Ukraine morning briefing: Five developments as first lady Olena Zelenska says 'not even war' will take husband away from me
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Ukraine's first lady made a rare TV appearance alongside her husband Volodymyr Zelensky, telling reporters: "Nobody takes my husband away from me, not even the war".
It is believed to be only the second time Olena Zelenska has been seen in public since the war began, with Zelensky calling the interview itself "a date on air". Olena has been at an undisclosed location with the couple's two children since the Russian invasion.
Meanwhile, Russian soldiers have been clearing landmines planted by Ukrainian and Russian soldiers on the industrial grounds of the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol.
Here's what happened overnight – and you can follow the latest updates in our live blog.
1. Russians clear mines from Azovstal steel works
Russian soldiers have cleared mines and debris on the industrial grounds of the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol.
Soldiers walked through the compound and used mine detectors over roads littered with debris, while others checked under objects for the explosive devices, video footage showed.
"The task is huge, the enemy planted their own landmines, we had also planted anti-personnel mines while blocking the enemy. So we've got some two weeks of work ahead of us," said a Russian soldier who gave only his nom de guerre Babai.
Russia on Friday said the last Ukrainian fighters defending Azovstal had surrendered. Ukraine has not confirmed that development, but a commander of one of the units in the factory said the troops had been ordered to stand down.
2. 'The world is falling apart'
The United Nations has said the number of forcibly displaced people around the world has risen above 100 million for the first time - pushed up by Russia's war in Ukraine.
UN Refugee Agency UNHCR announced the grim figure on Monday. It said the number of forcibly displaced people rose towards 90 million by the end of 2021, spurred by violence in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 more than eight million people have been displaced within the country, while more than six million refugees have fled across the borders.
Norwegian Refugee Council chief Jan Egeland said: "It has never been as bad as this.
"The world is falling apart."
3. Gene-edited crops to be sped up to ease food crisis
The production of gene-edited crops is to be sped up to help guarantee British food supplies in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian blockades are preventing the export of key goods such as wheat from the country, leading to rising food prices and shortages globally.
Amid concern over the UK's food self-sufficiency, the Government will this week introduce a Bill that will allow farms to grow more crops by planting variants that have been edited to be more resistant to disease or need less water or fertiliser.
Read the full story here.
4. Russia deploys ‘Terminator’ tanks
Russia is believed to have deployed "Terminator" tanks to a strategic city in eastern Ukraine, as it attempts to make a major breakthrough in its Donbas offensive.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence said the vehicles were likely being deployed in Severodonetsk by Russia’s Central Grouping of Forces, which previously suffered heavy losses while failing to break through to eastern Kyiv in the first phase of the invasion.
The MoD said that while the city "remains one of Russia’s immediate tactical priorities", it cautioned that "with a maximum of 10 Terminators deployed they are unlikely to have a significant impact on the campaign".
Read the full story here.
5. Olena Zelenska says she's hardly seen her husband since war began
Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, has given a rare interview to national broadcaster ICTV alongside her husband and said she has hardly seen him since the war began.
"Our family, like all Ukrainian families, is now separated," she said, adding that she speaks to him mostly by phone.
"Unfortunately, we cannot sit together, have dinner with the whole family, talk about everything," she said.
Zelensky called the interview itself "a date on air," and the couple, who have two children, joked in front of the journalists.
"We are joking, but we are really waiting, like everyone else, to be reunited, like all families in Ukraine who are separated now, waiting for their relatives and friends who want to be together again," he said.
