The
border guards and marines on the island "twice bravely repulsed the
attacks of the Russian occupiers" but were unable to continue fighting
because they ran out of ammunition, it said.
The
Russians "completely destroyed the island's infrastructure", including
lighthouses, towers, antennae, and severed communications with the
mainland, it added.
Media caption,
Watch: ''People have swapped their pens and keyboards for guns''
The
Ukrainian navy also accused Russian forces of illegally detaining the
crew of a civilian search and rescue ship that Ukraine sent to the
island on a humanitarian mission after the attack, as well as two
priests who were accompanying them.
"The
illegal seizure of a non-combatant civilian vessel that did not carry
out any military mission is a violation of the rules and customs of war
and international humanitarian law," it warned.
A
Russian defence ministry spokesman announced on Friday that 82
Ukrainian servicemen "laid down their weapons and voluntarily
surrendered" on Zmiinyi Island, without mentioning whether the Russian
warship carried out any strikes or inflicted casualties.
He
said the captives were being "asked to sign an undertaking not to take
part in hostilities" and would "be returned to their families in the
near future".
Zmiinyi
Island lies in the north-western Black Sea, about 48km (30 miles) from
the Ukrainian coast and 300km west of Crimea, which was annexed by
Russia in 2014.
Ukrainian troops take a grenade launcher from a destroyed Russian infantry vehicle in Kharkiv
India
has had to walk a diplomatic tightrope over Ukraine in the past few
days as it tried to balance its ties with Moscow and the West.
Delhi's
first statement in the UN Security Council (UNSC) did not name any
country directly but it said it regretted that calls from the
international community to give diplomacy and dialogue a chance had not
been heeded.
It,
however, stopped short of criticising Russia. And before the UNSC voted
on a draft UN resolution to condemn the invasion, Delhi faced calls
from Russia, the US and Ukraine "to do the right thing".
Ukraine
and Russia even issued public appeals for Delhi to take a clear stand.
India chose to abstain from the vote but a careful reading of its
statement suggests that it did go a step further and indirectly asked
Moscow to respect international law.
India
talked about the importance of "the UN Charter, international law, and
respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states", adding
that "all member states need to honour these principles in finding a
constructive way forward".
But
India's decision to abstain raised questions, particularly in the West,
over whether the world's largest democracy should have taken a clearer
stand.
No good options
Former Indian diplomat JN Misra says India "has bad and worse options to pick from".
"One
can't tilt both ways at the same time. India has not named any country,
which shows it won't go against Moscow. India had to be subtle in
picking a side and it has done that," he adds.
There are several reasons for India's quest to find a diplomatic balance over Ukraine.
The most important are India's time-tested defence and diplomatic ties with Moscow.
Image source, AFP
Image caption,
The S-400 missile system is seen as crucial for India's defence needs
Russia
continues to be India's largest arms supplier even though its share has
dropped to 49% from 70% due to India's decision to diversify its
portfolio and boost domestic defence manufacturing.
Also,
Russia is supplying equipment like the S-400 missile defence system
which gives India crucial strategic deterrence against China and
Pakistan, and that is the reason why it went ahead with the order
despite threats of looming US sanctions.
Defence supplies matter
Moreover,
it's hard for Delhi to overlook decades of history of diplomatic
co-operation with Russia on several issues. Moscow has vetoed UNSC
resolutions over disputed Kashmir in the past to help India keep it a
bilateral issue.
In this context, India appears to be following its famed strategy of non-alignment and promoting dialogue to resolve issues.
Michael
Kugelman, deputy director at think tank the Wilson Center, says India's
stand is not surprising as it's consistent with its past strategy.
He adds that Delhi doesn't "seem comfortable with what is happening in Ukraine but it's not likely to change its stand".
"It
simply can't afford to do so at the moment because of its defence and
geopolitical needs," he says. Though he adds that Delhi has chosen some
strong words in the UNSC to show it's not comfortable with the situation
in Ukraine.
Image source, Hindustan Times
Image caption,
President Putin and PM Modi share good relations
India also has the tough task of trying to evacuate 20,000 citizens, mostly students, from Ukraine.
Former
Indian diplomat Anil Triguniyat, who served in Moscow and also in Libya
where he oversaw the evacuation of Indian citizens when conflict broke
out in 2011, says safety assurances are needed from all parties in a
conflict to run a successful evacuation operation.
"India
can't take a side at the risk of endangering the safety of its
citizens. Moreover, it's seeing the holistic picture which involves
keeping channels open with everyone," he adds.
In
that sense, India is in a unique position as it's one of the few
countries which has good relations both with Washington and Moscow.
Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Russian President Vladimir
Putin and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has held talks with
officials in Washington.
Mr
Modi has also held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Triguniyat says India has done well in keeping diplomatic channels
open with both sides.
"India
hasn't criticised Russia directly but it's not that India has turned a
blind eye to the suffering of Ukrainians. It has adopted a balanced
approach. It talked strongly about territorial integrity at the UNSC and
it was clearly meant to highlight Ukraine's plight," he added.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
A temporary camp has been set up in Przemysl, Poland, for some of the hundreds of thousands fleeing Ukraine
But
if Washington and its European allies continue to impose severe
sanctions on Russia, India may find it tough to continue doing business
with Moscow.
The US seems to understand India's position at the moment but there are no guarantees it will continue to do so.
When
US President Joe Biden was recently asked about India's stand, he
didn't give a definitive answer. "We are going to have consultations
with India [over Ukraine]. We haven't resolved that fully," he said.
The
issue of sanctions over the purchase of the S-400s still loom. The
Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa) was
introduced in 2017 to target Russia, Iran and North Korea with economic
and political sanctions. It also prohibits any country from signing
defence deals with these nations.
Washington
had not promised any waiver even before Russia invaded Ukraine, and
experts believe that the issue could become a bargaining chip between
India and the US.
Meanwhile,
Moscow could use its own pressure points which include strengthening
ties with India's arch-rival Pakistan if it sees a change in Delhi's
strategy.
Russia
has accepted India's growing ties with the US in the past two decades
but Ukraine is a red line that it wouldn't want Delhi to cross.
Mr
Kugelman says such tipping points will only come if the conflict in
Ukraine becomes prolonged and ends up creating a bipolar world.
"Let's just hope it doesn't happen. But if it does, India's foreign policy will be severely tested," he says.
Valery Gergiev, a supporter of President Putin, has failed to condemn the invasion of Ukraine
A
renowned Russian conductor has been forced to resign his position as
honorary president of the Edinburgh International Festival.
Valery
Gergiev, a close friend and supporter of President Putin, has been
under pressure to speak out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine but has
so far not condemned the move.
In a statement, the festival said his resignation was effective immediately.
It added that the decision had been made in support of the people of Kyiv.
"The
board of trustees of the Edinburgh International Festival has asked
for, and accepted the resignation of, Valery Gergiev as honorary
president of the festival," it said.
"Edinburgh is twinned with the city of Kyiv and this action is being taken in sympathy with, and support of, its citizens."
In 2014, the conductor backed Mr Putin over the annexation of the Crimea from Ukraine.
Media caption,
The BBC's John Simpson reported from the concert in Palmyra in 2016
Afterwards,
Mr Gergiev conducted the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra at the historic
Roman Theatre in Palmyra in a broadcast which was widely covered.
It came months after IS posted footage online showing some of its fighters carrying out killings in the ancient theatre.
Mr
Gergiev was previously principal conductor of the London Symphony
Orchestra and is currently the music director of the Munich Philharmonic
Orchestra.
However, he has been urged to distance himself from President Putin or the Munich orchestra could cut its ties with him.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Mr Gergiev is a supporter of President Putin
He has also been dropped from performances this week with the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, The New York Times reported.
The newspaper also said further appearances leading the Mariinsky Orchestra at the venue have also been cancelled.
He
has also been dropped by the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and his
management company has said it will no longer represent him.
TfL has described the action as "extremely disappointing" and urged the RMT to "get around the table with us".
In
a statement TfL warned: "Londoners whose journeys rely on Tube
connections are advised to work from home if they can, consider
different modes and allow extra time for essential journeys."
It added that no jobs would be lost as part of the proposals but vacancies would not be backfilled.
Conciliation service Acas has been in touch with both parties.
Walkouts are due to take place between 00:01 and 23:59 on both days. The action is separate to the ongoing Night Tube strikes, which are in a dispute over rotas and due to continue until 19 June.
November saw London's most widespread strike action in three years, affecting six lines.
On Friday, the government agreed to extend a TfL bailout until the end of June.
Analysis
By BBC London transport correspondent Tom Edwards
This
is the big one and the big issue in these strikes is the potential
threat over pensions which the unions regard as sacrosanct and
untouchable.
