Good morning all. Lauren Boland here – let’s look at what’s happening in the war in Ukraine today:

Pictured: A woman talks to journalists outside her house in Bucha 

A woman talks to journalists outside her house in Bucha Rodrigo Abd / AP/PA Rodrigo Abd / AP/PA / AP/PA

Investigators have found at least three sites of mass shootings of civilians in Bucha, according to the town’s mayor.

Most victims died from gunshots rather than shelling and some of the deceased bodies were found with their hands tied.

Mayor of Bucha Anatoliy Fedoruk said the recorded number of deceased civilians was 320 as of Wednesday, but he expected the number to rise as more bodies are found. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and diplomatic chief Josep Borrell are en route to Kyiv.

The pair are due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and then attend a Stand Up For Ukraine event in Warsaw, Poland tomorrow.

“Looking forward to Kyiv,” Von der Leyen wrote on Twitter with a photo of her with Borrell and Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger. 

Borrell also posted a photo with the caption “going to Kyiv”.

Announcing the trip earlier this week, von der Leyen said that “the Ukrainian people deserve our solidarity”.

“I want to send a very strong message of unwavering support to the Ukrainian people and their brave fight for our common values,” she said.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is on a visit to Finland this morning where he is meeting the country’s president and prime minister.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö is hosting the Taoiseach in Helsinki before a working lunch with Prime Minister Sanna Marin, where they are expected to discuss the EU response’s to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy, and climate change.

The Taoiseach will then travel to Tallinn in Estonia for a bilateral meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

In Tallinn, he will also visit a digital services hub and the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, which works to increase Europe’s capacity to deal with cyber threats.

The latest intelligence update from the British ministry of defence outlines that Russia continues to shell cities in the east and south of Ukraine.

In the north, forces have withdrawn to Belarus and Russia. It’s expected some will be transferred to the Donbas region.

Japan is expelling eight Russian diplomats and officials., calling Moscow’s actions in Ukraine “categorically unacceptable”.

It said Russia’s actions are a violation of international law.

“As a result of our country’s comprehensive judgment, we have requested the expulsion of eight diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Japan and officials from the Office of the Trade Representative of the Russian Federation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hikariko Ono said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that even worse violence than that in Bucha has been discovered in other areas attacked by Russia.

“They have started sorting through the ruins in Borodyanka,” northwest of Kyiv, he said in his nightly address.

“It’s much more horrific there, there are even more victims of Russian occupiers.”

Violence in the area has caused massive destruction, levelling and damaging many buildings, and bodies are only now being retrieved.

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said Thursday that 26 bodies had been recovered from two destroyed apartment buildings so far.

“Only the civilian population was targeted: there is no military site here,” she said, describing evidence of war crimes “at every turn”.

Pictured, in Borodyanka: A residential building destroyed by a Russian air strike and a kitten in the hands of a rescuer

Daniel Ceng Shou-Yi / PA Images Daniel Ceng Shou-Yi / PA Images / PA Images

Anatolii Siryk / Ukrinform/ABACAPRESS.COM/PA Images Anatolii Siryk / Ukrinform/ABACAPRESS.COM/PA Images / Ukrinform/ABACAPRESS.COM/PA Images

At least 20 people have been killed today in a reported rocket attack on a train station in eastern Ukraine.

The station in the city of Kramatorsk has been used for civilian evacuations.

“Two rockets hit the Kramatorsk railway station,” Alexander Kamyshin, the head of Ukraine’s railway company wrote on social media.

“People have been hurt. We are clarifying the details.” 

New: The recorded death toll in the train station strike has risen to 30 people killed, with 100 injured

The station at Kramatorsk has been used to evacuate civilians to other parts of Ukraine, like Lviv in the west.

Below are photos from 11 March and 13 March of people boarding an evacuation train at the station. 

Alamy Alamy

Alamy Alamy

Pictured: Personal belongings of victims in the attack on the railway station this morning, as well as burnt-out vehicles

AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images

Pictured: The remains of a rocket with the lettering ‘for our children’ lying on grass after the attack on the railway station

AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images

Footage here shared by a Ukrainian MP of the large crowds that come to the Kramatorsk train station:

Here’s my colleague Tadgh McNally now to bring you the latest updates for the next while.

EU condemns rocket attack

In the last few minutes, the EU has accused Russia of the rocket attack on the Kramatorsk, saying that the country was planning to cut off escape routes for civilians.

EU Council President Charles Michel said that the attack was “horrifying”.

“Horrifying to see Russia strike one of the main stations used by civilians evacuating the region where Russia is stepping up its attack,” said Michel on Twitter.

The EU’s top policymaker, Josep Borrell has also condemned the attack.

I strongly condemn this morning’s indiscriminate attack against a train station in #Kramatorsk by Russia, which killed dozens of people and left many more wounded. This is yet another attempt to close escape routes for those fleeing this unjustified war and cause human suffering

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 8, 2022

 Zelenskyy: Russia is ‘an evil without limits’ 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called Russia an “evil with no limits” after a rocket attack that killed at least 30 people this morning.

In a statement on social media, Zelenskyy said that Russia was “cynically destroying” the civilian population, while Russia denies attacking the station.

They are cynically destroying the civilian population. This is an evil that has no limits. And if it is not punished, it will never stop

The Russian defence ministry has denied attacking the train station in Kramatorsk this morning.

“All statements by representatives of the Kyiv nationalist regime about the ‘rocket attack’ allegedly carried out by Russia on April 8 at the railway station in the city of Kramatorsk are a provocation and are absolutely untrue,” said the Russian defence ministry in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended the funeral of the ultra-nationalist politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who died earlier this week.

Zhirinovsky, who died at 75, was a leader of Russia’s parliamentary opposition.

Putin left a bouquet of red roses near Zhirinovsky’s coffin before taking part in a moment of silence.

AP / PA Images AP / PA Images / PA Images

Denmark has said that it plans to house Ukrainian refugees in temporary ‘Ukrainian villages’ that will be set up in former schools and hospitals.

According to Denmark’s Migration Minister Mattias Tesfaye, this is due to estimates of the number of Ukrainian refugees set to arrive.

“We started with the normal integration policy, but with the estimates that are in front of me, if we just continue, we won’t recognise our welfare society,” said Tesfaye.

Tesfaye estimated that 40,000 Ukrainians may have arrived into Denmark by 17 April, which is double the number of Syrians who entered the country in all of 2015.

Ukrainians will be housed in a type of Ukrainian village, which may have day care and education for children in Ukrainian, which Ukrainians themselves help facilitate

€30 billion in Russian, Belarusian assets frozen by EU

This afternoon, the EU has said that almost €30 billion worth of both Russian and Belarussian assets under sanctions against the two countries.

These assets include boats, helicopters, real estate and artwork, while €196 billion worth of transactions have been blocked by the EU.

Igor Setchine's Yacht Amore Vero seized by French authorities in the Harbour of La Ciotat, France ABACA / PA Images ABACA / PA Images / PA Images

A Fianna Fáil MEP, Barry Andrews, is currently calling for a “step change” in Irish foreign policy and for a Citizen’s Assembly on neutrality.

In a statement this afternoon, Andrews says that the current triple lock system “is no longer fit for purpose” due to UN vetoes from both Russia and China.

“The triple lock system is no longer fit for purpose. It is no longer appropriate that we outsource decisions on Irish Foreign Policy to the UN security council where Russia and China hold vetos,” said Andrews.

Peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts are at the core of the international reputation of the Defence Forces. Why then, have we given control of where we deploy our peacekeepers to autocratic countries that do not share our values.”

Andrews said that a “fact-based” debate on Irish neutrality and EU common defence was needed.

For too long, we have avoided any serious debate on the topic by using the term ‘Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality.’  The last few weeks have shown the need for a comprehensive, depoliticised debate among citizens, politicians, Defence Forces personnel and academic experts.

Andrew’s released a position paper on the future of Irish neutrality, which can be found here.

Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews LEAH FARRELL LEAH FARRELL

World food prices hit an all-time high in March following Russia’s invasion a UN agency said today, adding to concerns about the risk of hunger around the world.

The disruption in export flows resulting from the February 24 invasion and international sanctions against Russia has spurred fears of a global hunger crisis, especially across the Middle East and Africa, where the knock-on effects are already playing out.

Russia and Ukraine, whose vast grain-growing regions are among the world’s main breadbaskets, account for a huge share of the globe’s exports.

