Russia

Russia transfers thousands of Mariupol civilians to its territory

Russia is housing an estimated 5,000 at a temporary camp in Bezimenne, east of Mariupol, seen in satellite images.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 40,000 had been moved from Ukraine to Russian-held territory without any coordination with Kyiv.

A Mariupol refugee, now in Russia, said: "All of us were taken forcibly".

Some Ukrainian officials describe Russia's actions as "deportations" to "filtration camps" - an echo of Russia's war in Chechnya, when thousands of Chechens were brutally interrogated in makeshift camps and many disappeared.

Russia claims first use of hypersonic Kinzhal missile in Ukraine

If confirmed it would be Russia's first use in this war of the Kinzhal, or Dagger, ballistic missile launched from the air, most likely by a MiG-31 warplane.

What are hypersonic missiles?

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly highlighted Russia's investment in hypersonic missiles, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5.

Ukraine's Zelensky says it is time for meaningful security talks with Moscow

Zelensky said Ukraine had always offered solutions for peace and wanted meaningful and honest negotiations on peace and security, without delay.

"I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk," he said in a video address released in the early hours of Saturday.

"The time has come to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine. Otherwise, Russia's losses will be such that it will take you several generations to recover."

Russia still banned

Football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA had decided together that all Russian teams, whether national or club sides, be suspended from participation in FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Football Union appealed to CAS but the president of the Appeals Arbitration Division denied a request to lift the ban until CAS takes a final decision.

The decision meant that Spartak Moscow could not play their Europa League match against club RB Leipzig, allowing the German club to advance to the quarter-finals.

France says Putin shows no readiness to end Ukraine war as fighting rages

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was sending in new troops after Ukrainian forces put 31 of Russia's battalion tactical groups out of action in what he called Russia's largest army losses in decades. It was not possible to verify his statements.

He also said about 1300 Ukrainian troops had been killed so far and urged the West to get more involved in peace negotiations. The president suggested Russian forces would face a fight to the death if they sought to enter the capital.

Putin seeks foreign volunteers to fight in Ukraine

Speaking at a Russian security council meeting, he said those who wanted to volunteer to fight with Russia-backed forces should be allowed to.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East ready to fight alongside Russia-backed forces.

US officials said these could include Syrians skilled in urban combat.

Moscow is a long-standing ally of Syria and Mr Putin has been a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war.

Russian forces repositioning near Kyiv

According to Maxar Technologies, elements of the convoy - which was last seen north-west of nearby Antonov Airport - have moved into positions in surrounding towns.

Maxar said that images also show other parts of the convoy to the north have positioned themselves near Lubyanka, and set up artillery positions nearby.

Earlier on Thursday, a senior US defence official said that Russian forces have moved three miles (5km) closer to Kyiv in the past 24 hours.

 

US, EU and UK target Russia oil and gas sector

The UK is phasing out Russian oil and the EU is sharply reducing gas imports as countries harden their response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden said the move meant the "American people will deal another powerful blow" to Putin's leadership.

"We will not be part of subsidising Putin's war," Biden added.

Despite mounting fears of rising gas prices, the move has widespread bipartisan political support in the US.

Ukraine decries 'immoral' stunt after Moscow says it will let civilians flee - to Russia

The announcement came after two days of failed ceasefires to let civilians escape the besieged city of Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands of people are trapped without food and water, under relentless bombardment and unable to evacuate their wounded.

The new "corridors" would be opened at 10 am Moscow time (8pm NZT) from the capital Kyiv and the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, as well as Mariupol, Russia's defence ministry said.

Protests across Russia see thousands detained

Some 1,700 people were detained in Moscow alone, Ria news agency reports, citing the interior ministry.

The OVD-Info rights group says detentions took place in 53 cities.

Although protests have become increasingly restricted in recent years, numerous rallies have taken place across Russia since the invasion.

In the last 11 days, more than 10,000 people have been detained at protests, OVD-Info says.