Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to key eventsSkip to navigation

More than 4,000 civilians have died since Russia invaded, says UN – as it happened

This article is more than 1 year old
Firemen extinguish a fire at a gypsum manufacturing plant after shelling in the city of Bakhmut in Donbas on Friday.
Firemen extinguish a fire at a gypsum manufacturing plant after shelling in the city of Bakhmut in Donbas on Friday. Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Firemen extinguish a fire at a gypsum manufacturing plant after shelling in the city of Bakhmut in Donbas on Friday. Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

Live feed

From

Ukrainian officials sound alarm on Mariupol horrors elsewhere in Donbas

Officials in Ukraine are appealing for additional assistance from the west as the Donbas region risks a potential repeat of horrors seen in the city of Mariupol in recent months.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also appealed for additional forces in his nightly address on Friday, as Moscow-backed separatists have pounded the country’s industrial region in recent days.

He said the attacks could leave communities in ashes, accusing Moscow of pursuing “an obvious policy of genocide” through mass deportations and killings of civilians.

He took a harsh tone when discussing the response from the European Union, which is locked in discussions on a deal to invoke a sixth round of sanctions – one currently being blocked by Hungary, one of Moscow’s closest allies in the EU.

Mariupol has been left in shambles after a sustained siege, with hundreds killed and survivors forcibly deported to Russia.

EU leaders have attempted to negotiate changes to ease the global food crisis in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said Friday little progress has been made.

“If you are asking me if there are openings for peace, the answer is no,” Italian Premier Mario Draghi said told reporters of the talks.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also stated that he has engaged with Putin on a prisoner exchange, stating the Russian president indicated efforts to arrange one would be “intensified”.

Share
Updated at 
Key events

Kari Paul here. It is nearly 3am in Kyiv and I am logging off for the day as we close the blog for the evening. Here are the latest updates on the war in Ukraine you should know.

  • Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer has stated that in talks with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president indicated he was “prepared to discuss a prisoner swap with Ukraine”.
  • Independent news source Meduza has reported that officials close to the Kremlin have said Russia is “planning full-scale victory in Ukraine by autumn” and may again try to take the capital city of Kyiv.
  • The governor of Ukraine’s eastern region of Luhansk stated that Ukrainian forces may be forced to retreat from the zone to avoid being captured.
  • A Nato defence ministry meeting to discuss the war will next take place on 15 and 16 June, reports Nexta.
  • New UN figures have revealed that 4,031 civilians have died since Russia first invaded Ukraine in February, including 261 children.
  • US president Joe Biden accused Vladimir Putin of attempting to “wipe out” Ukrainian culture and identity during a speech today, reports the Washington Post.
  • The US is expected to send long-range rocket systems to Ukraine that could be announced as early as next week, reports CNN.
  • Officials in Ukraine – including president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in his nightly address on Fridayhave appealed for additional assistance from the west as the Donbas region faces “an obvious policy of genocide” from Russian forces there.
Share
Updated at 

Ukrainian officials sound alarm on Mariupol horrors elsewhere in Donbas

Officials in Ukraine are appealing for additional assistance from the west as the Donbas region risks a potential repeat of horrors seen in the city of Mariupol in recent months.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also appealed for additional forces in his nightly address on Friday, as Moscow-backed separatists have pounded the country’s industrial region in recent days.

He said the attacks could leave communities in ashes, accusing Moscow of pursuing “an obvious policy of genocide” through mass deportations and killings of civilians.

He took a harsh tone when discussing the response from the European Union, which is locked in discussions on a deal to invoke a sixth round of sanctions – one currently being blocked by Hungary, one of Moscow’s closest allies in the EU.

Mariupol has been left in shambles after a sustained siege, with hundreds killed and survivors forcibly deported to Russia.

EU leaders have attempted to negotiate changes to ease the global food crisis in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said Friday little progress has been made.

“If you are asking me if there are openings for peace, the answer is no,” Italian Premier Mario Draghi said told reporters of the talks.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also stated that he has engaged with Putin on a prisoner exchange, stating the Russian president indicated efforts to arrange one would be “intensified”.

Share
Updated at 

Zelenskiy: Russian forces heavily striking Donbas

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaking in a short video address said the situation in Donbas is “very difficult”. He said Russian forces are concentrated in the coastal region of Ukraine and using “maximum artillery” reserves.

