Dozens feared dead as bomb levels school in Ukraine

Fighting intensifies in Mariupol as Europe marks VE Day

Dozens of Ukrainians were feared dead on Sunday after a Russian bomb flattened a school sheltering about 90 people in its basement, while Ukrainian fighters held out at the battered Mariupol steel plant as Moscow’s forces rushed to seize it ahead of Russia’s Victory Day holiday.

The governor of Luhansk province, part of the eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbas, said emergency crews found two bodies and rescued 30 people at the school in the village of Bilohorivka after Saturday’s bombing.

“Most likely, all 60 people who remain under the rubble are now dead,” Gov. Serhiy Haidai wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine said its forces had repulsed nine Russian attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk, destroying 19 tanks and 20 combat vehicles.

The Luhansk governor said Ukrainian forces had retreated from the city of Popasna, which has been the focus of intense fighting.

“Everything was destroyed there. Our troops retreated to more fortified positions,” he said.

Ukrainian forces braced on Sunday to defend their final bastion in the devastated port city of Mariupol, desperate to deny Russia a symbolic win on the eve of Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations.

Kyiv’s allies lent their support, with US First Lady Jill Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau making unannounced visits to Ukraine, and G7 leaders planned to join President Volodymyr Zelensky on a video call.

But fierce fighting continued on the ground. Shelling and missile strikes have intensified in the buildup to the World War II anniversary.

Britain will provide an extra £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) in military support to Ukraine to help the country defend against Russian forces, officials in London said.

The funding, which comes from British government reserves, includes £300 million of military kit promised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this week, such

as radar systems to target Russian artillery, GPS jamming equipment and night vision devices.

Britain’s government said it is the highest rate of UK military spending on a conflict since Iraq and Afghanistan.

Officials said Johnson will meet with British arms companies later this month to discuss increasing production in response to the demand created by the conflict in Ukraine. Johnson said Britain’s aid to Ukraine will also help boost the UK defense economy.

Britain has already committed to about £1.5 billion for Ukraine, including humanitarian aid and loan guarantees.