“World food commodity prices made a significant leap in March to reach their highest levels ever, as war in the Black Sea region spread shocks through markets for staple grains and vegetable oils,” the Food and Agriculture Organisation said in a statement.

Hello. Garreth MacNamee here now with you this afternoon. Here’s a quick recap of events so far today: 

• At least 39 people have died and over 100 are injured following a rocket attack on an eastern Ukrainian railway station. 
• Ukraine’s SBU security service said the Russian attack in the city of Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk oblast, killed 39 people including four children.
• As it has done with previous attacks on civilians in Ukraine, Russia denied that it was involved in the rocket strike.
• The EU has accused Russia of the rocket attack on the Kramatorsk, saying that the country was planning to cut off escape routes for civilians. EU Council President Charles Michel said that the attack was “horrifying”.
• Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and diplomatic chief Josep Borrell are en route to Kyiv.
• Sanctions keep coming. This afternoon, the EU has said that almost €30 billion worth of both Russian and Belarussian assets under sanctions against the two countries.
• Japan is expelling eight Russian diplomats and officials., calling Moscow’s actions in Ukraine “categorically unacceptable”.
• Zelenskyy has warned that even worse violence than that in Bucha has been discovered in other areas attacked by Russia. “They have started sorting through the ruins in Borodyanka,” northwest of Kyiv, he said in his nightly address.

President Zelenskyy today called on the West to impose “Molotov cocktail” sanctions on Moscow, including a ban on Russian gas, and appealed for more weapons as he addressed Finnish MPs.

Scolding “those who are making us wait, wait for the things that we need badly, wait for the means of protecting our lives,” Zelenskyy called on Western leaders to impose a “sanctions cocktail” against Russia that “would be remembered just like Molotov cocktails”.

Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger has said the EU member had given Ukraine an S-300 air defence system, adding that it did not mean Slovakia had joined the conflict with Russia.

“I can confirm that the Slovak Republic has donated the S-300 air defence system to Ukraine, following Ukraine’s request for assistance,” Heger posted on Facebook.

“The donation of the system does not mean that the Slovak Republic has become a part of the armed conflict in Ukraine.”

The flow of people escaping Russia’s war in Ukraine has slowed but those now fleeing have often spent weeks in dire conditions, the United Nations said today.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,382,316 Ukrainians had fled the country since the war began on February 24.

The total is up 62,822 on Wednesday’s figures, including 22,957 who have headed to Russia since March 29, following updated numbers from Moscow.

“The war in Ukraine has triggered one of the fastest-growing displacement and humanitarian crises ever,” UNHCR spokesman Matt Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva.

Lauren here again.

Despite the horrifying attacks in Ukraine today, Russia and Ukraine say they are willing to hold more talks together, according to a Turkish official.

“Both Russia and Ukraine are willing to hold the talks in Turkey but they are far away from agreeing on a common text,” the official said.

In Chernihiv, a city in nothern Ukraine only 50km from the Belarusian border, around 700 people have been killed since the start of the invasion.

The city’s mayor told Unian news agency that the toll includes military and civilians.

“I can give you an approximate figure — 700 people. This includes military and civilians,” Vladyslav Atroshenko said, adding that two-thirds of the pre-war population of 300,000 people had fled.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, speaking in Helsinki on his trip to Finland, has said that Ireland will face challenges housing the refugees that arrive from Ukraine.

Around 20,000 Ukrainian refugees have reached Ireland already after fleeing Russia’s invasion of their home country. 

“On the accommodation front, it is stretched but then there are lots of new initiatives coming on stream,” he said.

“It will be difficult in the coming weeks, of that there is no doubt.

“We are bringing more staff in, particularly on the pledging side, to get through that list faster and to release homes faster for refugees coming into the country.”

The Taoiseach said he had a “very good” meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto.

We had a very broad discussion in terms of the international situation, particularly the war in Ukraine and the degree to which the multilateral order has been turned upside down, the sheer barbaric nature of attacks on Ukrainian civilians and the implications for the security architecture of Europe well into the future and the capacity of open economies to continue to do what we do best.”

“All of that is under threat by the Russian attack so we had a very interesting discussion around those issues and how all has changed in terms of this Russia attack and these implications for the future.”

EU Council chief Charles Michel has directly accused Russia of the “horrifying” train station attack.

He said “action was needed” and pointed to a fifth wave of EU sanctions on Russia agreed today.

