Evacuations of civilians were set to continue in Mariupol on Saturday, as was the Russian offensive, which shows no let-up ahead of May 9 celebrations of victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow. Here are the latest developments:
Here are the latest developments, minute by minute
4:12 p.m. | Kyiv asks Doctors Without Borders to organize a mission to Azovstal
Ukraine asked Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Saturday to organize a mission to evacuate and treat the soldiers holed up at the Azovstal Steelworks in Mariupol, in a press release issued hours after the announcement of the evacuation of civilians.
1:25 p.m. | Putin doesn’t think he can afford to lose in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he cannot afford to lose in Ukraine and is determined to continue the war, CIA Director Bill Burns said on Saturday.
12:55 | China is closely following the war in Ukraine in its plans for Taiwan
12:45 | No concrete evidence that Russia plans to use tactical nuclear weapons
The CIA, the main US intelligence service, sees no sign that Russia is preparing to use tactical nuclear weapons in the conflict in Ukraine, its director Bill Burns said on Saturday.
12:35 | Kyiv confirms that all women, elderly and children evacuated the Azovstal factory in Mariupol.
All civilian women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from the Azovstal Steel Plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces against the Russian army in the devastated city of Mariupol, Kyiv announced on Saturday.
11:30 a.m. | Arsonist found in Russian news agency building in Berlin
In a Berlin building of a Russian news agency, a fire object was found for reasons that are still unclear, as the Berlin police announced on Saturday.
11:00 a.m. | In Ukraine, pensions are hand-distributed to pensioners on the front lines
Postwoman Iryna Fedyania’s thunderous laughter drowns out the sound of mortar shells from the front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces, not far from where she hands out pensions to pensioners anxiously crowded around her van.
10:32 am | Jill Biden supports Ukrainian refugees
United States First Lady Jill Biden met families of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion on Saturday in Bucharest during a visit to Europe to express her support for Ukraine and countries helping her .
9:10 a.m. | Ukraine claims to have destroyed another Russian warship
Ukraine claimed on Saturday it had destroyed a Russian landing ship near the Black Sea Small Snake Island, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion launched in late February.
8:30 a.m. | “Spining” human rights violations in Ukraine
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic on Saturday condemned the “staggering” violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the Russian army in Ukraine after a four-day visit to Kyiv and its region.
6:15 a.m. | Moldova: new explosions in Transnistria
Authorities in Moldova’s pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria announced on Saturday that four blasts occurred on Friday night near a former airfield in a village bordering Ukraine, without causing any casualties.
6:08 am | Ukraine: continuation of evacuations in Mariupol, intensification of Russian offensive
The evacuations of civilians were set to continue in Mariupol on Saturday, as did the Russian offensive, which shows no let-up before celebrating victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 in Moscow.
“We will (Saturday) continue our evacuation operation in Azovstal,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told Telegram on Friday evening, specifying that the evacuation of the city of Mariupol is also planned for the end of the day.
3h30 | Russia: last rehearsal before the May 9 parade, with Ukraine in mind
Russia on Saturday holds final rehearsals ahead of the traditional May 9 military parade in Moscow to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany, which will be an opportunity for a show of force amid the struggling campaign in Ukraine.
00:00 | A $5.2 billion bid to take over Chelsea
Chelsea manager, Russian Roman Abramovich, put the club up for sale in March, days before it became the target of British sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24.