Ukraine aims to "evacuate women, children and the elderly" from devastated city of Mariupol as death toll mounts

Ukraine said it would make a fresh attempt on Saturday to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, the devastated port city largely controlled by Russian forces, as hopes for a weekend truce during Orthodox Easter faded.

The war enters its third month on Sunday with civilians continuing to pay a heavy price amid the ongoing fighting.

"Today we will again try to evacuate women, children and the elderly," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.