As it happened: Gun battles as Russian troops reach Mariupol city centre, says mayor

Friday's daily intelligence assessment by the Institute for the Study of War - a US think tank - offers some insights into how Russian troops are faring in Ukraine.

The analysis draws largely on reports from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to ISW, the invading forces may be attempting to establish "a strict administrative and police regime" in several areas, while also distributing food to civilians in order to maintain a positive image.

It adds that Russia continues to detain pro-Ukrainian civil servants, activists and others.

Those repressive measures come as Russia has "significantly exhausted its human resources" and is taking "extreme measures in matters of staffing", even allegedly dismissing a general for his performance.

Meanwhile, the think tank finds that Ukrainian forces have launched a successful counterattack near the encircled southern city of Mykolaiv, and halted the Russian advance into Kharkiv.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Europe's leading car-parts maker Bosch is halting production at its Russian factories.

Blaming supply chain issues and disrupted deliveries, the German giant admitted it may have to end its operations in the country for good.

But the pullout comes amid claims by Ukraine that it discovered "one of the main components that power" Russian infantry vehicles is supplied by Bosch.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told German media that Bosch has been supplying these components to the Russian military "for years".

An investigation is now said to be underway in Germany to find out whether the use of Bosch parts by the Russian military violates sanctions imposed on Moscow by the European Union.

The company says it had launched its own inquiry into the matter and is taking the allegations "very seriously".

Separately on Friday, US oil field services giant Halliburton suspended all future business with Russia.

Empty prams have been lined up on the streets of Lviv in western Ukraine, in tribute to the children who have died in the Ukraine war.

Each pram, placed outside Lviv's city council, represents one child.

Ukraine authorities say at least 109 have been killed so far.

Belgium has delayed by a decade a plan to scrap nuclear energy in 2025 amid a huge rise in energy prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"The federal government has decided to take the necessary steps to extend the life of the two most (recently built) nuclear reactors by ten years," Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo said in a tweet.

Russia has warned it could cut off gas supplies to European countries if a ban on Russian oil were to go ahead.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Russia has one of the largest and most powerful armed forces in the world, but that has not been apparent in its initial invasion of Ukraine.

Its military advances appear to have largely stalled and some now question whether it can recover from the losses it has suffered.

Many military analysts in the West have been surprised by its performance on the battlefield so far, with one describing it as "dismal".

This week a senior Nato military official told the BBC: "The Russians clearly have not achieved their goals and probably will not at the end of the day."

So what's gone wrong?

Read more: Beale's report on the mistakes Russia has made.

Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff says the Russians have managed to cut off the Ukrainians from the Sea of Azov

"The occupiers have partially succeeded in the Donetsk operational area - temporarily depriving Ukraine of access to the Sea of ​​Azov," the press release said.

But the armed forces general staff says Moscow is still being thwarted in all its main war objectives.

"The enemy is trying to compensate for the failures in advancing troops during the ground operation by launching missile and bomb strikes using both high-precision weapons and indiscriminate bombardment," the armed forces general staff said.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

In his nightly video address, Zelensky referred to a packed arena rally in Moscow earlier where the flag-waving crowd was addressed in person by President Vladimir Putin.

The event at the city's Luzhniki stadium was held to celebrate eight years since Russian troops seized Ukraine's southern region of Crimea.

"Many words were heard in Moscow today in connection with the anniversary of the capture of Crimea," Zelensky said.

"There was a big rally. And I want to draw attention to one detail. It is reported that a total of about 200,000 people were involved in the rally in the Russian capital - 100,000 on the streets, about 95,000 in the stadium.

"Approximately the same number of Russian troops were involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

"Just imagine that there are 14,000 corps and tens of thousands more wounded and maimed at that stadium in Moscow. There are already so many Russian casualties from this invasion.

"This is the price of war. A little more than three weeks. The war must end."

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims more than 14,000 Russian soldiers have died since the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.

Moscow has claimed only about 498 Russian soldiers have died.

EPACopyright: EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Saturday for meaningful peace and security talks "without delay" with Moscow.

He said it was Russia's only chance to limit the damage from its "mistakes" in the wake of its invasion.

"This is the only chance for Russia to reduce the damage from its own mistakes," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

"It's time to meet, it's time to talk, it's time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine.

"Otherwise, Russia's losses will be such that you will need several generations to recover."

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The US government has effectively grounded nearly 100 planes with ties to Russia.

A list released on Friday by its Department of Commerce publicly identifies commercial and private aircraft said to be in contravention of US sanctions on Russia.

The list includes aircraft operated by Russian airlines, including Aeroflot.

While most are Boeing aircraft, a Gulfstream private jet belonging to Roman Abramovich - the current owner of Chelsea football club - is also included.

The Biden administration says providing service to these aircraft anywhere in the world - including inside Russia - may lead to heavy fines and potential jail time.

Read more.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

A US military aircraft with four people onboard has reportedly crashed in northern Norway while taking part in Nato military exercises.

Norway's federal search and rescue co-ordination agency told Reuters that a V-22 Osprey on a training flight went missing during bad weather on Friday.

According to Reuters, a spokesman later confirmed it had "hit the ground".

The status of its four passengers is not currently known.

Norway's public broadcaster NRK has confirmed "challenging weather conditions in the area" probably caused the accident.

Authorities are searching the area by land and air.

