[dailymail] Russia is stockpiling the bodies of dead Ukrainians to stage a false flag attack at Chernobyl, releasing radioactive waste in a 'man-made catastrophe' that would amount to a 'terrorist attack', Ukraine has warned.
Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to release radioactive waste at the nuclear site which he plans to blame on Ukrainian 'saboteurs' in order to justify further escalating his barbaric war against the ex-Soviet country, officials fear.
Kyiv's Military Intelligence Directorate said Kremlin forces have been collecting 'fake evidence' for the planned operation at the power plant which was captured by Russian forces on the first day of the invasion, and has since been manned by staffers at gunpoint.
They said in a statement: 'Russian car refrigerators collecting the bodies of dead Ukrainian defenders were spotted near the Antonov airport in Hostomel. There is a possibility that they will be presented as killed saboteurs in the Chernobyl zone.'
The disaster - which would almost certainly cause radioactive fallout to land on Russia - would be used to justify the use of further force against Ukraine and 'blackmail the global community' for sanctioning Russia and providing weapons to Ukraine.
But there are fears there could also be an accidental leak at the nuclear site because the Russians manning it have 'no clue about nuclear security protocols', the daughter of a overnight staffer warned.
Natalia Ruemmele said technicians who usually work 12 hour shifts have been maintaining the nuclear plant at gunpoint for more than two weeks.
It comes as shelling has continued overnight across the country with Mariupol's death toll rising to 1,600, as Russians inch towards Kyiv which is preparing for a brutal onslaught that could be Russia's new Stalingrad, a Ukrainian MP said.
Sviatoslav Yurah, Ukraine's youngest ever MP and a former adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, referring to the bloody turning point of WWII: 'It's a massive town of millions and if the Russians try to come in they will have quite a fight on their hands - this will be their Stalingrad if they want to make it so.'
Air raid sirens continue to sound today in several cities, including the capital, Odessa, Dnipro and Kharkiv, as Ukraine expects a new wave of attacks after a slowdown in the offensive in recent days.
The Ukrainian military believes Russia is trying to take out Kyiv's defences to the north and west, where suburbs including Irpin and Bucha have already endured days of heavy bombardment.
Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on the capital's northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunitions store.
The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the city centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city.
In besieged Mariupol, which has endured two weeks without food, power or water amid a brutal blockade, is facing continuing shelling as a mosque housing 80 civilians including children was targeted today, and barrages have thwarted attempts to bring supplies to the strategic port city.
A cancer hospital in Mykolaiv was also hit with hundreds of patients inside undergoing chemotherapy but no one was killed in the latest monstrous attack which comes after a maternity hospital and care home were destroyed.
A ceasefire should be in place today to allow trapped residents in Mariupol, Kyiv and Sumy evacuate through humanitarian corridors, but Russia has repeatedly failed to observe them, as Ukrainian officials pleaded with Russian forces to allow the citizens to escape.Meanwhile Zelensky slammed Moscow for 'torturing' civilians who have spent more than a week without vital supplies in besieged cities.
The Ukrainian premier accused Russia of refusing to allow evacuees to escape the city of Mariupol, which has been cut off from food, water and electricity, and defiantly insisted vital supplies would be delivered there tomorrow despite it being surrounded by Russian troops.
The Kremlin-owned Tass news agency painted a damning picture for those stuck in the city after quoting Russian Colonel Mikhail Mizintsev as saying all bridge into the city were destroyed and roads had been laid with mines.
'Russian troops have not let our aid into the city and continue to torture our people... tomorrow [Saturday] we will try again, try again to send food, water and medicine' Zelenskiy said.
Ukrainian officials revealed on Friday that Russian soldiers had kidnapped Melitopol's mayor Ivan Fedorov from the city's crisis centre after he 'refused to co-operate with the enemy'.
'This is obviously a sign of weakness of the invaders... They have moved to a new stage of terror in which they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of legitimate local Ukrainian authorities,' President Zelensky said.
'The capture of the mayor of Melitopol is therefore a crime, not only against a particular person, against a particular community, and not only against Ukraine. It is a crime against democracy itself... The acts of the Russian invaders will be regarded like those of Islamic State terrorists,' he said.
