Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said more than 300 residents of the town, near the capital Kyiv, have been killed. Many bodies, which show signs of being executed, still have not been buried.
Look back at Sunday's developments with our blog.
Key events
- Missiles hit Ukrainian port city of Odesa, council says
- Explosions heard in Odesa
- More than 300 Bucha residents killed, mayor says
- Former UN war crimes prosecutor calls for Putin's arrest
- Hundreds evacuated from Mariupol
- Turkey offers to help evacuate Mariupol by boat
- Explosions after rally in Enerhodar
- Entire Kyiv region has been liberated, Ukrainian officials say
- Zelesnkyy: Russia has its sights set on Ukraine's south and east
- Where to find yesterday's blog
Live updates
By Kate Ainsworth
That's all for the blog today
Thanks for following along throughout the day.
You can continue to stay up to date with the latest developments on the ABC News website on the ABC News app.
By Kate Ainsworth
Civilians to be evacuated from Mariupol, authorities say
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says work on evacuating people from Mariupol with the help of Red Cross will continue on Sunday (local time), with buses attempting to come close to the besieged city.
"Seven buses will try to get closer to Mariupol, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross," Ms Vereshchuk said.
She said there will be 17 buses prepared to evacuate people from Mariupol and Berdyansk, she said.
Mariupol became encircled by Russian troops shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, and is Moscow's main target in Donbas.
By Kate Ainsworth
Russian lawmakers look to punish countries who have sanctioned Russia
A senior Russian lawmaker says the country will look to punish countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
"My colleagues from the State Duma and I have finished the work and on Monday we will introduce amendments to the Criminal Code for the implementation of restrictive measures (sanctions) imposed by foreign states on the territory of the Russian Federation," Andrei Klishas wrote on his Telegram channel.
"We look forward to prompt consideration of the amendments by the State Duma."
Mr Klishas did not specify how Russia would identify or punish those who implemented sanctions.
By Kate Ainsworth
Russia says peace talks not ready for leaders' meeting
Russia's chief negotiator says that peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have not progressed enough for a leaders' meeting.
In a post on Telegram, Vladimir Medinsky said that Moscow's position on the status of Crimea and Donbas remained unchanged.
"The draft agreement is not ready for submission to a meeting at the top," he said.
"I repeat again and again: Russia's position on Crimea and Donbas remains unchanged."
By Kate Ainsworth
Missiles hit Ukrainian port city of Odesa, council says
Reuters is reporting that missiles struck Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa in the early hours of Sunday, according to an online post by the city council.
One of the city's "critical infrastructure facilities" was hit, regional administration spokesperson Sergey Bratchuk told Ukraine's public broadcaster.
"We hope there will be no casualties," Mr Bratchuk said.
He did not say what infrastructure facility was affected.
By Kate Ainsworth
Russia preventing Ukraine resupply by Black Sea, UK defence says
In its latest intelligence update, Britain's Ministry of Defence says Russian naval forces are continuing to blockade the Ukrainian coast on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, preventing resupply by sea.
Russia retains the capability to attempt an amphibious landing, but such an operation is likely to be increasingly high risk due to the time Ukrainian forces have had to prepare, the Ministry of Defence said.
By Dannielle Maguire
Aid arrives in Bucha
Locals in the outer Kyiv town have been cut off for weeks.
Once Russian troops left, the Ukrainian military was able to distribute food and other supplies to the town.
Here are some photos taken by Associated Press journalists yesterday:
By Dannielle Maguire
Prominent Ukrainian photojournalist found dead
On Saturday, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s office said photojournalists Maks Levin was killed with two gunshots, fired allegedly by the Russian military.
Levin’s body was found in the village of Huta Mezhyhirska, north of Kyiv, on Friday.
Levin, 40, worked as a photojournalist and videographer for many Ukrainian and international publications.
Levin has been missing since March 13, when he contacted his friend from Vyshhorod near Kyiv to report on the fighting in the region.
An investigation into his death has been launched.
Associated Press
By Dannielle Maguire
Zelenskyy criticises Hungary's PM
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took direct aim at Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his nightly national address.
