Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: List of key events, day 40

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 40th day, here is a look at the main developments.

Russia Ukraine War Day In Photos
Ukrainian soldiers celebrate at a check point in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine [File: Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]

Here are the key events so far on Monday, April 4.

Get the latest updates here.

War crimes investigation

  • Ukrainian authorities are investigating alleged war crimes by Russia after finding hundreds of bodies, some bound and shot at close range, strewn around towns near the capital, Kyiv, after Kremlin forces withdrew to refocus attacks elsewhere in Ukraine.
  • Ukraine says 50 out of some 300 bodies, found after Russian forces withdrew from Bucha were victims of extrajudicial killings by Russian troops.
  • Satellite images show a 14-metre-long (45 feet) trench dug into the grounds of a church where a mass grave was found.
  • Russia says alleged “crimes” by its troops in Bucha are a “provocation” and no residents suffered.

Diplomacy

  • World leaders have condemned the killings and called for an independent investigation.
  • Russia has called for a special United Nations Security Council meeting to address the situation in Bucha.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears in a video aired at the Grammy Awards and appealed to viewers to support Ukrainians “in any way you can”.

Fighting

  • Ukraine’s General Staff has said Russia is expected to mobilise about 60,000 reservists.
  • Explosions were heard in the early hours of Monday in the cities of Kherson and Odesa, in the south, while air raid sirens sounded across the east.
  • The governor of the eastern Donetsk region has shelling continued overnight. Russian shelling killed seven people in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, the regional prosecutor’s office says.
  • Heavy fighting has continued in Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to take the southeastern port city, British military intelligence says.

INTERACTIVE Russia Ukraine War Who controls what Day 40

Economy

  • Ukraine demands crippling new sanctions on Russia from major Western powers over what it called a “massacre” in Bucha.
  • Germany says the West would agree to impose more sanctions on Russia in the coming days, with its defence minister saying the European Union should discuss ending imports of Russian gas.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies