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France cannot broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow as it is “both indirectly and directly involved in this conflict on the side of Ukraine”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. His comments came as the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said Russian troops had switched to “scorched earth” tactics in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery. Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
1:15pm: France cannot mediate in Ukraine, Kremlin says
The Kremlin has said France cannot broker a peace deal in Ukraine as it sides with Kyiv in the conflict.
Paris is “both indirectly and directly involved in this conflict on the side of Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Therefore, it is still difficult to imagine any mediation efforts here.”
During his visit to China last week, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Chinese leader Xi Jinping to “bring Russia back to its senses” over Ukraine.
>> Read more : On China visit, Macron attempts diplomatic balancing act on Ukraine
11:55am: Moscow-backed official claims visit to Bakhmut
A Moscow-backed official from Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region has announced that he visited the frontline city of Bakhmut, suggesting that Russia’s forces have made significant gains there.
Denis Pushilin, the Russia-installed head of the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region, posted a video of himself on Telegram in the heavily destroyed city.
“Here is our Artemovsk,” Pushilin said, using the Soviet-era name for Bakhmut. “It is being liberated by Wagnerites,” he added, in reference to the Wagner mercenary group spearheading Russia’s battle in the city.
Destroyed buildings and ruins could be seen in the background behind Pushilin, who wore a camouflage helmet. He appeared to be standing in the central Svoboda square of the city.
The head of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, last week claimed the group had “in a legal sense” captured Bakhmut because he said it had taken control of city hall. The Russian army reported no such gains, and Ukraine has said it is continuing to defend the city.
10:35am: Ukrainians collect bodies of enemy soldiers for return to Russia
Last year, as Russia was forced out of areas of Ukraine it had occupied, thousands of Russian casualties were left behind. Since then small groups of Ukrainians, both military and civilian, have been trying to find and collect the bodies in order to send them back to Russia.
FRANCE 24’s correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports from Kharkiv, Ukraine.
9:45am: Ukraine says Russia switching to ‘scorched earth’ tactics in Bakhmut
The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces says Russian troops have switched to “scorched earth” tactics in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut and are destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery.
“The enemy switched to the so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire,” said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine‘s ground forces.
“The situation is difficult but controllable,” he said in comments quoted by Ukraine‘s Media Military Centre.
Syrskyi said Russian forces were bringing in special forces and airborne assault units to help their attack on the city as members of Russia’s Wagner military group had become “exhausted”.
1:46am: Ukraine’s Zelensky denounces Russian strikes on Orthodox Palm Sunday
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced Russian air strikes coinciding with the observance of Orthodox Palm Sunday, including an attack that killed a father and daughter at home in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine’s military reported Russian attacks and shelling throughout the front, with the heaviest fighting still focused on two cities in eastern Donetsk region – Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
Russian forces have been besieging Bakhmut for months in the longest battle in more than a year of war.
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Key developments from Sunday, April 9:
A 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter were killed after Russian forces struck a residential building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early on Sunday, authorities said. Russia’s military said it destroyed a depot containing 70,000 tonnes of fuel near Zaporizhzhia, as well as Ukrainian army warehouses storing missiles, ammunition and other artillery weapons.
The US Department of Justice said it had opened an investigation into the leak of a trove of classified documents, many related to Ukraine. The breach appears to include assessments and secret intelligence reports that touch not only on Ukraine and Russia but also highly sensitive analyses of US allies.
>> Read our live blog for all of yesterday’s developments as they unfolded
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
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