Hungary goes to the polls later today to decide if Mr Orbán will remain PM.
Throughout his campaign, Mr Orbán has portrayed himself as a defender of Hungarian interests by rejecting EU sanctions on Russian oil and gas.
He hasn't vetoed any EU sanctions against Russia, even though he said he didn't agree with them.
And while he supported an EU decision to send arms to Ukraine, he banned weapons shipments from Hungarian territory, saying such a move could pose a security risk.
All this hasn't impressed Mr Zelesnkyy, who said Mr Orbán did "not seem to fully understand what is happening" in an English translation of this nightly address on the Office of the President of Ukraine website.
Here's more from Mr Zelenskyy on the Hungarian PM:
"He is virtually the only one in Europe to openly support Mr. Putin.
"We did not ask for anything special from official Budapest. We didn't even get what everyone else is doing! Doing for the sake of peace.
"We did not receive the vital transit of defence aid, we did not see moral leadership.
"We saw no effort to stop the war! Why so?
"The whole of Europe wants peace. The whole of Europe does not want the battlefield to be moved from Mariupol to Budapest or from Kharkiv to Krakow or from Chernihiv to Vilnius.
"The whole of Europe is trying to stop the war, to restore peace. Then why is official Budapest opposed to the whole of Europe, to all civilized countries? For what?"
By Dannielle Maguire
What are we expecting to hear about in Ukraine today?
It's now after 7am in Ukraine.
It's difficult to predict when reports from Ukraine will filter through at this time of the day, so let's recap on a few of the things we're expecting to hear about:
Odesa explosions: Just a few minutes ago we heard reports about explosions in the southern port city, with witnesses telling Reuters they heard the loud bangs in the early hours of this morning
Mariupol evacuations: We still don't know if a Red Cross aid convoy was able to get into the city — they made a second attempt to get into Mariupol after being unable to make it there on Friday. The team was hoping to evacuate citizens. We're also waiting to hear if Turkey's attempts to coordinate evacuations of the city by boat will eventuate
Bucha, Irpin and other communities around Kyiv: We've already heard some truly harrowing stories about what happened in those outer regions, including reports of mass graves and civillian executions. War correspondents sent back photos of dead bodies littering the streets after Ukrainian authorities led journalists through the area yesterday — by that time, it had been three days since Russian troops had withdrawn from the area
By Dannielle Maguire
Explosions heard in Odesa
We're hearing reports from Reuters about strikes in Odesa, a port city on the Black Sea in Ukraine's south.
A witness told Reuters they heard a series of explosions were heard and smoke was seen in the early hours of Sunday, local time.
We currently don't have any official information from either the Russian or Ukrainian military about the attack.
It's nearly 7am in Ukraine, so it's likely we'll hear more about this as the hours tick over into mid-morning.
By Dannielle Maguire
More photos from the outskirts of Kyiv
These images, taken yesterday, come to you via the Associated Press:
By Dannielle Maguire
More than 300 Bucha residents killed, mayor says
Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said more than 300 residents of the town had been killed.
Russian troops have left the area, but Ukrainian officials have warned people against returning to their homes.
Yesterday, three days after Russian troops left the town outside Kyiv, local police led journalists around the streets to document what they saw.
Most of the images and footage that have come back from that region show dead bodies in the street.
A mass grave on the grounds of a church was still open, with hands and feet poking through the red clay heaped on top.
Reuters journalists say it was clear some of the dead had been laying in the streets for days, even weeks. They said it wasn't clear why they had not been yet been buried.
Mr Fedoruk said it was important to record what had happened in the town. Here's more from him:
"Corpses of executed people still line the Yabluska street in Bucha.
"Their hands are tied behind their backs with white 'civilian' rags, they were shot in the back of their heads.
"So you can imagine what kind of lawlessness they perpetrated here.
"We will record this page of our history and it will be used at their tribunal but I wouldn't like to talk about that now.
"You should understand what emotion of relief we are feeling now."
By Dannielle Maguire
Utter devastation on the outskirts of Kyiv
It's still very early in the morning in Ukraine, having just ticked past 5.30am over there.
