VLADIMIR Putin has summoned a feared Russian general to turn around the fortunes of Russia's failing invasion of Ukraine.
Captain General Aleksandr Dvornikov – referred to as the Butcher of Syria – helped president Bashar al-Assad crush his enemies in the civil war.
During the general’s time, chemical weapons and indiscriminate air strikes were used in Syria – resulting in thousands of civilian casualties, according to reports.
It is understood Dvornikov is now the commander of Russia's Southern Military District, and will turn his attention to capturing Ukraine's Donbas region on the request of Putin himself.
Newly released Maxar satellite imagery collected on Friday showed an 8-mile (13-kilometer) convoy of military vehicles headed south to the Donbas region through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk.
Western military analysts said an arc of territory in eastern Ukraine was under Russian control, from Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city in the north to Kherson in the south.
It comes after a fatal attack on an East-Ukraine train station lead to scores being killed.
The Ukrainian governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said the death toll at Kramatorsk train station has risen to 52 – including five children.
About 4,000 people, most of them elderly, women and children, were at the railway station when it was struck, Mayor Oleksander Honcharenko said.
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…
- Louis Allwood
Ukraine 'looking for any way to stop this war'
Zelensky has said his country was 'ready for negotiations' with Russia and 'looking for any way to stop this war'.
He said: "Sadly, in parallel we see the preparations for important battles, some people say decisive ones, in the east.
"We are ready to fight," he added, and look "to end this war through diplomacy.
"In the east and in the south, we have seen a concentration of arms, equipment and troops who are getting ready to occupy another part of our territory."
- Louis Allwood
1 Billion euros pledge
President Ursula von der Leyen has said the European Commission will pledge 1 billion euros to support Ukraine.
Speaking at a fundraising event for Ukraine, von der Leyen said: "Six hundred million… will go to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian authorities and partially to the United Nations.
"And 400 million euros will go to the frontline states that are doing such an outstanding job and helping the refugees that are coming," she said.
- Louis Allwood
'The UK is the leader in defence support for Ukraine'
The deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Sybiha, said on Facebook, that Johnson and Zelensky were holding "a tete-a-tete meeting".
"The UK is the leader in defence support for Ukraine. The leader in the anti-war coalition. The leader in sanctions against the Russian aggressor," he added.
- Louis Allwood
Britain to send send 120 armoured cars to Ukraine
The news of Boris Johnson's meeting comes as Britain has agreed to send send 120 armoured cars – including Mastiffs – to Ukraine and more fighter jets to the Russian border in the fightback against Vladimir Putin.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Britain would step up arming the war-torn nation and vowed to do whatever he could to help back those fighting Putin's troops.
The vehicles were previously used in Afghanistan to withstand Taliban explosives – and can be shipped over via Europe.
They can carry up to eight troops plus another two crew – and can be armed with other weapons too.
The Sun understands that ministers want to send up to 200 of them over time.
- Louis Allwood
The prime minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky
Downing Street has now confirmed Boris Johnson's meeting.
A Number 10 spokesman said: “The prime minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky in person, in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
"They will discuss the UK’s long term support to Ukraine and the PM will set out a new package of financial and military aid.”
- Louis Allwood
Katerina Tikhonova's wealth
The younger daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, 35, is a tech boss whose work supports the Russian government and defence industry.
She started as a "rock'n'roll" dancer before moving into the world of artificial intelligence.
In 2013, his daughter Katerina married Kirill Shamalov, whose father, Nikolai, is a longtime friend of the president.
Nikolai Shamalov is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, described by US officials as the Russian elite's personal bank.
They were married in a secret ceremony at the Igor ski resort just north of St Petersburg.
It was reported at the time that the pair rode into the ceremony on a sleigh pulled by three white horses.
All the guests invited were sworn to secrecy, and the Kremlin has never confirmed that the wedding took place.
"I have a private life in which I do not permit interference," Putin once said. "It must be respected."
The couple had corporate holdings worth around $2 billion, according to Reuters, mainly from their large stake in Sibur Holding, a major gas and petrochemical company Kirill bought from another long-time friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko.
Kirill also bought off Timchenko's luxury villa in the seaside resort of Biarritz, southern France, estimated to be worth some $3.7m.
Last month, the house was taken over by pro-Ukraine activists, in response to Russia's brutal invasion.
- Louis Allwood
Mystery of Putin’s daughters’ secret wealth
His eldest, known as Maria Vorontsova, 36, leads government-funded programs personally overseen by Putin, which have received billions from the Kremlin for genetic research.
She is said to be an expert in rare genetic diseases in children, and also dwarfism, according to reports.
Maria was married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Faassen.
In 2013, the couple were living in a penthouse in Voorschoten, the Netherlands, but the following year, Dutch residents called for her to be expelled following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.
The pair are believed to have moved the Moscow the following year.
Last month, it was reported that the couple had split after the war in Ukraine crushed Maria's dreams of opening a money-spinning clinic for wealthy foreigners in Russia.
- Louis Allwood
'This is something we cannot forget'
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the perpetrators of civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha were guilty of war crimes.