There's
also anger that 600 posts are being closed. As part of the financial
support agreed between TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT), the
mayor agreed to look at TfL's pension scheme.
In 2021, TfL paid £375m into the pension. Some in government regard it as being too costly and too generous.
An independent review is currently being carried out but there are no proposals at the moment on what to do with it.
However, even proposed changes to the pension scheme cause fury from the transport unions.
The
RMT regards the pension as a key part of the benefits of working at TfL
and the unions says any change will be met with strike action.
The
most recent financial deal from government talks about the mayor moving
the pension scheme to a more "sustainable financial position" so it is
very difficult to see how this can be resolved.
The highest train fare rises for nine years have come into force for rail travellers in England and Wales.
Regulated fares in England and Wales will rise by up to 3.8%.
They cover around half of fares and include season tickets on most commuter routes.
Labour
condemned what it called a "brutal" rise while the TUC union said it
would "make it harder for city centres to bounce back" from Covid.
But the government said the increase was below the rate of inflation.
The current retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation stands at 7.8%.
The
rail fare increase is based on last July's RPI inflation rate. The
increase in train fares would have been higher than up to 3.8% if the
government used its normal formula of RPI plus 1%.
Nevertheless,
Tuesday's rise is the steepest increase since January 2013, according
to figures from industry body the Rail Delivery Group.
It
comes at a time when the UK's cost of living is rising at the fastest
pace for 30 years, with the rate expected to rise even further.
Train
services remain under pressure from cuts in December when there were
huge staff shortages due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Demand for rail travel remains around a third below pre-coronavirus levels.
'Protected'
Rail
fare increases are normally introduced on the first working day of
every year but have been delayed until March since 2020 due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
"We
have protected passengers by delaying these fare rises by two months
and, even then, opting for a figure well below current inflation rates,"
said the Department for Transport.
"However,
we must now look to recoup some of the £14bn which was spent to keep
vital services running throughout the pandemic in a way that is fair for
all taxpayers."
The
Rail Delivery Group said: "It is important that fares are set at a
level that will encourage more people to travel by train in the future,
helping to support a clean and fair recovery from the pandemic."
'Feeling the squeeze'
But Railfuture, the campaign group, said the increase could not have come at a worst time.
"Ordinary
working people are feeling the squeeze like never before, yet the
government is stoking the fire of the cost of living crisis with these
eye-watering fare increases," said Bruce Williamson of Railfuture.
He
warned some passengers could be "bankrupted next year" if the formula
for setting rail fare rises is unchanged, as inflation is "likely to hit
8%".
Labour's
shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: "This brutal Tory fare
hike will be a nightmare for millions of passengers, when families are
already facing tax rises."
Labour calculated the rise leaves the average commuter paying £3,263 for their season ticket, 49% more than in 2010.
Trades
Union Congress general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "Another rise in
rail fares will hit commuters and make it harder for city centres to
bounce back."
The
cost of rail travel has been a Covid-enforced, but welcome, absence
from the expenditure of many people working from home in the last two
years. Now they face higher fares as they return to the office.
Those travelling in by car are being hit by sky-high petrol prices.
Bus operators are also likely to have to pass some of their increased costs on to passengers.
At least fares often have some element of routine to them, making them clear in any household budget.
The increase by up to 3.8% will lead to rises in the cost of annual season tickets such as:
Brighton to London (any route): Up £194 to £5,302
Liverpool to Manchester (any route): Up £105 to £2,865
Neath to Cardiff: Up £70 to £1,922
The
Campaign for Better Transport reckons the rise will mean the average
full-time worker commuting from Brighton into London will have to work
for seven weeks just to pay for their annual season ticket.
Its
chief executive, Paul Tuohy, pointed out that London commuters "will be
hit by a double whammy as bus and tube journeys in the capital go up
4.8% from today".
The rises will add between 10p and 30p to most single fares on the capital's buses and underground trains.
Londoners
are also set to be hit by tube strikes over jobs, pensions and working
conditions on Tuesday 1 March and Thursday 3 March.
In Scotland, a 3.8% increase in fares was implemented on 24 January.
Rail fares in Northern Ireland are set by state-owned operator Translink, which does not use RPI.
Russian troops are trying to take Ukraine's two biggest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, but are meeting stiff resistance.
Meanwhile, an estimated half a million refugees have fled Ukraine, and in Russia, heavy sanctions have begun to bite.