In hellish scenes not witnessed on the continent since the Second World War, residents have resorted to fighting one another for food and bodies are buried in mass graves as more than 1,500 people have now died in the city.
Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted: 'Besieged Mariupol is now the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet. 1,582 dead civilians in 12 days, even buried in mass graves. Unable to defeat the Ukrainian army, Putin bombs the unarmed, blocks humanitarian aid. We need planes to stop Russian war crimes!'
A total of 7,144 people escaped four Ukrainian cities on Friday using humanitarian corridors, President Zelensky said in a televised address, a sharply lower number than managed to leave in each of the two previous days.
It comes as Putin struck areas in central and western Ukraine, some hundreds of miles from the capital Kyiv and huge explosions illuminated the night sky in Dnipro and Lutsk as residents experienced Russian artillery attacks for the first time.
In Ivano-Frankivsk, a triple strike hit at first light, said to be targeting an airfield on the edge of the city. Indiscriminate shelling at 4am UK time yesterday left tower blocks and a factory ablaze in Dnipro, killing a security guard.
Meanwhile, the 40-mile convoy of tanks, troops and artillery that had been bearing down on Kyiv in recent days is understood to have moved into strategic firing positions ahead of an all-out assault on the capital.
Fears have been mounting that Moscow could attempt a repeat at the barbaric bombing used on besieged cities such as Mariupol, with Russian troops now just nine miles from the city.
Satellite images showed howitzer weaponry and suspected rocket launchers being readied, prompting remaining Kyiv residents to take up arms and erect barricades. Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned Russia the city was a fortress.
It comes as military experts say they are baffled by the ineptitude of the tactics displayed by Russia's armies after drone footage yesterday showed a column of tanks getting picked off one-by-one in an ambush carried out by Ukraine's forces.
Analysts have said Russian tank commanders allowed the Ukrainians to ambush their unit by driving down the middle of a main road leading into Kyiv - and straight into a death trap. By multiple counts, President Vladimir Putin's forces have lost more tanks than are operational in the entire German army.As there were no Ukrainian military facilities in the Dnipro district, the local prosecutor opened an investigation into a possible war crime.
Residents and shop owners worked thoughout the day to clear up broken glass and board up the open window frames as snow fell and temperatures dipped below zero.
Svetlana Kalenecheko, who works in a clinic next door to the factory in Dnipro, said: 'We heard a loud explosion and the windows broke and bits of the ceiling started to fall.'
Dnipro had been considered a safe haven. Consequently, it has become a hub for the coordination of humanitarian aid and for those fleeing more severe fighting.
It was unclear last night what Putin thought he would achieve by bombing the city, as no invading troops were on the ground there yesterday. Other soft targets were hit, perhaps with the intention of spreading fear in areas previously unaffected by the invasion.
A psychiatric hospital in the eastern town of Izyum was bombed, causing 73 patients to be evacuated. Governor Oleg Sinegubov said the number of casualties was being established. He described it as 'a brutal attack on civilians'.
A care home for the disabled was also struck in the village of Oskil, eastern Ukraine. There were 330 people inside including ten who required wheelchairs and 50 with reduced mobility — but there were no casualties.
Ukrainian airstrips were targeted yesterday at Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, which are 260 miles and 380 miles respectively from Kyiv.
Last night it was considered unlikely that attacks on airstrips so far from the capital city would provide Russian forces with a much-needed impetus.
Western officials said the invaders were making 'minimal ground' because of logistical issues and 'strong Ukrainian resistance'.
One said: 'Because of the challenges... they are reassessing how to prosecute military operations. Russia made assumptions [before the invasion] which led to tactical errors about moving forces and protecting forces.'
The failure to establish control of Kyiv could force Putin to negotiate a settlement sooner than expected.
Yesterday he said there had been 'positive changes' from the talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials as he welcomed Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow.
It comes as Kyiv volunteers were seen digging trenches in the city outskirts to try to stop Russian troops.
Bracing themselves for a bloody fight, others joined soldiers in erecting makeshift barricades with old tyres and sandbags.
Around half of the city's 3.5million residents are thought to have fled but Mr Klitschko and his brother Wladimir — both former heavyweight boxing champions — said many were returning to defend their country.