“Horrifying to see Russia strike one of the main stations used by civilians evacuating the region where Russia is stepping up its attack,” Michel said on Twitter.

Moscow denied its forces attacked the Kramatorsk train station, calling allegations that they did “absolutely untrue”.

AFP journalists at the scene in Kramatorsk described seeing bodies under plastic sheets next to the station and the remains of a large rocket with the words “for our children” in Russian.

Ursula von der Leyen has called the missile attack on the Kramatorsk station “despicable”.

“I am appalled by the loss of life and I will offer personally my condolences to President  Zelenskyy,” she tweeted.

En route to Kyiv along with von der Leyen, EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell told journalists the EU would supply €7.5 million to train Ukrainian prosecutors to investigate war crimes, which Russia is accused of committing in the country.

Ukraine was not “dominated” by the Russian forces, Borrell said, adding: “There’s still a government to receive people from outside.”

He announced that the EU would reopen its diplomatic mission in Kyiv.

According to Borrell, EU leaders will discuss the requests made by their Ukrainian counterparts for military assistance, as well as future sanctions against Russia.

Finland has announced that it is expelling two Russian diplomats over the war in Ukraine.

“The measure is in line with those taken by other EU member states”, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

“In addition the visa extension of one Russian embassy staff member has been cancelled.” 

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre land border with Russia and is currently considering whether to join Nato.

Here’s the latest map from the British ministry of defence showing Russia’s movements in Ukraine:

At least 50 people, including five children, were killed in the train station strike, according to the local governer.

“Fifty dead, five of them children,” Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region, said on Telegram.

“This is the death toll at this hour after the strike by Russian occupational forces on the train station in Kramatorsk.”

We mentioned earlier that Slovakia has donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defence system to Ukraine.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Eduard Heger during a visit to Kyiv. 

Zelenskyy mentioned S-300s by name when he spoke to US legislators by video last month, appealing for defence systems that would allow Ukraine to “close the skies” to Russian planes and missiles.

Central European news outlet Visegrád 24 has shown images of the weapons heading east to Ukraine. 

SCOOP & BREAKING NEWS:

Slovakia has now delivered its S-300 long-range SAM missile defense system to UA!

Days ago, Visegrad24 received this video of the transfer from a railway worker but didn’t publish it since it wasn’t public news.

Slovak media confirmed the news 1h ago⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2S71IpKB3H

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 8, 2022

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the attack on fleeing civilians at the Kramatorsk train station was “unconscionable”, as he suggested Vladimir Putin’s forces were guilty of a war crime.

He told a Downing Street press conference: “The attack at the train station in eastern Ukraine shows the depth to which Putin’s once vaunted army has sunk.

At least 39 people killed and dozens wounded on a train platform crowded with women and children. It is a war crime indiscriminately to attack civilians and Russian crimes in Ukraine will not go unnoticed or unpunished.

Johnson has also committed to the UK to sending another £100 million of military equipment including further missiles to Ukraine. 

“Today I can announce the UK will send a further £100 million of high-grade military equipment to Ukraine’s armed forces, including more Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles, which fly at three times the speed of sound, another 800 anti-tank missiles and precision munitions capable of lingering in the sky until directed to their target,” Johnson told the same same press conference. 

More helmets, night vision and body armour will also be sent, Mr Johnson said.

Speaking in Helsinki, Taoiseach Micheál Martin had said earlier that housing Ukrainian refugees will leave Ireland “stretched”.

He’s also provided some further details of his meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto.

We had a very broad discussion in terms of the international situation, particularly the war in Ukraine and the degree to which the multilateral order has been turned upside down, the sheer barbaric nature of attacks on Ukrainian civilians and the implications for the security architecture of Europe well into the future and the capacity of open economies to continue to do what we do best.

“All of that is under threat by the Russian attack so we had a very interesting discussion around those issues and how all has changed in terms of this Russia attack and these implications for the future.”

As Ukrainian authorities sift through the destruction of towns liberated from Russian occupation, journalists also record what’s left behind. 

In the Ukrainian village of Novyi Bykiv, the Russians set up their base in the local school. The whole place is totally wrecked now, just two years after it was renovated.