President Zelensky says “the situation in Donbas, as expected, is very difficult. The occupiers are trying to achieve by day 100 of the war the goals they hoped to achieve in the first days after Feb 24. So they’ve concentrated in the Donbas maximum artillery, maximum reserves.” pic.twitter.com/XV0WaP4xr8

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 27, 2022

“We are protecting our land in the way that our current defensive resources allow,” he said. “And we are doing everything to strengthen them.”

Share
Updated at 

Russia announced today that it expects to receive $14bn in additional energy revenue, reports AFP.

Russia’s finance minister announced today that the country is set to receive 1tn rubles in additional oil and gas revenues this year, noting that the additional income will be spent on Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“We expect to receive up to a trillion rubles ($14.4 billion) in additional oil and gas revenues, according to the forecast that we have developed with the ministry of economic development,” said finance minister Anton Siluanov during remarks that were broadcasted on Russian state television.

Siluanov further clarified that the money will be spent on “additional payments” to pensioners and families with children as well as to continue conducting a “special operation” in Ukraine, referring to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Share
Updated at 

The US is expected to send long-range rocket systems to Ukraine that could be announced as early as next week, reports CNN.

Following military challenges in eastern Ukraine, US officials have confirmed that the US is prepared to send advanced, long-range missile systems to aid with fighting.

The rocket systems, multiple launch rocket system or MLRS, have been a top request of Ukraine officials who say it is necessary to ward off Russia’s advancements.

The missile systems can fire a stream of rockets many miles further than current Ukraine weaponry, reports the Washington Post. The rocket system could be apart of a larger military package to Ukraine.

Read the full CNN article here.

Share
Updated at 

Karim Khan, the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), has called on Russia to cooperate with investigations into alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine, reports AFP.

Khan said that Russian officials have refused to work with the ICC amid war crime investigations, but noted that his “door is open” if Russia wants to assist.

“The invitation is there. My door is open, and I will also keep knocking on the door of the Russian federation,” said Karim Khan in an AFP interview.

“If there are allegations that the Russian federation have, if there’s information that they have, if they are conducting their own investigations or prosecutions or have information that’s relevant – share it with us,” Khan added.

Russia and Ukraine are not members of the ICC, but Ukraine has cooperated with Khan’s office during their investigation and accepted the court’s jurisdiction.

While Khan noted that any war crime perpetrators would be brought to justice, the prosecutor refused to confirm if Vladimir Putin could be named a suspect given his involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Share
Updated at 

US president Joe Biden accused Vladimir Putin of attempting to “wipe out” Ukrainian culture and identity during a speech today, reports the Washington Post.

During a commencement speech to the US Naval academy’s graduating class today, Biden said that Putin was “trying to wipe out the culture and identity of the Ukrainian people”.

Biden further criticized Russia’s attack on Ukraine hospitals, schools and other civilian buildings.

Biden also said that Putin inadvertently “Nato-ized all of Europe” after Sweden and Finland sought out membership in the alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Share
Updated at 
Maya Yang

The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) has released the latest figures on the Ukraine war’s human toll.

The latest UN figures show that from 24 February to 26 May, 4,031 civilians died during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine due to shelling and air strikes, including 261 children.

A total 4,735 civilians were injured. The OHCHR estimates that the actual toll of the invasion is much higher than provided estimates.

From Buzzfeed News’ Christopher Miller:

New UN figures: From Feb 24-May 26, @UNHumanRightsUA recorded 8,766 civilian casualties as result of Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine: 4,031 killed, including 261 children; 4,735 injured, including 406 children, mostly caused by shelling & airstrikes. Actual toll much higher.

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 27, 2022

“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” the OHCHR said in a statement, referring to the new figures.

“OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration,” it added.

Share
Updated at 

Ukraine’s Moscow-backed Orthodox church said today that it was cutting ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, reports AFP.

The church declared “full independence” from Russia in a move that defied Russia’s spiritual authorities.

“We disagree with the position of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow … on the war,” said the church, referring to the head of the Russian Orthodox church who is also a close ally of Vladimir Putin.

“The council condemns war as a violation of God’s commandment ‘You shall not kill’ and expresses condolences to all those who suffered in the war,” said the church following a council meeting focused on Russia’s “aggression” where the Ukraine Orthodox church declared full autonomy from Russia.

The Moscow branch of the Ukraine’s Orthodox church was previously fully aligned with Patriarch Kirill, who expressed his support of Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.

