Joe Inwood
Video Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

There are conflicting reports about the number of fighters who have surrendered from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol – and confusion too about how many remain inside.

Russia has just said another 771 have left, taking the total to 1,730. But numbers have always been a bit uncertain in the battle for this strategically crucial southern port.

Until recently there were said to have been 2,000 Ukrainian fighters holding out. If we take the Russian claim of the total who have surrendered, that could mean a few hundred are still inside the labyrinthine tunnels of the steel plant.

Indeed, pro-Russian media have said the leaders of the Azov Battalion are yet to surrender.

This controversial unit of the Ukrainian armed forces is a bête noir of the Russians, featuring prominently in Kremlin propaganda. Russia accuses them of being Nazis, something Ukraine has always denied.

Meanwhile, some Russian law makers have said they should be treated as war criminals rather than prisoners of war. Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the Duma, Russia’s Parliament, said "Nazi criminals should not be exchanged".

One prominent MP even said the death penalty should be reintroduced to deal with them. Leonid Slutsky, who had previously taken part in negotiations with Ukraine, called them "animals in human form".

Given this context, it may be that surrender becomes an increasingly less attractive offer for who remain. The question is, what do they plan to do instead?

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Image source, PA Media

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said the UK will introduce fresh sanctions to stop state-owned Russian airlines Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and Rossiya Airlines from selling their unused landing slots at British airports, Reuters reports.

Truss says the UK has already closed its airspace to Russian airlines but will be "making sure they can't cash in their lucrative landing slots at our airports".

The UK government has said it estimates the landing slots are worth £50 million, according to Reuters.

More now from Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he's said the European Union must prepare to rebuild Ukraine by establishing a fund to assist with the reconstruction process.

He added it is essential to focus on pragmatic, immediate support for the war-torn country.

"Rebuilding destroyed infrastructure and revitalising the Ukrainian economy will cost billions," Scholz said.

"We as the EU must start laying the ground for a solidarity fund financed by contributions from the EU and its partners."

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned that Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union cannot be expedited despite the Russian invasion.

Addressing the Bundestag - Germany's parliament - ahead of a meeting of EU leaders, he said there are "no shortcuts" to joining the trading bloc and argued that an exception for Ukraine would be unfair to Balkan countries who are also seeking membership.

President Emmanuel Macron of France previously cautioned that it could take "decades" for Ukraine to become a member state, an assessment the German leader agreed with.

In April, Scholz called for the applications of the western Balkan nations of Albania, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo to be sped up.

In his statement on Thursday, he said: "For years they have been undertaking intensive reforms and preparing for accession.

"Keeping our promises to them is not just a question of our credibility. Today, more than ever, their integration is also in our strategic interests."

Image source, Russian defence ministry via Getty Images

Nearly 800 fighters in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol have surrendered over the last day, according to the Russian defence ministry.

In a statement, it said:

• 771 fighters have surrendered in the last 24 hours
• 1,730 have laid down arms since 16 May
• 80 of the surrendering fighters surrendered were wounded

Image source, Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has called for an urgent ceasefire in Ukraine so serious negotiations can begin to end the war, Reuters reports.

He told Rome's upper house, the Senate, a ceasefire "must be achieved as soon as possible".

Draghi's comments came as he opened a debate on Italy's role in supporting Ukraine, which is creating growing tensions in the premier's ruling majority.

The Italian PM also said it's important to maintain pressure on Russia through economic sanctions "because we have to bring Moscow to the negotiating table", according to Reuters.

Britain's Ministry of Defence has published its daily intelligence update, external, which today focuses on Russia allegedly firing a number of senior army commanders for underperforming in the Ukrainian war.

It also accuses the Kremlin of running a military and security operation fraught with "coverups and scapegoating" - an accusation often hurled at Moscow, and not just by the UK.

