Zelensky pays surprise visit to troops on front lines in eastern Donetsk region
From Victoria Butenko
During a working trip to the Donetsk region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky visited the frontline positions of the Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut area. (President of Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a surprise visit to wounded troops at a hospital in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine near the front lines.
"Thank you for defending Ukraine, I wish you a speedy recovery," Zelensky said as he presented awards to members of the military.
According to video released by the President's office, Zelensky said from a warehouse at an undisclosed location that he was "honored to be here today, in the east of our country, in Donbas, and to award our heroes, to thank you, to shake hands. Thank you for protecting the state, sovereignty, the east of Ukraine."
10:09 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Residential block in Zaporizhzhia apparently struck by missile
From CNN's Tim Lister and Svitlana Vlasova
Paramedics and rescuers work at a site of a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 22. (Sergiy Chalyi/Reuters)
Two Russian missiles hit a residential high-rise building in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, the region's military administration said.
It's unclear if there were any casualties.
Footage posted to social media Wednesday shows extensive damage and a fire at a residential block in Zaporizhzhia, apparently from a missile strike.
One video showed the moment of impact, several floors up.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted about the attack on the social media app Telegram, saying Russia was "shelling the city with bestial savagery."
"Residential areas where ordinary people and children live are being fired at," Zelensky said.
7:23 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Heavy Russian attacks targeting town of Avdiivka in Donetsk, local official tells CNN
From Svitlana Vlasova in Kyiv, Ukraine
A residential building damaged by a Russian military strike in the frontline city of Avdiivka, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 20. (Alex Babenko/Reuters)
The town of Avdiivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk is coming under heavy attacks by Russian artillery and rocket systems, according to the head of the local military administration.
Avdiivka, a town with a large smelting plant just north of Donetsk, has been shelled persistently since the Russian invasion began. However, in recent weeks Russian ground attacks in the area have intensified.
Some Ukrainian officials have said that the town could become a second Bakhmut, the mostly abandoned city where Ukrainian and Russian forces have fought for weeks to what is, at this moment, a bloody stalemate.
Local official Vitalii Barabash told CNN that "the situation is really changing."
"There is more shelling, more massive shelling, more rocket attacks on the town. The number of assault operations around the town is also increasing many times over. There is more shelling of positions, more rocket attacks, more air and missile attacks, both in the city and on positions," Barabash said.
Fighting along the city's outskirts: Barabash said there had been massive shelling of the central part of the town late Tuesday. The rest of the night, he said, was "relatively calm."
However, the defense line around the city was "shelled all night."
"There was heavy shelling, and small arms fighting was going on in all directions, from the south and the north."
Geolocated social media videos over the past week indicate that Russian forces have moved closer to access routes from Avdiivka to the north and west.
Barabash said that on Wednesday morning there were more shelling and artillery attacks, killing one woman.
Evacuation difficulties: Civilian evacuations are continuing but the way out of town is a "road of death," with the stretch of road monitored by Russian troops who "immediately open fire" Barabash said.
He added that 180 people left the town in the last three weeks and Ukrainian officials estimate that there are some 2,000 people left in Avdiivka. Among them, according to Barabash, are six children. One child evacuated Tuesday, and authorities plan to evacuate another one on Wednesday.
6:57 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Kremlin says the West's "hostile" reaction to Xi’s visit is not surprising
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and China's President Xi Jinping make a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 21. (Pavel Byrkin/SPUTNIK/AFP/Getty Images)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he is not surprised by what he called a "hostile" reaction from Western nations to the visit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week.
"As for the reaction of the countries of the collective West, the fact that on almost all issues this reaction is of an unfriendly, deeply hostile nature is no secret to anyone. The coverage of this important visit is no exception," Peskov said.
"Of course, the most important thing is not the reaction of the West, but it's the results of the negotiations that took place. The main thing is the results of the state visit itself."
Peskov's comments came after John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesman, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Beijing and Moscow are deepening their relationship in large part due to their mutual interest in challenging the US' global influence.
Xi and Putin didn't discuss Ukraine's proposed peace plan during their meetings, Kremlin says
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Simone McCarthy
Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands after jointly signing a Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era and a Joint Statement of the President of the People's Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on Pre-2030 Development Plan on Priorities in China-Russia Economic Cooperation in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2023. Xi on Tuesday held talks with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Photo by (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, did not discuss a Kyiv-proposed peace plan to end the war in Ukraine during their visit this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
Peskov said that Kyiv’s proposal was a matter of Sino-Ukraine relations.
The 10-point peace plan was first presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video at a meeting of the Group of 20 nations in November.
The steps include a path to nuclear safety, food security, a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes, and a final peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine.
Xi spent three days Moscow this week. His visit ended with Beijing and Moscow concluding more than dozen agreements bolstering cooperation in areas from trade and technology to state propaganda, according to a Kremlin list. The leaders’ central statement focused on how the two countries would "deepen" their relationship.
However, the two sides failed to move the needle on bringing a resolution to the war.
6:02 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
IMF agree on $15.6 billion loan package to Ukraine
From CNN's Duarte Mendonca in London
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to supply Ukraine with a $15.6 billion loan to help stave off financial woes due to the war with Russia, it said in a statement Tuesday.
