Summary

  • The coming period is crucial for Ukraine, Western officials say, as Russian forces re-equip, refurbish and redeploy

  • President Zelensky says Russia is concentrating tens of thousands of soldiers for its next offensive in eastern Ukraine

  • It is likely that tens of thousands of people have died during Russia's bombardment of the port city of Mariupol, Zelensky says

  • The US and Britain say they are looking into reports that chemical weapons have been used by Russian forces attacking Mariupol

  • Mariupol's deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov says Ukrainian forces are holding out against Russia in the besieged city

  • He also denies reports about a marine brigade in the city running out of ammunition and facing a "last battle"

  • Austria's chancellor has become the first EU leader to meet Vladimir Putin since the start of the war

  • Karl Nehammer describes the talks at Putin’s residence outside Moscow as "direct, open and tough"

  • Indian PM Narendra Modi says he has repeatedly appealed to Putin and Zelensky to hold direct talks

  1. Johnson returns from Kyiv with symbolic cockerelpublished at 18:47 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Boris Johnson holds a ceramic cockerel while walking with Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian soldiersImage source, Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters
    Image caption,

    The British leader went home with a ceramic symbolising Ukrainian resistance

    We've learned more details about Saturday’s trip to Kyiv by the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

    Downing Street says he was in the Ukrainian capital for about five hours: travelling by car, helicopter, military plane and train.

    He had talks with his counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelensky, before the pair took a 30-minute walk, during which they met Ukrainians and visited memorials dedicated to war victims.

    The two men shared a dinner which appears to have blended British and Ukrainian specialities - featuring roast beef as well as cherry dumplings.

    A spokeswoman says Johnson went home with a gift presented to him by locals: a ceramic cockerel, which is a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.

  2. Hidden wealth of one of Putin’s 'inner circle' revealedpublished at 18:36 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Suleiman Kerimov

    Leaked documents seen by BBC News show how a sanctioned oligarch from Putin's "inner circle" - Suleiman Kerimov - hid his wealth.

    The documents were uncovered as part of the Pandora Papers Russia project, an investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

    The documents reveal how a Swiss tattoo artist was falsely named as owner of company that transferred more than $300m (£230m) to firms linked to Kerimov.

    And they also show how $700m of transactions - and the secret ownership of luxury properties - went undetected.

    The investigation exposes failures of the banking system and the obstacles impeding Western sanctions.

    More here on what the documents show.

  3. 'Incredibly important window' for Ukraine as Russia builds forcepublished at 18:19 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Gordon Corera
    Security correspondent, BBC News

    Russian troops now control large areas of the east but Ukraine has vowed to fight for every last metreImage source, Getty Images

    The Russians are trying to double or even perhaps treble the amount of forces to fight in the Donbas, Western officials say, but this will take time and there remain questions about how effective they will be.

    That makes the coming period crucial, the officials say.

    They believe 37 or 38 of the Battalion Tactical Groups that Russia originally brought into the invasion are no longer combat effective – leaving just over 90 still available.

    They say the Russians are now re-equipping, refurbishing and redeploying forces.

    "This will take quite some time," says one official. "The Russians are going to have to re-equip and refurbish their units, incorporate fresh personnel, and generally organize themselves to make a fresh attack.

    "When they will do that, I don't know. It will presumably take a bit of time. That does give us [an] incredibly important window."

    They say that, in particular, this means providing Western military support.

  4. Mariupol deputy major denies Ukrainian marines out of ammopublished at 18:06 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    MariupolImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Damaged city street in Mariupol earlier in April

    Claims from a mysterious Facebook post, purporting to be from the embattled Ukrainian defenders of the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, have been denied by the deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov.

    The post, published today on the unofficial page of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, says the unit is running low on ammo and heading towards its "last battle".

    "What follows is death for some and captivity for others," the post reads, adding the unit has not been resupplied since the battle for the city began.

    Some Ukrainian observers, however, have cast doubt about the authenticity of the post, which is written in Russian.

    "The situation in Mariupol is extremely different," former soldier and military expert Andriy Shor says under the original post. "Yet, it is absolutely clear that the 36th brigade's page was hacked."

    Others continue to insist the post is real.

    "No matter how much we would all like to think that this text from the marines is a fake, a sabotage or a hacking attack - everything that is written there is true," army support volunteer and former combatant Alina Mykhaylova says on Facebook.

    Ukrainian officials have said their forces are holding out against Russia in Mariupol, with the deputy major saying "the battle continues".

    Infographic on southern port city of Mariupol
  5. Battle for key port city Mariupol continues, Ukraine sayspublished at 17:51 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Ukrainian forces are holding out against Russia in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, officials say, despite some reports suggesting the battle was nearing its end.

    The "battles for Mariupol continue", deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov tells the BBC.

    Earlier, a Moscow-backed militant leader in east Ukraine said his forces were in control of the city's port.

    "As regards the port of Mariupol, it is currently under our control," Denis Pushilin, head of the so-called Donetsk people's republic, says - as quoted by Russian Interfax news agency and RIA Novosti.

    Mariupol has suffered the brunt of sustained Russian attacks during the war - and is key to Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine. (You can read more about why here.)

    BBC graphic of how Mariupol has been invadedImage source, .
  6. The families separating for fear of what's to comepublished at 17:37 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Toby Luckhurst and Mariana Maglych
    BBC News, Lviv

    Earlier, reports came through of attacks on the airport in Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine that for most of the war has been relatively peaceful.

    Outside Lviv central station, we meet a family from that region. Liliana, her two daughters Ana and Anastasia, and her mother Oksana are waiting for a bus to Krakow. From there, they will try to reach relatives in the German city of Cologne.

    Liliana says they left "because maybe later we won’t be able to leave". The family had been hiding in their basement at night when sirens went off, but recently had started to go down to the basement during the day as rocket strikes came closer.

    Oksana tells us her husband and her son-in-law, father to 16-year-old Anastasia and six-year-old Ana, are staying behind to protect their house. They are worried about looters.

    As we talk an argument erupts among those queueing for the free bus to Poland. Dozens of coaches sit in the car park outside the station, offering rides to the west.

    The buses at the stationImage source, Toby Luckhurt/BBC
    Image caption,

    Buses gather to take people west from Lviv

  7. Narendra Modi has urged Putin and Zelensky to meet directlypublished at 17:13 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he has repeatedly appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to hold direct talks.

    Speaking during a video call with US President Joe Biden, Modi says the war in Ukraine is "worrying" and condemns the killing of innocents.

    "We hope that the ongoing discussions between Russia and Ukraine will lead to peace," he says. "We have also emphasised the security of civilians in Ukraine and unhindered humanitarian supply and assistance to them."

    In late March, Biden characterised India's response to the invasion of Ukraine as "shaky". It has so far declined to condemn Russia at the United Nations and has yet to apply sanctions.

    On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the two leaders will continue "close consultations" on the Ukraine war and how the two countries can mitigate its impact on global food supply and commodity markets.

  8. Russia moving to reinforce positions in eastern Ukraine, US official sayspublished at 17:06 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Rubizhne, DonbasImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Smoke rising from the town of Rubizhne, in the Donbas, on 7 April

    Some Russian troops who were withdrawn into Belarus from the Kyiv region are moving east towards Ukraine's Donbas, according to a senior US defence official.

    The official adds the US has seen indications of Russia resupplying and reinforcing troops in the Donbas, and northwest of Donetsk.

    The US does not believe these movements signal the start of a new Russian offensive in the Donbas region, the official adds.

    Additionally, the official says - contrary to Russian claims - the US has so far not seen any evidence Russia has destroyed an S-300 missile defence system.

    Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for Russia's defence ministry claimed an S-300 donated to Ukraine by an unnamed European country was struck during an attack on Dnipro's airport.

  9. Children have battlefield injuries, say doctorspublished at 16:52 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Tom Bateman
    Reporting from Dnipro region

    Hospital beds line the corridor of the basement
    Image caption,

    Beds line the corridor of the hospital's basement being used as a bomb shelter

    We’ve just been to a hospital that’s receiving badly wounded children brought in from the east and south of Ukraine. Some were among those injured in the missile strike on a railway station in Kramatorsk on Friday that killed dozens of civilians.

    The young children have blast injuries and some have lost limbs. Doctors treating them in the intensive care unit say these are the kind of injuries normally seen in soldiers from the battlefield. It’s another appalling sign of the indiscriminate nature of attacks in this war.

    Here in Dnipro, in central Ukraine, there have been more frequent air raid sirens. We heard booms yesterday afternoon as the regional airport was hit by Russian missiles.

    Officials declined us access to see the damage. It’s believed they are concerned images of strike areas could be used by Moscow to calibrate targeting.

    Meanwhile, officials in the east continue to urge people to hurry evacuation efforts as fears grow of an imminent Russian offensive. Tens of thousands of people have left Kramatorsk already and officials say they expect a further 20,000 people to flee the city. With the station now out of service, they are piling into private cars.

  10. Why is Russia losing so many tanks in Ukraine?published at 16:21 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    A Ukrainian serviceman stands on the turret of a destroyed Russian army tank not far from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on April 3, 2022Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A Ukrainian soldier on a destroyed Russian tank near Kyiv

    Ukraine's armed forces say Russia has lost more than 680 tanks , externalwithin the two months since the invasion began.

    And on top of that, Oryx - a military and intelligence blog - suggests Russia has lost more than 2,000 other armoured vehicles.

    Military experts put the losses down to the advanced anti-tank weapons western nations have given to Ukraine, and to the poor way Russia has used its tanks.

    But how much is down to Russian incompetence? Read the full piece here.

  11. Ukraine war - what's been happening?published at 16:05 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Destroyed buildings and a car in MariupolImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    President Zelensky says tens of thousands of people may have died in Mariupol

    Thanks for joining our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here’s a quick recap of what’s been unfolding today:

    On the ground

    • Ukraine’s President Zelensky says Russia is gathering together tens of thousands of soldiers as it plans to concentrate its assault on Ukraine’s east
    • In an address to the South Korean parliament, Zelensky also said tens of thousands of people may have died in Mariupol so far, during a siege by Russian soldiers
    • The port city is one of the nine locations in which a humanitarian corridor was agreed for today, providing civilians an exit route to safer places
    • Local officials in the city of Dnipro say an airport there has been destroyed by Russian missiles
    • A French team has arrived in Ukraine to help local investigators look into allegations of war crimes around the capital Kyiv

    Beyond Ukraine

    • Austria's Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, has held talks with President Putin at his residence outside Moscow - he's described them as "direct, open and tough"
    • Elsewhere in the Russian capital, journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who staged an anti-war protest live on Russian TV, has been hired by German newspaper Die Welt
    • As diplomatic efforts to end the war continue, US President Joe Biden will speak to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an effort to get his counterpart to put more pressure on Russia
  12. 'Direct, open and tough' meeting between Austrian and Russian leaderspublished at 15:53 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer leaving after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in MoscowImage source, EPA/Dragan Tatic/Austrian Chanceller

    Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer says his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was "direct, open and tough", according to Reuters.

    In a statement after the meeting - which reportedly lasted about 90 minutes - Nehammer says it has not been a friendly visit, and the aim has been to leave no stone unturned in seeking an end to the conflict, or at least humanitarian progress for civilians in Ukraine.

    He adds his most important message to Putin has been that the war must end because during a war there are only losers.

    While Austria has maintained closer ties with Russia than most of the EU historically, it has expressed its solidarity with Ukraine since Russia invaded, and has denounced Russia's alleged war crimes.

  13. Ukraine looms large over Biden-Modi talkspublished at 15:32 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Vikas Pandey
    Reporting from Delhi

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will hold virtual talks later ahead of the meeting between their foreign and defence ministers in Washington.

    The two nations have largely been on the same page - at least in their public statements - on most issues of mutual concern.

    But it's not business as usual this time because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Washington and Delhi have had differing views over Ukraine since the war began in February.

    Delhi has abstained from all US votes against its biggest defence equipment supplier Russia, while refusing calls from the US to take a stronger stand. This has put Washington in a Catch-22 situation.

    The US wants India to be part of its wider strategy of isolating Russia but at the same time, it can't afford to weaken India against China - both diplomatically and militarily.

    It will be interesting to see how much pressure the US puts on India and how Delhi reacts to it.

    Read more from Vikas here

  14. No Russian ceasefire ahead of talks - Lavrovpublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Sergei Lavrov - 8 AprilImage source, EPA

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow will not pause its military operations before the next round of peace talks with Ukraine.

    But in an interview for the Rossiya-24 news channel, he says he saw no reason why the talks shouldn't go ahead.

    "The President [Vladimir Putin] has stressed on more than one occasion that we prefer talks," he says, quoted by Tass.

    Defending Russia's invasion, Lavrov says it has wider implications beyond Ukraine itself.

    "Our special military operation is designed to put an end to the reckless expansion of the US's aim for complete domination... in the international arena," he says.

  15. 17 children among 92 people still in hospital after station attackpublished at 15:08 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    The remnants of one of the rockets that hit Kramatorsk train station on 9 AprilImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    The remnants of one of the rockets that hit Kramatorsk train station on Friday

    More details have been released about those who were wounded in the attack on Kramatorsk railway station in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Friday, which killed 57 people, according to the regional governor.

