Image source, EPA

The Russian Foreign Ministry has added 29 new US citizens to its "stop list", including US Vice President Kamala Harris and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

A statement published on the ministry website on Thursday said those added to the list were "top leaders, representatives of the business community, academics and journalists who shape the Russophobic agenda, as well as the spouses of a number of high-ranking officials".

All individuals have been indefinitely banned from entering the Russian Federation "in response to the ever-expanding anti-Russian sanctions".

This came shortly after US President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on Russian citizens and $800m in military support to Ukraine.

Toby Luckhurst and Olga Pona
Reporting from Lviv

Image source, Reuters

Earlier today, President Putin ordered his commanders to call off an apparent plan to storm the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol - Ukraine’s last bastion of defence in the besieged port city.

Instead, he ordered troops to seal off the area so tightly that even “a fly cannot not pass through”.

In a phone call, Maksym Zhorin, a senior official of the Azov battalion based in Kyiv, said the Russian leader’s comments proved his troops were struggling to make progress against the much smaller force defending the industrial plant.

“The Russians have just admitted their possible defeat,” he said. President Putin changed tack, he added, because “they're not able to occupy the Azovstal”.

Though the invading forces control nearly all of the southern port city, they have not been able to dislodge the Ukrainians from the steelworks. The fighters there are made up of Azov troops – a controversial group with links to the far right – and marines.

Zhorin alleged the Russians had bombed civilian air shelters in the city, and that they had used cluster bombs and white phosphorus munitions in a bid to clear the Ukrainians.

The BBC has not independently verified these claims but has found cluster munitions being used elsewhere in the conflict.

And Zhorin declared the battle for Mariupol to be like "a test for the world".

"Whether humanity can react, can unite, in order to save innocent civilians," he said.

You can read more about President Putin’s order and the defenders of Azovstal here.

Jenny Hill
BBC News, Moscow

Image source, Kremlin

Nothing has substantially changed in Mariupol and Russian troops have been unable to dislodge the Ukrainian fighters – who’ve ignored two recent ultimatums to surrender - from the steelworks there.

But that didn’t stop Vladimir Putin from declaring victory, congratulating his defence minister on having successfully taken the city.

State televison has been re-running this meeting all day, in particular the part where Putin declared victory.

It's a piece of classic Kremlin PR, designed to assure Russians that everything is going according to plan - not that they need reassurance, given the daily barrage of upbeat official reports about the success of the "special military operation".

But, as he gave orders for a new strategy at the Azovstal steelworks, Russians also had a rare glimpse of Vladimir Putin, commander in chief. It’s weeks since he was last seen publicly directing the military operation.

Perhaps Putin, who has consistently framed Ukraine and the West as a threat to Russian security, felt the need to reassure Russians that he - personally - is in control.

The president may have tried to portray his country as the victim in order to justify his war, but he doesn’t want anyone thinking it’s weak.

It's no accident, perhaps, that last night he announced Moscow had test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile which would, as he put it, make Russia’s enemies think twice.

As we've been reporting, Russia says it has "liberated" the southern city of Mariupol, although hundreds of Ukrainian fighters remain holed up in the Azovstal steel plant.

But in his update at the White House, US President Biden said it was "questionable" whether Putin controlled the city.

"There is no evidence yet that Mariupol has completely fallen," Biden said.

He called for humanitarian corridors to allow people to leave the steel works and other areas of the city.

"That's what any head of state would do in such a circumstance," he said.

Ukraine's President Zelensky thanks US President Biden for this new round of support for Ukraine.

President Zelensky took to his Twitter account to say the help is needed "today more than ever!"

The effects of the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine are an "absolute outrage" President Biden says.

He was speaking at the White House where he announced an additional $800m security assistance package for the country.

Nomia Iqbal
BBC News, Washington

As we’ve been reporting, President Biden has just made a number of announcements at a press conference - including an $800m aid package for Ukraine and a scheme to help refugees.