A small but comprehensive list of those believed to have been dismissed by Vladimir Putin includes:

• Lieutenant General Serhiy Kisel, who commanded the elite 1st Guards Tank Army, for failing to capture Kharkiv
• Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, who commanded Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, following the sinking of the Moskva cruiser in April
• Russian Chief of General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov, who, the MoD says, may well still be in post but it's unclear whether he retains confidence

One person was killed and several injured in the shelling of a Russian village near the Ukraine border, according to governor of the Russian region of Kursk.

Roman Starovoyt said Tyotkino was targeted from Ukraine's territory.

Starovoyt posted on his Telegram channel, external: "Yet another enemy attack on Tyotkino, which took place at dawn, unfortunately, ended with a tragedy."

On a Telegram post, he said the victim was a truck driver who brought raw materials to a distillery. "The enemy carried out several strikes on this facility", said Starovoyt.

Image source, Roman Starovoyt / Telegram

Image source, Roman Starovoyt / Telegram

This is the second civilian death officially reported by the Russian authorities since one person was said to have been killed in Belgorod Region on 11 May.

Russian regional governors regularly report about shelling on Russian territory.

More than half of the Ukrainian fighters who were holed up in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant have now left, pro-Russian separatist leader Denis Pushilin has said, according to Russia's Tass news agency.

The BBC cannot independently verify this information and it is not clear how many fighters Pushilin is referring to.

Ukraine and Russia have given conflicting accounts of how many fighters have left the plant.

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Image source, Getty Images

G7 partners are set to meet in Germany later today to find a way to repair Ukraine's war-ravaged economy.

United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a speech on Tuesday that the support pledged so far "will not be sufficient to address Ukraine's needs, even in the short term".

Yellen, who is attending the meeting in Koenigswinter, called on US partners to "join us in increasing their financial support" for Ukraine.

Russia's invasion has devastated Ukraine's finances, causing a drop in tax revenue and leaving it with a shortfall of around $5 billion (£4.02 billion) a month.

The US has forged ahead with a $40 billion (£32.2 billion) aid package to bolster Kyiv's coffers and military supplies.

But the world's largest economy is facing its own challenges at home with soaring inflation, while fears mount that the country could edge towards recession.

Europe is facing similar prospects, where disruptions caused to supplies of raw materials, components and agricultural goods have darkened the outlook.

Furthermore, the continent's heavy reliance on Russian energy imports leaves it exposed to further fuel price rises or potential disruptions to supply.

• What is the G7 and what is it doing about Ukraine?

Joe Inwood
Reporting from Lviv

Image source, Ukrainian Presidency

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia’s reported use of “laser weapons” in its invasion of his country is a sign of their failure. It follows a claim by a Russian official that the technology – capable of taking down drones – was being “widely deployed” on the battlefield.

The Russians are searching for a “wunder-waffe” Zelensky mockingly claimed. It was a reference to the hunt for a wonder weapon that would turn the tide of World War Two while the Nazis were losing on the battlefield.

Zelensky spoke just hours after the Russian deputy prime minister in charge of military development claimed secret laser technology was already in use in Ukraine. Yuri Borisov said the systems were capable of taking down drones three miles away and blinding satellites.

The Kremlin often shows off new prototype technology. Many times it is never seen on the battlefield.

On the ground, the Ukrainian military said it was facing increasing bombardment around the Donbas region as Russia continues its campaign to take the east of the country. The daily briefing also said Ukraine had continued to liberate villages around the town of Kharkiv, although heavy fighting continued.

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US President Joe Biden is set to meet Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in Washington on Thursday to discuss their Nato membership bids.

The US is backing both nations' efforts to join the Western defence alliance. If they succeed, Nato will grow to 32 members.

The two Nordic countries made applications in the light of Russia's invasion - drawing warnings from the Kremlin that the move would not bring stability to Europe.

Finland shares a 1,300km (800-mile) border with Russia.

Turkey is opposing the two countries' applications, accusing them of harbouring anti-Turkish extremists.

But the UK and several other Nato nations have offered security assurances to Finland and Sweden while their applications are considered, pledging to assist them in the event that they face aggression.

"I warmly welcome and strongly support the historic applications from Finland and Sweden for membership in Nato," Biden said in a statement on Wednesday.

Here's a simple guide to what Nato's doing for Ukraine, and how countries go about joining.

Image source, Russian defence ministry

More than 900 Ukrainian fighters who had been holed up in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant have been taken to a prison colony in Russian-controlled territory, Moscow has said.

Ukraine ordered troops there to stand down as part of a deal struck by both sides, as it attempts to save their lives. Food and water supplies have reportedly been scarce in the plant for several weeks.

A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Wednesday that 959 Ukrainian service personnel had surrendered since Tuesday. Of those, 51 were being treated for their injuries and the remainder had been sent to a former prison colony in the town of Olenivka in a Russian-controlled area of the Donetsk region.

The defence ministry in Kyiv said it was hoping for an "exchange procedure... to repatriate these Ukrainian heroes as quickly as possible", according to AFP.

Their fate remains unclear, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refusing to say whether they would be treated as criminals or prisoners of war.

Ukraine's defence ministry pledged to do "everything necessary" to rescue those still in the sprawling network of tunnels and bunkers under the steel plant, but admitted there was no military option available.

Image source, Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the Russian invasion of his country was a “catastrophic” mistake, after Russia claimed a strategic victory in Mariupol.

Speaking from Kyiv during his nightly television address, Zelensky said the invasion has proven to be an “absolute failure” and claimed Moscow’s forces have run out of missiles with which to attack his troops.

Zelensky also hit out at Russian leaders, who he said were afraid to acknowledge “that catastrophic mistakes were made at the highest military and state level” during the conflict.

The Ukrainian leader accused officials in Moscow of forcing young, inexperienced conscripted soldiers onto the front line and throwing them “into battle like cannon fodder”.

His comments came after a 21-year-old Russian soldier pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian, in the first war crimes trial in Ukraine since the war started.

Image source, EPA

Russia's invasion of Ukraine could cause global food shortages in the coming months, the UN has warned.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war had worsened food insecurity in poorer nations due to rising prices and cautioned the world could face famines that last for years if Ukrainian exports are not restored to pre-war levels.

The conflict has cut off supplies from Ukraine's ports, which once exported vast amounts of sunflower oil as well as cereals such as maize and wheat.

This has reduced the global supply and caused the price of alternatives to soar. Global food prices are almost 30% higher than the same time last year, according to the UN.

Speaking in New York on Wednesday, Guterres said the conflict "threatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine".

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Welcome back to our live coverage of the Ukraine crisis. Here's the latest on Thursday morning local time:

In Ukraine:

• Russia says more than 900 Ukrainian troops captured from Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steel plant have been sent to a prison colony in Russian-controlled territory.
• Kyiv officials have said they hope to exchange them for Russian prisoners of war captured by Ukraine, but their fate remains uncertain.
• Denis Pushilin, a pro-Russian separatist leader, says more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers including senior commanders are still inside the besieged plant

• In his nightly address on Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky hit out at Moscow, calling the invasion "an absolute failure".
• The fall of Mariupol represents a strategic victory for Moscow, which is pressing on with its main offensive in the eastern Donbas region

Elsewhere in the world:

• G7 leaders are set to meet in Germany on Thursday. The group of industrialised nations will discuss ways to support Ukraine's devastated economy, even as the US faces soaring inflation and Europe grapples with disruptions to its energy imports from Russia.

• Meanwhile the UN has warned the invasion could cause global food shortages in the coming months. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said food insecurity in poorer nations had worsened due to rising prices, and the world could face famines that last "for years" if Ukrainian exports are not restored to pre-war levels.