Some Russian units are now just nine miles from the city.
There are fears they will attempt to repeat the barbaric tactics used on other cities including Mariupol, which is surrounded — with those inside suffering starvation and dehydration. Russian forces even bombed a maternity hospital there this week.
A convoy advancing through Brovary, a north-eastern suburb of Kyiv, was forced to retreat on Thursday after it became stuck in the town's streets and was ambushed by Ukrainian troops with anti-tank missiles.
At least two vehicles including a tank were destroyed and a Russian commanding officer, said to be Colonel Andrei Zakharov, an associate of Vladimir Putin, was killed.
Despite the setback, Russian forces continued to advance yesterday with armoured units seen in towns near the Antonov airport north of the city as well as in nearby forests.
The Ministry of Defence warned that Russia was looking to 'reset and reposture' its forces for 'renewed offensive activity'. But officials noted the troops had made limited progress.
'Logistical issues that have hampered the Russian advance persist, as does strong Ukrainian resistance,' a spokesman said. 'Russia is [probably] seeking to reset and reposture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days. This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv.'
Troops are approaching the capital from the north west and the east, engaging in firefights with Ukrainian soldiers in Kukhari — 56 miles from Kyiv — and Demydiv, 25 miles away.
The convoy initially stalled as it approached Kyiv amid reports of fuel and food shortages as well as resistance from the Ukrainian forces.
Speaking yesterday, Mayor Klitschko said his city had enough supplies to last a couple of weeks and had access to electricity, heating and gas.
Wladimir, who has enlisted in Ukraine's reserve army, said citizens were prepared to engage in battle. 'There are a lot of refugees who left west, but a lot are coming back,' he added.
'A lot of men and women ... coming back to defend the country. This is our home. We are staying here. We are not going anywhere.'
At least 564 civilians have died in Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova said at least 78 children were among the dead.
Defence specialists have repeatedly been stunned by Russia's 'bizarre' military tactics.
Franz-Stefan Gady - an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies - said the 'fight shows the danger of not securing urban terrain with adequate infantry plus recon. assets when main elements of a force pass through urban terrain ideally suitable for ambushes.'
Rob Lee, a Senior Fellow and military expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, commented on the ambush, saying the Russian armoured force displayed 'very poor tactics'.
The Russian column was 'on an obvious avenue of approach, and they still decided to bunch up like this, leaving them more vulnerable to indirect fire,' he wrote on Twitter, while sharing drone footage of the strikes.
Of the Russian military activities in Ukraine, a former British army commander told The Daily Telegraph today: 'This is not the Russian army we trained to fight'.
Meanwhile, analysis by the Austrian military's R&D department demonstrated the column was part of a larger Russian Battle Tactical Group (BTG).
The analysis highlighted different companies within the BTG seen in the drone footage, as it came under Ukrainian heavy artillery guided by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
The full scale of losses suffered by Putin's armies are unknown, but Ukraine has claimed it has destroyed over 12,000 troops, 350 tanks, 80 helicopters, 125 artillery units, 1,150 personnel carriers and almost 60 planes.
Figures based on visual confirmations by military tracking website Oryx suggest over 1,000 Russian vehicles have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned or captured in the war.
According to Oryx's figures as of March 11, Russia has lost 1,034 vehicles, of which 424 were destroyed, 13 were damaged, 159 were abandoned by Russian troops and 438 were captured by Ukraine's forces.
Is THIS proof that the Ghost of Kyiv is real? Ukraine's military posts image of pilot 'who has shot down 10 Russian jets during war' warning: 'Hello occupiers, I'm coming for your soul!'
A mysterious Ukrainian pilot who has shot down up to ten Russian jets had been thought to be a myth.
But now the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces have released an image of the so-called Ghost of Kyiv, alongside his threat: 'Hello occupier, I'm coming for your soul!'.
The image simply shows a figure in the cockpit of an MiG-29 fighter jet, with his face hidden behind a black visor and oxygen mask.
The Ghost is fast becoming a symbol of resistance against the massive, but stalled, invasion.
