A local resident walks past a destroyed building in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine. (AP)Russia Ukraine Live Updates: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy switched to Russian in his nightly video address to urge Russian soldiers not to fight in Ukraine, saying even their generals expected that thousands of them would die.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces fought village by village to hold back a Russian advance through the country’s east, while the United Nations worked to broker a civilian evacuation from the last defensive stronghold in the bombed-out ruins of the port city of Mariupol. An estimated 100,000 civilians remain in the city, and up to 1,000 are living beneath a sprawling Soviet-era steel plant, according to Ukrainian officials.
In other news, Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the progress of the UN effort to evacuate people from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol during a talk with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an official statement said. “The prime minister reiterated that he is more committed than ever to reinforcing Ukraine and ensuring (Russian President Vladimir) Putin fails, noting how hard the Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom,” Johnson’s Downing Street office said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy switched to Russian in his nightly video address to urge Russian soldiers not to fight in Ukraine, saying even their generals expected that thousands of them would die.
He said Russia has been recruiting new troops "with little motivation and little combat experience" for the units that were gutted during the early weeks of the war so these units can be thrown back into battle.
He said Russian commanders fully understand that thousands of them will die and thousands more will be wounded in the coming weeks. (AP)
Sweden has said that a Russian military plane violated its airspace. The incident happened late Friday in the Baltic Sea near the island of Bornholm.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Swedish Armed Forces said a Russian AN-30 propeller plane flew toward Swedish airspace and briefly entered it before leaving the area.
The Swedish Air Force scrambled fighter jets which photographed the Russian plane. Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told Swedish public radio that the violation was "unacceptable" and "unprofessional".
Hollywood actress and UN humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, the Lviv regional governor said on Telegram.
According to Maksym Kozytskyy, Jolie - who has been a UNHCR Special Envoy for Refugees since 2011 - had come to speak with displaced people who have found refuge in Lviv, including children undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station in early April. "She was very moved by (the children's) stories," Kozytskyy wrote. "One girl was even able to privately tell Ms. Jolie about a dream she'd had."
He said Jolie also visited a boarding school, talk with students and took photos with them, adding "she promised she would come again". (AP)
Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the progress of the UN effort to evacuate people from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol during a talk with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an official statement said.
During the interaction, Johnson also offered the UK's "continued economic and humanitarian support" to Ukraine, it said. "The prime minister reiterated that he is more committed than ever to reinforcing Ukraine and ensuring (Russian President Vladimir) Putin fails, noting how hard the Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom,'' Johnson's Downing Street office said.
"He confirmed that the UK will continue to provide additional military aid to give the Ukrainians the equipment they needed to defend themselves," the statement said. (AP)
A Russian rocket attack destroyed an airport runway in Odesa, Ukraine's third-largest city and a key Black Sea port, the Ukrainian army said.
In a Telegram post, Ukraine's Operational Command South said there was no way that the Odesa runway could be used as a result of the rocket attack.
Local authorities urged residents of the area to shelter in place as Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing army sources, reported that 'several' explosions were heard in Odesa.
Odesa's regional governor said that the rocket was fired from Russian-occupied Crimea. (AP)
Prices for Russian credit default swaps - insurance contracts that protect an investor against a default - plunged sharply overnight after Moscow used its precious foreign currency reserves to make a last minute debt payment on Friday.
The cost for a five-year credit default swap on Russian debt was USD 5.84 million to protect USD 10 million in debt.
That price was nearly half the one on Thursday, which at roughly USD 11 million for USD 10 million in debt protection was a signal that investors were certain of a eventual Russian default. (AP)