We're ending our live online coverage of the war in Ukraine for now, but we'll be back on Thursday morning, Ukraine time. We leave you with the latest developments from Wednesday:

• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed decrees to extend martial law and the mobilisation of troops for another 90 days. The proposals, starting from 25 May, need to be approved by at least half of Ukrainian lawmakers

• Talks around the evacuation of Ukrainian troops from the Azovstal steelworks have been described as "very difficult" by an adviser to Ukraine's presidency. Mykhaylo Podolyak said negotiations were challenging "because people's lives are at stake" and because the defenders were "symbolic" in a negative way for Russia
• Since Monday, nearly 1,000 Ukrainian fighters have left the steelworks - the last Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol - and have been taken to Russian-controlled territory, Russia's defence ministry said
• A Russian soldier accused of shooting dead a civilian has pleaded guilty in Ukraine's first war crimes trial in Kyiv
• Progress on Finland and Sweden's Nato membership bids will only be possible if concrete steps are taken to address Turkey's national security concerns, a spokesman for the country's president says
• The EU says it plans to spend up to €300bn to end its reliance on Russian gas and oil imports by 2027. The bloc, which gets 40% of its gas from Russia, has said it will source energy supplies from other countries and boost renewables

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, handout

In his nightly speech to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mocked Russia's claim to be using sophisticated new laser weapons in its war against Ukraine.

On Wednesday, a Russian government official tasked with military development said lasers were being used in Ukraine to burn up and disable drones.

In his speech, Zelensky drew parallels to Nazi Germany's claim to have invented a "wonder weapon" in the final days of World War Two as it was becoming clear they would lose.

"The clearer it became that they had no chance in the war, the more propaganda there was about an amazing weapon that would be so powerful as to ensure a turning point,” he said in his late night Facebook address.

“And so we see that in the third month of a full-scale war, Russia is trying to find its ‘wonder weapon’... this all clearly shows the complete failure of the mission.”

He also called upon the country's parliament to swiftly approve his request to extend martial law.

Image source, Reuters

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he is in "intense contact" with Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the US and the EU to try to restore Ukrainian grain shipments and revive Russian fertiliser exports.

Guterres warned of years of "mass hunger" if a growing global food crisis goes unchecked, as he urged Russia to release Ukrainian grain.

"I am hopeful, but there is still a way to go," he told a food security meeting at the UN.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was hosting the UN meeting, said countries with significant grain and fertiliser reserves needed to "step up fast" to address global food insecurity.

Together with Russia, Ukraine supplies nearly 30% of global wheat exports, but since the Russian invasion began in February, key ports on the Black Sea, such as Odesa, have been closed and crops are not being exported.

Sanctions against Russia are impacting fertiliser exports.

Why is there a looming food crisis? The BBC's Ros Atkins explains.

Francis Scarr, BBC Monitoring

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Just 48 hours after he broke ranks on Russian state TV and gave a damning assessment of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and its international isolation, retired colonel Mikhail Khodarenok was back on the flagship 60 Minutes talk show.

But Wednesday afternoon’s remarks from the military analyst could not have been more different.

To footage of Russian air strikes, he bragged that vaunted American M777 howitzers supplied to Kyiv would soon "be just memories".

Back on Monday he called for Russians to wake up to the imminent reality of a million Ukrainian troops supplied with the latest weapons from Europe and the US. But on Wednesday he dismissed any claims of possible Ukrainian counterattacks as "rumours".

He said it would be "impossible" for Ukraine to gain supremacy of the air and that it could take Kyiv decades to build a navy worthy of challenging Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

"There is every reason to believe that the implementation of our plans will give Ukraine an unpleasant surprise in the near future," he concluded, to nodding approval from the show's hosts.

On Monday, many found themselves wondering whether Khodarenok had been allowed to pierce the bubble of state TV’s alternative reality in order to manage expectations in the “special military operation”.

But narratives are tightly controlled by the Kremlin, and to backpedal so soon surely suggests that the colonel has been reined back in.