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Live Reporting

Edited by Gareth Evans

All times stated are UK

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  1. We're pausing our live coverage

    A huge fire at Ukraine's Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery
    Image caption: Fighting in Ukraine's Donetsk region sparked a major fire at a wooden monastery near the front line

    We're pausing our live coverage for today. We'll bring you the latest updates and analysis again on Sunday. For now, here are today's main developments:

    • The key eastern city of Severodonetsk continues to see intense fighting, with Ukraine saying its forces have recaptured part of the city. Russia, however, claims several Ukrainian units are retreating. "The Russian army is throwing all its power in this direction," the regional governor said
    • A church at a famous monastery in eastern Ukraine, Sviatohirsk Lavra, has been set on fire. Ukraine blames Russian bombardment but Russia has accused retreating Ukrainian forces of starting the blaze
    • French President Emmanuel Macron has again warned against humiliating Russia, after urging the West in May not to give in to "the temptation of humiliation, nor the spirit of revenge". Macron says France's role is as a "mediating power" between Ukraine and Russia.
    • Russian troops continue to shell residential areas of Mykolaiv, with three people killed in attacks this morning, the southern city's mayor says. The BBC has not been able to independently verify this
  2. Russian anti-war conductor has concert cancelled

    Vassily Sinaisky (27 May 11)
    Image caption: Vassily Sinaisky has performed widely in Russia and abroad (2011 pic)

    A St Petersburg classical concert featuring an internationally renowned conductor, Vassily Sinaisky, has been cancelled after he was vilified by Putin supporters for condemning the war in Ukraine.

    The official website of the St Petersburg Academic Philharmonia says simply that tonight’s concert is cancelled because of Sinaisky’s “state of health”.

    The Russian news sites Kommersant and MK note that Sinaisky was attacked on social media after he condemned the Russian invasion in February. His critics demanded that the concert be cancelled.

    The concert was to have celebrated the orchestra’s 140th anniversary. Sinaisky has previously conducted the BBC Philharmonic.

    In a statement on a Czech orchestra’s website - that of the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava – on 28 February he said: “The present events feel like a vile invasion into a sovereign state which causes only grief and tragedy for thousands of people."

  3. In pictures: Scenes from day 101 of Russia's invasion

    US ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink in Borodyanka
    Image caption: Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova (right) shows US ambassador Bridget Brink (centre, looking up) the damage in Borodyanka
    An angel sculpture made of white ribbons in Lviv
    Image caption: Ukrainians tie white ribbons to an angel sculpture in Lviv to mark International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
    Children climb on a destroyed Russian tank in Ukraine's capital Kyiv
    Image caption: Children climbing on a captured Russian tank in Kyiv during a day of celebrations to mark the anniversary of the Ukrainian capital's foundation
    A crater in front of an airfield hangar on the outskirts of Kharkiv
    Image caption: A crater in front of an airfield hangar following a military strike on the outskirts of Kharkiv in north-east Ukraine
  4. Artillery and airstrikes hit north and east - Ukraine military

    An elderly woman is pictured in her damaged apartment after an attack in the city of Soledar, 4 June 2022
    Image caption: An elderly woman is pictured in her damaged apartment after an attack in the city of Soledar

    As well as the intense battle for the eastern city of Severodonetsk, Russian attacks are continuing in many other locations around Ukraine, according to the evening update from Ukraine's armed forces.

    It says artillery shelling was recorded in settlements in the northern Sumy and Chernihiv regions today, while systematic fire continued on Ukrainian positions in the Kharkiv area in the north-east.

    In the eastern Donetsk region, there were mortar, artillery and rocket-propelled grenade attacks in several locations, as well as airstrikes on the cities of Soledar and Slovyansk, it says.

    Further south, it reports rocket-propelled grenade attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region.

    The military says fighting continues for control of the city of Severodonetsk, with artillery and airstrikes in some surrounding areas.

    Map of eastern Ukraine
  5. Five ways Russia's invasion may play out

    James Landale

    Diplomatic correspondent

    Residents look for belongings in the rubble of their home after a Russian strike in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas

    The war in Ukraine has passed the 100th day mark. But how will it end? Here are five possible scenarios:

    1. War of attrition: The war might continue for months - if not years - as Russian and Ukrainian forces grind each other down
    2. Putin announces a ceasefire: The Russian president could surprise the world with a unilateral ceasefire, pocketing his territorial gains and declaring "victory"
    3. Battlefield stalemate: Ukraine and Russia conclude they cannot achieve more militarily and enter talks for a political settlement
    4. 'Victory' for Ukraine: Ukraine could force Russian troops to withdraw to where they were before the invasion
    5. 'Victory' for Russia: Russia could capitalise on its gains in Donbas, freeing up forces for use elsewhere, perhaps even targeting Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, once again.

    Read more about what each scenario entails here.

  6. Ukrainian units retreating from Severodonetsk - Russia

    Ukrainian armed forces units have suffered critical losses - of up to 90% in some units - during the battle for the key eastern city of Severodonetsk, Russia's Defence Ministry says.

    In a post on Telegram, it says Ukrainian units are now retreating in the direction of Lysychansk, a city on the other side of the Siverskyi Donets river. The post did not say how many units it was referring to.

    Earlier the Ukrainian regional governor said Ukrainian forces had partly pushed back Russian troops who had at one point taken about 70% of the city.

    It is not possible for the BBC to verify these claims independently.

    Locator map showing Severodonetsk
  7. Zelensky condemns monastery 'shelling'

    As we've been reporting, a church at a famous monastery in eastern Ukraine, Sviatohirsk Lavra, has been set on fire.

    Ukraine blames Russian bombardment, but Russia has accused retreating Ukrainian forces of starting the blaze.

    Now Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has weighed in, with comments on Telegram: "The occupiers know what they are shelling. They know that there are no military targets on the territory of the Svyatohirsk Lavra, that around 300 laypeople are sheltering from hostilities there, including 60 children."

    But the Russians shell the Lavra all the same, like the rest of Donbas."

    He reiterated Ukrainian calls for Russia to be excluded from the UN heritage body Unesco: "Every church burnt by Russia in Ukraine, every blown up school, every ruined memorial proves that there is no place for Russia in Unesco."

  8. Unusual tactics used by Russian attack helicopters

    Chris Partridge

    BBC News

    There is an interesting, and somewhat unusual, tactic being repeatedly used by Russian attack helicopter crews in Ukraine.

    The Ka-52 'Alligator' can use unguided rockets to attack ground targets. These are fire-and-forget munitions which deliver a degree of area suppression but lack pinpoint accuracy.

    In several videos released by the Russian defence ministry, we often see from the pitch angle that pilots pull up the helicopter's nose steeply before launching their rockets.

    This means the target is likely to be unsighted at launch, delivering questionable accuracy.

    A Russian Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ helicopter
    Image caption: A Russian Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ helicopter

    So why might the pilots do this?

    Well, by pitching up the nose at this angle, rockets are 'lofted' into the air.

    That higher angle of launch gives them greater range, albeit at the expense of their capable accuracy. It is almost like using the weapon as aerial artillery.

    But greater range means the helicopter is further away and being further away means you are likely to be outside the attack envelopes of opposing forces.

    So in short, this approach is probably a defensive tactic.

    A Russian Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ helicopter firing missiles
    Image caption: A Russian Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ helicopter firing missiles
  9. Three people killed in shelling in Mykolaiv - mayor

    Image posted by mayor of Mykolaiv, apparently showing shelling damage
    Image caption: An image posted by the mayor shows a damaged residential building

    Russian troops continue to shell residential areas of Mykolaiv, with three people killed in attacks this morning, the southern city's mayor has said.

    In a post on Telegram channel, Alexander Senkevich said four more people were injured and doctors were battling to save their lives.

    According to initial information, three high-rise buildings were damaged, he said.

    The BBC is not able to independently verify the report.

    You can read more about life in the city here: We are holding on, say Mykolaiv residents

    Map showing Mykolaiv location
  10. How long can the Western consensus hold?

    The UK, France, and US leaders at the G7 meeting in March
    Image caption: The UK, France, and US leaders presented a united front at the G7 meeting in March

    Taking a step back for a moment, our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams has been analysing whether cracks are starting to show in the West's support for Ukraine.

    Military experts are predicting a long war of attrition as Russian forces make slow progress in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

    The UK, Poland and the Baltics have been calling for Putin's unambiguous defeat.

    Leaders in other European countries, such as France, Germany and Italy, have hinted at a different approach.

    French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian PM Mario Draghi have both called for a ceasefire,

    As we reported earlier, Macron has again warned today against humiliating Russia, after urging the West in May not to give in to "the temptation of humiliation, nor the spirit of revenge". Draghi has suggested Europe wants "some credible negotiations".

    Latvia's deputy prime minister has criticised the French president and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after they held an 80-minute phone call with Mr Putin last Saturday to explore ways to export grain through the Black Sea.

    "It seems that there are a number of so-called Western leaders who possess the explicit need for self-humiliation, in combination with a total detachment from political reality," Artis Pabriks tweeted.

    The fear in Ukraine will be that the cracks among Europe's leaders could widen further.

    Read more on this story here.

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
    Image caption: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been reluctant to ship heavy arms and tanks to Ukraine
  11. Ukraine rejects Macron's comments on dealing with Russia

    Now back to diplomacy - and comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has cautioned that the West "must not humiliate Russia".

    In an interview with French newspapers published today, he said this was important "so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means".

    "I am convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power," he said.

    His words haven't gone down very well with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that such calls would "only humiliate France" and others taking the same view.

    View more on twitter

    Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, who has served as a negotiator in previous Kyiv-Moscow talks, was asked about the French offer to mediate.

    Talks would be "pointless" until Ukraine received more weapons and was able to push Russian forces back "as far as possible to the borders of Ukraine", he said in comments on Ukrainian television reported by Reuters.

  12. Russia blames Ukrainians for monastery fire

    The Russian Defence Ministry has blamed Ukrainian "nationalist" troops for the Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery fire.

    A ministry message on Telegram says that as units of Ukraine's 79th Airborne Assault Brigade were retreating from Sviatohirsk, "the Ukrainian nationalists set fire to the wooden monastery".

    "According to local residents, a burst of incendiary ammunition from a large-calibre machine-gun mounted on a Ukrainian Kozak armoured vehicle was fired into the wooden walls of the domed space of the structure."

    The message says Russian forces north of Sviatohirsk "are not conducting combat operations in this area and are not shelling the territory of the Sviatohirsk Historical and Architectural Reserve".

    Russia has repeatedly denied shelling civilian areas in Ukraine, and accuses Ukrainian forces of using local civilians as "human shields". But evidence from many Ukrainians and foreign witnesses shows widespread destruction caused by Russian bombardments.

  13. Blazing monastery linked to Moscow Church

    More now on the blaze at a famous wooden monastery in eastern Ukraine, Sviatohirsk Lavra.

    A Ukrainian government tweet shows the fine old monastery intact, before it was hit. The monastery is affiliated to the Moscow Patriarchate, which is run by Patriarch Kirill, an ally of President Vladimir Putin and supporter of the Russian military.

    The tweet alleges that Russian forces killed four monks there on 30 May - a claim the BBC has not verified.

    On Facebook, Ukraine's Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko says this: "The Donetsk eparchy [diocese] of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has confirmed that in this temple, besides monks and nuns, there were 300 refugees, among them disabled and elderly, and nearly 60 children, among them newborns."

    View more on twitter
  14. Monastery ablaze near Donetsk frontline

    Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery ablaze on Saturday
    Image caption: Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery ablaze on Saturday

    The fighting in Donetsk region has sparked a major fire at a big wooden monastery near the frontline - the Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery.

    "As a result of hostilities, a large-scale fire broke out on the territory of the All Saints Hermitage of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra," the Ukrainian Orthodox Church says on its website. "The flames engulfed the main shrine of the monastery."

    A Ukrainian army officer, Yurii Kochevenko, posted a photo of the burning monastery on Facebook, with the caption: "Another crime of Russian barbarians for whom there is nothing sacred."

    The monastery stands on cliffs by the Siverskyi Donets river. Russian troops have tried repeatedly to cross the river, aiming to encircle the Ukrainian army. Sviatohirsk lies just north of Slovyansk, a city held by the Ukrainians.

    The monastery dates back centuries and was closed by the Communists in the last century, but was reopened in 1992 after the Soviet Union’s collapse.

  15. Bloody battle taking place for Severodonetsk

    Joe Inwood

    Reporting from Kyiv

    Severodonetsk has both strategic and symbolic importance.

    The Russians have been advancing for weeks - making what seemed to be a slow but inexorable march towards taking it.

    But today, for the first time, Luhansk’s regional governor claimed the tide was turning.

    Serhiy Haidaisaid the city’s defenders had reclaimed about a fifth of Severodonetsk - and could hold on.

    “As soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run."

    The battle for Severodonetsk is not just a military one.

    Both sides put out information that suits their agenda. But, if Severodonetsk can be held, it would be a remarkable victory for the Ukrainians – one that could affect the outcome of this war.

    A map showing areas of Russian military control around Severodonetsk
  16. What's been happening today?

    If you're just joining us or need a recap, here are the latest developments:

    • Ukraine claims to have recaptured parts of the key eastern city of Severodonetsk, Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai says
    • Haidai previously said 70% of the city had fallen to Russian forces
    • The Luhansk governor also says Russia has been blowing up bridges west of the city to hold up Ukrainian reinforcements
    • Russian air strikes are increasing in the eastern Donbas region, UK military intelligence says
    • Russian forces have shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane near the Black Sea port of Odesa, as well as hitting an artillery training centre in the Sumy region in a missile strike, Moscow says

    The BBC is not able to independently verify this information.

    Map showing fighting in the east
  17. Russian forces blow up bridges west of Severodonetsk - Luhansk governor

    The governor of the eastern Luhansk region has said Russian forces are blowing up bridges near the key strategic city of Severodonetsk to stop Ukrainian reinforcements from joining the battle.

    Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces were facing "huge losses" in Severodonetsk, with the Ukrainian military repelling them. He had previously said they had taken control of 70% of the city.

    Severodonetsk and its neighbour Lysychansk are set either side of the Siverskyi Donets river.

    The city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine
  18. Zelensky urges US mayors to cut 'sister city' ties with Russia

    Ukraine's president has called on US mayors to cut ties with Russian cities they hold "twin" or "sister" city relationships with.

    "Tyrants must not be allowed to enjoy ties to the free world. Any ties," Volodymyr Zelensky said in an online address to the US Conference of Mayors

    He gave the examples of Chicago which names Moscow as a sister city, as well as Jacksonville and Murmansk, San Diego and Vladivostok, as well as Albany and Tula.

    "What do these connections give you? Probably nothing. But they give Russia the opportunity to say that it is not isolated, even after beginning such a war," Zelensky said.

    He also said "some of the most deadly Russian missiles are designed and manufactured in Yekaterinburg. Which, by the way, is still a sister city of San Jose".

    Chicago and Albany have both announced temporary suspensions of the relationships.

    Zelensky also called on the mayors to involve their cities in rebuilding efforts in Ukraine.

    Chicago city view
    Image caption: The US city of Chicago has temporarily suspended sister city ties with...
    Moscow city view
    Image caption: Moscow, Russia's capital and largest city.
  19. Ukraine intelligence in touch with captured Azov fighters - minister

    Ukrainian intelligence agents are communicating with Azov regiment servicemen who were taken captive in the southern port city of Mariupol, the Interior Ministry has reported on Telegram.

    "It is through them that we learn more about their living conditions, food, and possibilities for their release," the post quoted Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyy as saying.

    "We all know that they will end up here, in Kyiv, and we are doing everything to make it happen," he added.

    There has been continued uncertainty regarding the fate of hundreds of Ukrainian fighters, who held out in the besieged Azovstal steelworks in the port city for weeks. They were eventually taken to Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. Ukraine has called for a prisoner swap but some in Russia - including the deputy foreign minister - have said they should be put on trial.

    Buses carrying Ukrainian Azovstal service members leave Mariupol
    Image caption: Hundreds of fighters left the steel plant by bus in mid-May
  20. We are holding on, say Mykolaiv residents

    Laura Bicker

    Reporting from Mykolaiv

    Liudmyla hugs her youngest children goodbye
    Image caption: Liudmyla hugs her youngest children goodbye

    There is shelling every day in Mykolaiv. The Russians are on the outskirts to the east and south, pummelling surrounding villages and forcing thousands to flee.

    The wail of the air raid siren is a prelude to a thud to our right as our car makes its way through the suburbs of this major port.

    A plume of smoke a few kilometres away confirms the hit - another rocket.

    We are following a Ukrainian Red Cross van as they try to rescue some of those coming under regular shelling: yet another busload to add to the already historic human exodus from this country.

    These farewells have become a familiar sight across Ukraine over the last 100 days, but they are no less heartbreaking to watch.

    Liudmyla has decided it is time for her youngest children to leave. She can't let them play outside as the bombardment continues and she wants them to be somewhere safe.

    "I will see them again when the bombing stops," she tells me. But no-one knows when that will be.

    Map of Ukraine showing Mykolaiv and Odesa

    Mykolaiv was one of the first cities attacked when the invasion began. Russian forces came close to the city limits but were pushed back.

    This region is key to Russian's strategy to cut off the entire southern coast. A breakthrough here would allow the Kremlin's forces to approach Odesa - the country's largest civilian port, 130 km (80 miles) to the west.

    Vladimir Putin could then complete his land bridge up to Transnistria, the breakaway republic of Moldova.

    Read more of Laura Bicker's report from Mykolaiv here