Share
Updated at 

Ukrainian forces may be forced to retreat from the final pocket of resistance in the eastern region of Luhansk to avoid being captured, the regional governor, Serhiy Gaidai, said.

In a post on Telegram, Gaidai referred to the near-surrounded cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, writing:

The Russians will not be able to capture Luhansk region in the coming days as analysts have predicted.

He added:

We will have enough strength and resources to defend ourselves. However it is possible that in order not to be surrounded we will have to retreat.

Share
Updated at 

Russia ‘planning full-scale victory in Ukraine by autumn’ – report

The Kremlin is considering a second assault on Kyiv despite failing to capture the Ukrainian capital at the outset of the war, according to the independent news website, Meduza.

Sources close to the Kremlin and inside the Putin administration said confidence has spread to the leadership of United Russia, the country’s ruling political party, that a full-scale victory in Ukraine is possible before the end of the year.

One source said:

We’ll grind them [the Ukrainians] down in the end. The whole thing will probably be over by the fall.

Russia’s leadership has “minimum” and “maximum” thresholds for declaring a successful and completed “special military operation” in Ukraine, sources said.

The bare minimum needed to declare victory is the complete capture of the Donbas region, according to sources, while the maximum goal would be the capture of Kyiv.

The editor of the English-language edition of Meduza, Kevin Rothrock, said the report suggests that Ukraine is losing the “information war” for the first time since the invasion.

Many ways to interpret this: (1) the mood inside the Kremlin shifts faster than a temperamental teen’s, (2) Kyiv’s alarm-signaling is largely about expediting/sustaining Western aid, (3) Western fatigue is real (the energy crisis & U.S. midterms mean a whole new ballgame soon) https://t.co/x1BRqwos8A

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) May 27, 2022

Kremlin officials are also sceptical that western countries can sustain their massive financial and military support to Ukraine if the war drags on, the website reports.

Another source said:

Sooner or later, Europe will tire of helping. This is both money and arms production that they need for themselves. Closer to the fall, they’ll have to negotiate [with Russia] on gas and oil, before the cold season arrives.

It has not been possible to independently verify this information.

Share
Updated at 
A kitchen interior of a heavily damaged house in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Alexey Furman/Getty Images
Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv, was an early target of Russia’s offensive after its invasion. Photograph: Alexey Furman/Getty Images
While they failed to capture the city, Russian forces battered large parts of Chernihiv and the surrounding region in their attempted advance towards Kyiv. Photograph: Alexey Furman/Getty Images
Share
Updated at 

Putin ‘prepared to discuss prisoner swap with Ukraine', says Austria

Austria’s chancellor, Karl Nehammer, said Vladimir Putin told him that Moscow was ready to discuss a prisoner swap with Ukraine and “that there should be progress” on the matter.

During the 45-minute call between the two leaders, the Russian president had expressed readiness to discuss a prisoner swap with Ukraine, Nehammer told reporters.

Nehammer said:

The Russian president has assured us that the International Red Cross must and should have access to the prisoners of war. Of course, he is also demanding access to Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine.

He added:

If he is really ready to negotiate is a complex question.

In a separate statement, the Kremlin said Putin had accused Ukraine of “sabotaging” talks with Moscow during his call with the Austrian chancellor.

Putin also informed Nehammer that attempts to blame Russia for difficulties in shipping grain worldwide were “groundless”, pointing instead to western sanctions, the Kremlin said.

Nehammer said the Russian president had “given signals that he is quite willing to allow exports via the seaports”, adding:

The real willingness will only become apparent when it ... is actually implemented.

Share
Updated at 

A video appears to show a series of explosions near Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Russian forces are close to encircling Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region and have increased attacks in Donbas generally.

Video appears to show series of explosions as Russian attacks intensify in Donbas region – video
Share
Updated at 

Today so far...

It’s 7pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:

  • The besieged city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine appears to be almost completely surrounded by attacking Russian forces. Russia has continued to make incremental gains in its offensive in the Donbas region, backed by withering shell fire. The regional governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, said Russian forces have surrounded two-thirds of Sievierodonetsk.
  • Ukrainian authorities have issued differing statements about their control over the strategic city of Lyman in the Donetsk region. A presidential adviser said he had unverified information that Ukraine had lost Lyman, while Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian troops were trying to strengthen their positions in the city. The governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said there was heavy fighting around the city after Ukrainian troops withdrew to a new line of defence. Russian media reported that pro-Russian separatists had seized the city.
  • Ten people were killed and at least 35 were wounded after Russian missile strikes hit the Dnipropetrovsk region in central-eastern Ukraine on Friday morning, according to reports. Regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said rescuers were working in rubble to look for possible survivors in the aftermath of “an unquiet night and an unquiet morning”.
  • Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, accused the Kremlin of carrying out a “genocide” in the country’s east. He said Ukraine was not eager to talk to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but that it had to face the reality it would probably be necessary to end the war. Russia did not appear to be ready for serious peace talks, he added.
  • The Kremlin blamed Ukraine for frozen peace talks between the two countries , saying it was unclear what Kyiv wanted. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused the leadership in Kyiv of constantly making “contradictory statements” that do “not allow us to fully understand what the Ukrainian side wants”.
  • Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has accused western countries of waging a “total war” on Russia and its people and culture. Western allies are “cancelling Russia and everything connected” with it, including banning Russian writers, composers and other cultural figures, he said at a ministry meeting.
  • The UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, said Russia was making slow but “palpable progress” in Donbas. He said Ukraine should be supplied with long-range multiple launch rocket systems to help Kyiv’s embattled forces but stopped short of committing the UK to sending the powerful M270 rocket system, which Kyiv has been pleading for from Britain, the US and other Nato members for several weeks.
  • Russia’s actions in Ukraine provide enough evidence to conclude that Moscow is inciting genocide and committing atrocities intended to destroy the Ukrainian people, experts say. The independent report warns there is a serious and imminent risk of genocide in Ukraine, and urged the international community to act quickly.
  • More than 100 Russian national guardsmen have been fired for refusing to fight in Ukraine, court documents show. The cases of the 115 national guardsmen, a force also known as Rosgvardia, appear to be the clearest indication yet of dissent among some parts of Russia’s security forces over the invasion of Ukraine.
  • Talks between Turkish officials and delegations from Sweden and Finland have reportedly made little progress in overcoming Ankara’s opposition to the countries’ Nato membership bids. A senior Turkish official said it was not clear when further discussions will take place. Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said Ankara expects Sweden and Finland to stop what it says is their “support given to terrorism” in order for Ankara to lift its opposition.

Hello everyone. I’m Léonie Chao-Fong, here to bring you all the latest developments from the war in Ukraine. I’m on Twitter or you can email me.

Share
Updated at 

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, spoke with Italy’s prime minister, Mario Draghi, to discuss unblocking wheat exports from Ukraine, Rome said.

In the phone call between the two leaders, Draghi assured Zelenskiy of the Italian government’s support for Ukraine, along with the rest of the EU countries, Draghi’s office said.

Zelenskiy said he raised the issue of fuel supply with Draghi and that he expected “further defence support from our partners”.

Had a phone conversation with 🇮🇹 Prime Minister #MarioDraghi. Informed about the situation on the frontline. We expect further defense support from our partners. Raised the issue of fuel supply. Ways to prevent the food crisis were discussed. We have to unblock 🇺🇦 ports together.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 27, 2022
Share
Updated at 
Dan Sabbagh
Dan Sabbagh

Boris Johnson said Ukraine should be supplied with long-range multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to help Kyiv’s embattled forces prevent Russian invaders from gaining ground in the Donbas.

But the prime minister stopped short of committing the UK to sending the powerful M270 rocket system, which Kyiv has been pleading for from Britain, the US and other Nato members for several weeks.

Johnson said the MLRS would enable Ukraine “to defend themselves against this very brutal Russian artillery, and that’s where the world needs to go”, in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

He added that Putin’s forces were “continuing to chew through ground” in the Donbas region, making “slow, but I’m afraid palpable, progress” as they close in on Sievierodonetsk, the easternmost city held by Ukraine.

Johnson’s comments appear to confirm there has been a significant change of stance over the weapons among western nations.

A rocket is launched from a truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher near Svyatohirsk, eastern Ukraine. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

The US previously rejected Ukraine’s request for the long-range rockets but overnight briefings suggested the White House was now willing to supply them. An announcement could come next week, CNN reported, for a weapon that could have a significant impact on the fighting.

Far more powerful than conventional artillery, M270 MLRS rockets can have a range of more than 100 miles (165km) and up to 12 rockets a minute can be fired from an armoured vehicle. Their firepower goes far beyond the original commitment made by Nato members to send only “defensive systems” to Ukraine when the war began.

Share
Updated at 

Most viewed

Most viewed