Mariupol is a strategically important port on the Sea of Azov, part of the Black Sea.

Gaining full control of the city leaves Russia in charge of a vast swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has already declared victory in Mariupol but Ukrainian resistance remains in the sprawling Azovstal steelworks.

If Russia takes full control of Mariupol it will secure a land corridor between Crimea and Donbas, allowing resources to be redirected to other Russian fronts in Ukraine.

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Russian missiles hit a Ukrainian weapons depot near the eastern city of Popasna in addition to 31 other targets on Friday, Moscow's defence ministry said according to RIA news agency.

Russia also claimed today to have shot down a Ukrainian SU-27 fighter jet in the eastern Luhansk region, according to Interfax.

The BBC has not been able to verify these claims.

A bus with 23 civilians on board has now left Mariupol's besieged Azovstal steelworks, Russia's TASS news agency is reporting.

It's the third bus said to have left the site today, and brings the total number of civilians evacuated from Azovstal in the past few hours to 48, including a number of children.

According to TASS, there are plans for a fourth bus to depart the steelworks before the humanitarian corridor is closed at 21:00 local (18:00 GMT).

Image source, Reuters

The first of two buses evacuating civilians out of the besieged Azovstal steel plant has now arrived in the nearby town of Bezimenne, which is under Moscow's control.

For more than two months the civilians have been sheltering in a vast network of underground tunnels beneath Mariupol's massive steel works, with dwindling supplies.

The initial bus has now arrived to the relative safety of Bezimenne.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Some more now on today's ongoing attempts to evacuate civilians trapped for weeks in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti is now reporting that a second evacuation bus with 13 civilians on board, including a child, has left the complex.

This is in addition to a previous group of 12 civilians said to have left the plant on an earlier bus which we reported on a little earlier.

According to RIA Novosti, that first bus had four children on board.

The operation is part of a third evacuation attempt by the UN and Red Cross to provide safe passage to around 200 civilians trapped in the massive industrial site.

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If you're just joining us, or in need of a quick recap, here's what's been happening in the Ukraine conflict so far today:

• Attempts to evacuate Mariupol civilians out of the city's besieged Azovstal steel plant are still ongoing, with Russian media reporting that a bus has now left the site with 12 civilians on board including children
• Ukrainian fighters earlier accused Russian forces of breaching a ceasefire at the plant by attacking a car travelling to evacuate civilians
• President Zelensky tells the BBC that Ukraine would accept a peace deal in which Russian troops return to positions held prior to February's invasion
• Amnesty International has accused Russia of doing nothing to stop its troops from committing human rights abuses in Ukraine in a new report
• EU members are locked in tough negotiations over the next round of sanctions against Russia - with Hungary opposing a proposed embargo on Russian oil

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Russia has handed over 41 prisoners of war back to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange including 28 members of the military, Ukraine's deputy PM Iryna Vereschuk said.

Vereschuk added that it was "especially gratifying" that a religious leader from Ukraine's Orthodox Church was among those to be returned.

There was no mention of how many prisoners of war had been returned to Russia as part of the exchange.

Jonathan Josephs
BBC business reporter

Ukraine's finance minister has told the BBC that a full embargo of Russian energy is "very important" and that its needs to happen "right now".

Sergei Marchenko was speaking as the European Union works towards an agreement on a ban on Russian oil imports.

"It's very important and so necessary to do it right now. Just because huge oil and gas prices help Russia... to make their budget run with surplus, in comparison with us, we are running with very huge deficit, our budget. Russia's budget is running with very huge profits."

Marchenko said he doesn't think a complete ban on buying Russian energy would end the war, but does believe it would make Russia suffer more than it is right now. In a war that some fear could last for months or even years that might make a big difference.

Oil ban would hit Hungary hardpublished at 16:51 British Summer Time 6 May 2022

16:51 BST 6 May 2022

Nick Thorpe
BBC News, Hungary

Image source, Reuters

The European Commission’s proposal to ban all imports of Russian oil by land and sea hit Hungary particularly hard - for both economic and political reasons.

