Image source, Azov-Mariupol

This page of live coverage has now closed. You can find the latest news on the Ukraine war here.

We leave you with a brief recap of what's happened:

• US intelligence officials warned that Russia was preparing for a long war - and any victory in the eastern Donbas region may not spell an end to the fighting

• Russian forces continued to pummel the Azovstal metal works in Mariupol - where more than 1,000 soldiers and more than 100 civilians are still believed to be sheltering
• There was a grim discovery in Izyum in the east. The bodies of 44 civilians were found in the rubble of a building that collapsed in March following Russian shelling
• The United Nations said the civilian death toll across Ukraine was likely to be much higher than the figure of 3,381 it has so far confirmed
• The threat to global food supplies was a theme throughout Tuesday - with Ukraine warning that it remains unable to send shipments of grain overseas due to a Russian blockade of port cities
• Western countries blamed Moscow for a big cyber-attack that caused web outages in Ukraine and beyond at the start of the war. The Kremlin has denied similar allegations previously
• Ukraine is mourning its first post-independence president, Leonid Kravchuk, who has died aged 88
• Happier news for the country - homegrown pop act Kalush Orchestra has qualified for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest after being voted through the first semi in Italy

You can read about more of the day's key events here.

The Pentagon believes that Russia has used about 10 to 12 of its hypersonic weapons since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, according to a senior defence official.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the official said the US does not have "a perfect count" of the deployment of the weapon.

Russia claims the Kinzhal missile - which can hit a target up to 2,000km (1,240 miles) away and can fly faster than 6,000 km/h - was first fired at a target in Ukraine in March.

More recently, Ukrainian officials have claimed that the weapon was fired at targets in Odesa over the weekend.

The US official, however, said that he doesn't "have anything to indicate" that they were used against targets in the city.

Learn more about the Kinzhal missile here.

Fuel supplies in Europe face possible disruption after Ukraine vowed to suspend an important route for Russian gas.

Operators of the Ukrainian gas system said they would switch off the Sokhranivka route from 07:00 local time on Wednesday. The route accounts for a third of Russia's supply to Europe.

They claim to be unable to operate a gas station through the Luhansk region due to Russian occupation, and so plan to switch to an entry point in Ukrainian-held territory.

But Russian state-owned gas firm Gazprom said it was not feasible to make such a switch - and questioned the Ukrainian justification.

Ukraine remains a major supply route for Russian gas to Europe - despite the war.

Image source, .

Image source, Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised Leonid Kravchuk, Ukraine's former leader who died at 88 on Tuesday, as a man who "always stayed with Ukraine".

In his nightly television address, Zelensky said that Kravchuk - the first president of an independent, post-Soviet Ukraine between 1991-94 - "valued life, and every minute of it".

"As a child, he survived World War Two, survived the occupation," Zelensky said. "[He] knew what freedom costs".

"With all his heart he wanted peace for Ukraine," Zelensky added. "I'm sure we will implement it. We will achieve our victory and our peace."

The BBC's Caroline Davies is in the western city Odesa, where missiles struck several buildings overnight and shook homes nearby.

She's been to see the devastation and how the attacks have affected a local family.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine has qualified for Saturday's final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Its entrants - rap/folk outfit Kalush Orchestra - were among 10 nations voted through Tuesday's first semi-final in Turin, Italy.

The group have been tipped to win the famed musical competition as a whole.

Its members were praised for an energetic performance - which featured classic eccentric Eurovision outfits.

Acts from 17 countries took part on Tuesday - with a further 18 scheduled to compete on Thursday.

Russia was excluded from the contest over its invasion of Ukraine.

Who will win Eurovision?

Image source, Getty Images

The Ukrainian city of Dnipro has emerged as a crucial hub for the Ukrainian military and humanitarian operations as the war in Ukraine's east grinds on.

After repeated airstrikes that struck the city in March and early April, an uneasy calm has fallen over Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine.

During a recent visit, the author David Patrikarakos described a , externalcity largely defended by volunteer militias that lie between "Ukraine’s two worlds: West and East; Europe and Russia."

"Its geographical location makes it vital to the country's war effort," he wrote. "Dnipro’s central location makes it the country’s most important logistical hub."

Image source, Reuters

Ukrainian entrants Kalush Orchestra have given an energetic performance during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The rap/folk band are favourites to win this year's edition of the historic singing competition - thanks to their song Stefania.

Ukraine is among 17 countries taking part in this evening's event in the Italian city of Turin - along with the likes of the Netherlands, Portugal and Greece.

The second semi takes place on Thursday - ahead of the final on Saturday night.

