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Ukraine war – latest: Putin tours hall where POWs were held during Mariupol visit; Ukrainian MP calls Russian leader ‘war criminal’
Vladimir Putin has visited Mariupol and spoken to residents there in his first trip to Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September; Ukrainian MP Oleksii Honcharenko has criticised the visit and called the Kremlin leader a “war criminal”.
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Vladimir Putin visits Mariupol and tours hall where POWs were held View post
Russia declares Melitopol as capital of Zaporizhzhia region View post
Ukrainian MP calls Putin a ‘war criminal’ after Mariupol visit View post
Stuart Ramsay: Russian leader remains ‘undeterred and unfazed’ View post
Sean Bell: Incompetence of Russian jet pilot to blame for US drone crash View post
Live reporting by Bhvishya Patel, with updates from chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay in eastern Ukraine, and Siobhan Robbins, Europe correspondent in Moldova
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18m ago
10:08
What did Putin discuss during Mariupol visit?
We are receiving more information on what was said between Vladimir Putin and Mariupol residents during his visit to the Ukrainian territory last night.
A translation of Mr Putin’s comments by Sky News shows the Russian leader speaking on the development of Mariupol and asking residents if they enjoy living there.
In one clip, Mr Putin is heard talking about renovations in the region, with one official telling him they have “already finished a mosque”.
He is also shown building works that are ongoing in the area and told: “These eight buildings are done.”
In another clip, Mr Putin is heard asking an elderly resident if he lives there, to which the person replies: “Of course.
“My birthday is 15 days after yours, I’m 70 but ended up with nothing, now I got a flat.”
Another woman tells the Russian leader: “Thank you for the victory, we wish you health, happiness. We pray for you, we waited and got it.”
Asked if she enjoys it in Mariupol, she goes on to say: “A lot, this is now our little piece of heaven, a little piece of heaven.”
The Russian leader replies: “We will continue to expand.”
It should be noted the footage released of Mr Putin’s visit is from the Russian state.
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40m ago
09:45
South Africa aware of legal obligations regarding Putin visit
South Africa is aware of its legal obligation when it comes to a visit by Vladimir Putin, a spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa said today.
The Russian leader was expected to visit South Africa in August to attend a BRICS summit.
However, questions have now arisen as to whether Mr Putin will still visit the nation after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes.
Speaking on the matter today, spokesperson for South Africa’s leader Vincent Magwenya said: “We are, as the government, cognisant of our legal obligation.
“However, between now and the summit we will remain engaged with various relevant stakeholders.”
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57m ago
09:29
The ‘criminal always returns to the crime scene’
A “criminal always returns to the crime scene”, Ukraine’s presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak has said.
We have been reporting today on the Kremlin leader’s visit to Ukraine’s southern city of Mariupol last night.
Following his trip, Mr Putin met with Russian military leaders and troops at a command post in Rostov-on-Don, a southern Russian city further east, according to media reports.
The trip came ahead of a planned visit to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping this coming week, expected to provide a major diplomatic boost to Mr Putin in his confrontation with the West.
In a statement today, Mr Podolyak said the “murderer of thousands of Mariupol families” had gone to “admire the ruins of the city and graves”.
“The criminal always returns to the crime scene,” he added.
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1h ago
09:02
In pictures: Commemorative rally in Prague for those killed in Mariupol
Crowds of people gathered in Prague last night during a commemorative rally for people killed a year ago inside the building of Mariupol’s drama theatre.
Yesterday, Vladimir Putin visited the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and Crimea – a short distance southwest of Mariupol.
The visits were a show of defiance by the Russian leader two days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest on war crimes charges.
Mr Putin has not commented on the arrest warrant, which deepened his international isolation despite the unlikelihood of him facing trial anytime soon.
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1h ago
08:36
Could Moldova be Russia’s next target?
Moldova, which is located between Romania and Ukraine, was a former part of the Soviet Union before it gained its independence.
Following the war in Ukraine, the Moldovan government applied for EU candidacy and has also been leaning further towards the West which has frustrated Russia.
So why have tensions between Moldova and Russia risen and could the country be the next target for Kremlin?
Here, Sky’s Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins provides her analysis…
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2h ago
08:14
Putin trip to Mariupol ‘absolutely spontaneous’, Kremlin official claims
Vladimir Putin’s visit to the southern port city of Mariupol was “absolutely spontaneous”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Last night, Mr Putin made his first visit to Ukrainian territory occupied since the beginning of the war.
The president made what state media described as a “working trip” to the port city in Donetsk, which was annexed in September last year after Russia’s invasion.
Speaking on the Russian leader’s visit, Mr Peskov said: “Initially, the plans were only to visit the residential complex (in Mariupol).
“Of course, neither the communication with residents, nor the apartment visit was planned. It was absolutely spontaneous.
“Actually, just as spontaneously, the president drove further himself to look at the monument to the heroes of the Second World War, and then he visited the park.”
Mr Peskov went on to say residents in the region “raised questions about the late payment of salaries” and said that “it is difficult to apply for citizenship of the Russian Federation” and “it is difficult to issue passports”.
“Therefore, there will be instructions from the head of state to improve this system,” he said.
The Kremlin spokesman also said “Russia does and will do what it thinks answers its interests”.
He added: “We consider any decisions by the International Criminal Court’s legally void, which we also don’t recognise.”
Dmitry Peskov
Dmitry Peskov
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2h ago
07:42
Mariupol visit is a chance for Putin to show he remains ‘undeterred and unfazed’ by arrest warrant
By Stuart Ramsay, chief correspondent
Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mariupol comes in the week that he was indicted by the ICC for the trafficking of children to all intents and purposes and comes off the back of his visit to Crimea on Saturday for the ninth anniversary of its illegal annexation.
This appears to be a show of strength, a chance for Putin to show his audience back home that he is undeterred and unfazed by the arrest warrant issued for war crimes.
It’s all for the cameras, it’s to send a message back home that not only is it business as usual for him, but that he can go wherever he wants – including into mainland Ukraine.
The Russian president has mainly been in Moscow throughout this war, he hasn’t gone to the frontlines really, in contrast to President Zelenskyy who often goes to the frontline to boost the morale of his troops.
Mariupol is significant for Russia because it’s the only large city they hold in mainland Ukraine, it’s their only real “victory” in this war of attrition.
Mariupol was also the scene of terrible fighting this time last year, and there are an awful lot of allegations of war crimes there that Putin may well have to answer to in future as well.
This war is grinding on, and all indicators from both sides is that it could go on for a long time. But Ukraine has been determined to take back Mariupol since the day they lost it to Russian forces, and they are showing no signs of giving up that hope.
And while people here will be disturbed by what they see, waking up to these pictures of Putin strolling around Mariupol, you could argue there is not much Putin does that surprises them anymore – it’s the type of thing they might expect from him.
I don’t think it makes much difference to them anyway, the country remains united, they hate the war, but they remain determined to keep fighting.
And President Putin turning up in occupied territory in Ukraine is not going to change that, if anything it will probably make them more determined that he never gets to do it in future again.
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2h ago
07:29
Ukrainian MP calls Putin ‘war criminal’ after Mariupol visit
Ukrainian MP Oleksii Honcharenko has condemned Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mariupol last night.
In a statement on Telegram, he said: “Did the war criminal come to see with his own eyes the genocide he committed in Mariupol?
“Why at night? Are we afraid?”
Mariupol became a worldwide symbol of defiance after outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces held out in a steel mill there for nearly three months before Moscow finally took control of it in May.
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3h ago
07:09
Russia declares Melitopol as capital of Zaporizhzhia region
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has released its latest intelligence report on the crisis in Ukraine.
It states that authorities in the Russian-controlled part of Zaporizhzhia have published a decree declaring occupied Melitopol as the region’s capital.
It states that the Russian-installed head of the region Evgeniy Balitskiy, has said that the move is a “temporary measure” until the city of Zaporizhzhia is controlled by Russia.
