Around 300 people killed in Mariupol theatre bombing, officials say; Ukrainian forces have been taking back town around Kyiv, according to the MoD; Russia “telling its armed forces war must end by 9 May “.
Russian troops no longer in full control of Kherson, US official claims
Western officials have claimed seven Russian generals have been killed so far in the war in Ukraine.
Here’s a list of the West claim they are:
Army Commander Major General Andrey Mordvich
Divisional Commander Major General Oleg Mityaev
Army Commander Lt General Yakov Rezanstev
First Deputy Commander Major General Vitaliy Gerasimov
Deputy Commander Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky
Army Commander Major General Andrey Kolesnikov
General Magomed Tushaev
A Russian general has also been sacked, western officials have claimed.
They named him as Army Commander General Vlaislav Yershov.
The southern port city of Mariupol has been a key target for Russian forces since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Despite coming under a barrage of daily attacks, Ukraine claims to still be in control of the city.
In our 19:14 post, we told you the President of France Emmanuel Macron has said he will speak to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin about organising the departure of people from the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Now, an Elysee Palace source has said the two leaders will speak in the next 48 to 72 hours.
They added that France is also in contact with Ukrainian officials, Greece, Turkey, and international organisations to specify the needs that need to be met.
“France demands that Russia lifts the siege, that people who want to leave can do so, that those who want to stay can stay, and that adapted humanitarian aid can be delivered under the conditions of international humanitarian law,” the source said.
Mariupol has been a key target for Russian forces and has come under a barrage of attacks since the start of the war.
Earlier today, a Ukrainian governor said its forces were still in control of the city and around 65,000 people had so far fled in private vehicles or on foot.
A total of 7,331 people were evacuated from cities across Ukraine through humanitarian corridors today, a senior Ukranian official said.
The figure is more than double that of the 3,343 who managed to escape yesterday.
Writing in an online post, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that 2,800 people had left the besieged city of Mariupol using private transport.
By Sally Lockwood, Sky News correspondent in Lviv
It’s taken ten days for the world to learn anyone survived the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol.
Images filmed from inside the building show people covered in dust, clearly in shock, but alive.
Only now have those mobile phone pictures made it to the outside world.
On 16 March a theatre sheltering more than a thousand civilians was bombed in the heavily contested southern Ukrainian city.
The word “children” was clearly marked in the ground outside and was visible from the air.
For the first time, Sky News has also been told pregnant women who’d been rescued from a bombed maternity hospital in Mariupol had been moved to the theatre for safety.
Seven days later the theatre was hit too. We spoke to Diana Berg who lived next to the theatre but escaped the city before it was bombed.
“I know that there were pregnant women that were brought from the maternity ward in the 3rd hospital that was bombed the days before,” says Diana.
“They were brought to the theatre because it was a big building and they put these pregnant women with kids in the dressing rooms for actors. It was in this part that was bombed.
“They were in the theatre, right in exactly the point where it was hit. That’s what we know.”
Hospital number 3 in Mariupol was a children’s hospital and maternity ward.
Journalists were still in the city when it was hit by a Russian air strike on 9 March. Pictures emerged showing injured pregnant women trying to escape for their lives.
Until now we haven’t known how many people lost their lives in the theatre attack.
Mariupol City Council has said according to eyewitnesses at least 300 people lost their lives.
It’s not clear how many more may still be buried here.
The European Commission will discuss options to ease the energy market crunch with all the involved parties, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has said.
The issue has been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The European Commission will discuss with stakeholders, the large oil and electricity companies, distribution companies and others,” Mr Draghi told a news conference after a summit of the EU leaders in Brussels.
He said the leaders agreed that any demand by Russia to receive payment in roubles for its gas exports would represent a breach of contract.
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated the sentiment by saying there was no reason for France to accept a demand from Russia to pay up in Russian roubles for gas.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will seek payment in roubles for gas sold to “unfriendly” countries – a move that raised alarm about a possible gas crunch in Europe.
Russian troops are no longer in full control of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson after a counter-attack by Ukrainian forces, a senior US defence official has said.
Kherson was the first major city to be captured by Russia, with forces taking control of it within the first week of its invasion.
“We can’t corroborate exactly who is in control of Kherson, but the point is it doesn’t appear to be as solidly in Russian control as it was before. The Ukrainians are trying to take Kherson back,” the defence official told reporters.
“We would argue that Kherson is actually contested territory again.”
The official said the southern city is being contested by the Ukrainians in heavy fighting
If Russia lost Kherson in the south, it would represent a major battlefield setback and complicate any attempt by it to capture the Black Sea port of Odesa, they said.
If the Ukrainians took back Kherson, “that would be a significant development, no question about that,” the official added.
The Kremlin has denied it had lost full control
As we have been reporting, a Russian ship has been destroyed in the coastal city of Berdyansk.
The Ukrainian military has claimed to have attacked it and earlier today, satellite images showed a partially submerged Russian landing ship in the area (see 16:45 post).
Yesterday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russian forces had used phosphorus bombs in its attacks on his country.
At the time, he said: “This morning phosphorus bombs were used. Phosphorus Russian bombs. Adults were killed again and children were killed again.”
Now, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hit back at the claims calling them “fake news”.
It said: “In fact, this was illumination ammunition, not bombs. Phosphorus bombs look different.”
The white form of the chemical substance phosphorus is highly toxic and “notorious for the severity of the injuries it causes,” according to information compiled by Human Rights Watch, a leading watchdog organization.
White phosphorus ignites on contact with oxygen and is highly soluble in fat, meaning it grievously burns human flesh.
Concerns have been raised about Russia potentially using chemical weapons as its invasion of Ukraine appears to not be going to plan.
Sky News has not been able to independently verify any of the claims.
Several buildings in the west-central Vinnytsia region have been struck by Russian cruise missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force has claimed.
The agency said buildings were hit by Russian forces while they were attempting to target the Air Force’s command centre in the area.
“The consequences of the missile strike by the occupiers are being clarified,” it said in a statement.
Sky News has not been able to verify these claims.
Earlier this month Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said an airport in Vinnytsia had been “completely destroyed” bu eight apparent Russian rocket strikes.
