April 30, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The videos show women and children living underground in a dark, damp basement. One mother said they've not seen the sun in weeks and will soon run out of food. An old woman, her head bandaged and bloodied, shivers on a cot. A baby wears a plastic bag fastened with duct tape around its small waist -- there are no diapers left.

The harrowing footage was posted on YouTube by the Azov regiment, a unit of the Ukrainian armed forces, which said it was filmed in the vast network of tunnels underneath the Azovstal steel plant -- Mariupol's last remaining holdout.

After relentless bombardment by air, sea and sky, Russian troops have taken control of what is left of the rest of the city. Once a thriving port and beloved vacation spot on the Black Sea, much of Mariupol now lies in ruins. The steel plant is the last remaining shelter for hundreds of soldiers and civilians still stuck in the city.

In a clip published last week, a young boy, his cheeks pale, made a heart-wrenching plea for a path out.

Increasingly, it seems there is little chance of their rescue.

Myhailo Podoliak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Saturday that Russia was refusing to help save the people of Mariupol and had shown "absolute unwillingness to talk."

The videos shared by the Azov regiment, which are accompanied by pleas for help, give a sense of the desperate situation unfolding for Mariupol residents left behind. In the absence of journalists on the ground -- an Associated Press team, the only Western news media reporting from the city, left in March -- and almost no internet or cell service, the clips posted by Azov to social channels are among few windows into the plight of people trapped in the plant.

On Thursday, Ukrainian officials said Russia had carried out airstrikes on a field hospital within the plant. Mariupol's mayor, Vadym Boichenko, said that more than 600 were injured in the bombing. The attack renewed calls from the United Nations for humanitarian corridors to open up to the city.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking alongside Zelensky in a press conference in Kyiv, said that the besieged city was a "crisis within a crisis" and that the people stranded there were in desperate need of help. According to Guterres, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle for the involvement of the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal. But so far those corridors have not become a reality. Last week, Putin told his defense minister in Moscow that the plant should bee sealed off but not stormed.

Footage and photos shared by the Azov regiment on Friday shows graphic scenes in what is described as the aftermath of the attack on the makeshift hospital in the plant. CNN could not independently verify the location of the videos.

An Azov commander inside the Azovstal steel complex told CNN on Friday that children from 4-months to 16-years-old were trapped inside -- some in cellars and bunkers that are now unreachable because they had been covered by rubble.

Some background: The Azov regiment was originally formed in 2014 as the Azov Battalion, to defend Mariupol from attack by Russian-backed separatists. When it was created, it was known for having members with nationalist and neo-Nazi leanings, which Russia has cited to justify its war. But since the regiment was integrated into the Ukrainian military, analysts and Ukrainian officials say it has reformed. The unit has played a major role in defending the city in recent weeks and its soldiers have repeatedly pled for civilians to be evacuated from the plant.

The residents of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol are facing the threat of diseases, in addition to the shelling by Russian forces and lack of food and water, Ukrainian officials warned Saturday, describing the living conditions in the city as "medieval."

"Cholera, dysentery, and Escherichia coli: about 100,000 Mariupol residents are in mortal danger not only due to shelling but also to intolerable living conditions and unsanitary conditions," reads a post from the Ukrainian Parliament's official Twitter account. 

It added, "The occupiers cannot provide the existing population with food, water, and medicine. They block all evacuation attempts. And without that, people will die. Now in the ruined Mariupol, there are medieval living conditions. Immediate and complete evacuation is needed!"

Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, has said she believes Russia intends to destroy her country.

Speaking in an interview in which she revealed the profound upheavals the conflict has wrought on her family and fellow citizens, Zelenska told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita that the invasion of Ukraine "completely changed everything, including our lives."

In a remote interview released on April 28, Zelenska said that since the invasion began on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky "moved to Bankowa Street (the president's office in Kyiv), at his place of work," while she has stayed with their children. 

"There are no days off from work and no time off in the war. Often, you don't even know the day of the week. There is only what today is, what needs to be done," she added. 

Zelenksa said her children are studying remotely while she works through her initiative with other first ladies, governments of individual countries, activists and volunteers to organize evacuations of sick and orphaned children to safe places. 

When asked if the war has changed her husband, she said: "For some reason, I hear this question a lot. But the war didn't change him."

In response to a question about what she thinks Vladimir Putin wants to achieve in Ukraine, Zelenska said Russia's message keeps evolving and "this leads to the conclusion that their plans are constantly changing or not operating logically. But I don't judge them by declarations but by deeds.

"What the Russian troops are doing in Ukraine leads directly to the conclusion that the Russians are trying to annihilate the Ukrainians, which is their true purpose.

"This conclusion comes to my mind when I see the destruction of Mariupol, from which even safe evacuation through humanitarian corridors was not allowed, when I see the bombing of residential buildings in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, the railway station in Kramatorsk, destroyed by a Russian missile, where more than 50 people who tried to leave were killed," she said.

"And of course, I came to this conclusion after the war crimes committed by the Russians in the Kyiv region, where we continue to discover the mass graves of murdered, executed non-combatants, women, and children," she said.

"Yes, I am convinced that the Russians want to destroy us and commit genocide. And it doesn't matter what they say because their words do not match their deeds."

Zelenska added that she is grateful to Poland for helping Ukrainian refugees as they are "looking forward to the most important news -- that we have won and that they can go home."

She added: "I will be happy when I can pass it on to them one day, hopefully as soon as possible." 

Russia says missile strikes have targeted ammunition and fuel depots in eastern Ukraine, as Moscow continues its efforts to capture more territory and possibly encircle Ukrainian forces in the region around the town of Kramatorsk. 

Four such targets were struck near the towns of Barvenkovo, Pokrovskoe, Vozdvizhenka and Berezovoe, according to the Russian defense ministry.

In other missile and aircraft strikes Russian forces hit 10 locations housing Ukrainian troops and equipment, the ministry said, killing up to 120 soldiers and destroying four tanks and six other armoured vehicles, the ministry said in a briefing released on Saturday morning.

Russian artillery units carried out 389 firing missions overnight, targeting among other sites 35 command posts, 33 artillery positions, and 15 missile-artillery weapons and ammunition depots, the ministry added.

Eighteen Ukrainian drones were shot down, among them three Bayraktar TB-2, a Turkish-designed armed drone that has been used to considerable effect by the Ukrainian army against Russian targets.  

Russia has destroyed 142 Ukrainian aircraft and 112 helicopters, 658 drones, 279 anti-aircraft missile systems, 2,656 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 307 multiple launch rocket systems, and 1,189 field artillery and mortar launchers in total, according to the ministry.

CNN is unable to independently verify these numbers. 

Russia's defense ministry finally confirmed it is using submarines in the Black Sea to carry out cruise missile attacks on Ukrainian targets.

Meanwhile Ukraine says its troops continue to resist Russian attacks on several fronts, despite new evidence that Russian units are making their way across the border.

Here are the latest developments:

Russian submarine launches missiles at Ukraine: Footage released by the Russian defense ministry on Friday purported to show the launch of Kalibr cruise missiles from a diesel submarine somewhere in the Black Sea. "The crew of a diesel-electric submarine of the Black Sea Fleet has launched a salvo of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea against the military infrastructure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. A week ago, the Ukrainian armed forces reported that two dozen units from the Russian fleet were still operating in the Black Sea, including "submarines with missile weapons." On Monday, they added that Russian troops were "launching missile and bomb strikes on military and civilian infrastructure, including from strategic bombers, ships and submarines."