“The quiet declaration of an alternative capital is likely tacit acknowledgement within the Russian system that its forces are highly unlikely to seize previously planned major objectives in the near future,” the update adds.
For context: Last year, Vladimir Putin signed laws absorbing four Ukrainian regions into Russia, finalising the annexation of the occupied territories in defiance of international outcry.
It followed the so-called referenda in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, rejected as a sham by Ukraine and the West.
The areas annexed are not under full control of Russian forces.
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3h ago
06:52
Putin tours hall where POWs were held during Mariupol visit
Vladimir Putin has visited Mariupol in his first trip to Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September.
Russian state television showed the Russian leader being shown around the southern port city last night, meeting rehoused residents and being briefed on reconstruction efforts.
He arrived in a helicopter and travelled around several districts of the city, according to the state-owned TASS news agency, which cited the Kremlin.
During the visit, Mr Putin discussed Mariupol reconstruction plans.
“Do you live here? Do you like it?” Mr Putin was shown asking
residents.
“Very much. It’s a little piece of heaven that we have here now,” a woman replied, clasping her hands and thanking Putin for “the victory”.
Russia’s deputy prime minister Marat Khusnullin for construction and regional development told Mr Putin that residents had been “actively” returning to the region.
Earlier in the day, Mr Putin also travelled to Crimea, a short distance southwest of Mariupol, to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine.
The visits were a show of defiance by the Russian leader two days after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest on war crimes charges.
What do we know about Mariupol? The port city of Mariupol was reduced to ruins in the first months of the war, eventually falling to Russian forces in May.
Hundreds were killed in the bombing of a theatre there where families with children were sheltering and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation and Europe (OSCE) has said Russia’s early bombing of a maternity hospital there was a war crime.
Moscow has denied that and has said since it invaded its neighbour last year that it does not target civilians.
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3h ago
06:42
Good morning – here’s the latest
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
If you’re just joining us this morning, here’s the latest:
Vladimir Putin visited a children’s centre in Crimea on the ninth anniversary of its annexation from Ukraine;
The visit came a day after the Russian leader was made the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court – a move which could be the “first shot” at substantial indictment against him, according to a leading lawyer;
The Black Sea grain deal between Russia and Ukraine was extended – though the two countries gave conflicting accounts of how long it had been extended for;
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group founder said he plans to recruit around 30,000 new fighters by the middle of May;
Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence said Russian authorities are “likely preparing to facilitate wider military conscription” to boost troop numbers;
A US-based thinktank said Chinese President Xi Jinping will “likely discuss sanctions evasion schemes” and show an interest in mediating a “negotiated settlement” to the war in Ukraine when he meets Mr Putin next week;
Ukrainian troops are standing firm outside Bakhmut in the face of intense Russian attacks to ensure food, medicine and ammunition can reach its troops, an army spokesman said.
We’ll be bringing you the latest updates on the conflict throughout the day.
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15h ago
18:47
‘Some kind of agreement’ on deal normalising ties between Serbia and Kosovo
Some news has emerged from the Balkans this evening, with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announcing “some kind of agreement” has been reached on a deal to normalise ties between Serbia and Kosovo.
EU-mediated talks between the two country’s leaders and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell have been taking place in North Macedonia today.
Mr Vucic says he and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti “have agreed on some points, not on all points”.
“This is not the final deal,” he told reporters in Ohrid.
Mr Vucic added that despite “many” disagreements he and Mr Kurti had “decent conversation”.
He added that Serbia’s bid to join the EU will be conditioned on implementing the deal.
Mr Borrell also confirmed in a tweet that the two leaders reached an agreement this evening.
It comes after several thousand people gathered in Belgrade to protest against the Western-backed deal, which they view as recognition of Kosovo independence.
For context… Kosovo was part of Serbia until an armed uprising in 1998-1999 by the territory’s ethnic Albanian majority triggered a bloody crackdown by Serbs. A NATO bombing campaign to force Serbia’s troops out of Kosovo ended the war.
But Serbia refuses to recognise Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence – a refusal shared by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, who has repeatedly expressed support for Serbia.