The package — which is subject to approval by the IMF's executive board — aims to support Ukraine’s recovery as the invasion perpetrated by Russia "continues to have a devastating impact on the economy," said Gavin Gray, the IMF's mission chief for Ukraine.
"The overarching goals of the authorities’ program are to sustain economic and financial stability in circumstances of exceptionally high uncertainty, restore debt sustainability, and support Ukraine’s recovery on the path toward EU accession in the post-war period," Gray said.
The funds are being delivered as part of a four-year agreement reached between the IMF and Ukraine.
5:39 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
Fourth person killed in overnight drone strikes in Kyiv
Rescuers work at a site of damaged building in the town of Rzhyshchiv, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on March 22. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters)
A fourth victim of a nighttime drone attack in the region of Kyiv has been found in the rubble of a dormitory in the town of Rzhyshchiv, police said.
The deceased has been identified as a 40-year old man.
Andrii Niebytov, the Kyiv region's police chief, said earlier that three people had been killed and seven others injured in the attack. More than 200 people were evacuated from the building and more than 20 were hospitalized. At the time when Niebytov spoke, five were missing, he said.
A total of 21 drones were launched against Ukraine from the north shortly before midnight local time on Tuesday, 16 of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.
6:14 a.m. ET, March 22, 2023
5 takeaways from Xi and Putin's talks in Moscow
From CNN's Simone McCarthy in Hong Kong
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks at the Kremlin on Tuesday. (Shen Hong/Xinhua/Getty Images)
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have made a sweeping affirmation of their alignment across a hostof issues — and shared mistrust of the United States — in a lengthy statement following talks between the two leaders in Moscow this week.
Their meeting, which took place under the shadow of Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine, left no question about Beijing’s commitment to developing its rapport with Moscow, despite Putin’s growing isolation on the global stage as its devastating war continues into its second year.
Here's five takeaways:
No meaningful path forward on Ukraine: The meetings yielded no breakthrough on resolving the conflict. Both leaders called for the cessation of actions that “increase tensions” and “prolong” the war, according to their joint statement released by China’s Foreign Ministry. The statement did not acknowledge that Russia’s invasion and military assault were the cause of ongoing violence and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
New world order and alignment against the US: Experts say China and Russia’s inclination to build their alignment against the US — and a world order more suited to their own more autocraticagendas — was driving the meeting, not interest in resolving the war in Ukraine. As Xi left the Kremlin following a state dinner on Tuesday with Putin, his parting message reiterated his view that global power dynamics are shifting. “Together, we should push forward these changes that have not happened for 100 years. Take care,” he said during a goodbye handshake with Putin, alluding to whatXi sees as an era where the West is fading and China is ascendant.
"Military mutual trust" and defense ties: Perceived threats from bodies like NATO and AUKUS — a security pact comprised of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — emerged as clear focus for both leaders, including their implications on Asia. Xi and Putin both expressed “serious concerns” in their joint statement about NATO’s “continuous strengthening of military-security ties with Asia-Pacific countries” and said they “oppose external military forces undermining regional peace and stability.”
Economic and energy boost: Putin said Tuesday that Moscow was ready to support Chinese business “replacing Western enterprises” that left Russia since the start of his invasion of Ukraine. Russia has grown increasingly reliant on China as both an import market and an exporter of electronics after being slapped with sweeping sanctions.
Divided world: The optics of the Moscow summit was a deep contrast to the coinciding meeting in Ukraine between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Japanese leader Fumio Kishida . Zelensky praised Kishida and other leaders who have visited as “showing respect” not only for Ukraine but “for the preservation and functioning of civilized rules and civilized life in the world.”
Russia warns US of "countermeasures" against Black Sea drone flights after fighter jet intercept
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
A Russian SU-27 jet is seen intercepting a US drone over the Black Sea. (US European Command)
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has warned the United States that Moscow would take "countermeasures" against any further drone flights over part of the Black Sea following an incident last week in which a Russian jet intercepted a US drone, state media reported Wednesday.
“We warn them against trying to play on their nerves, testing our patience," Ryabkov said, according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Referring to the incident last week, he said the US drone "was in a zone where we introduced a special regime associated with conducting military exercises.”
Russia's security would be ensured “by all means available,” he added, and “no American drones, whether reconnaissance, strike, strategic or any other kind,” could “shake their determination.”
Some background: CNN reported Tuesday that the US is flying surveillance drones further south above the Black Sea after a Russian jet collided with a US drone last week, citing two US officials.
The drone flights have remained in international airspace, but since the collision between one of the Russian jets and the MQ-9 Reaper drone last Tuesday, the US has moved its drone flights further away from airspace surrounding the Crimean peninsula and eastern portions of the Black Sea.
One of the officials said the routes are part of an effort “to avoid being too provocative,” as the Biden administration remains careful to avoid an incident that could potentially escalate into a direct conflict between US and Russian forces.
The official said the drone flights would continue this way “for the time being,” but added there is already “an appetite” to return to the routes closer to Russian-held territory. The officials also said Russia may try to unilaterally declare a broader closure of airspace around southern and eastern Ukraine in an attempt to force US drone flights further out.