A significant Nato exercise is said to be taking place in the country, with several Ospreys on site.

Mykolaiv has been on the front line for many weeks.

Some of its neighbourhoods on the edges have been under incessant Russian shelling, but today an army barracks in the north of the city appears to have taken a direct hit from Russian missiles.

A Ukrainian MP told us that dozens were wounded and dozens were killed at a base that was being used to train Ukrainian soldiers.

This comes after Ukrainian armed forces repelled a major Russian advance on the city. But they will try again.

Mykolaiv matters to Moscow.

It stands in the way of the magnificent city of Odessa, Ukraine's biggest port. It is part of a swathe of land along the south that Russia wants to take for a land corridor between two areas - Crimea and eastern Ukraine, which it already controls. That is regarded as the minimum President Putin would want to take away from this war.

At the other end sits Mariupol. The city bombarded, besieged. It is now byword now for human suffering in Ukraine.

The fighting there has now reached the city centre - a city centre which people say no longer exists, it's been smashed to smithereens.

BBCCopyright: BBC

United NationsCopyright: United Nations

The United Nations says it has just delivered its first package of humanitarian supplies to Sumy.

Thousands of civilians have been fleeing the besieged north-eastern city in recent days, but many more remain.

"We are here to help the most vulnerable civilians caught in the fighting, wherever they are in Ukraine," said the UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine Amin Awad.

The convoy in Sumy contains 130 metric tonnes of essential aid, including bottled water, canned food and medical supplies. The items are expected to directly impact some 35,000 residents.

The UN has said it will be the first of many shipments into the war-torn country, calling on "all parties" to allow "unhindered and sustained humanitarian access" for its volunteers and partners.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Ukrainian authorities say they evacuated 9,145 people from its major cities through humanitarian corridors on Friday, the 23rd day of Russia's invasion.

According to a post on Telegram by Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office, the numbers include nearly 5,000 residents of the southern port city of Mariupol, which has been under constant assault by Russian forces.

The senior official added more than 4,000 people fled Sumy, in the northeast, while some 500 others were bused out of Zaporizhzhia, where Europe's largest nuclear plant is located.

The BBC has not independently verified these claims.

The figures presented by Tymoshenko far exceed the less than 4,000 people that his office said managed to escape on Thursday.

Thousands of children are among the refugees pouring over Ukraine's borders into neighbouring countries.

In Poland, Krystyna Tynkalyuk tells the BBC that she is describing the move to her toddler "like an adventure... we are on holiday and visiting friends".

But Krystyna says, voice choking up, that her daughter asks more and more often "to go home to daddy".

The UK's Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull, says "the Kremlin has so far failed to achieve its original objectives".

He attributes that to two reasons - problems of its own making, and surprise at the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian resistance.

Hockenhull says Russian operations have changed and the country is now pursuing a "strategy of attrition" that involves "the reckless and indiscriminate use of firepower".

"This will result in increased civilian casualties, destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and intensify the humanitarian crisis," he notes.

He also adds that Vladimir Putin has reinforced his control over the domestic media: "The Kremlin is attempting to control the narrative, hide operational problems and obscure high Russian casualty numbers from the Russian people."

BBCCopyright: BBC

New satellite imagery, collected by the US-based Maxar Technologies, shows the damage caused by Russian airstrikes and artillery in various Ukrainian cities.

Satellite image ©2022 Maxar TechnologiesCopyright: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Satellite image ©2022 Maxar TechnologiesCopyright: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Satellite image ©2022 Maxar TechnologiesCopyright: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Satellite image ©2022 Maxar TechnologiesCopyright: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

If you're just joining us, or want a recap, here's a summary of the latest developments:

• Fighting has reached the centre of the southern port city of Mariupol, both sides have confirmed, where many civilians are still trapped and more than 80% of residential buildings are either damaged or destroyed
• President Zelensky said just 130 people have been rescued from the basement of the city's theatre, which was bombed on Wednesday. Some 1,300 are said to still be inside
• Dozens have reportedly been killed in a Russian missile attack on a Ukrainian army barracks in the strategic southern city of Mykolaiv
• President Biden has warned China of the consequences if it gives support to Russia in its war against Ukraine
• Vladimir Putin repeated a false claim at a huge rally in Moscow that Russian troops were protecting people in areas of eastern Ukraine from genocide
• Negotiations continue between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow claims they are "halfway there" but Kyiv says their position remains "unchanged"

BBCCopyright: BBC

An update now on the status of the Zaporizhzhia power station.

The nuclear plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, was captured by Russian forces two weeks ago after a heavy aerial assault that sparked concern and condemnation.

Three of the plant's five power lines were reportedly damaged or disconnected sometime around the Russian takeover.

The Interfax Ukraine news agency now says that Ukrainian specialists have repaired one of the damaged lines.

BBCCopyright: BBC

EPACopyright: EPA

Boris Johnson pledged to do more to help Ukraine, in a telephone call with President Zelensky on Friday morning.

The prime minister vowed to stand with Ukraine at a time when its people were "facing such horror with such courage".

Mr Johnson said he told Mr Zelensky: "We know that we must do more to help. I pledge to you that we will."

Speaking at the Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen, he said he told the president that he knew Ukraine was fighting "not just for your lives and your homes, but for the cause of democracy and freedom itself".

He said the UK had "led the way" in providing weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.

But he added: "I think that we all feel that we can, and we will, do more."