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16h ago
18:15
US resumes deportation flights to Russia – report
The US has resumed deportations of Russians fleeing mobilisation after putting them on pause when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine a year ago, according to a report.
The Guardian reports that a Russian man, who fled the country to the US after Mr Putin announced a mobilisation of citizens for the war in Ukraine, was “abruptly deported” back to Russia at the weekend.
The man is reportedly among a number of Russian asylum seekers who travelled to the US since the beginning of the conflict, who now fear the Biden administration will send them back to Russia where they could be jailed or sent to the front line of war.
The US first suspended deportation flights to Russia, Ukraine and seven other European countries last spring amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It hasn’t been confirmed when deportations to Russia were resumed, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
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16h ago
17:45
Ukraine keeping Russia at bay in Bakhmut
Ukraine is standing firm outside Bakhmut in the face of intense Russian attacks to ensure food, medicine and ammo can reach its troops, an army spokesman has said.
Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s armed forces in the east, said wounded soldiers were also being evacuated from the city.
Speaking to Ukrainian TV channel ICTV, Mr Cherevaty said Ukrainian scouts and counter-artillery fire were helping keep open some roads into Bakhmut.
He claimed Ukraine’s military had killed 193 Russian solders and injured 199 more near the besieged eastern city on Friday.
Pro-Kyiv forces also shot own two Russian drones and destroyed five enemy ammunition depots, Mr Cherevaty said.
Sky News cannot independently verify battlefield reports.
Moscow has prioritised Bakhmut as its main offensive effort for many months in its wider strategy to take control of Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Earlier, a commander of the Ukrainian ground forces said Russian troops are trying to break through defences in several directions in an attempt to fully encircle Bakhmut.
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17h ago
17:16
Canada sends military vehicles to Ukraine
Military vehicles are making their way from Canada to Ukraine in support of the country’s defence against Russia.
Canada’s defence minister Anita Anand posted a video of what appears to be a Bergepanzer 3 armoured recovery vehicle being loaded onto a Ukrainian cargo plane.
In a separate tweet, the Royal Canadian Air Force posted a video of Leopard 2 tanks being loaded onto a transport aircraft.
Canada has pledged eight Leopard 2 battle tanks for Ukraine, as well as about 8,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and a dozen air defence missiles.
Ottawa will also send Kyiv more than 1,800 rounds of training ammunition for Leopard 1 battle tanks donated by Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.
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17h ago
16:35
Zelenskyy says latest sanctions are ‘part of global pressure on Russia’
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his latest wave of sanctions – which target more than 400 individuals and companies including Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad – are “part of global pressure on Russia”.
In a video speaking about the move, Mr Zelenskyy said most receiving new sanctions are Russian, but they include Iranian and Syrian individuals.
We reported that Syria’s prime minister Husein Arnus and foreign minister Faisal Mekdad were also among the individuals targeted (see our 2.35pm post).
The Ukrainian president said those producing weapons to bolster Russia’s invasion, “in particular by supplying Shahed drones… can only be marginals for the world”.
Moscow has increasingly turned to Iranian-supplied Shahed drones to carry out a barrage of attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure and non-military targets.
Mr Zelenskyy says individuals supporting Vladimir Putin’s war will “eventually be held accountable” for their actions against his people and international law.
“There is only one entity that destroys life – it is Russia,” he said.
Mr Zelenskyy also spoke about Russia’s intervention in the Syrian civil war.
He said Russian bombs “destroyed the cities of Syria” in the same way that they have destroyed parts of Ukraine.
A lack of international protection for Syrian citizens has “given the Kremlin and its accomplices a sense of impunity”, he said.
“This impunity is a significant part of the Kremlin’s current aggressiveness.”
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18h ago
16:07
Ukraine’s defence ministry denies sending unprepared troops to front line
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar says troops are not being sent to Bakhmut without training, despite claims she says have made by Kremlin propogandists.
Ms Maliar said a “Russian narrative” circulating is that Ukrainian soldiers are “immediately sent to Bakhmut without preparation”.
But she disputed the claim, saying that troops who have not served in the army previously are being sent to “training centres”.
“Due to the large-scale war, the training of private and non-commissioned officers takes place on a shortened schedule, but without reducing the quality of training,” Ms Maliar wrote on Telegram.
She also disputed claims that Ukraine is forcing women to fight in the war.
It’s a story that she says pro-Russia Telegram channels have repeated “many times” and persistently try to “spin” despite a lack of interest.
“We do not mobilise women without their consent, not even doctors.”
Ms Maliar said women soldiers are also not sent to the front line of the war without consent.
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18h ago
15:30
Prague rally remembers victims of Mariupol theatre attack
A commemorative rally is taking place in Prague this evening for those killed in an attack on a theatre in eastern Ukraine last year.
Russian missiles hit the Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre in war-torn Mariupol just over a year ago, killing citizens and leaving the building destroyed.
The death toll is not known for certain, but Ukraine said shortly after the attack that there had been at least 300 fatalities.
Outside the Czech capital’s National Theatre, the Russian word for “children” has been spelled out in giant letters.
It’s the same word that had been written on the ground outside the Mariupol theatre – which was being used as a shelter before it was struck – in an attempt to ward off a Russian attack.
In a nightly address earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke in remembrance of those killed in the theatre attack.
“Russian bombs destroyed the Mariupol theatre, a building used as a shelter. Women and children were inside. Some people were pregnant, others elderly,” he said.
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19h ago
14:57
Putin looked unapologetic on relaxed visit to Crimea
John Sparks, Sky News Africa correspondent
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is now liable to arrest in 123 countries – but he knows that no one is going to detain him in Crimea.
The peninsula was seized from Ukraine in 2014 and Russia’s long-time leader has returned to mark the ninth anniversary of its annexation.
It is a good place to see – and be seen. Putin looked unruffled and unapologetic, one day after he had been indicted by the International Criminal Court for the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
And this was almost certainly the point.
“This is good,” he said, as he was led around a refurbished arts complex by local dignitaries.
“What is it in total, an arts school?” he asked.
“An art school and a children’s camp. We’ve agreed that we’ll select children who are very talented,” replied a local priest.
He did not seem concerned that the president, and Russia’s children’s commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, are wanted for the effective kidnapping of over 100 children.
The allegation should be easy to prove. In a meeting that was broadcast nationally, Putin and Lvova-Belova casually discuss how she had adopted a 15 year old Ukrainian boy.
According to the former UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights Ben Emmerson, the indictments are a sign of intent on behalf of the criminal court’s judges.
“I think for many international criminal lawyers, it’s a refreshing and encouraging sign that Prosecutor (Karim Ahmad) Kahn is making a decision here to prosecute first, a case that he knows he can prove with very little difficulty. But as I say, more charges are bound to follow.”
Emmerson says the ICC has sent a powerful message to all those involved in war crimes in Ukraine, whether committed in the past or planned in the future.
“The court and the prosecutor have decided that the indictment should be made immediately public, no doubt sending a very clear signal that those responsible for crimes in this war will be held accountable in front of an international criminal court.”
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20h ago
14:25
Two killed and more than a dozen injured in Donetsk attacks
Two people have been killed and a further 14 injured in attacks on cities in Donetsk, according to the region’s governor.
Pavlo Kyrylenko said a bombardment of Kramatorsk has left two people dead and eight injured – three of whom are in a critical condition.
Russian troops targeted the city’s Bernatsky Garden park with cluster munitions, Mr Kyrylenko said.
A dozen residential buildings and several cars were reportedly damaged in the attack.
Meanwhile, a Russian shelling of Kostyantynivka has left six people injured.
According to Mr Kyrylenko, Russian occupiers also “fired several volleys with cluster munitions” at the city which lies just southeast of Kramatorsk.
A school was damaged in the attack, as well as 10 private homes, nine high-rise buildings, several private cars and garages and a children’s store.
“The occupying forces of the terrorist state are fighting the civilian population… they must be stopped – by the strength of the Ukrainian army, by the efforts of the entire civilized world,” Mr Kyrylenko wrote on Telegram.
