Thread by @fulelo

Ukraine news on @bbcworldservice as on air at 6 AM GMT on the 9th day of the war - listen online bbcworldservice.com or on radiogarden or tunein radio app or on shortwave in #Ukraine
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The mayor of the (cont)

Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has said it is vital to release it from the Russian blockade that's left it in dire shortage of water, food and power. Using the Telegram app, Vadim Boychenko said the priority was a ceasefire; he repeated the need for a corridor (cont.)

to bring in food and medicine in the face of Russia's "ruthless" bombardments. Mariupol is home to nearly half a million people. There are unconfirmed reports of fresh fighting on Saturday in the north-eastern city of Sumy and (cont.)

of rocket attacks on the train station in Kharkiv, above a metro station where city residents are sheltering from shelling. There are also reports of multiple explosions in the capital, Kyiv. In some parts of Ukraine, stiff local resistance has hampered Russian progress. (cont)

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has strongly criticised NATO's decision to turn down Kyiv's request for a no-fly zone to protect the country's skies from Russian warplanes and missiles. Calling Friday's NATO summit "weak" and "confused", (cont.)

Mr Zelenskiy said the alliance had given a green light for Russian bombing missions. But the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg repeated that the alliance had a duty to prevent the war in Ukraine from spreading to other nations. (cont.)

An escalation in the conflict would cause even more suffering, he said; but he added that NATO would look at further ways of extending sanctions against the Kremlin.

Aides working in the US upper house, the Senate, say President Zelensky will address the full chamber by video link on Saturday morning Washington time (1430 GMT/0930 EST) The Zoom meeting has been arranged at Ukraine's request. It will be the first chance the Senate has had

to speak to the Ukrainian leader since the Russian invasion began, and his first chance to outline what he needs. US lawmakers are working to pass billions of dollars' worth of new aid for Ukraine.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has told the BBC it is not inevitable that Ukraine will lose its war with Russia. He said he was convinced that over time, Ukraine could win. Mr Blinken said he could not tell how long the war might last, (cont.)

but rejected the idea that Russia could subjugate to its will, 45 million people ardently fighting for their freedom. Speaking in Brussels after meeting his EU counterparts, Mr Blinken accused Russian forces of using increasingly brutal methods in Ukraine

The Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency has told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that he is ready to travel to Ukraine to secure the safety of its nuclear sites. The Council was discussing Ukraine's largest nuclear power station

the Zaporizhzhia plant, after it was shelled and captured by Russian forces. The IAEA director, Rafael Grossi, said that no safety systems had been compromised in the attack, but he said there was nothing normal about the military being in charge of such sites. Mr Grossi said

that Ukraine's nuclear sites were in constant danger, and that his proposal to send a mission was being considered by Ukrainian and Russian officials. The UN's political chief, Rosemarie DeCarlo, said military operations around nuclear sites were highly irresponsible.

Russia's UN ambassador denied that Russian forces had shelled the plant.

The South Korean electronics giant Samsung has announced that it intends to suspend shipments to Russia due to what it calls current geopolitical developments.

The company, whose mobile phones are very popular in Russia, said it would also donate 6 million dollars to humanitarian causes in the region and actively support aid for refugees. Other well known global brands, including the French fashion house Chanel

and the tech giant Microsoft, have also said they will cease operating in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

More international media organisations are suspending operations in Russia, after the introduction of new rules that threaten journalists with prison sentences

of up to 15 years. Bloomberg announced it was halting news-gathering inside Russia and CNN and Canada's CBC said they would stop broadcasting in the country. Earlier, the BBC announced it was temporarily suspending the work of all its news journalists and support staff in Russia

BBC director general, Tim Davie, said the new legislation appeared to criminalise the process of independent journalism. He said BBC News in Russian would continue to operate from outside Russia.

The Russian parliament has passed legislation making the spread of 'fake' information about the armed forces a criminal offence.

The centres of the Czech and Georgian capitals, Prague and Tbilisi, have seen massive night-time demonstrations in support of Ukraine

and against Russia's invasion. Ukraine's President Zelensky used a video link to address both rallies and others in Frankfurt, Vilnius, Lyon and Bratislava. Friday also saw pro-Ukraine protests in Lisbon, Lucerne, London, and outside Europe in Seoul, Jakarta and La Paz.

But in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, some 4000 people marched in favour of Russia and Vladimir Putin; some on social media say chants were heard in support of the Bosnian Serb genocide convict, Ratko Mladic.

President Biden has agreed to deepen security and defence cooperation with Finland, as the war in Ukraine has roused concerns among European countries bordering Russia. In talks at the White House with the Finnish prime minister, Sauli Niinisto, President Biden called Finland

a strong defence partner, but the two leaders stopped short of suggesting Finland might join NATO. The Nordic country shares a 1300 km border with Russia and was under its control for more than a century till 1917. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has now seen

a majority of people in Finland and Sweden coming out in favour of NATO membership, despite Russia's threats of retaliation if they join. In Sweden, a country long known for neutrality, a poll has for the first time suggested that a majority - 51%- favour joining NATO

The cost of gas on wholesale markets in Europe has surged to record levels due to continuing uncertainty over supplies from Russia. Europe gets about 40% of its gas from Russia and there are fears that sanctions on Moscow, or counter-measures by Moscow, cd interrupt supplies

These concerns are already affecting the markets, and the price of oil has jumped by up to 5%. But speaking in Brussels, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that Washington had no immediate plans to impose sanctions on Russian oil and gas sales.

He said such measures would reduce international energy supply, push up prices and increase Russian profits. He added that the US was working to help Europe diversify away from Russian energy supplies.

Some news just in: Russia's defence ministry says Russian forces will stop firing about now (0700 G) to allow humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of civilians out of Mariupol and the smaller city of Volnovakha to the north.
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