Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

Ukraine's foreign minister accused Russian forces of carrying out a "massacre" in the town of Bucha, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described images of dead bodies there as "a punch in the gut".

Ukraine's foreign minister accused Russian forces of carrying out a "massacre" in the town of Bucha, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described images of dead bodies there as "a punch in the gut". Russia's defence ministry denied the Ukrainian allegations, saying footage and photographs showing dead bodies in Bucha were "yet another provocation" by Kyiv. FIGHTING * Russia missiles struck "critical infrastructure", most likely a fuel depot, near Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa but there were no casualties, officials in the city said. * The governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region said shelling had continued throughout the night and day, and described the situation in the region as "turbulent". * Russian naval forces continue to blockade the Ukrainian coast on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, preventing resupply by sea, British military intelligence said. * Two blasts were heard in the Russian city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine, two witnesses told Reuters, days after Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of striking a fuel depot there.

CIVILIANS * A leading rights group said it had documented what it described as "apparent war crimes" committed by Russian military forces against civilians in Ukraine. * Work on evacuating people with the help of Red Cross from Mariupol will continue on Sunday with buses attempting to come close to the besieged city, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. ECONOMY * Ukraine demanded crippling new sanctions on Russia from major Western powers over what it called a "massacre" in a town near Kyiv as anger grew in Western capitals. * Germany's defence minister said the European Union must discuss banning the import of Russian gas after Ukrainian and European officials accused Russian forces of committing atrocities near Kyiv.

PEACE TALKS * Russia will achieve all of the aims of its "special military operation" in Ukraine and hopes that Moscow and Kyiv can ultimately sign some sort of peace deal, the Kremlin said, Inferfax news agency reported * Russia said peace talks with Ukraine had not progressed enough for a leaders' meeting and that Moscow's position on the status of Crimea and Donbas remained unchanged. * Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia had told Ukrainian television on Saturday that the draft deal was advanced enough to allow consultations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. QUOTES * "We were sitting in the cellar for two weeks. There was food but no light, no heating to warm up," a 66-year old man called Vasili in the town of Bucha, describing life before Russian troops departed. "We put the water on candles to warm it ... We slept in felt boots." (Compiled by Raissa Kasolowsky and Frances Kerry)