Ukraine’s Navy claims to have destroyed a Russian landing ship near the coastal city of Berdyansk, as the country marks one month since the invasion began.
Pictures appear to show fire and huge plumes of smoke rising into the air near the Sea of Azov port, which has been under Russian control since 27 February.
In a statement on Facebook the Ukrainian Navy said it had destroyed the Orsk landing ship, a loss not confirmed by Russian authorities.
NATO estimates that between 7,000 and 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the month since the invasion of Ukraine began after fierce resistance from the country’s defenders denied Moscow any chance of a lightning victory.
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It comes as the International Red Cross chief warned its aid workers are confronted with a “very complex frontline” in Ukraine with lots of people trapped or caught in between frontlines.
Peter Maurer, who was in Moscow for talks with the Russian Defence Ministry, said it was not possible to think about access and evacuation in Mariupol and elsewhere without solid agreements with military forces on the ground.
Speaking at a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Mr Maurer said he planned to raise the issue of prisoners of war and the Geneva Conventions.
Mariupol residents being ‘forcibly’ taken to Russia, Mariupol mayor claims
Meanwhile, the council of the besieged city of Mariupol has claimed that around 15,000 residents have been forcibly removed and taken to Russia.
The council alleged they are being taken to camps before being redistributed to various remote cities of Russia
Mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko said: “What the Russian occupiers are doing defies any explanation.
“At first, they block a peaceful city, purposefully start killing people, and then forcibly take them to their territory.”
Mariupol, in south eastern Ukraine, has been hammered by Russian forces with fears of a humanitarian catastrophe as residents face day after day struggling to access power, food and water.
Taking the port city would allow Moscow to form a land corridor between the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and Crimea, which are already under Russian control.
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Russian forces take control of city of Izyum, defence ministry says
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Kremlin forces have gained control of the city of Izyum in eastern Ukraine, according to a Russian defence ministry spokesperson.
Major General Igor Konashenkov said: “By the morning of 24 March, units of the Russian army took full control of the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region.”
Sky News has not been able to independently verify the claims.
