LIVE: Ukraine says Russian forces kill seven civilians in evacuation convoy

The Ukrainian intelligence service said the seven, including one child, were killed as they fled the village of Peremoha and that ''the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back'

8:19 PM

Zelensky demands release of Melitopol mayor

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling on Russian forces to heed the calls of residents in the occupied city of Melitopol who protested to demand their mayor be freed.

 

Zelensky, who spoke earlier Saturday with the leaders of Germany and France, said the detention of Mariupol Mayor Ivan Fedorov was an attempt "to bring the city to its knees.” He said that Ukraine expects “the leaders of the world to show how they can influence the liberation (of) a man who personifies Ukrainians who do not give up.” 

 

Zelensky also encouraged Ukrainians to keep fighting, saying it was “impossible to say how many days we will still need to free our land, but it is possible to say that we will do it.”

7:36 PM

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7:33 PM

Germany's Scholz, France's Macron demand Ukraine ceasefire in call with Russia's Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict during a 75-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, a German government spokesperson said.

 

"The conversation is part of ongoing international efforts to end the war in Ukraine," the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the participants agreed to say nothing further about the substance of the phone call.

 

Scholz had earlier spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about the situation, the spokesperson added.

7:24 PM

Putin briefed French and German leaders on Russia-Ukraine talks: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the state of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv and responded to their concerns about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine during a three-way phone call on Saturday, the Kremlin said.

7:07 PM

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6:48 PM

Ukraine bans fertiliser exports: Agriculture ministry

Ukraine, a major global producer of agricultural products, has banned exports of fertilisers given the Russian invasion, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday.

 

Ukraine has already banned exports of some agricultural commodities and introduced licenses for its key export goods - wheat, corn and sunflower oil.

 

"The cabinet of ministers is introducing a zero quota for the export of mineral fertilisers that is a de facto ban on the export of fertilisers from Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement.

6:14 PM

Italy seizes Russian oligarch Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A

Italian police have seized a superyacht from Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, the prime minister's office said on Saturday, a few days after the businessman was placed on an EU sanctions list following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

 

The 143-metre (470-foot) Sailing Yacht A, which has a price tag of 530 million euros ($578 million), has been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, the government said.

 

Designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug in Germany, the vessel is the world's biggest sailing yacht, the government said.

5:57 PM

Governor of Ukraine's Kyiv region says evacuations ongoing

Evacuations of civilians from frontline towns in Ukraine's Kyiv region were proceeding on Saturday and are planned to continue on Sunday, regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba told local media.

 

"We will try to get people out every day, as long as it's possible to observe a ceasefire," he said.

5:33 PM

Ukraine's president says Russia sending new troops after heavy losses

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia was sending new forces to Ukraine after suffering what he said were its biggest losses in decades.

 

Zelensky also said he had spoken to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron about pressuring Russia to release the mayor of the city of Melitopol, who Ukraine says was kidnapped on Friday by Russian forces.

 

In a televised address, Zelensky urged Russia to uphold an agreed ceasefire to allow evacuations to proceed from the besieged port city of Mariupol, after blaming Moscow for the failure of previous attempts.

5:23 PM

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4:44 PM

Russian attacks continue during latest evacuation attempts, Ukrainian officials say

The governors of two Ukrainian regions, Kyiv and Donetsk, said in separate statements on Saturday Russian attacks were continuing in areas where Ukraine was trying to evacuate people and bring aid through "humanitarian corridors."

 

"Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops ... The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling," Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told local media. "The situation is extremely difficult." 

4:42 PM

Belarus denies plans to join Russian invasion but is 'rotating' troops at border

Belarus has no plans to join the Russian invasion of Ukraine but is sending five battalion tactical groups (BTGs) to its border on rotation to replace forces already stationed there, its Chief of General Staff Viktor Gulevich said on Saturday.

 

A top Ukrainian security official on Friday warned Belarus not to send troops to Ukraine, saying Ukraine was showing restraint towards Belarus despite the country being used as a launchpad for Russian planes.

 

"I want to underline that the transfer of troops is in no way connected with (any) preparation, and especially not with the participation of Belarusian soldiers in the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine," Gulevich said.

4:02 PM

Govt directs reducing NEET-PG 2021 cut-off by 15 percentile across all categories

3:43 PM

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3:33 PM

Ukraine says Russian forces shelled mosque in Mariupol

Russian forces have shelled a mosque in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where more than 80 adults and children, including Turkish citizens, have taken refuge, Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

 

Ukraine has accused Russia of refusing to allow people out of Mariupol, where a blockade has left hundreds of thousands trapped. Russia blames Ukraine for the failure to evacuate people.

 

"The mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxolana (Hurrem Sultan) in Mariupol was shelled by Russian invaders," the foreign ministry said in a tweet. "More than 80 adults and children are hiding there from the shelling, including citizens of Turkey."

 

It did not say if there were any people killed or wounded.

 

Moscow has denied targeting civilian areas in what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine.