Battle looms in Ukraine’s east

Children’s shoes are seen during a demonstration organised by the Ukrainian Association in Finland, to honour the memory of the children killed in Mariupol, Ukraine, in Helsinki on Sunday. Pics/AFP

A grave with at least two civilian bodies has been found in Buzova village near Kyiv, a Ukrainian official said, the latest reported grave discovered after Russian forces withdrew from areas north of the capital to focus their assault on the east. Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community that includes Buzova, told Ukrainian television earlier that a grave with dozens of bodies had been found in a ditch near a petrol station.

"Right now, as we are speaking, we are digging out two bodies of villagers, who were killed. Other details I cannot disclose," Didych said. "There are other people who we cannot find. They could be in different places, but this doesn't lessen the pain of the loss of loved ones."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walk in central Kyiv on Saturday

Mounting civilian casualties have triggered widespread international condemnation and new sanctions, in particular over hundreds of deaths in the town of Bucha, to the northwest of Kyiv that until just over a week ago was occupied by Russian forces. Moscow has rejected accusations of war crimes by Ukraine and Western countries. Some cities in the east are under heavy shelling with tens of thousands of people unable to evacuate. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address late on Saturday Russia's use of force was "a catastrophe that will inevitably hit everyone." Ukraine was ready to fight for victory while looking for a diplomatic end to the war, he said, and renewed his appeal to Western allies for a total ban on Russian energy products and more weapons for Ukraine.

Johnson in Kyiv

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson walked with Zelensky on the streets of Kyiv during Johnson's surprise visit on Saturday. In a two-minute video shared by the Ukrainian government, they were seen walking through the largely empty city with snipers and other heavy security.

4.5M
No. of people who have fled Ukraine

Putin appoints new commander for Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed a new Army General Alexander Dvornikov, commander of Russia's Southern Military District, to lead the war in Ukraine as Moscow's military failed to capture Kyiv.

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