Ukrainian authorities have offered Russia talks next to the huge Azovstal metallurgical complex in Mariupol in the southeast, where Ukrainian fighters and civilians are still surrounded by Russian forces.
"We have invited the Russians to hold a special meeting right next to the Azovstal site," the Ukrainian presidency said, adding that it was waiting for the Russian delegation's response.
The adviser to the Ukrainian presidency Mihajlo Podoljak requested earlier today a truce in Marijupolj for the Orthodox Easter, a humanitarian corridor for civilians in Marijupolj, as well as an agreement on the exchange of military prisoners.
Ukraine today proposed a "special" round of talks with Russia to discuss the fate of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers still trapped in Mariupol, an adviser to the Ukrainian president said.
"The negotiations would aim to establish an immediate ceasefire in Mariupol, "multi-day" humanitarian corridors and the release or exchange of Ukrainian fighters captured at the Azovstal plant," said the adviser to the President of Ukraine Aleksey Arestovich.
Russia announced that a village in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, was shelled from across the border, state news agency TASS quoted Vladimir Pertsev, a local official, as saying.
He said that there were no casualties or damage after one projectile fell into the field.
No humanitarian routes have been established today from the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said, blaming Russian forces for failing to contain the fire.
Vereshchuk said that the Ukrainian side will try again on Monday to establish safe passage from Mariupol. She urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is due to travel to Moscow before visiting Kiev next week, to demand a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors from Mariupol.
"This is what Guterres should be talking about in Moscow, if he is going to talk about peace," said Vereshchuk.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, repeated today the call for an Easter truce while Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter.
Pope Francis, without specifically naming any country, called on the aggressors to stop the attack so as not to cause any more suffering to the exhausted people.
Francis told the crowd in St. Peter's Square that it had been two months since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and said the war had worsened instead of ending.
"It is sad that in these days, which are the holiest and most solemn for all Christians, the deadly noise of weapons is louder than the sound of bells announcing the Resurrection," he said.
An unspecified multiple number of civilians were killed today in Russian shelling in the Ukrainian region of Lugansk, local governor Sergej Gaidai said, according to Reuters.
"Civilians were killed once again today. Our compatriots. Nothing is sacred to them," said Gajdaj in a video address on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter Sunday.
The governor of the Kursk region in Russia said that the checkpoint in this region came "under fire" from Ukraine, reports Reuters.
Switzerland rejected two German requests for the export of Swiss ammunition to Ukraine citing its neutrality in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, reports N1.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland confirmed that both questions from Germany, whether ammunition obtained from Switzerland can be forwarded to Ukraine, "were answered in the negative with a note on Swiss neutrality."
Germany needs Switzerland's consent to deliver the weapons, which is stipulated in the sales contract.
Switzerland refused to comment on what type of ammunition Germany wants to send to Ukraine.
Russian forces are trying to break into the Azovstal ironworks in Mariupol by land, with air and artillery support, said Alexei Arestovich, adviser to the Ukrainian president, Reuters reports.
Arestovich wrote on Facebook that "Russian troops are trying to finish off the defenders of Azovstal and more than 1.000 civilians hiding in the factory."
The Azovstal steel plant is the main remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the southeastern port of Mariupol. Russian troops surrounded the factory in early March and gradually took control of most of the city.
The Presidents of Ukraine and Turkey Volodymyr Zelensky and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are talking by phone, and as reported by Reuters, Erdogan said that his country is ready to provide all assistance during the negotiation process with Russia.
It is added that he emphasized that the evacuation of the wounded and civilians from Marijupolje must be ensured.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the country's high-precision missiles hit nine Ukrainian military targets overnight, including four weapons depots in the Kharkiv region, where artillery weapons were stored, according to Reuters.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced today that its high-precision missiles hit nine Ukrainian military targets overnight, including four weapons depots in the Kharkiv region where artillery weapons were stored, Reuters reports.
The great holiday today gives us great hope and unshakable faith that light will conquer darkness, good will conquer evil, and life will conquer death - said President of Ukraine Volonir Zelensky in his Easter address to the people.
The war did not stop even during the holidays, but Ukrainians celebrated Easter.
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Russian gas producer Gazprom announced today that it will continue to supply natural gas to Europe via Ukraine - in line with the demands of European consumers, reports Reuters.
Demands were 51,7 million cubic meters for April 24, compared to 48,6 million cubic meters on April 23, Reuters added.
Eight people were killed in Russian attacks in Ukraine's Lugansk region on Saturday, regional governor Sergei Gaidai wrote in a social media post, Reuters reports, adding that he could not immediately verify this report.
One person was killed in the shelling of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk, regional governor Valentin Reznichenko said, as reported by Reuters.
Despite the fact that Russia has made some territorial progress, Ukrainian resistance has been strong in all directions and has caused significant losses to Russian forces in the Donbass, the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain announced in a regular bulletin, as reported by Reuters.
The Ukrainian General Staff announced this morning that the Russian army continued its offensive in the east of the country.
As it is added, the attacks and blockade of the Azovstal ironworks in Marijupolje continued.
"The enemy is carrying out airstrikes, including long-range aircraft. Using the railway connection, he is trying to establish logistical support for the troops," they added.
It is the XNUMXth day of the war in Ukraine.
Read what happened yesterday here.
Bonus video:
