Russia-Ukraine live: Pope Francis condemns 'brutality and ferocity' of Russian mercenaries

Pope praises 'brave' Ukrainians for defending their country but says the invasion was 'perhaps either provoked or not prevented'

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron visit Irpin, outside Kyiv, and survey damage following Russia's invasion. AP

Ukrainian troops fire with a French self-propelled Caesar howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the eastern region of Donbas. AFP

Workers pour molten steel into a mould at a foundry in Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region, in an area under Russian military control. AP

Russian soldiers guard an area next to a field of wheat in the Zaporizhzhia region. AP

A US Marine Corps Harrier fighter jet is parked on board the assault ship USS Kearsarge, during the Baltops 22 exercise in the Baltic Sea. Reuters

A man picks up debris after his house was destroyed by shelling in the city of Dobropillia, Donbas region. AFP

Smoke rises after shelling in Ukraine's breakaway enclave of Donetsk. AFP

A mascot is wrapped in the colours of the Ukrainian flag before the country's Uefa Nations League football match against the Republic of Ireland in Lodz, Poland. Reuters

Russian soldiers walk near a monument at the entrance of Mariupol, which has been painted in the colours of the Russian flag. AFP

French troops at an air base in Constanta, Romania. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit the base in a show of support for Nato and European allies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AP

Svitlana Nazarenko, sister of Mykhailo Tereshchenko, is comforted by her son during her brother's funeral in Kyiv. The Ukrainian soldier was killed in the Donbas region. Getty

Russian troops demine the bay and beach of Mariupol, Ukraine. AFP

A Russian soldier inspects the Azovstal steel plant, in Mariupol, in territory which is under control of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. AP

A house heavily damaged by Russian shelling is seen through a broken window, in the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. AP

Maryna Golovnia sits in a van with her children as they leave their home in Bakhmut, amid fighting. Getty Images

Ballet dancer Mykyta Sukhorukov rehearses before the evening Gala Concert of the Ukrainian National Ballet, in Kosice, Slovakia. Getty Images

A Ukrainian soldier looks on from inside a tank at a position in the breakaway Donetsk enclave, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters

Boys play on top of a damaged Russian tank in Kyiv. EPA

An Orthodox priest blesses Ukrainian soldiers during a service at a church in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. EPA

A damaged Ukrainian navy ship, the 'Donbas', lies partially submerged near the pier in the port city of Mariupol. EPA

Ukrainian soldiers load a projectile into a tank near the small city of Svitlodarsk, in the breakaway Ukrainian enclave of Donetsk. EPA

Smoke rises after the Russian military struck a compound at the Azot Chemical Plant in Lysychansk, Ukraine. Reuters

A Russian serviceman on patrol outside the Ukrainian town of Schastia. AFP

Mourners gather during the funeral of Ukrainian serviceman Ruslan Skalskyi in Lviv. AFP

Civilians are evacuated from Lysychansk, in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. AFP

A man passes two destroyed military lorries in Lysychansk. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers run for cover during clashes with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

An elderly woman reacts as Ukrainian soldiers lead her to safety during a battle with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

A wounded woman is assisted by Ukrainian soldiers in Lysychansk. AFP

A house burns after being shelled in Lysychansk. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks on a radio at a front line in the Donbas region. AFP

A man walks next to a damaged building in Lysychansk. Reuters

A man with children rides a bicycle along an empty street, as smoke rises after Russian shelling in Lysychansk. Reuters

An unexploded shell is stuck in the ground in Lysychansk. euters

An elderly woman, who was evacuated from the Lysychansk area, cries moments before travelling by train to western Ukraine from Pokrovsk railway station. AP

Latest developments on Tuesday:

• No way out of Severodonetsk after last bridge destroyed
• Forty children among 500 civilians trapped in chemical plant
• War may deprive world of three Ukrainian wheat harvests, says minister
• EU officials reject using Belarus to move stuck Ukrainian grain
• Russia slashes gas deliveries via Nord Stream

Pope Francis condemned the brutality of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday.

"What we are seeing is the brutality and ferocity with which this war is being carried out by the troops, generally mercenaries, used by the Russians," he said in an interview published in the Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica on Tuesday.

He praised Ukrainians as "brave" for defending their homeland, but added that the war "was perhaps in some way either provoked or not prevented."

On the battlefield, civilians in Severodonetsk are trapped after Russian forces destroyed the last bridge out of the city, the Luhansk region's governor said on Monday night.

Russian troops are now in control of most of the eastern city, which sits in a strategic area in the battle for the Donbas region.

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