in a position to help more refugees than ever before."

We recently reported on two sisters who have arrived in Edinburgh as part of the scheme - read more here.

Image source, Jacquie Clayton

Image source, EPA

As we've been reporting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been meeting his counterpart in India.

Following their Delhi meeting Lavrov praised India for not judging the conflict in Ukraine in a "one-sided way".

India has not joined the widespread condemnation of Russia's invasion and is a major buyer of Russian arms.

But Lavrov's Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, "emphasised the importance of cessation of violence and ending hostilities".

In pursuing ties with Russia, India may be seeking to find support against China, with which it was involved in a deadly border clash with in 2020.

Complicating matters, China too has stopped short of condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Paul Kirby
BBC News Online Europe editor

Russia has shifted most of the focus of its war to eastern Ukraine, after a series of setbacks especially around the capital Kyiv. This push into the area known as Donbas could signal a more prolonged conflict, says the US.

What would Vladimir Putin need before he could claim his goal of "liberating" Ukraine's old industrial heart and is that possible?

Russian forces have already triggered a humanitarian catastrophe in the east, reducing Mariupol to ruins, but they have failed to inflict defeat on Ukraine's military. Warning of a new onslaught on the east, President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed: "We will fight for every metre of our land."

Why Putin wants to control Donbas

The Russian president has repeatedly made the unfounded accusation that Ukraine has carried out genocide in the east.

When the war began, two-thirds of the eastern regions were in Ukrainian hands. The rest was run by separatists, who created Russian-backed statelets during a war that began eight years ago.

If Russia were to conquer both big regions, then the next step could be to annexe them too, just like it did with Crimea in 2014.

Read further analysis of the situation in the east of Ukraine here.