As the situation intensifies, two of the BBC's reporters on the ground answer your questions.
The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet is in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital
Mark Lowen is on the Poland-Ukraine border
Are the countries around Russia and part of Nato safe, for how long? - Cristina Onofras, Romania
Mark Lowen writes:
Nato's eastern flank countries, bordering Ukraine, are worried.
Lithuania
declared a state of emergency. Sweden and Finland - though neither of
them Nato members - joined the alliance's emergency summit last week,
and the US has increased its troop numbers in countries like Poland.
Some
Poles I've spoken to near the border feel anxious about their own
security - but their primary focus remains on helping Ukrainian friends
or relatives on the other side or those who have fled here.
At
what point will the countries of Nato agree enough is enough and put
boots on the ground to support Ukraine? - Tim Mepham, Brighton
Lyse Doucet writes:
Nato
countries and allies are watching Russia's every move, warning that
their defensive military alliance will do everything to defend "every
inch" of their territory.
They've
sent weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, and trained Ukrainian soldiers
in recent years - indeed right up to the Russian invasion.
But they've repeatedly said there will be no Nato "boots on the ground" because Ukraine is not a Nato member.
However, this changes if Russia moves beyond Ukraine into a Nato country
Article 5 of Nato's constitution states that "an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all allies."
If that happens, the world moves into uncharted territory and there's a dangerous possibility of a Nato-Russia confrontation.
What are the chances of Putin bombing the UK? - Becky, Weymouth
Lyse Doucet writes:
I am so sorry that you have to ask this terrible and terrifying question. I would want to answer, no chance.
These
are unpredictable, unfathomable times but I would still like to believe
the answer is no - no to the bombing of Britain or any other country.
And a hope that the bombing of Ukraine is swiftly brought to an end.
How
are the people in shelters getting food, water, and sanitation needs
met? Is there any food available in Kyiv at this time? - Arlene, Oregon,
USA
Lyse Doucet writes:
When
the curfew lifts, and air raids sirens go silent, people nervously rush
to the shops - if the shops are open, and the shelves still have
supplies.
We
hear from metro stations turned refuges that people are coming together
to help each other. But when curfews remain in force for 36 hours, food
and water starts running short. Some residents moved into local hotels.
They're
also doing what they can to keep people fed. There's a great community
spirit - everyone is pitching in, including international and local
organisations. But the concern is if this goes on too long that even
finding food will be hard.
Image source, Getty Images
How
and when will the military aid promised by various western nations
arrive in Ukraine? How could western nations accelerate the delivery of
this needed aid? - Christophe Borgia, Quebec
Mark Lowen writes:
Some
military aid has already been sent. Poland has sent ammunition across
the border, the US has already sent in some 90 tonnes of military
assistance, Sweden is breaking with its tradition of not sending weapons
to countries engaged in armed conflict, and now the EU has, for the
first time ever, agreed to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons
to a country under attack.
In
terms of how it will be accelerated, Poland has offered to be a
logistics hub for the deployment. Western nations are acutely aware of
the need to quicken this, with Ukraine concerned that it's running out
of ammunition.
Is
the Russian military holding back their full ability, or are the
logistics-based issues they're having actually preventing them from
conquering Ukraine? - John, USA
Lyse Doucet writes:
Sitting
in Kyiv, many thought that the sight of Russian troops in the heart of
this capital was just a matter of time - they counted it in hours. But
Ukrainian forces are resisting, and Russian forces are said to still be
about 30km (18.6 miles) from the city centre.
With
every day, more of the combat troops and heavy weaponry marshalled
along Ukraine's borders move forward in all directions, but not as fast
or as far as many expected.
It's
hard to say whether or not it is not "going according to plan" because
no one knows what President's Putin plan is. But there've been reports
of Russian convoys running out of fuel, Russian soldiers losing the will
to fight, and Ukrainians fighting back - both soldiers and civilians,
some armed only with the force of patriotism.
There's
also been heavy street-to-street fighting in areas including the second
largest city of Kharkiv. And Russian troops have been advancing and
attacking - against the north-eastern city of Chernihiv and the southern
city of Maripul, among many others.
Image source, Reuters
How many foreign fighters have joined Ukraine in response to its president's call? - George Menachery, Kerala, India
Mark Lowen writes:
It's
unclear for now. Ukraine's President has urged foreigners to join what
he called an "international brigade" but we don't know the numbers of
those who've responded.
Ukraine's
embassy in Israel issued a Facebook post appealing for Israelis to
travel to Ukraine to fight, but it was later deleted.
If Russia manages to take over Ukraine, what's next? - Nhlanhla, South Africa
Lyse Doucet writes:
That is an existential question for Ukraine, a defining and dangerous moment for the world.
First,
Russian forces would have to seize far larger swathes of territory of
Europe's second-largest country, including the capital Kyiv, a city of
nearly three million people known to be resolutely pro-European and
pro-Nato.
History
tells us military coups and invasions have conquered by taking over
television stations and presidential palaces. That's not going to be
enough.
There
would be a ferocious counter-attack, and a Ukrainian insurgency would
quickly rise. Support would pour in from many directions, many sources,
and of many kinds. It's hard to imagine that takeover would survive. It
would go down in history as the darkest of dark hours.
Does
anyone know why Russia chose now to attack/invade Ukraine, rather than
doing so a year ago or two years ago, or next year? Was there a
"triggering" factor to cause it to happen now? - Anna, Hawaii
Lyse Doucet writes:
That
is an important question and we still don't have all the answers. This
war is often called President Putin's war - it's widely believed he is
the one driving it and no one is clear how far he is able and willing to
go to try to control a neighbour he says shouldn't exist as a country.
Many
ask if he sensed a weakness in the Nato alliance, in the United States
in particular, after the messy debacle of the troop pull-out from
Afghanistan and a Taliban takeover.
Many also speculate about the Russian leader's state of mind after the isolation and anxiety of the pandemic.
Has any country in the entire world actually sent any of their troops to help the Ukraine? - Thomas Ogren, San Luis, USA
Mark Lowen writes:
Not
officially. No Nato member wants to risk a direct military
confrontation between its troops and those of Russia. President Biden,
for example, has repeatedly stated that there will be no American troops
fighting in Ukraine.
But
we don't know if there are foreigners there, covertly working with the
Ukrainian army, particularly in light of the calls from Ukraine's
president for foreigners to go and help.
What do the Russian-speaking Ukrainians think about the current Russian invasion of Ukraine? - Man Chun Siu, London
Lyse Doucet writes:
We
saw some scenes of celebration in areas of eastern Ukraine which have
been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
Some
evacuees from this region told BBC colleagues of their happiness that
Russia recognised Donetsk and Luhansk. But it is hard to know how much
of a welcome there was.
Life
became much harder for residents in these areas in the past eight years
- they've been cut off from their families, even their pensions.
Speaking Russian does not mean pro-Russian. Many Ukrainians speak both languages, including President Zelensky.
Image source, Reuters
Why do the US and EU believe that sanctions alone can deter Putin? - Aragorn, London
Lyse Doucet writes:
The
threats against Ukraine, and now the war against Ukraine have jolted
the world. We've seen in recent days a slow but certain toughening of
sanctions, restrictions, actions by countries and organisations
worldwide that are unparalleled.
As
Russia invaded Ukraine, a first tranche of sanctions came into force in
one capital after another. They were welcomed by Ukrainians but mocked
too as simply not sufficient. And indeed, they didn't change President
Putin's mind.
The
West is now waking up to Russia's resolve to occupy Ukraine. Some
sanctions will take weeks, even months to bite, but some are now hitting
Russia's currency, stocks, the wealth of the rich oligarchs and sadly
the lives of the poorest.
How
will the promised essential supplies and weaponry make it to the
frontlines given the superiority of Russian air power? - Andy Sheridan
(via Twitter)
Mark Lowen writes:
It's
all going in through Ukraine's western border - principally Poland.
Military flights have arrived here from as far afield as the US and
Canada and it's then largely being driven across the border, due in part
to the threat from Russian air power.
Ukrainian
airspace remains closed to civilian flights. Some military aid is
arriving here in Poland by train too, including from the Czech Republic.
It's an enormous logistical operation to resupply Ukraine's military.
A destroyed Ukrainian vehicle after shelling in Kharkiv
Fighting has continued on the fifth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.
Missile
strikes killed dozens of civilians in the country's second city,
Kharkiv, while air raid sirens sounded again in the capital, Kyiv.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian bombardment of Kharkiv a "war crime".
There were reports of fierce shelling in the northern city of Chernihiv.
Russia is attacking Ukraine on several fronts, but its advance has been slowed by Ukrainian resistance.