Biden also made it clear that no Russian or Russian-affiliated ships will be able to dock in the US – a request from Ukrainian President Zelensky which the US had previously resisted.

The US seems to be going for anybody who tries to help Russia, announcing a new round of sanctions on private banks and a network of individuals the administration alleges are trying to help Russia evade sanctions.

There is still a lot of criticism on whether such sanctions are effective, but the US has said that they will impact Russia’s economy by as much as 15% in the long run.

The imposed sanctions, ban on energy imports and different legislations signed by Biden will make it very difficult for Russia to have any normal trade relations.

Image source, EPA

In his update at the White House, US President Joe Biden also says the US is banning Russian-affiliated ships from its ports, in a move to "ratchet up the pressure on Putin".

"No ship that sails under the Russian flag, or that is owned or operated by Russian interests, will be able to dock in a US port or access our shores. None, none," he says.

You can read about the range of sanctions some countries are taking against Russia here.

Speaking at the White House, President Biden describes the battle for Ukraine's capital Kyiv as an "historic victory" for Ukrainians, saying it was now necessary to accelerate support for the country.

The president said in order to continue supporting Ukraine for the duration of the war, he would ask US congress for more money next week.

Responding to claims from the Kremlin earlier today that Russia had seized control of Mariupol, Biden said there was no evidence yet that the port city had completely fallen.

More from President Biden, who announces a new programme which will allow Ukrainians to flee temporarily to the US.

"Unite for Ukraine" will allow Ukrainians who have an American sponsor to stay for up to two years, but would not provide a path to citizenship he says.

"It will be fast, it will streamlined," Biden said.

Presiden Biden says it will include heavy artillery weapons, dozens of howitzers, ammunition and more tactical drones.

He says there is currently a "critical window" to set the stage for the next phase of the war. The new equipment will be sent "directly to the frontlines of freedom" he says.

Image source, Reuters

US President Joe Biden has announced an additional $800m (£613m) security assistance package for Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visited the White House on Thursday.

It comes just a week after the US announced a previous $800m to support Ukraine.

The US Treasury has also said it will provide Ukraine with further aid of $500m to help with government operations such as paying salaries and providing services.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has "offered all options" to Russia to swap Mariupol citizens for Russian soldiers, and is awaiting Moscow's response, Reuters news agency is reporting.

He had previously suggested captured Russian soldiers could be exchanged for trapped civilians.

Responding to the Kremlin's claim its forces have "liberated" the port city, he said Russia controls most of Mariupol but Ukrainian forces remain in a part of it, according to Reuters.

As we have been reporting, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to seal off Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, where a last group of Ukrainian fighters is holding out, rather than to storm it.

Zelensky was also quoted as saying that 120,000 civilians were being blocked from leaving Mariupol.

Image source, Getty Images

Away from Mariupol, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has said Russian and Belarusian players who speak out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine should be allowed to compete at Wimbledon.

On Wednesday, the All England Lawn Tennis Club banned players from the two countries from competing at this year's tournament for their role in the war.

Governing bodies the ATP and WTA described the decision as "unfair".

"We don't want them banned completely," Svitolina told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"If players don't speak out against the Russian government, then it is the right thing to ban them."

Read more of the story here.

Image source, Ukraine Media Centre

The mayor of Mariupol has just finished a news conference on the current situation in the city.

Vadym Boichenko says that around 200 people are waiting to evacuate the city but no buses have arrived as of mid-afternoon. Around 80 were evacuated on Wednesday, he says.

He says that around 100,000 people remain in the besieged city.

The mayor says it's difficult to calculate how many civilians are inside the Azovstal steel plant, where a last group of Ukrainian fighters is holding out, but put the number between 300 and 1,000.

There is no chance of civilian evacuations from the plant today, he adds.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to seal off the plant so "not even a fly can escape". Putin also claimed Mariupol, which has been almost completely destroyed by Russian shelling, has been "liberated" by Moscow.

"Whatever statements are made, the city is, and remains, a Ukrainian city," Boichenko says.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from Zaporizhzhia

We’ve been waiting at the Epicentre supermarket in Zaporizhzhia for several hours now.

