Ukraine round-up: Mariupol evacuation and pilot legend

Evacuees at Russia's Bezimenne camp just east of Mariupol, 1 May 22

The long-awaited evacuation of civilians from a steel plant in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol is finally under way.

Azovstal is the last Ukrainian hold-out in Mariupol, a port city devastated by Russian shelling. The steelworks has a complex of tunnels and bunkers, making it ideal for guerrilla warfare. Ukrainian officials say about 1,000 civilians and more than 500 wounded soldiers are still there. They have been desperately short of food, water and other supplies.

Dozens of civilians have now left, with some going to a Russian-controlled village and others to Ukrainian territory. The UN and Red Cross are both involved in the operation.

One of the women evacuated described what it was like sheltering in plant.

"I feared that the bunker would not withstand it - I had terrible fear," she told Reuters. "When the bunker started to shake, I was hysterical, my husband can vouch for that: I was so worried the bunker would cave in. We didn't see the sun for so long,"

You can read our full story on the evacuations here.

How Ukraine's 'Ghost of Kyiv' legend was born

Ukraine called the "Ghost of Kyiv" an "angel" for downing 10 Russian planes

Ukraine's fighter pilots are vastly outnumbered by the Russians, and have become legendary - thanks in part to the story of an alleged flying ace called the "Ghost of Kyiv".

The MiG-29 pilot was claimed to have downed as many as 40 enemy planes - despite Russia dominating the skies.

But now the Ukraine Air Force Command has warned on Facebook that the "Ghost of Kyiv is a superhero-legend whose character was created by Ukrainians!"

One military expert told our reporter Laurence Peter the saga "has helped to raise morale at a time when people need simple stories".

We're there for the fight - Pelosi

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, pledged continued US support for Ukraine, commenting on her meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

"We're there for the fight, and you cannot fold to a bully," she said, adding that Congress would move quickly to approve President Joe Biden's request for $33bn (£26bn) for Ukraine.

She led a Congressional delegation to Kyiv and said the discussions centred around "security, humanitarian assistance and economic assistance and eventually rebuilding when victory is won".

Anti-Russian defiance in city of Kherson

Russian military vehicles on the streets of Kherson

A Russian plan to introduce the rouble in the occupied southern city of Kherson has fuelled local defiance, residents told the BBC.

Kherson's Ukrainian mayor, Ihor Kolykhaiev, who has now been overthrown by Russian authorities, says he doesn't believe this will be possible while the only working banking system in the region is Ukrainian, not Russian.

Many residents are exchanging any roubles they receive back into Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia.

Residents say they are struggling to pay for what few goods there are, as supermarket shelves lie empty.

They say that shops, restaurants and businesses have closed and parts of the economy have ground to a halt.

Choppy waters threaten superyachts

The Flying Fox superyacht, linked to Russian oligarch Dmitry Kamenshchik

As the West goes after the assets of wealthy Russians, the superyacht industry is bracing itself for stormy seas ahead.

More than $2bn (£1.5bn) worth of the luxury boats linked to sanctioned Russians have been seized in Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine, Bloomberg estimates.

About 10% of the world's superyachts are owned by Russians, and sanctions can affect not only them but also designers, shipyards and crews.

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