Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Five killed, 13 injured after series of strikes in Kharkiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday the situation in the besieged port of Mariupol remained extremely severe and Kyiv was in touch with city's defenders every day. Meanwhile, Russia claimed full control of urban area of Mariupol. Follow for more updates.

Ukrainian foreign minister says situation in Mariupol may be 'red line' in talks

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said there had not been any recent diplomatic communications between Russia andUkraineat the level of their foreign ministries and that the situation in the port of Mariupol, which he described as "dire", may be a "red line" in the path of negotiations.

"Mariupol may be a red line", he told CBS News in an interview on Sunday.

'This is my third war': Ukraine's elderly are conflict's forgotten victims

Shuffling down the corridor of a refugee centre inUkrainewith his grey tracksuit sleeve rolled to his shoulder, 71-year-old Vladimir Lignov reveals the remains of a severed limb he says he can still feel.

"It was on the 21st of March, I went out to smoke. Then a shell hit. I lost my arm," he says, recalling the strike on his home in Avdiivka, an industrial hub in eastUkraineand a military priority for invading Russian forces.

Now in relative safety in the centralUkrainecity of Dnipro the former train conductor is among what aid workers say is a particularly vulnerable segment of the population -- the elderly.

Ukrainian forces will 'fight to the end' in Mariupol: PM

Ukraine's prime minister said Sunday that the strategic port city of Mariupol "has not fallen," adding that the encircled forces defending the city from Russian attack will "fight to the end."

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was speaking to ABC's "This Week" hours after a Russian ultimatum for the surrender of those fighters, holed up in a fortress-like steelworks, had expired.

"The city still has not fallen," he said. "There's still our military forces, our soldiers. So they will fight to the end."

Ukraine PM Shmyhal to seek financial support at IMF, World Bank meetings in Washington

Strikes leave five dead in east Ukraine city of Kharkiv

A series of strikes Sunday inUkraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv in the north east of the war-scarred country left at least five dead and 13 injured, a regional health official told AFP.

Maksym Khaustov, the head of the Kharkiv region's health department confirmed the deaths following a series of strikes that AFP journalists on the scene said had ignited fires throughout the city and tore roofs from buildings hit in the attacks.

Students evacuated from Ukraine, parents hold protest at Jantar Mantar

Indian students evacuated from war-tornUkraineand their parents gathered at Jantar Mantar here on Sunday to press for their demand for their admissions in Indian medical institutes.

Around 300 parents and students from across the nation under the Parents Association ofUkraineMBBS Students demanded the government ensure the evacuees enrollment in the Indian institutes to complete their remaining education.

Ukraine says besieged Mariupol still holding

Ukraine's deputy defence minister says that the key port of Mariupol is holding despite the continuing Russian attacks.

Hanna Malyar said Sunday that the defenders of the key Sea of Azov port have tied up significant Russian forces besieging the city. She described Mariupol as a “shield defendingUkraine” that prevents the Russian troops encircling the city from advancing to other areas of the country.

Malyar said that the Russians have continued to hit Mariupol with air raids and were possibly preparing an amphibious landing to beef up their forces in the city.

World is marking an 'Easter of war', Ukraine has been dragged into "cruel and senseless' conflict: Pope Francis

Russia says 'destroyed' military factory outside Kyiv

Kyiv says pausing civilian evacuations from east Ukraine

Prosecutor General's Office: Russia's war killed 202 children in Ukraine

More than 361 children were injured, Prosecutor General’s Office reported on April 17. The figures do not include child casualties in the areas where hostilities are ongoing and in the occupied cities.

Russian missiles hit infrastructure objects in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast

According to Brovary Mayor Ihor Sapozhko, no casualties have yet been reported following the April 17 morning attack. Brovary is a city of 109,000 located just east of Kyiv.

UK says Russia committed to compelling Ukraine to abandon its Euro-Atlantic orientation

Russiais committed to compelling Ukraine to abandon its Euro-Atlantic orientation and asserting its own regional dominance, even as Moscow’s operational focus has shifted to the east of its neighbouring country, British military intelligence said on Sunday.

EU to sanction Russia's Sberbank, other banks: Report

The European Union plans to sanctionRussia's largest lender Sberbank and other Russian financial firms in its next round of restrictions, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen told a German newspaper.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the situation in the eastern city of Mariupol is "inhuman", warning the "elimination" of the last Ukrainian troops defending would end peace talks with Russia

Kyiv citizens warned not to return due to revenge airstrikes

Four high-rises catch fire in Severodonetsk after shelling

According to Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Gaidai, four apartment buildings in Severodonetsk caught fire after Russian missiles struck the city overnight on April 17. A building in Novodruzhesk was also destroyed.

The White House presented a souvenir coin dedicated to Ukraine

The cost of the coin is $100. All money from the sale will be used for humanitarian aid to Ukrainians

Russia renews strikes on Ukraine capital Kyiv, hits other cities

Russian forces accelerated scattered attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond Saturday in an explosive reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the whole country remains under threat despite Moscow's pivot toward mounting a new offensive in the east.

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Explosions heard in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, local media says

Explosions were heard in the early hours on Sunday in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, local media reported.

Overnight, air raid sirens were going off over nearly all of Ukraine.

There was no official explanation for the explosions and Reuters could not immediately verify the reports. - Reuters.

A view shows a residential building damaged by a military strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk region. Credit: Reuters photo

Zelenskyy seeks to break Russian blockade

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke on Saturday with the leaders of Britain and Sweden about how best to help those defending Mariupol and the tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside the besieged city.

Mariupol's fate can be decided either through battle or diplomacy, he said.

“Either our partners give Ukraine all of the necessary heavy weapons, the planes, and without exaggeration immediately, so we can reduce the pressure of the occupiers on Mariupol and break the blockade,” he said in his nightly video address to the nation.

“Or we do so through negotiations, in which the role of our partners should be decisive.” - AP.

Russia tells Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to lay down arms

Russia told Ukrainian forces fighting in the besieged southern port of Mariupol to lay down their arms starting 6 am Moscow time (0300 GMT) on Sunday to save their lives.

Russia's Defence Ministry said its troops had cleared the urban area of Mariupol and only a small contingent of Ukrainian fighters remained inside a steelworks in the city on Saturday. - Reuters.

Russia claims full control of urban area of Mariupol

The entire urban area of Mariupol city in easternUkrainehas been fully cleared of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries, the Russian military said.

The remnants of the resistant forces have been blocked inside the Azovstal iron and steel works plants, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on Saturday. He said 1,464 Ukrainian servicemen have surrendered during the fighting in the city. - IANS

Zelenskyy says situation in Mariupol remains extremely severe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday the situation in the besieged port of Mariupol remained extremely severe and Kyiv was in touch with city's defenders every day.