Audiences in the UK can watch tonight's event live on BBC Three.

Find out more about this year's competition here.

Image source, Reuters

Welcome to our latest coverage of the war in Ukraine. If you're just joining us - or are in need of a recap - here are some of the latest headlines.

• The US says the war has reached "a bit of a stalemate", with neither Ukraine nor Russia currently winning
• Two top American intelligence officials gave their latest assessments in a rare public hearing - one of them saying she thought Russia was preparing itself for a prolonged battle
• In the latest fighting, Ukraine claims to have recaptured four settlements in the Kharkiv region
• Ukrainian authorities in Mariupol - which is under almost total Russian control - say more than 800 accounts of war crimes have been collected since Moscow launched its invasion
• Ukraine is mourning its first post-independence president, Leonid Kravchuk, who's died aged 88

Image source, .

Image source, EPA

The war in Ukraine has made Syria's problems even worse than before, the UN's high commissioner for refugees has told the BBC.

Speaking to the World Service's Newshour programme, Filippo Grandi said the humanitarian situation inside Syria had become "quite catastrophic".

Food insecurity caused by the Ukraine crisis has had a "terrible impact" on Syria and its neighbours, he added.

Russia's blockade along the Black Sea coast has meant millions of tonnes of grain cannot be sent overseas. Ukraine is one of the world's top exporters of wheat.

Grandi also acknowledged that there could be a double-standard at work in Europe's treatment of refugees.

He said it was "unacceptable, racist and discriminatory" that Ukrainians were sometimes seen as "real" refugees while others - including those from the Middle East - were not.

Image source, Getty Images

The first president of the modern state of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, has passed away at 88, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko.

On his Telegram channel, Klitschko said that Kravchuk was a man who embodied "talent, strong character and knowledge".

Kravchuk, who was formerly chairman of Ukraine's rada - or parliament - and the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR during the waning days of the Soviet Union, became president in December 1991 and remained in office until July 1994.

A second campaign to be president ended with an electoral loss to his former prime minister, Leonid Kuchma.

Among his most consequential decisions was signing the Lisbon Protocol in 1992, pledging to give up the nuclear arsenal Ukraine was left with after the Soviet Union's collapse.

In his post, Klitschko said that Kravchuk's legacy was particularly important at a time when Ukraine is fighting Russia.

"We will preserve the sovereignty and will that we got more than 30 years ago," Klitschko wrote. "We will not retreat."

Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Washington

In the US, two of the nation’s senior intelligence officials, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Scott Berrier, have painted a sobering picture of the war in Ukraine.

The two officials spoke before the Senate armed services committee about global threats to the US on Tuesday, and they highlighted their concerns about Russia.

“We assess President Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine,” said Haines. “He is probably counting on US and EU resolve to weaken as food shortages, inflation and energy prices get worse.”

Berrier explained that the two enemies, the Russians and the Ukrainians, had reached an impasse.

Said Berrier: “The Russians aren’t winning, and the Ukrainians aren’t winning, and we’re at a bit of a stalemate.”

Their presentations were significant because of the situation they described in Ukraine and also because parts of the hearing were open to the public. Intelligence officials have argued in the past that these hearings should be held behind closed doors.

But their presentation provides one of the only chances for the public to hear directly from them about security issues.

Their assessment of the war is particularly important as people in the US evaluate the ongoing conflict, the role of the US and the impact of the war on gas prices and other aspects of everyday life.

Image source, Getty Images

Russian forces are several weeks behind where Vladimir Putin expected them to be after shifting the focus of military operations to Ukraine's eastern Donbas, according to a senior US defence official.

Speaking in a briefing call with reporters on Tuesday, the official said that Putin is "easily two weeks, or maybe even more, behind where he wanted to be in the east".

At the end of April, a US defence official said that Russia was "several days" behind schedule.

Additionally on Tuesday, the official noted that sanctions are making it more difficult to replenish stocks of guided munitions.

The official said that since the sinking of the Moskva in the Black Sea, Russian naval vessels have stayed "well south" of the port city of Odesa.

Image source, Reuters

The city council of Mariupol, one of Ukraine's most attacked cities, has collected over 800 reports of war crimes from residents who have managed to flee the besieged city.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko told Media Center Ukraine that all of the information regarding the alleged war crimes has been passed on to the region's prosecutor's office.

The mayor said residents provided testimonies of key attacks in the city, including "the maternity ward of Mariupol destroyed by the enemy plane, and the Drama Theatre, where a lot of women and children died, and hospital 1, where Mariupol residents with severe injuries burnt alive".

