Ukraine morning briefing: Five developments as Russia strikes 58 military targets overnight

Good morning. The devastated city of Mariupol "continues to resist" despite Russian claims to have captured it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday as he welcomed fresh US aid to help confront Moscow's eastern offensive.

Russia said on Thursday that it had "liberated" the city, with just a few thousand Ukrainian soldiers left in the Azovstal steel plant, where thousands more civilians are also believed to have taken refuge. However, Mr Zelensky said the battle continues.

"In the south and east of our country, the occupiers continue to do everything to have a reason to talk about at least some victories," he said in a video address.

Here's what happened overnight – and you can follow the latest updates in our live blog.

1. New satellite images show apparent mass graves near Mariupol

Satellite images released on Thursday show what appears to be mass graves near the besieged city of Mariupol, and local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place.

The mass grave is located on the north-western edge of Manhush, around 12 miles west of Mariupol, and adjacent to an existing cemetery, according to Maxar Technologies.

The images support accusations by Vadym Boychenko, the mayor of Mariupol, who has claimed that Russian troops dug trenched near Manhush and buried hundreds of killed civilians.

He said "bodies started disappearing from the streets of the city" and that the Russians were "hiding the trace of their crimes and using mass graves as one of the instruments for that".

"They are taking the bodies of the dead residents of Mariupol in trucks and throw them into those trenches," he said.

Read the full story here.

2. Ukrainian fighters hold on in Mariupol

Ukrainian fighters were clinging to their last redoubt in Mariupol on Friday despite Vladimir Putin claiming victory in the city on Thursday.

In a late-night address, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was doing all it could "to talk about at least some victories", including mobilising new battalion tactical groups.

"They can only postpone the inevitable - the time when the invaders will have to leave our territory, including from Mariupol, a city that continues to resist Russia regardless of what the occupiers say," he said.

Ukraine - AP/Emilio Morenatti

Putin ordered his troops to blockade the giant Azovstal steel works where the Ukrainians are holding out, having refused an ultimatum to surrender or die.

Ukraine said Putin wanted to avoid a final clash with its forces in Mariupol, as he lacked troops to defeat them. But Ukrainian officials also appealed for help to evacuate civilians and wounded soldiers.

Read the full story here.

3. Russia strikes 58 military targets overnight

Russia's defence ministry said on Friday it had struck 58 military targets in Ukraine overnight, including sites where troops, fuel depots and military equipment were concentrated.

Mariupol - REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov

The ministry said it had also struck three targets using high-precision missiles in Ukraine, including an S-300 air defence system and a large concentration of Ukrainian troops with their equipment.

The reports could not be independently verified.

3. Russia rejects proposal for Easter truce

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia had rejected a proposal for a truce over the Orthodox Christian Easter period this weekend, but added he still has hopes for peace. The Orthodox Easter service starts late on Saturday into Sunday morning.

It comes as the mayor of Mariupol issued a new appeal for the "full evacuation" of the city, which is now controlled by Russian forces.

"We need only one thing - the full evacuation of the population. About 100,000 people remain in Mariupol," Mayor Vadym Boichenko said on national television.

Ukraine - Ken Cedeno/UPI/Shutterstock

Boichenko, who is no longer in Mariupol, did not provide any update on any fighting in or around the city on the Sea of Azov. But he said, without giving details, that Russian forces' "mockery" of those left in Mariupol continued.

5. UK police examining 50 allegations of war crimes

British police said on Friday they were gathering evidence after receiving about 50 reports of alleged war crimes following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

London's Metropolitan Police war crimes team said its specialist detectives were assessing some 50 referrals made since the start of the conflict as part of action in support of an International Criminal Court investigation.

Ukraine - REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov

"We’ve had around 50 referrals into us and we expect that number to grow over the coming weeks as more and more people who fled from Ukraine arrive here in the UK," said Detective Chief Superintendent Dominic Murphy from London police's Counter Terrorism Command.