Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 71 of the invasion

Another 344 people have been rescued from the besieged city of Mariupol in a second evacuation operation, Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed in his latest national address. However, the Ukrainian president said civilians would need to be dug from bunkers by hand under the Azovstal steelworks as heavy equipment cannot be used.

Russia has said it will implement a ceasefire for three days from Thursday to allow more civilian evacuations from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. However, Ukraine has claimed Russia resumed its offensive on Mariupol in order to take control of the plant, saying heavy fighting continues.

Video has emerged which appears to show the Azovstal steel plant being bombed, although when the footage was filmed is unclear.

Russia said its artillery struck multiple Ukrainian positions and strongholds overnight, killing 600 fighters. The defence ministry also said its missiles destroyed aviation equipment at the Kanatovo airfield in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad region, and a large ammunition depot in the southern city of Mykolayiv.

Ukraine’s military says it has regained control over several settlements surrounding Mykolayiv and Kherson in the country’s south.

The Russian Belgorod villages of Zhuravlevka and Nekhoteevka have been shelled by Ukraine with no casualties, according to the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The United States has provided intelligence that has helped Ukrainian forces kill many of the Russian generals who have died in the Ukraine war, the New York Times reported, citing senior US officials. Washington has reportedly provided details on Russia’s expected troop movements and the location and other details about its mobile military headquarters.

Reports claim almost 200,000 children from the self-proclaimed breakaway republics in Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk – have so far arrived in Russia since the latest conflict began on 24 February. Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of carrying out forced deportations from the east of the country.

Russia said its forces practised simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes on Wednesday in the western enclave of Kaliningrad.

Germany is preparing to supply Ukraine with seven Panzerhaubitze 2000 armoured howitzers granting explicit wishes by Kyiv for material support in the shape of the self-propelled weapons systems that can hit targets at a distance of 40km (25 miles).

The UK is providing £45m in funding to help the most vulnerable in Ukraine and at its borders, the government has said. The money will go to UN agencies and charities delivering aid and supporting survivors of sexual violence.

Joe Biden said he would speak with other G7 leaders this week about potential additional sanctions against Russia. His treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said the US was in constant discussions with its partners about this.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he believed Ukraine would again see peace despite Russia’s war but warned that what happens in Ukraine will have important consequences for the rest of Europe. Addressing the people of Denmark on the 77th anniversary of their liberation from Nazi occupation, he said: “I do believe our day of liberation is coming close.”