Russia war highlights: UN chief arrives in Ukraine after Moscow visit

Two months into the fighting, Western arms have helped Ukraine stall Russia’s invasion, but the country's leaders have said they need more support fast.

A Ukrainian soldier jumps of a destroyed Russian tank in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. (REUTERS)

The U.S. pressed its allies Tuesday to move “heaven and earth” to keep Kyiv well-supplied with weapons as Russian forces rained fire on eastern and southern Ukraine amid growing new fears the war could spill over the country's borders....Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 27 Apr 2022, 10:51:08 PM IST

  UN chief arrives in Ukraine after Moscow visit

  UN chief Antonio Guterres says he has arrived in Ukraine after visiting Moscow, reports AFP.

• 27 Apr 2022, 10:49:59 PM IST

  US shares more intelligence with Ukraine for Donbas fight

  The US has lifted some restrictions on sharing intelligence with Ukraine as it confronts a renewed Russian military assault in the east and south.

• 27 Apr 2022, 09:44:41 PM IST

  Putin threatens with 'immediate strikes...'

  Putin threatens with ‘immediate strikes’ against countries that intervene in Russia's war in Ukraine.

• 27 Apr 2022, 08:55:14 PM IST

  Governor: Russian shelling on hospital in Sievierodonetsk, kill 1

  According to Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai, Russian shelling on hospital in Sievierodonetsk has killed one.

• 27 Apr 2022, 08:09:15 PM IST

  European Commission proposes to suspend import duties on Ukraine exports to EU

  European Commission proposes to suspend import duties on Ukrainian exports to EU for 1 year.

• 27 Apr 2022, 07:10:45 PM IST

  Indonesian president invites Zelensky to G20 summit

  During a phone conversation on April 27, Indonesian president Joko Widodo invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to take part in the G20 summit being hosted by Indonesia in November.

• 27 Apr 2022, 07:02:04 PM IST

  Russian forces have captured several eastern villages: Ukraine

  Ukraine says that Russian forces have captured several eastern villages as part of Moscow's offensive to take control of the Donbas region, which Russia has vowed to "liberate".

• 27 Apr 2022, 06:06:39 PM IST

  EU chief warns paying Russia rubles for gas breaches sanctions

  EU chief warns paying Russia rubles for gas breaches sanctions, reports AFP.

• 27 Apr 2022, 05:31:11 PM IST

  Norway to allocate $44 million to buy weapons for Ukraine: Kyiv Independent

  Norway to allocate $44 million to buy weapons for Ukraine, reports Ukrainian media.

• 27 Apr 2022, 04:48:57 PM IST

  Russian forces violently disperse crowds: Ukrainian media

  Russian forces violently disperse crowds, injure protesters at pro-Ukrainian rally in Kherson, reported Ukrainian media.

• 27 Apr 2022, 03:55:23 PM IST

  Russia withdraws from UN tourism body, says UNWTO

  United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said that Russia has withdrawn from UN tourism body, reported AFP.

• 27 Apr 2022, 03:10:23 PM IST

  US, UK prodding allies to send heavy weapons to Ukraine

  The US and Britain have been prodding allies to send more heavy weapons to Ukraine, reported AFP.

• 27 Apr 2022, 02:30:50 PM IST

  Blasts in Russia are 'karma' and 'payback': Ukrainian presidential aide

  A Ukrainian presidential aide described explosions heard in three Russian provinces bordering Ukraine on Wednesday as "karma" and payback for the war in Ukraine, reported Reuters.

• 27 Apr 2022, 01:47:53 PM IST

  EU 'prepared' for Russian gas stoppage: says EU President

  President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says that EU is prepared for gas stoppages by Russia and will plan a coordinated response against Russia, news agency AFP reported. Russia has cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria and NATO member & Ukraine neighbour Poland.

• 27 Apr 2022, 01:37:51 PM IST

  Transdniestria claims Ukraine launched drones, fired shots at night

  Interior Ministry of Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniestria said that it detected drones overnight. The drone were launched from Ukraine, the ministry claimed as per news agency Reuters. "Shots were fired towards Cobasna village from territory of Ukraine," it added.