All of the evidence will be part of a wider criminal proceeding into the genocide of Mariupol residents, he said.

"There are numerous examples of war crimes of Russian occupation army led by their main criminal, Putin," the mayor added.

Read more on the attacks in Mariupol:

• Three dead as maternity hospital hit by Russian air strike
• Estimated 300 dead in Mariupol theatre strike

Image source, EPA

Ukraine claims to have liberated four settlements in the north-eastern Kharkiv region.

Cherkasy Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Rubizhne and Bayrak were all snatched back from Russia, said the latest update from the armed forces.

Russia was continuing to intensify its offensive in Ukraine's east, the update said. The greatest activity was observed in the directions of Slobozhanske and Donetsk.

Russian troops were reportedly replenishing ammunition and logistics while a battle for Izyum rages on.

But their advances in multiple other areas were said to be proving unsuccessful.

The update also confirmed that Russian efforts in Mariupol were focused on assaulting the Azovstal metal works, where more than 1,000 Ukrainian fighters are thought to be sheltering.

It was not possible for the BBC to independently confirm the armed forces' claims.

Image source, .

The devastated Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine's southern city Mariupol has been surrounded and bombarded for weeks.

Russian forces backed by tanks are currently conducting "storming operations" at Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, according to Ukraine's defence ministry.

The "Azov - Mariupol" channel on messaging app Telegram has posted what appears to be photos of the wounded soldiers holding out in the plant.

Image source, Azov-Mariupol

"The whole civilised world must see the conditions in which the wounded, crippled defenders of Mariupol are and act!", says a Telegram message from the fighters posted alongside the photos.

There are more than 1,000 troops trapped in the plant, including hundreds who are injured, the Ukrainian deputy PM says.

Image source, Azov-Mariupol

In the Telegram message the fighters appeal to the UN and the Red Cross to "show their humanity" and rescue the wounded, who are "no longer combatants".

"We demand the immediate evacuation of the wounded servicemen to the territories controlled by Ukraine," the fighters have said.

Image source, Azov-Mariupol

Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent

The Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has thanked UN members for electing his country to the UN Human Rights Council, replacing Russia - which was suspended from the body in April over its invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Lipavsky expressed his gratitude at the trust placed in the Czech Republic and said his country would immediately get to work, as part of Thursday's session on human rights abuses caused by Russia's war in Ukraine.

The foreign minister said human rights remained a priority for both his party and the Czech government, which he said was returning to the legacy of Vaclav Havel.

"We belong on the Human Rights Council. Russia does not," he told Czech news server Novinky.cz

The Czech Republic will serve out the remainder of Russia's three-year term on the council.

Image source, MAKSIM STRELNIK

The bodies of 44 civilians have been found in the rubble of a collapsed building in the Ukrainian city of Izyum, as the battle for control of the area rages.

The five-storey building collapsed in March as residents hid in the basement from Russian shelling.

But rescuers have only just been able to reach the building, one local official told the BBC.

And there are fears the death toll could rise further, as another building in the same street was also targeted.

Read more on this story here.

Image source, Reuters

It's approaching 19:00 in Kyiv. Here's a quick roundup of the latest events in Ukraine.

• Russia continues to lay siege to the Azovstal steelworks
• The sprawling industrial site is still the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol - with more than 1,000 fighters and more than 100 civilians still estimated to be inside
• Citing the devastation in Mariupol, the United Nations has said Ukraine's civilian death toll is "probably much higher" than the nationwide figure of 3,381 it's been reporting
• The UN also says some 8 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced within their country
• The US has warned that Russia is preparing for a long war - and that victory in the prized Donbas region in the east may not spell an end to the offensive
• Western nations have blamed Russia for a hacking an important satellite communications provider as it invaded - which knocked out internet coverage in Ukraine and beyond. Moscow has previously denied such claims
• Germany's foreign minister has become the highest-ranking official from her country to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded in February

Image source, Reuters

Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, the US is warning, and a Russian victory in the eastern region of Donbas might not end its attack.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines tells a Senate hearing the next few months could see Russian actions escalate and become more unpredictable.

"The current trend increases the likelihood that President Putin will turn to more drastic means," Haines says.

She warns Russia could seek a land bridge to the breakaway Moldovan territory of Transnistria and says it's likely President Putin will seek to impose martial law in Russia.

Haines says Putin is counting on the resolve of the US and of Ukraine's European allies to weaken over time.

But she thinks the Kremlin will only authorise the use of nuclear weapons if Putin perceives an "existential threat" to Russia.