As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 41st day, here is a look at the main developments.
Here are the key events so far on Tuesday, April 5.
Get the latest updates here.
Fighting
- Ukraine’s general staff have said Russian forces attacked the southern city of Mykolaiv with cluster munitions banned by the Geneva convention and whole blocks of civilian buildings, including a children’s hospital.
- Russia probably plans to shift its focus to the south and east of Ukraine, and is refitting forces in Belarus, US officials said.
- Heavy fighting has continued in Mariupol. The Ukrainian port city has been “90 percent” destroyed after being besieged by Russian forces for weeks, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said.
- Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko warns residents who fled the capital not to return for “at least another week”, cautioning that explosives laid around the area are still a threat.
- Russian troops are preparing for a big attack in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, Governor Sergiy Gaiday said on Telegram.
War crimes investigation
- US President Joe Biden has called for a war crimes trial and more sanctions on Russia over the civilian killings in Bucha, while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says the European Union is ready to send a team of investigators to gather evidence.
- Ukrainian authorities say they have found the bodies of five civilians with their hands tied in a village west of Kyiv, including those of the mayor, her husband and son.
- Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said on Twitter that the bodies of five men tortured and killed by Russian troops have been found in the basement of a children’s health resort in Bucha.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday where he is expected to demand tough new sanctions on Moscow over killings in Bucha.
- Russia has categorically rejected accusations that its forces were responsible for killing civilians in Bucha, suggesting images of corpses lining the streets were “fakes”.
Over 4.2 million refugees
- More than 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees have fled the country since the Russian invasion, the UN says.
Sanctions
- The White House says more sanctions against Russia will be announced “this week”, and the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says the bloc is urgently discussing further measures.
- French President Emmanuel Macron has said it could target Russia’s oil and coal sectors, while Germany has warned that cutting off the supply of Russian gas to Europe is not yet possible, despite calls to do so.
Diplomacy
- The United States and the United Kingdom have announced plans to seek Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council over the killings in Bucha.
- Russia has reacted, deeming the bid “unbelievable” and “unprecedented”.
- Germany and France each expelled dozens of Russian diplomats over the invasion.
- And the former Soviet republic of Lithuania has expelled the Russian ambassador to the Baltic country over what it calls the “horrific massacre” in Bucha and atrocities in other occupied Ukrainian cities. Moscow has promised to retaliate.
You can read key moments from Day 40 here.