• 27 Apr 2022, 12:51:31 PM IST

  European gas jumps 24% as Russia cuts off Poland, Bulgaria

  European gas surged after Russia halted flows to Poland and Bulgaria, escalating regional tensions and delivering a warning to the continent that it’s serious about cutting supplies amid a standoff over fuel payments.

• 27 Apr 2022, 11:25:13 AM IST

  Russian natural gas arriving unrestricted in Austria, minister says

  Russian natural gas deliveries to Austria are continuing unrestricted and there is no indication that that will change, Austrian energy minister Leonore Gewessler told ORF radio on Wednesday as per Reuters.

  Asked if there were any indications that gas from Russia could be cut off as in Poland or Bulgaria, Gewessler said: "No, we have no such indications ... deliveries to Austria remain unrestricted." Austria obtains 80% of its gas from Russia.

• 27 Apr 2022, 10:37:05 AM IST

  "Ukraine retained control over majority of its airspace," says UK

  "Ukraine has retained control over the majority of its airspace," UK Military Intelligence team has said as per news agency Reuters. "Ukraine continues to hold Russian air assets at risk," it added.

  Meanwhile, Russian air activity is primarily focused on southern and eastern Ukraine, providing support to Russian ground forces as per UK.

• 27 Apr 2022, 09:25:51 AM IST

  UN chief and Russia's Putin agree on key Ukraine evacuation: AP

  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin met one-on-one Tuesday for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the United Nations said they agreed on arranging evacuations from a besieged steel plant in the battered city of Mariupol.

  U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the Russian leader and U.N. chief discussed “proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, namely in relation to the situation in Mariupol.”

  They also agreed in principle, he said, that the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross should be involved in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel complex where Ukrainian defenders in the southeastern city are making a dogged stand.

• 27 Apr 2022, 09:03:38 AM IST

  Former Japan minister seeks ‘substantial’ defense spending hike

  Japan needs a “substantial” increase in military spending next year, a former defense minister said, as he prepared to submit a ruling party research group’s national security proposals to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

  “If you’re thinking of the NATO level of 2% in five years’ time, you will need a substantial initial budget request,” Itsunori Onodera, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party’s Research Commission on Security, said in an interview with Bloomberg News at his offices Tuesday.

• 27 Apr 2022, 08:19:00 AM IST

  Russia bombs Azovstal steel plant

  Mariupol mayor said Russian forces hit the Azovstal steel plant with 35 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, AP reported. The plant is the last known stronghold of Ukrainian fighters in the city. About 1,000 civilians were said to be taking shelter there with an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian defenders.

• 27 Apr 2022, 07:42:49 AM IST

  'World on brink of disaster,' says Zelensky

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Russian troops' conduct at Chernobyl showed that "no one in the world can feel safe." Russia treated the toxic site "like a normal battleground, territory where they didn't even try to care about nuclear safety," he said during a press conference with UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi. "No country in the world since 1986 has posed such a large-scale threat to nuclear security in Europe and the world than Russia has since February 24," he added.

• 27 Apr 2022, 07:29:53 AM IST

  Over 8 million refugees expected

  The UN says that nearly 5.3 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia invaded and warns that three million more could follow by the end of this year.

• 27 Apr 2022, 06:07:54 AM IST

  Putin, UN chief meet to discuss Ukraine

  Russian President Vladimir Putin met with visiting United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Kremlin on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

  Putin told Guterres that the Ukrainian issue arose after the 2014 "unconstitutional coup" in Kyiv and people in Donbass remained under blockade and military pressure even after the Minsk agreements on a peaceful settlement were reached.

• 27 Apr 2022, 05:35:04 AM IST

  Day 63 of war: US says more help on the way

  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin convened a meeting Tuesday of officials from about 40 countries at the U.S. air base at Ramstein, Germany, and said more help is on the way.

  “This gathering reflects the galvanized world,” Austin said, adding that he wanted officials to leave the meeting “with a common and transparent understanding of Ukraine’s near-term security requirements because we’re going to keep moving heaven and earth so that we can meet them.”