Ukraine holds off Russian forces amid ramped-up attacks: The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Russian troops are increasing their presence in eastern Ukraine, by bringing in units normally based in Russia's Far East. It said Russian soldiers' latest effort to break through in the Izium area had been resisted, but they continued to press an offensive towards the town of Lyman -- an important railway hub, which was hit by Russian artillery on Friday. The General Staff added there was also heavy fighting around Rubizhne and Popasna, two towns the Russians have been trying to take for several weeks. 

Shelling on Russian border: The bombardment of a village in the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, caused damage but no casualties, according to Governor Alexander Bogomaz. He said in a statement that the village of Zhecha came under fire as air defense systems intercepted a Ukrainian aircraft entering Russian territory. The blast wave from the incident damaged the casing of “technological buildings of the oil terminal” and the surrounding area, Bogomaz said, adding that no one was hurt.

Russia rejects evacuation efforts from Mariupol: Russia is rejecting all evacuation proposals for Mariupol, according to a senior Ukrainian official. Myhailo Podoliak said that Russia is rebuffing efforts to help evacuate people from the besieged port city "because it is symbolic for the enemy to destroy the city and its defenders -- the Azov Regiment." "The president and the head of the president’s office are continuously appealing to world leaders to help us convince the Russian side of the need for a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol," Podoliak said in a statement posted on the governing Servant of the People party's website. He added that the Russians showed "absolute unwillingness to talk" or make concessions.

UK ambassador returns to Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the UK for returning its ambassador to Kyiv. While there has been no official announcement from London that Melinda Simmons is back at work in the Ukrainian capital, she tweeted on Friday, “It was a long drive but worth going the distance. So good to be in Kyiv again.” In his Friday evening video address, Zelensky said the return of Britain’s ambassador meant that diplomatic missions from 27 countries were now operating again in Kyiv. “This is an extremely important gesture of support for Ukraine, and we are grateful to all of them," he said.

Poland sends reinforcements to Ukraine: Poland has sent over 200 T-72 tanks to Ukraine over the past few weeks, Polskie Radio, Poland's national public-service radio said Friday, citing IAR news agency. So far, Poland has provided Ukraine with military equipment worth $1.6 billion, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said last week. In addition to the tanks, Polskie Radio said, equipment also included dozens of infantry fighting vehicles and the 2S1 Carnation self-propelled howitzers, drones, Grad multiple rocket launchers and Piorun (Thunderbolt) man-portable air defense systems. 

The tens of thousands of people who have fled the besieged city of Mariupol have carried what they can on their journeys, including mementoes, heirlooms, cats and dogs. One man is reported to have walked for five days with his dog to reach safety.

Not many have brought with them a prize rooster. But Lyudmila did.

When Lyudmila and her husband Anton arrived at an evacuation center in the town of Przemysl on the Polish border with Ukraine, their rooster quickly settled in by wandering the corridors.

All seemed fine until the next morning -- or 3 a.m. to be precise -- when more than 1,000 people sleeping at the evacuation center were awoken by insistent cackling and crowing.

Sasha Pechenka, a volunteer at the center, told CNN he went looking for the source of the noise. 

"I asked volunteers from England and America: 'Have you seen a rooster here?' In the end, I found this beast."

Normally the unnamed rooster would begin his morning call at 4 a.m., but he had not yet adjusted to the change of time zone.

Sasha said that Lyudmila had told him: "We survived under the bombs with this rooster, because he lived with me. How can I leave my friend after that?"

The next day Lyudmila and Anton moved on, but photographs of the rooster that Sasha took quickly went viral, with one tweet garnering 1.5 million views. 

Sasha himself is a refugee, from Tajikistan. He said he worked with an opposition politician in Russia and was expelled from the country in 2021. He also worked with several organizations now described by the Russian government as "foreign agents" and "extremist." 

He said he has been working at the Polish-Ukrainian border as a volunteer since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began two months ago. 

Russia is rejecting all evacuation proposals for Mariupol, according to a senior Ukrainian official.