All three cities remain under Ukrainian control.
Away from the battlefields, economic and diplomatic moves have continued.
President Vladimir Putin has banned Russians from moving money abroad as he tries to halt a plunge in the value of the rouble following the imposition of sanctions.
And
a rare emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly has
heard a demand from the secretary general for an immediate halt to
hostilities.
On the northern border with Belarus, Ukrainian and Russian officials ended their first round of talks.
There
was little expectation the session would bring a breakthrough, but a
Ukrainian official said both sides would now return to their respective
capitals for further consultations before a second round of
negotiations.
Russia said both sides had agreed to continue talking and would meet again "in the next few days".
Mr
Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron have had a telephone
conversation in which the Russian leader called for Moscow's legitimate
security interests to be addressed
New members have been joining the Territorial Defence Forces in Kyiv
In
a late-night address, Mr Zelensky said there were eyewitness accounts
of civilians being deliberately targeted during a sustained attack on
Kharkiv.
He
called for the West to consider a no-fly zone over Ukraine - something
the US so far ruled out over fears it could draw it into a direct
conflict with Russia.
Videos
shared on social media showed rockets landing in Kharkiv, in what some
defence analysts described as typical of a cluster munition strike on a
dense urban area.
Russia has previously denied targeting residential areas.
New satellite images showed a Russian military convoy stretching for about 40 miles (64km) north of Kyiv.
But reports of fresh fighting on the outskirts of the capital forced residents back into their shelters on Monday evening.
Media caption,
The cities of Kharkiv and Chernihiv faced heavy shelling on the fifth day of Russia's invasion
Another
video circulating on social media showed huge clouds of smoke at a
burning shopping centre in Chernihiv, another city that has been under
pressure from the Russian offensive.
One teacher in Chernihiv, Oksana Buryak, told the BBC the situation was "like from some horror movie".
"Our hearts are broken, we don't understand anything," she said.
Media caption,
Watch: Liza Grach emotionally describes fleeing Ukraine with her 10-month-old baby, but leaving her husband behind
To
the south, Russian forces are trying to take control of the key
strategic port of Mariupol, near Russia-annexed Crimea. Ukraine denied
reports that Zaporizhzhia, home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant,
had fallen into Russia hands.
Ukrainian
Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyy, speaking to the BBC, said the
situation across the country was "serious, but stable".
"Every
day the enemy sends more and more forces. But our glorious armed forces
are basically destroying everything that arrives to Kyiv," he added.
The
UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said millions of civilians
were being forced to huddle in makeshift bomb shelters such as
underground rail stations to escape explosions.
Since
the invasion began on Thursday, her office has recorded 102 civilian
deaths, including seven children - and more than 300 injured.
"The real figures are, I fear, considerably higher," she said.
As darkness falls, missiles light Kyiv's skies
Lyse Doucet, BBC News, Kyiv
A
cold Kyiv day, the fifth day of Russia's invasion, had dawned with a
weekend curfew ending, peace talks starting, and a bright sun rising in
the winter sky.
But
the chilling wail of the air raid siren soon sounded. It kept piercing
the quiet of a city drained of its normal rhythms. After the sun set, it
almost seemed to be on a loop.
No one here wonders why.
As
darkness fell, an explosion rocked the centre of Kyiv, shaking
buildings in the city centre for the first time. Some reports said they
were targeting a military radar centre in the Brovary suburb. Residents
in high-rise apartment blocks there told us it was "very close, very
frightening".
Russian forces seem to be inching closer to the city centre, the prize in this war.
Ukrainian
forces have been stalling their advance. And tonight the night sky was
lit by surface-to-air missiles targeting Russian warplanes and
helicopters.
To
sum up the view of a Western official who spoke to journalists today,
the Russians seem to have overestimated its own military prowess,
underestimated Ukrainian resolve, miscalculated the world's reaction and
misunderstood the mood of our time.
But
other Ukrainian cities give a glimpse of may lie in wait for Kyiv. In
the north-west, Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv has been pounded
by suspected cluster munitions. In the north-east, siege tactics used to
devastating effect in Syria are being unleashed around the historic
city of Chernihiv; shells are also slamming into its streets.
A
woman I met in a shelter today anxiously told me of her father's
plight. He's in Chernobyl, to the north, now occupied by Russian forces,
without electricity or much of a phone signal, trying to hide the light
of a burning fire now cooking his potato soup.
Image source, Ukrainian Naval Forces