It's hoped a convoy will come from Mariupol, which in normal times is a four-hour journey. But since the start of the war, about 16 checkpoints have been put into place, which can make the journey take about 24 hours.

Four buses are expected to arrive sometime in the coming hours. This afternoon, about two dozen cars carrying displaced people arrived from the Zaporizhzhia region.

Volunteers rushed to the convoy of cars to take down names, gather information, and check the belongings in the cars.

We spoke to one woman, Yelena, who had travelled for hours with her husband, and four children — one of whom is nine months pregnant. Their whole life was packed into bags in the car. They are from the town of Tokmak which Russian soldiers seized nearly two months ago.

There’s a big tent set up here at the evacuation centre with volunteers inside, ready to feed and clothe people. Aid workers are searching for shelters and temporary homes for those arriving who don’t have family to pick them up.

There’s a tense feeling among those waiting for the buses to arrive from Mariupol. The regional government remains optimistic they will arrive, but the timing remains very unclear.

Image source, Rossiya-24

The so-called "Butcher of Bucha", Lt Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov, has been targeted in a new wave of sanctions by the UK government.

Omurbekov led a unit that occupied the town, near Kyiv, where hundreds of bodies have since been discovered. He now faces a travel ban and asset freeze along with several fellow commanders.

Other supporters of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have also been hit, including Oleg Belozyorov, the CEO and chairman of logistics company Russian Railways.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "The depravity of Russia’s assault on the people of Ukraine is plain for all to see...Today’s new wave of sanctions hits the generals and defence companies that have blood on their hand."

Image source, .

If you need to catch up on the latest developments, here's what's been going on:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to seal off Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, where a last group of Ukrainian fighters is holding out
• He said it would be "impractical" to storm it, but it should be blocked off so "not even a fly can escape"
• Ukraine's deputy PM has demanded Russia allow an immediate humanitarian corridor from the steel works, to allow 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers out

Elsewhere:

• In the Russian-occupied southern city of Kherson, Ukraine's military says Russian troops are planning to "forcibly mobilise" the local population to fight for Moscow
• The bodies of more than 1,000 civilians are being stored in morgues in and around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the AFP news agency reports
• An intelligence update by a top US defence think tank says Russia secured only marginal gains, external on Wednesday from continued assaults on Mariupol

The bodies of 1,020 civilians are being stored in morgues in and around Kyiv after Russian troops withdrew from the region, a Ukrainian official has told the AFP news agency.

It comes after the bodies of nine civilians, some showing signs of torture, were found in the town of Borodyanka, near Kyiv, a senior police official told AFP.

"These people were killed by the occupiers and some show signs of torture. I want to emphasise that these people were civilians. The Russian military knowingly shot civilians who did not put up any resistance," the head of the police in the Kyiv region Andriy Niebytov said.

He said police had discovered two graves around Borodyanka.

Three people - including a 15-year-old girl - were discovered in one grave and a second grave held the bodies of six people, he said.

Russia has denied targeting civilians.

As Russian troops have retreated from areas surrounding Kyiv, evidence of atrocities have been uncovered, including the town of Bucha where at least 500 dead have been found since the Russians left.

Read more: Collecting the dead in Bucha

Image source, Getty Images

In the southern city of Kherson, the Ukrainian military says Russian troops are planning to "forcibly mobilise" the local population to fight for Moscow.

Kherson, which has a population of 283,000, is one of the few Ukrainian cities to be occupied by Russian forces since the invasion.

"The Russian invaders plan to organise the forced mobilisation of the population for war with Ukraine," the Ukrainian military posted on social media this morning.

In one village, Russian representatives held a meeting with locals where they stated that there would be no more "green corridors" for civilians and forbade people from leaving, it said.

"At the same time, the Russian occupiers set a goal to completely stop the humanitarian support of the region from the Ukrainian authorities," the military added.

"The terror of the Ukrainian population by Russian occupiers continues."

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Image source, .