    Writing on Telegram, external, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region says 92 people are still being treated in hospital after the attack, including 17 children.

    He adds four adults and two children have been discharged from hospital in the region and sent to a hospital in the Dnipropetrovsk region for further treatment.

  16. North Korea blames US for Russia's expulsion from UN human rights bodypublished at 14:50 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia Gennady Kuzmin (C) reacts after the results from voting by the United Nations General Assembly member countries pass a resolution to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council caused by Russia"s invasion of Ukraine at United NationsImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    UN general assembly members passed a resolution to suspend Russia from the human rights council

    Last week, Russia was suspended from the United Nations' leading human rights body - the human rights council - after a vote by members. It followed mounting evidence that Russian forces have killed civilians in Ukraine.

    North Korea - which was among the 24 countries that voted against the move - has now denounced Russia's suspension.

    "What the US is after... is to isolate the independent countries, and forces challenging them at the international arena, so as to maintain its illegal and inhumane US-led hegemonic order," says a government statement carried by state news agency KCNA and reported by Reuters.

    The statement says international organisations should not be "abused" as a means for the US to put political pressure on countries.

  17. Half of Ukraine needs mine-clearing - officialspublished at 14:40 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    A landmine warning sign in front of shelled buildings in Borodyanka, near KyivImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Mine warning sign in Borodyanka, near Kyiv

    About half of Ukraine’s territory needs landmine clearance, according to a representative of the State Emergency Service.

    Oleg Bondar said about 300,000 sq km of land requires humanitarian demining efforts – with a large amount of explosives still laying in areas taken back from Russian soldiers.

    Efforts were concentrated near Kyiv and other northern areas of the country, Bondar says. Checks are ongoing in the Kharkiv and Nikolaev regions, despite Russian shelling.

    Clearance work has ended in Irpin, near Kyiv - but Bondar says private land still needs to be searched, which required the permission of owners.

  18. Meeting between Austrian Chancellor and Russian President startspublished at 14:28 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    The Austrian leader's meeting with his Russian counterpart has started, according to Austrian media.

    Chancellor Karl Nehammer is the first EU leader to meet Vladimir Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine.

    Austria, which is not a member of Nato, has maintained fairly cordial diplomatic relations with Russia for decades, and has often sought to portray itself as a mediator between Russian and European interests.

    Prior to the meeting, Nehammer said the aim of the talks is to promote dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv. He visited Ukraine on Saturday.

  19. New Russian commander could use 'scorched earth' tactics, US warnspublished at 14:17 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Destroyed city in AleppoImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Russian forces were accused of indiscriminately bombing Syrian cities like Aleppo

    US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said the appointment of a Russian general dubbed the "Butcher of Syria" to oversee its war in Ukraine is "consistent" with its handling of the war.

    General Alexander Dvornikov, 60, previously led Russian operations in Syria, where Russian forces have been accused of deliberate targeting of civilian areas. He'd previously also served in Chechnya.

    Speaking to CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday, Sullivan said he believes Dvornikov's appointment is a sign Russia plans to keep up a "scorched earth" policy.

    "We've seen atrocities and war crimes and mass killing and horrifying and shocking images from towns like Bucha and rocket attacks on Kramatorsk," he said. "I think this [the general's appointment] is an indication that we will see more of that."

    Moscow has denied any involvement in the deaths of civilians in Bucha and described reports of bodies being strewn around streets there as fake news.

    But Sullivan's assessment was echoed by General David Petraeus, a former director of the CIA.

    "The Russians were known in Syria, basically for...'depopulating' areas. That's what they did to Aleppo," Petraeus said on CNN. "That’s what they did to other areas. And I think we can expect that."

  20. Key river crossing outside Kyiv restoredpublished at 14:00 British Summer Time 11 April 2022

    Rebuilding of bridge outside KyivImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Construction of the temporary bridge has been intensive

    A river crossing outside Kyiv, destroyed in the first days of the war, has been restored, senior Ukrainian officials have said.

    The Romanivka bridge over the River Irpin was one of several blown up by Ukrainian forces as they attempted to halt the Russian advance on the capital.

    Pictures of local people crossing through the mangled remains of the bridge to safety were shown worldwide. Some evacuees were killed by Russian air strikes.

    Presidential aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on his telegram channel that the temporary bulk bridge, which goes around the dual carriageway original, took five days non-stop to build.

    The new construction is nine metres wide and 245m long.

    It connects the settlements of Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel and others with the capital.

    Media caption,

    A month ago people were shown crossing the destroyed bridge