The Druzhba (Friendship) network of oil pipelines opened in 1964 to supply the Warsaw Pact countries of eastern Europe.

Hungary’s Szazhalambatta refinery south of Budapest, and Slovakia’s Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava, were designed to refine heavy Russian crude oil through this network.

Both Hungary and Slovakia are landlocked, without access to alternative supplies by sea - Slovakia gets 96% of its oil from Russia, and Hungary 64%.

The other reason the Commission’s proposal hurts Hungary is political.

Viktor Orban’s Fidesz government is already at loggerheads with the Commission over a wide range of rule of law issues.

It is deeply isolated in Europe, accused of still nurturing good relations with Vladimir Putin - exactly for the oil, gas and nuclear benefits that friendship has bought until now.

The government has made clear it will veto the Commission proposals in their current form. It is demanding a full exemption for Russian crude oil delivered by pipeline.

European diplomats have been locked in tough negotiations over a proposed new package of sanctions against Russia, with Hungary against a ban on Russian oil imports.

The plan involves phasing out crude oil over six months and refined products by the end of 2022.

Hungary and Slovakia would be given an extension allowing them to keep importing until the end of 2023. But they say that is not enough, while the Czech Republic has asked to be given the same extension.

According to diplomats, on Friday the negotiators were discussing extending the transition for those three until the end of 2024.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared the oil ban would cross a "red line" and that Hungary would veto them.

Negotiators expect talks to continue until Sunday but remain hopeful of a compromise.

However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she's "confident" the package will be approved and "if it takes a day longer, then it takes a day longer".

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Some more now on the ongoing attempt to evacuate people out of Mariupol's besieged steelworks, where around 200 civilians are believed to be trapped, including children.

A bus carrying 12 civilians has now left Azovstal with some children on board, the Russian news agency RIA is reporting.

No other information was given and the BBC has not been able to verify this report.

For weeks fighting has trapped civilians in shelters beneath the plant, and earlier today Ukrainian forces accused Russian soldiers of firing at a car intended to help evacuate civilians during a ceasefire.

Image source, Russian navy

A Russian warship, Admiral Makarov, has been hit by a Ukrainian Neptune missile in the Black Sea and has been badly damaged, according to an unconfirmed report by a local website in Odesa.

Dumskaya's report, which has been widely picked up by Ukrainian media, says the Makarov was hit near Snake Island and Russian rescue ships sailed to its assistance from Crimea.

Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "No, we don't have such information." Western defence officials said they had not seen "anything at the moment" that confirms the frigate has been hit.

The Admiral Makarov is much smaller than the Russian flagship cruiser Moskva, which sank last month, but it is only five years old and one of the most powerful Russian warships in the Black Sea. It features a Kalibr cruise missile system and is designed to hit other ships or submarines as well as coastal targets within a range of 2,600km (1,610 miles).

The loss of the Moskva was a major blow for Russia's military operation, as the ship led its naval assault on Ukraine. At the time Russia's Defence Ministry claimed an unexplained fire had led to ammunition on board exploding. Ukraine said it was hit by a Neptune missile.

Last night an unnamed US official said intelligence was shared with Ukraine about the Moskva, but the US was not aware it was planning an attack.

Imogen Foulkes
Reporting from Geneva

Image source, Reuters

Twenty five million tonnes of Ukrainian grain, due for export, is blocked because the Black Sea ports are closed, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN says.

The FAO’s deputy director Josef Schmidhuber also told a news briefing in Geneva that around 700,000 tonnes of grain appeared to have gone missing, citing what he said was "anecdotal evidence" based on social media reports that Russian troops were stealing grain and agricultural equipment from Ukraine.

The grain shortages are leading to global food price rises, amid warnings from UN aid agencies that many countries dependent on either humanitarian food supplies or on imports of Russian or Ukrainian grain, face food insecurity and even famine.

Farmers stretched to the brink in Odesa.

Image source, EPA

An open source investigation by the BBC Russian Service has established the identities of 2,120 Russian soldiers killed during the invasion of Ukraine so far.

The figure - likely only a fraction of the true death toll - was compiled using official notices, press reports, and family confirmations.

Around 20% of the confirmed dead were officers, but this may be partly explained by the fact that the deaths of higher-ranking officers are more likely to be reported.

A disproportionate number of the casualties also came from poorer Russian regions, with only three of the dead known to have come from Moscow despite almost 1 in 10 Russians living in the capital.

The Kremlin hasn't released an updated death toll since 25 March - when it put its own losses at 1,351.

The true number of casualties is impossible to know, but last week the UK estimated around 15,000 Russian troops had been killed - lower than Ukraine's own estimates but significantly more than has been acknowledged by Moscow.

Sophie Williams
Reporting from Lviv

Here in Lviv, I've just met with Daniel Hannan, who has travelled from Cambridge to deliver a fire truck that will be sent to Kharkiv.

It is one of three fire trucks that he will be sending over to help Ukrainians as part of a specialist project in collaboration with Dobrovoz.

"When places are being bombed, you need fire engines. For me it's a no brainer," he told me. "Fire engines save lives and buildings. They can make a difference."

Hannan, 70, has bought the trucks with his own money and is refurbishing them. The trucks have been tested by volunteer firefighters in the UK to ensure that they are ready for firefighters to use in Kharkiv.

Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second-largest city and has been heavily targeted by Russian bombardments.

Hannan has even thought about the equipment that goes with the vehicles too – from helmets to specialist boots and bottles that purify water.

It's taken Hannan, along with the rest of this team, Simon and Richard, a week to get to Lviv. But he says the journey has been vital to see how it can be done in the future.

"The border was flooded," he told me.

"Lviv is beautiful. People here have been fantastic," he said.

If you're just joining us, or would like a re-cap of the main events, here's what's been happening in the Ukraine conflict:

• Ukraine forces accuse Russia of firing during a ceasefire to rescue civilians from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol

• The Ukrainian president tells the BBC he would accept a peace deal that saw Russian troops return to positions held prior to February's invasion
• Amnesty International has said in a new report that Russian forces must face justice for a series of war crimes committed near Kyiv
• The leaders of the G7 are to take part in a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday

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Image source, REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to take a "powerful step" and visit Kyiv on 9 May.

This is the date when Russia annually celebrates the Soviet Union's victory in the Second World War.

"He's invited, the invitation is open; it has been for some time now," Zelensky has said

Zelensky has previously been critical of Germany for resisting European calls for a ban on Russian energy.

The Ukrainian president says that he would accept a peace deal in which Russian troops returned to the positions they held the day before the fully-fledged invasion began in February.

When asked by the BBC's Frank Gardner what the "minimum" concession from Russia would be in return for peace, Zelensky responded: "A return of Russian forces to where they were on 23 Feb."

"But for this to happen there needs to be diplomatic dialogue," he added. "From our side, not all the diplomatic bridges have been burnt."

Zelensky did not specifically mention Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 - but his response signals a willingness to acknowledge Russian control of the peninsula as part of a peace settlement.

It's also not clear what this would mean for the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine's east which have been partly under the control of pro-Russian separatist since 2014 too.

Image source, Reuters

Moscow believes it can commit war crimes with impunity because of its status as a nuclear power, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

"They [the Russians] do not believe they can be held responsible for war crimes because they have the power of a nuclear state," the leader said in an address to the Chatham House think tank.

When asked about the situation in Mariupol, Zelensky said "this is not a military event" but "torture with starvation."

He blamed the "beastly attitude" of the Russian military in Mariupol on decades of anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

"There will be a military tribunal for the killing, the death, the torture. But why this cruelty? That's the information apparatus that developed this hatred and heated it to such an extent before the fully-fledged war."

During a ceasefire to rescue civilians from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol a car was hit by Russians using an anti-tank guided weapon, Ukrainian fighters the Azov Battalion have claimed on Telegram.

They say the car was moving towards civilians in order to evacuate them from the plant.

One fighter was killed and six were wounded by the shelling, the Azov Battalion has said.

The BBC could not independently verify this information.

There are thought to be about 200 civilians - including at least 20 children - still in bunkers under the steel plant.

Image source, .