So we're going to look back at some of the reports from yesterday, when photojournalists were allowed into previously occupied areas around Kyiv.
Here's how one Reuters reporter described what they saw in Bucha, just outside Kyiv:
"The smell of explosives still hung in the cold, dank air, mingling with the stench of death.
The scenes are incredibly confronting, with bodies scattered in the streets.
"They were civilians with bikes, their stiff hands still gripping bags of shopping.
"Some had clearly been dead for many days, if not weeks."
It's difficult to find images from Bucha which don't have dead bodies.
Here's an image of a street in the town to give you an idea of what it's like on the ground:
By Dannielle Maguire
By Dannielle Maguire
Former UN war crimes prosecutor calls for Putin's arrest
The former chief prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunals has called for an international arrest warrant to be issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin is a war criminal,” Carla Del Ponte told Swiss newspaper Le Temps in an interview published Saturday.
In interviews given to Swiss media to mark the release of her latest book, the Swiss lawyer who oversaw UN investigations in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, said there were clear war crimes being committed in Ukraine.
She said she was particularly shocked by the use of mass graves, which recalls the worst of the wars in former Yugoslavia.
Other war crimes she identified in Ukraine included attacks on civilians, the destruction of civilian buildings and even that of entire towns.
Associated Press
By Kate Ainsworth
Where are Russian troops advancing?
In its latest defence intelligence update, Britain's Ministry of Defence has mapped the areas where Russia's troops are likely advancing in the south — and where they're likely withdrawing from in the north.
Earlier we heard that Ukraine has "liberated" the entire Kyiv region, and Britain's defence intelligence suggests Ukrainian troops are now advancing towards the northern city of Chernihiv, which has previously been encircled by Russian troops.
Russia has said it would be withdrawing its troops from the north of Ukraine and focusing on the Donbas region, near the Russian border.
By Dannielle Maguire
Lviv had its doubts about Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Here's how he won their hearts and minds
Ukraine's President has won plaudits and admiration on the international stage while becoming a "national hero" at home.
But in one corner of his country, many have long doubted him.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has risen as an unlikely leader, an actor-turned-president whose war efforts have won him stratospheric popularity.
Now, some wonder if he can maintain his newfound support with difficult compromises still being debated in peace talks this weekend.
The Lviv region in western Ukraine was the only one in the country not to cast a majority vote for the now 44-year-old president.
Residents here preferred his rival, then-president Petro Poroshenko, with around 63 per cent supporting the incumbent and only 34 per cent supporting Mr Zelenskyy.
But as the war drags into its fifth week, the feelings in this corner of the country are shifting.
By Dannielle Maguire
Zelenskyy commends protesters
Earlier, we heard about a rally held in Enerhodar, the city near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, on Saturday.
The region has been under Russian control for nearly a month.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova said protesters gathered in the city and sang the Ukrainian national anthem.
She accused Russian troops of opening fire on the crowd and taking away some citizens in paddy wagons.
In his nightly national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised protesters:
"I would like to thank the residents of our Enerhodar separately. Those brave Ukrainians who went to a rally today to defend their city. To protect our state.
"In response, the occupiers opened fire and used grenades against completely peaceful people, which are on their land, within their law.
"There will be an answer for each wounded person. And the Ukrainian character cannot be conquered by any pressure or violence.
"I am grateful to everyone who takes to the streets in the temporarily occupied cities. To all who are not afraid and go out.
"I am grateful to all who are afraid and come out. To all those who feel that without this decision to defend Ukraine and their freedom, the occupiers can gain a foothold.
"And when people protest — and the more people protest — the harder it is for the occupiers to destroy us, to destroy our freedom. This is our common struggle! And it will be our common victory."
By Dannielle Maguire
Ukraine building up defences in the east
Mr Zelenskyy said Russian troops were increasing their focus on the country's south and east.
Here's more from his nightly national address:
"We are strengthening our defenses in the eastern direction and in Donbas.
"We are aware that the enemy has reserves to increase pressure in the east.
"What is the goal of Russian troops? They want to capture both Donbas and the south of Ukraine.
"What is our goal? Protect us, our freedom, our land and our people."