Myhailo Podoliak said that Russia is rebuffing efforts to help evacuate people from the besieged port city "because it is symbolic for the enemy to destroy the city and its defenders -- the Azov Regiment."

The Azov Regiment, sometimes referred to as the Azov Battalion, is a unit that began as an ultra-nationalist volunteer battalion but has since integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces.

"The president and the head of the president’s office are continuously appealing to world leaders to help us convince the Russian side of the need for a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol," Podoliak said in a statement posted on the governing Servant of the People party's website.

"Some political leaders turn to Putin through their personal channels, urging him to do this for humanitarian reasons. However, unfortunately, there is no response from the Russian side," Podoliak added.

He said the Russians showed "absolute unwillingness to talk" or make concessions.

Some background: Ukrainian officials have said that about 100,000 civilians require evacuation from Mariupol, which has been devastated by weeks of Russian shelling.

On Friday Russian troops cordoned off an area in the city potentially ahead of another attempt to storm the Azovstal steel plant -- a large industrial complex where they have increased attacks as part of their efforts to fully capture Mariupol.

There are thought to be hundreds of soldiers and civilians still in the plant, which remains under the control of Ukrainian forces.

The site has become a symbol of Ukraine's unwavering resistance in the face of an enemy that far outnumbers them.

CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Isa Soares, Madalena Araujo and Oleksandra Ochman contributed reporting to this post.

Russia's defense ministry has confirmed what the Ukrainian military has been saying for nearly a week: it's using submarines in the Black Sea to carry out cruise missile attacks on Ukrainian targets.

Footage released by the ministry on Friday purported to show the launch of Kalibr cruise missiles from a diesel submarine somewhere in the sea. 

A week ago, the Ukrainian armed forces reported that two dozen units from the Russian fleet were still operating in the Black Sea, including "submarines with missile weapons." On Monday, they added that Russian troops were "launching missile and bomb strikes on military and civilian infrastructure, including from strategic bombers, ships and submarines."

Amid acts of sabotage this week in the breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova, Ukraine's military said that Russian submarines "continue to maintain tensions over the likelihood of missile strikes on Ukraine. Enemy forces are also preparing provocations with missile strikes on Transnistria to accuse Ukraine of attacking the unrecognized republic."

Some background: Throughout the war, Russia's defense ministry has boasted that its frigates have targeted Ukraine with missiles. On April 22, the ministry published a video on Telegram described as showing a warship launching four Kalibrs from the Black Sea, taking aim at Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities. But information about submarine launches have been largely shrouded in secrecy, due to the strategic importance of the vessels and their activities. In mid-April, photographs emerged of Russian submarines in the port of Sevastopol in Crimea being loaded with Kalibr missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the UK for returning its ambassador to Kyiv. 

While there has been no official announcement from London that Melinda Simmons is back at work in the Ukrainian capital, she tweeted on Friday, “It was a long drive but worth going the distance. So good to be in Kyiv again.” 

The tweet was accompanied by a picture of the British flag against the sky. 

The UK government announced on April 22 that it would soon be reopening its diplomatic mission in Kyiv. The embassy was closed in February due to the Russian invasion, although some operations and support staff were moved to the western city of Lviv.

In his Friday evening video address, Zelensky said the return of Britain’s ambassador meant that diplomatic missions from 27 countries were now operating again in Kyiv. 

“This is an extremely important gesture of support for Ukraine, and we are grateful to all of them," Zelensky said. "With strong defense and political and financial support from the free world, such gestures mean that the need to end the war is becoming increasingly clear for Russia.”

The US is among those still absent from the list of diplomatic missions up and running in Kyiv. 

On Tuesday, US diplomats made a day trip from Poland to Lviv, the first such visit since the Russian invasion began on February 24, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. 

Without confirming that visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the same day that US officials “will begin to assess how we can most effectively and securely reopen the embassy in Kyiv.”  

The top US diplomat said the US was “moving forward on that,” but did not provide a timeline.