Since Russian troops retreated from Bucha, Ukrainian officials say hundreds of civilians have been found dead.
Scholz says: "This is something we cannot forget.
"We cannot overlook that this is a crime. These are war crimes we will not accept… those who did this must be held accountable."
- Louis Allwood
Ukrainian soldier’s inspiring video to brothers in US that ‘victory will soon be ours’
ONE brother fights the war in Ukraine. The other two live in America, praying their soldier brother messages every day.
This is the new reality for brothers Oleksander, Artour, and Andrey Kissil, who grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city – that before the war was home to nearly 1.5 million people.
And Russian attacks are expected to worsen as Vladimir Putin intensifies his forces on the east of the country. Kharkiv is only about 25 miles from Russia at the nearest border point.
On the other side of the world, older brothers Artour and Andrey Kissil are in the United States, closely watching events unfold, waiting every day for news from their brother.
Artour lives in Queens, New York City. Each evening he goes to a local café to await a message or call from Oleksander, telling him his brother is alive and well.
On Thursday, Oleksander texted Artour confirming that he is okay, but describing the situation in Kharkiv as "so bad." Oleksander added that there are "so many rockets landing."
The exact location of where Oleksander sees action each day is not shared, but it is known to be in and around Kharkiv.
Once updates are received, Artour, an architect, relays messages to their truck driver brother, Andrey, who is often on the road.
Artour told The US Sun of his stress waiting for updates from Oleksander, saying his blood pressure "goes up" if he doesn’t get a message. On speaking about his daily wait for news, Artour broke down in tears, but he has support all around him.
- Louis Allwood
Priti Patel apologises as figures show just 12,000 Ukrainians have arrived to UK
The UK’s Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has apologised after she was met with criticism regarding the time taken for Ukrainian refugees to arrive to the UK.
Around 12,000 people had arrived to the UK under the Ukrainian visa schemes as of Tuesday, according to Home Office figures.
Some 10,800 people had arrived under the Ukraine family scheme, provisional data published on the department’s website shows.
But only 1,200 had arrived to the UK as part of the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme.
As of Thursday, about 79,800 applications had been submitted to the schemes and 40,900 visas had been granted.
In an interview with the BBC, Ms Patel said: “I apologise with frustration myself… it takes time to start up a new route.”
- Louis Allwood
Authorities close down Amnesty in Russia
Today, the Russian authorities have closed down representative offices of Amnesty International and other international NGOs.
Reacting to the news, Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said: “Amnesty’s closing down in Russia is only the latest in a long list of organizations that have been punished for defending human rights and speaking the truth to the Russian authorities. In a country where scores of activists and dissidents have been imprisoned, killed or exiled, where independent media has been smeared, blocked or forced to self-censor, and where civil society organizations have been outlawed or liquidated, you must be doing something right if the Kremlin tries to shut you up.
“The authorities are deeply mistaken if they believe that by closing down our office in Moscow they will stop our work documenting and exposing human rights violations. We continue undeterred to work to ensure that people in Russia are able to enjoy their human rights without discrimination. We will redouble our efforts to expose Russia’s egregious human rights violations both at home and abroad.
“We will never stop fighting for the release of prisoners of conscience unjustly detained for standing up for human rights. We will continue to defend independent journalism’s ability to report actual facts, free of the Russian government’s intervention. We will continue to work relentlessly to ensure that all those who are responsible for committing grave human rights violations, whether in Russia, Ukraine or Syria, face justice. Put simply, we will never give up.”
- Louis Allwood
British Red Cross chief calls for removal of visa rules for Ukraine refugees
The head of the British Red Cross has criticised the "long, complex" application process for Ukrainian refugees seeking sanctuary in the UK and has called for the removal of visa requirements.
Mike Adamson, the charity's chief executive, said only a "small trickle" of refugees are reaching the UK and that it should be made "much easier to come here".
"It will remain a slow process with the current visa arrangements in place and it's only if we remove those that we'll actually start to see a steady flow," he told BBC Breakfast.
"The whole of Europe and many other countries have waived their visa requirements.
"Most Ukrainians have biometric passports so we can do checks on them when they get here, we can find out who they are.
"And if we set up really good welcome centres and hubs, as the Government has actually promised, then we can look after them there, go through the matching processes, check out all the safety and security requirements.
"But the key thing is we get far more people here and then Britain would be playing its part at scale alongside our partners across Europe and of course showing solidarity and practical support to the people of Ukraine in this terrible situation."
- Louis Allwood
Prisoner exchange
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said that Ukraine has carried out a prisoner exchange with Russia.
It means 12 Ukrainian soldiers that had been taken prisoner will return home, Vereshchuk said.
She added that 14 civilians were also returning to Ukraine as part of the deal.
- Louis Allwood
Italy seeking to re-open embassy in Kyiv after Easter
Italy intends to re-open its embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv immediately after Easter, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Saturday.
"We were the last to leave Kyiv and we will be among the first to go back," Di Maio said after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry to discuss the war in Ukraine.
"At the same time we must intensify diplomatic pressure to bring (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to the talks table and reach a ceasefire."
- Louis Allwood
Russia THREATENS YouTube over alleged content block
Russian officials on Saturday accused US video hosting service YouTube of blocking the channel of the lower house of parliament and warned of reprisals.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the head of the Duma, said Washington was breaching "the rights of Russians" while foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said "YouTube has sealed its fate".
- Louis Allwood
NHS nurse 'on her hands & knees' over Homes for Ukraine delays
An NHS nurse said she is on her "hands and knees, begging" as she waits for her Homes For Ukraine application to be processed.
Lauren Corbishley, 43, an NHS nurse from Dawlish in Devon, applied to the scheme on March 18 to bring three members of a Ukrainian family to the UK.
But aside from the council making inquiries about a DBS check, she has heard nothing back.
Ms Corbishley said she has "two beautiful spare rooms waiting" for Yuliia, husband Glib, their 17-year-old daughter Maryna and their two huskies, who have been in Warsaw since March 10.
She said: "I'm basically on my hands and knees, begging.
"As a nurse in this NHS that has worked through this pandemic, I'm on my knees, and I'm begging (the Government), please find my family's applications and give them the (visas).
"Help me. I've given this country two years of my time with this pandemic, I am not rich, and I just want something back – and that is to get this family here."
She said the Home Office appeared to have "shut up shop" and that she was getting "distressed" messages from the family asking what they should do.
"I don't know any more than them," she said.
- Louis Allwood
Additional pledges
Boris Johnson is making additional pledges to Ukraine following his meeting today to support Ukraine.
It has been reported that the UK will guarantee an additional $500m (£384m) in World Bank lending to Ukraine, subject to parliamentary approval, taking its total loan guarantee to $1bn, a Downing Street statement said.
The UK will also relax tariffs on most imports from Ukraine to free up trade.
- Louis Allwood
New anti-ship missile systems
The UK will send new anti-ship missile systems to support Ukraine, Downing Street has said following talks between Boris Johnson and Zelensky.
Boris Johnson said: "It is because of President (Volodymyr) Zelensky's resolute leadership and the invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people that (Vladimir) Putin's monstrous aims are being thwarted."
- Louis Allwood
Inside Putin’s daughter’s gaudy and gold-plated penthouse
DETAILS about the gaudy and gold-plated luxury penthouse of Vladimir Putin’s secret daughter has surfaced online as she continues to flaunt her sickening wealth.
Revealing pictures show the property’s lavish interior as news of more civilian casualties filter through amid the bloody war in Ukraine.
Pictures from the German-linked estate agent Engel & Volkers show the extravagance of the gold-plated interiors – said to be the home of 19-year-old Luiza Rozova.
Experts say the designers flattered the “vanity” of the owner.
It is called “one of the most private complexes in St. Petersburg," according to an investigation by BBC Russia.
Many believe it was built by a company associated with Rossiya Bank, seen as the financial institution of the president’s inner circle.
- Louis Allwood
Boris takes to Twitter
The UK's prime minister has been holding talks in Ukraine's capital Kyiv with Zelensky.
Boris Johnson tweeted "Today I met my friend… as a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine".
- Louis Allwood
Ukraine 'looking for any way to stop this war'
Zelensky has said his country was 'ready for negotiations' with Russia and 'looking for any way to stop this war'.
He said: "Sadly, in parallel we see the preparations for important battles, some people say decisive ones, in the east.
"We are ready to fight," he added, and look "to end this war through diplomacy.
"In the east and in the south, we have seen a concentration of arms, equipment and troops who are getting ready to occupy another part of our territory."
- Louis Allwood
1 Billion euros pledge
President Ursula von der Leyen has said the European Commission will pledge 1 billion euros to support Ukraine.
Speaking at a fundraising event for Ukraine, von der Leyen said: "Six hundred million… will go to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian authorities and partially to the United Nations.
"And 400 million euros will go to the frontline states that are doing such an outstanding job and helping the refugees that are coming," she said.
- Louis Allwood
Britain to send send 120 armoured cars to Ukraine
The news of Boris Johnson's meeting comes as Britain has agreed to send send 120 armoured cars – including Mastiffs – to Ukraine and more fighter jets to the Russian border in the fightback against Vladimir Putin.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Britain would step up arming the war-torn nation and vowed to do whatever he could to help back those fighting Putin's troops.
The vehicles were previously used in Afghanistan to withstand Taliban explosives – and can be shipped over via Europe.
They can carry up to eight troops plus another two crew – and can be armed with other weapons too.
The Sun understands that ministers want to send up to 200 of them over time.
- Louis Allwood
The prime minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky
Downing Street has now confirmed Boris Johnson's meeting.
A Number 10 spokesman said: “The prime minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky in person, in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
"They will discuss the UK’s long term support to Ukraine and the PM will set out a new package of financial and military aid.”
- Louis Allwood
'The UK is the leader in defence support for Ukraine'
The deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Sybiha, said on Facebook, that Johnson and Zelensky were holding "a tete-a-tete meeting".
"The UK is the leader in defence support for Ukraine. The leader in the anti-war coalition. The leader in sanctions against the Russian aggressor," he added.
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