Day 45 of Russia-Ukraine crisis: As it happened

The United States, the European Union and Britain condemned a missile attack on a Ukraine train station packed with women, children and the elderly fleeing the threat of a Russian offensive in the east. Officials said at least 52 people were killed.

Russia’s defence ministry was quoted by RIA news agency as saying the missiles said to have struck the station were used only by Ukraine’s military and that Russia’s armed forces had no targets assigned in Kramatorsk on Friday.

Ukraine now expects an attempt by Russian forces to gain full control of Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk in the east, both partly held by Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.

Britain added Vladimir Putin’s daughters to its sanctions list, mirroring moves by the United States, in what it said was an effort to target the lifestyles of those in the Russian president’s inner circle.

Here are the latest updates for April 9:

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11.45pm: Global pledging event raises 10.1 bn euros for Ukraine

A global pledging event for Ukrainian refugees called “Stand Up for Ukraine” has raised 10.1 billion euros ($11 billion), European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in Warsaw on Saturday.

“The ‘Stand Up For Ukraine’ campaign has raised 9.1 billion euros for people fleeing bombs, inside and outside Ukraine, with an additional billion pledged by EBRD (the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development),” von der Leyen said.

The event, convened by the EU and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was to raise money for internally displaced people in Ukraine and refugees from the war-ravaged country, organisers said.

More than 4.4 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24.

Most of them have headed to EU countries including neighbouring Poland, which has taken in more than 2.5 million refugees so far.

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9.45pm: Ukraine exchanges prisoners with Russia, 12 soldiers coming home

Ukraine carried out a prisoner exchange with Russia on Saturday, the third such swap since the start of the war, and 12 soldiers are coming home, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an online post.

Vereshchuk also said that as part of the deal, 14 civilians were returning to Ukraine. She did not say how many Russians had been released.

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9.22pm: Bucha killings have 'permanently polluted' Putin's reputation: Johnson

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on a visit to Kyiv Saturday that the discovery of civilian bodies in Ukrainian towns have "permanently polluted" Russian President Vladimir Putin's reputation.

"What Putin has done in places like Bucha and Irpin is war crimes that have permanently polluted his reputation and the reputation of his government," Johnson said, standing next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to towns in the Kyiv region where bodies have been discovered.

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8.26pm: UK PM visits Ukraine after deadly railway station attack

CHANGES dateline, RECASTS with Johnson visit, Borrell quote, aid pledge, ICC meeting Sunday

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv Saturday in a "show of solidarity" with Ukraine a day after a missile strike killed dozens at a railway station in the country's east.

Six weeks into Russia's invasion, Moscow has shifted its focus to eastern and southern Ukraine after stiff resistance ended plans to swiftly capture the capital.

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8.55pm: IMF creates secure way to funnel Ukraine aid

The International Monetary Fund has created an account to give donor countries a secure way to funnel financial assistance directly to war-ravaged Ukraine.

The multilateral lender said in a statement Friday that it’s launching the account at the request of several member countries.

The goal is to help Ukraine meet its payment obligations and help stabilize its economy using loans or grants from pooled resources.

The IMF says Canada has proposed routing up to 1 billion Canadian dollars ($795 million) to Ukraine through the new account.

Two weeks after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the IMF approved a $1.4 billion emergency loan to Ukraine.

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6.13pm: Boris Johnson meets with Zelensky in Kyiv

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday, an aide to the Ukrainian leader said.

"Boris Johnson's visit in Kyiv began just now with a tete-a-tete meeting with President Zelensky," presidential aide Andriy Sybiha said on Facebook, posting a photo of the pair.

More details here

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3.20pm: Italy to reopen embassy in Kyiv

2.54pm: Civilian deaths in Ukraine’s Bucha were war crimes, Germany’s Scholz says

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11.35am: More evacuations needed from Luhansk as shelling increases

More people need to evacuate from the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine as shelling has increased in recent days and more Russian forces have been arriving, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Saturday.

He said that some 30 per cent of residents still remain in cities and villages across the region and have been asked to evacuate.

More details here

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