While there is some discrepancy between figures detailing visually confirmed Russian vehicle losses released by Oryx and those released by Ukraine's defence officials, both paint a grim picture for Moscow's armies.
Oryx says its figures are based on 'photo or videographic evidence. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here.'
Tobias Schneider, a research fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin, said Russian losses visually confirmed by Oryx 'now amount to approximately one Bundeswehr' - the entire German army.
According to figures released by Germany, the country currently has 159 operational tanks in its entire military.
The drone footage posted online on Thursday captured the 'Battle of Brovary', named after the north-eastern Kyiv suburb in which it took place.
It showed explosions around the Russian tanks as they passed through the village of Skybyn, releasing plumes of black and grey smoke into the air, with suburban houses seen on either side of the road.
The column was shown in the footage driving down a main road into the Brovary suburb in a long line when it came under fire from artillery.
Explosion were seen both on the road and in the fields in the distance.
Two tanks were shown pulled up on the side of the road, while others further into the suburb were shown bunched together in a traffic jam, as artillery fire began to rain down from above.
Amongst the tanks, Russian troops can be seen frantically running between the vehicles, which start to turn around to escape the death trap.
Yesterday smouldering shells of Moscow's machinery sat abandoned by the road, after the survivors of the attack performed desperate U-turns to flee the deadly corridor and retreated back up the road.
In video released by Ukraine's military, a Russian soldier could be heard saying: 'Commander, the commander's dead!'. The second voice asked for the message to be repeated — to which the first voice shouted: 'He's dead! The commander's dead!'.
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence named the dead Russian commander as Colonel Andrei Zakharov, of the 6th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division, whom its statement describes as having been 'liquidated'.
In 2016, he was awarded the Order of Courage by Vladimir Putin, and the two stood shoulder-to-shoulder in photographs.
Zakharov's death, which could not immediately be verified, is another blow for Putin, as it follows those of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of Russia's 41st Army, reportedly killed in fighting in Kharkiv on Monday, and Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, the 41st Army's deputy commander, who perished early in the invasion.
'Medieval horrors' of Mariupol siege: Death toll passes 1,500 as deputy mayor says besieged Ukrainian port city is 'totally destroyed' by Russian shelling in hellish scenes
The crisis in Mariupol deepened yet further last night as the death toll passed 1,500 and the deputy mayor claimed his besieged city had been 'totally destroyed'.
In hellish scenes not witnessed on European soil since the Second World War, residents have resorted to fighting one another for food while bodies are being buried in trenches before they pile high in the streets.
With Russia laying ruthless siege to the city, thousands of its inhabitants remained without food, water, electricity or heat as relentless shelling continued to blast shops and residential apartments.
Such is their desperation, many trapped residents have resorted to looting to provide for their families.Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted: 'Besieged Mariupol is now the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet. 1,582 dead civilians in 12 days, even buried in mass graves. Unable to defeat the Ukrainian army, Putin bombs the unarmed, blocks humanitarian aid. We need planes to stop Russian war crimes!'
With temperatures dropping to -9C (15.8F), those who did not manage to escape before Russian troops encircled the perimeter run the risk of dying from thirst, starvation and the cold.
Mariupol has been a Russian target because of its port and strategic location on the Sea of Azov.
Last night all bridges and approaches to the city, in southern Ukraine, had been surrounded or destroyed.Eight trucks carrying humanitarian aid poised to enter are thought to have been stopped.
Stephen Cornish, from medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, said: 'Sieges are a medieval practice that have been outlawed by the modern rules of war for good reason.'
Sergei Orlov, Mariupol's deputy mayor, said there was 'no way out.' He told Irish broadcaster RTE: 'Russian troops do not allow us to leave our cities. We have no utilities, no electricity, no sanitary system.
'Without water we had the awful [situation] when a child died of dehydration. So people collect snow to melt it to water.
The city is totally destroyed by artillery and... aircraft bombing.' Mr Orlov said 50,000 children including 3,000 babies and toddlers remain in Mariupol.
He estimated that about 100,000 of its 450,000 citizens had managed to flee before the siege. He added: 'Unfortunately, we have no opportunity to bury [the dead] in private graves. That's why yesterday we buried 47 people in a mass grave.' 
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