Live: Ukraine claims it destroyed about one-third of Russia's modern tanks

Following the reports of Moscow having to reactivate its T-62 tanks — Soviet-era armour introduced in 1961 — Ukrainian officials stated its forces destroyed about 30% of Russia's more modern ones, a figure that is only expected to increase according to Interior Ministry advisor Viktor Andrusiv.

Meanwhile, reports from Sievierodonetsk claim that the Ukrainian forces are in a "tough position", with the fiercest fighting taking place in the outskirts of the only Kiyv-controlled city in the Luhansk region.

Follow the latest developments on Sunday in our live blog below, or watch our live coverage in the player above:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin on Saturday, calling for "serious direct negotiations" with Kyiv and the release of Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered at Azovstal.

Kyiv fears a repeat of the horrors of Mariupol as a Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region makes progress amidst intense fighting. 

In Lithuania, ordinary citizens rallied around a donation drive to buy a Bayraktar drone for the Ukrainian forces, with the €5-million goal met in four days.

Russian Orthodox Church denied that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has declared independence or gained autocephaly, stating on Saturday that its unity is "preserved".

Earlier, the Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced on Friday that it was breaking with Russia, declaring its "full independence" from Russian spiritual authorities -- in what is widely seen as a historic move.

Nearly 3 million Ukrainian refugees have left the countries bordering Ukraine, where they flocked after the Russian invasion, to move to other non-neighbouring European countries, according to the