The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had planned to deliver aid to the southern port today, but said this afternoon that “its effort has been and remains extremely complex”. He will attempt the operation again on Saturday. Reports emerged this morning that Ukrainian helicopters had destroyed a fuel depot in Belgorod – in what would be the first air raid by Kiev forces on Russian soil since the conflict began. Watch live as Russia estimates it lost “17,700 troops” in Ukraine In other developments: • Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were to resume today • Joe Biden announces release of record 180 million barrels of oil to cut crude prices This has nothing to do with the war and is part of its spring plan. these numbers cannot be verified Image: The state of Mariupol on the 37th day of the invasion Tens of thousands are still trapped in Mariupol Up to 5,000 people have been killed in Mariupol and an estimated 170,000 are still trapped and fighting without food, water or electricity, according to the mayor. The Red Cross said earlier that a group of three cars carrying nine crew members were on their way, hoping to drive an escort of about 54 Ukrainian buses and a number of private vehicles out of the city. Ukraine had previously said Russian forces had blocked several buses sent to evacuate people late Thursday – and seized 12 trucks full of humanitarian supplies. Russia has pledged to open a humanitarian corridor to Zaporizhia, but Ukraine says that has not happened. As Russian troops gather outside Mariupol, Kyiv says Ukrainian forces are still holding the city – a gateway to the Black Sea that connects a strategic corridor between Donbass and the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. Image: Images released from Russia allegedly showing fire at oil depot Pic: AP Image: Pic: AP Ukraine is accused of the first air raid on Russian territory Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said this morning that Ukrainian helicopters had crossed the border at low altitude and that the fire had injured two workers. He added that some areas in the city, north of the border, were evacuated after the attack. Footage posted on the internet of a warehouse fire in Belgorod was geographically located by Sky News. Ukraine has said it “will neither confirm nor deny” that it carried out the airstrike. “Ukraine is defending itself to resist aggression,” Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told reporters. “This does not mean that Ukraine is responsible for what is happening in Russia.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said: “The incident certainly can not be taken as creating comfortable conditions for ongoing negotiations.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:04 Huge fire in a Russian oil depot Kyiv remains on alert after “partial” Russian withdrawal A Ukrainian military spokesman said Russian troops had withdrawn “partially” from Kyiv and Chernihiv. “But we can not predict what will happen and we are not going to reduce our defense,” they said. “At the moment, Russian troops are not enough to attack the capital. That does not mean it will not be in the future.” It came as British defense officials said Moscow was redeploying forces to Ukraine from Russian-backed secessionist areas in Georgia. The UK Department of Defense said between 1,200 and 2,000 of these Russian soldiers were organized into three regular battalion groups. “It’s very unlikely that Russia planned to build aid in this way, and it is indicative of the unexpected losses it suffered during the invasion.” The Foreign Ministry also said that Ukrainian forces had recaptured the villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka south of Chernihiv and were located along one of the main supply routes between the city and Kiev. He said Ukraine had continued to carry out successful but limited counterattacks in the east and northeast of Kiev. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:04 What is happening in Ukraine? Zelensky warns of “battles ahead” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is moving towards a new impetus in the southeastern Donbas region. He described the situation in the region – parts of which are controlled by Russian-backed separatists – as “extremely difficult”, adding that “there are battles ahead”. “We know that (Russian troops) are moving away from the areas where we are hitting them to focus on others that are very important – those where it can be difficult for us,” he said. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:57 “No final plan,” says Sergei Lavrov Russia has said it will focus on the “liberation” of Donbass, adding that the closure of operations near Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv was aimed at boosting “mutual trust and creating the conditions for further negotiations.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that there was a “movement” in the peace talks and that Moscow was preparing its response to Ukraine’s proposals. “There are no final approved plans, negotiations will definitely have to continue,” he said. Mr Lavrov said Russia was “preparing our response” to proposals that Ukraine could become a neutral country and rule out NATO membership.