But the messages they left behind and the way they behaved are quite revealing. Thread: pic.twitter.com/qJ7YeaRDHN

— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) April 8, 2022

Ukrainian investigators have also began to exhume a mass grave in Bucha, opening the early stages of what police say will be a war crimes case targeting Russian troops who occupied the Kyiv commuter town.

The grave — a long deep trench in the mud behind a gold-domed church — was used by Ukrainians to bury neighbours they claim were killed at the hands of Russian armed forces which arrived on 26 February.

Crews wearing white forensic overalls were using a flatbed lorry fixed with a mechanical crane to remove corpses from the ditch.

The bodies were laid out on the ground and inspected by teams, including police officers poring over paperwork.

Most of the remains outside the grave, cordoned off by tape, were zipped inside black plastic body bags.

One man at work was wearing a gilet marked with the words “war crimes prosecutor”.

President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen has also been in Bucha. 

It was important to start my visit in Bucha.

Because in Bucha our humanity was shattered.

My message to Ukrainian people:

Those responsible for the atrocities will be brought to justice.

Your fight is our fight.

I’m in Kyiv today to tell you that Europe is on your side. pic.twitter.com/oVEUOPDuD6

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 8, 2022

Gráinne Ní Aodha here taking over the Liveblog.

Some photos of von der Leyen’s visit to Ukraine, shared by the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Visited #Bucha. Showed @Vonderleyen, @JosepBorrellF @eduardheger the atrocities committed by the russian military troops against civilian 🇺🇦. We will never forgive the enemy for these crimes. We are working together with our 🇪🇺 partners to stop the aggressor as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/Gdz0wmhuG9

— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) April 8, 2022

The UK has announced further military support for Ukraine, ahead of an expected onslaught from Russian forces in the east of the country.

NEW: The UK will provide more military aid to Ukraine.

This package amounts to £100 million, and will help Ukraine defend itself from Russia's barbaric attacks. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/OMXU1zXsDM

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 8, 2022

The destruction left by Russian troops in the town of Borodianka outside of Kyiv is “much more horrific” than the situation uncovered in the nearby town of Bucha, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.

Ukraine’s prosecutor general says 26 bodies have been recovered from underneath two destroyed apartment buildings there.

Damaged cars are seen in front of the railway station after Russian shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. 

Andriy Andriyenko / AP/Press Association Images Andriy Andriyenko / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović has released a statement about the attack on Kramatorsk train station. 

“For dozens of civilians who waited at the railway station in Kramatorsk this morning, hoping to evacuate from areas at risk of attacks by the Russian forces, the journey to safety ended in a bloodbath as the station’s grounds were struck by ballistic missiles.

“Hundreds more were reportedly wounded by the attack, and many are now desperately fighting for their lives in local hospitals.

“This latest strike on a densely populated urban area of Ukraine is yet another demonstration of the blatant disregard for civilian life, which has by now sadly become a steady feature of this military aggression. 

“Those responsible for serious violations of human rights, such as the attack in Kramatorsk, must be held accountable. Such attacks may also constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law. All those who wish to leave areas affected by or at risk of hostilities must be able to do so safely.”

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is on his way to Kyiv, according to his office, one of the first EU leaders to visit Ukraine after images of corpses in the town of Bucha came to light.

“Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer left this evening for his visit to Ukraine,” the chancellory said in a statement.

A snapshot of the rest of von der Leyen’s trip to Kyiv.

@ZelenskyyUa at the press conference with @vonderleyen thanks the EU for sanctions, weapons, financial support. But most importantly, for the hope the EU gives to the Ukrainian people. pic.twitter.com/1CkRdOUk0X

— Matti Maasikas (@MattiMaasikas) April 8, 2022

Von der Leyen handed the authorities in #Ukraine the EU membership questionnaire today in Kyiv. On Monday, the foreign ministers of #Georgia & #Moldova will get theirs in Luxembourg on Monday

— Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) April 8, 2022

Minister Catherine Martin has met with her Ukrainian counterpart Tkachenko Oleksandr about providing Ukrainian news to Ukrainian people living in Ireland.

Today I met with @otkachenkoua, we discussed:

- Making Ukrainian news/content available to Ukrainian people in Ireland
- Cultural programmes for people arriving from Ukraine
- Cooperation on conservation &restoration of Ukraine’s cultural heritage +morehttps://t.co/3vCyTbV3cA https://t.co/lSxRZBGNHd

— Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) April 8, 2022