April 2 (Reuters) – A Red Cross convoy heading to Mariupol will try again to evacuate civilians from the besieged port as Russian forces looked to be regrouping for new attacks in the southeast. Read full story
FIGHTING
* Ukrainian forces continue to advance against withdrawing Russian forces in the vicinity of Kyiv, British military intelligence said.Read full story
* Russian missiles hit two cities in central Ukraine, damaging infrastructure and residential buildings, the head of the Poltava region said. Read full story
* Russia’s defence ministry said high-precision air-launched missiles had disabled military airfields in Poltava and Dnipro.
* Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out an air strike against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday, an incident the Kremlin said could affect peace talks, but a top Kyiv security official denied responsibility. Read full story
CIVILIANS
* Seven humanitarian corridors to evacuate people from Ukraine’s besieged regions are planned for Saturday, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
DIPLOMACY
* Pope Francis said he was considering a trip to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Read full story
* Russia’s space director said the restoration of normal ties between partners at the International Space Station (ISS) and other joint space projects would be possible only once Western sanctions against Moscow are lifted. Read full story
ECONOMY
* Ukraine’s economy shrank 16% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year and could contract 40% in 2022 as a result of Russia’s invasion, the economy ministry said, citing preliminary estimates.
* The European Union is working on further sanctions on Russia but any additional measures will not affect the energy sector, the EU’s Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said.
* British transport minister Grant Shapps said he has prevented the use of another private jet that has links to Russian oligarchs. Read full story
(Compiled by William Mallard and Frances Kerry)
