Ukraine Defence Ministry sets up hotline for family members of Russian soldiers

(News 1st); Ukraine had set up a hotline for the family members of Russian soldiers, and

Kyiv Independent  reported that the hotline has received "hundreds of calls" already.

The service is called "Come back alive from Ukraine” and was launched on Saturday by Ukraine's Defence Ministry.

"On this phone line, you can find out whether your relatives are still alive, taken prisoner, injured, and you can decide when and how to take the body of your deceased relative," an official said.

The hotline is a direct appeal to Russians, thousands of whom have been protesting against President Putin's war in Ukraine despite being faced with arrest.

Russians and Ukrainians have described each other as "like brothers and sisters" at anti-war protests around the world in recent days.

Meanwhile, despite warnings last night that the capital would come under attack from an onslaught of Russian missiles, an aerial blitz does not appear to have happened, although there have been explosions just outside the city.

Authorities said a Russian strike hit an oil depot in Vasylkiv, a city just south of Kyiv which also has a military airbase. The fire there is still raging, and officials have warned residents in the surrounding area as well as in Kyiv to close their windows against the chemical fumes.

Kyiv's deputy mayor Mykola Povoroznyk has said this morning the situation in the city remains calm and under the control of Ukrainian forces.