Ukraine woman who escaped Mariupol maternity ward gives birth

One of the pregnant women pictured escaping the ruins of the Mariupol maternity ward bombed by Russia has given birth to a daughter.

Mariana Vishegirskaya, wearing the same dotted pyjamas she was pictured in as she struggled down the stairs of the devastated hospital, was photographed on Friday by the Associated Press lying in a hospital bed holding her newborn daughter, Veronika.

In another photo, she looks on from her bed as her husband, Yuri, holds their baby.

The Russian embassy in London claimed in a series of tweets on Thursday that Vishegirskaya had been employed as an actor to stage the photos, including a photo of a completely different woman being stretchered out of the hospital.

The tweets were taken down for violating Twitter rules.

The UN confirmed that the hospital was clearly identifiable and operational when it was hit on Wednesday, contradicting Russian claims.