April 21, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our coverage of the war in Ukraine has moved here.

After advancing to the quarterfinals of the Serbia Open in Belgrade on Thursday, Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev told reporters in a post-match press conference that the decision made by Wimbledon organizers to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing because of the war in Ukraine is “illogical” and amounts to “complete discrimination.”

Rublev, after defeating Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the round of 16, gave a statement to reporters, saying he and other players had a call with Wimbledon organizers on Wednesday to talk about the situation to see if they could find a solution.

“To be honest, the reasons that they give, there is no meaning, there is no logic for what they propose,” Rublev said.
He later added, “The things that happen now is complete discrimination.”

It was proposed to Wimbledon that players should have “at least a chance to choose if we want to play or we don’t want to play,” Rublev said.

“And if there is a statement that we need to sign and on top of that to give all the prize money to humanitarian help, to the families who are suffering, to the kids who suffer, I think that move at least will do something, at least a bit. And it will show that the England government is standing for the peace and they really want to help.”

Rublev wrapped up his statement the way he opened it: reaffirming his apolitical status.

“At the end of the day we want to compete,” Rublev said. “We are not here to talk about politics, because I have no idea, anything about this. At the end of the day I am Russian, and I was born in Russia and I’ve lived all my life in Russia, and I just want to show that we are good people.”

A few days after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, Rublev — who at the time was competing at an ATP 500 event in Dubai — wrote, “No war please” on a camera after winning a match. He went on to win that tournament.

Rublev is ranked No. 8 in the world in men’s singles. He is one of several high-profile players who would be prevented from competing in the third major of the calendar year.

If the ban stands, others who would be impacted in men’s singles include No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, No. 26 Karen Khachanov and No. 30 Aslan Karatsev — all of whom are Russian.

On the women’s side, those currently ranked in the top 30 who would be affected are No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, No. 18 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, No. 26 Daria Kasatkina of Russia and No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova of Russia.

Galina Nikolaevna is weeping in the wreckage of her home in the village of Kamyshevakha in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Two days ago, a couple of Russian shells landed on the house and the garage, making it uninhabitable.

But Nikolaevna and her husband are refusing to leave.

Like so many people here, they have nowhere to go and no means to support themselves, Nikolaevna said. She has been told that it costs $300 just to get to Bakhmut, the nearest town under full Ukrainian control.

This village, on the outskirts of Popasna in Luhansk, has been hit hard by artillery over the past days. People here are now completely cut off from basic services. Large buckets and troughs are laid out in front of the damaged building to collect the rainwater. 

Read the full story:

Aleksandr Prokopenko sets out from Bakhmut to rescue residents near his hometown turned battleground of Popasna village. "I love my town and I can't leave it," Prokopenko says. "I can't leave the people here. Somebody needs to help people."

Related article 'I can't leave it': The residents of an embattled Donbas village are determined to stay | CNN

The Estonian and Latvian parliaments adopted statements on Thursday saying Russia has committed genocide in Ukraine.

In its statement, Estonia said “systematic and massive war crimes have been committed against the Ukrainian nation by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” according to its parliament, the Riigikogu.

It cited the towns of Bucha, Borodianka, Hostomel, Irpin and Mariupol as well as other settlements that were occupied by Russian forces.

“The Russian Federation has committed acts of genocide, inter alia mass atrocities against the civilian population. These have consisted of murders, enforced disappearances, deportations, imprisonment, torture, rape, and desecration of corpses,” the statement said.

Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, unanimously adopted the statement, saying it was based on “extensive testimonies and evidence of brutal mass atrocities — the murders, torture, sexual violence and desecration of Ukrainian civilians, including women and children.”

“As a member state of the UN, the Council of Europe, the EU, and NATO and a defender of democratic values, Latvia cannot accept the actions of the Russian Federation, carrying out mass destruction of Ukrainian people,” it said in a press release.

What is genocide: The UN defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” Genocide is when crimes against humanity are carried out with the goal of eliminating a population.

US President Joe Biden recently called the atrocities being uncovered in Ukraine  “genocide.”

In his nightly address on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia that any attempts at annexation will lead to sanctions that will leave it as poor as it was after its civil war in 1917.

“I want to say straight away: any ‘Kherson People’s Republics’ are not going to fly. If someone wants a new annexation, it can only lead to new powerful sanctions strikes on Russia. You will make your country as poor as Russia hasn’t been since the 1917 civil war. So it is better to seek peace now,” Zelensky said.

He urged the residents of the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to be very careful about the information they provide to Russian troops.

“If they ask you to fill out some questionnaires, leave your passport data somewhere, you should know - this is not to help you … This is aimed to falsify the so-called referendum on your land, if an order comes from Moscow to stage such a show,” he said.

Zelensky thanked the prime ministers of Spain and Denmark for their support as they arrived in Kyiv and thanked the Danish prime minister for showing readiness to support post-war reconstruction in Ukraine, particularly in Mykolaiv.

The Ukrainian president also thanked the US for additional support, saying, “The United States has announced a new package of support for our state. We are grateful for that. This package contains very powerful defense tools for our military. In particular, it is artillery, shells, drones. This is what we expected.”

Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky addressed the Parliament of Portugal and said as of Thursday, Russian forces have killed at least 1,126 Ukrainians in the Kyiv region alone, of which 40 are children. He also said Russian forces have already “deported” at least 500,000 Ukrainians from the territory they have occupied.

World leaders need to “facilitate a real legal mechanism” to hold Russian President accountable for committing “crimes against humanity,” former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said in an interview with CNN Thursday.

“Unpunished evil always returns. Putin and his military committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The incumbent legal machinery is not capable of bringing to justice Putin and these criminals. So it is important to realize that we need urgently to facilitate a real legal mechanism,” he said, adding that sending a message to Moscow is not enough.

“We need to send a legal team to every single spot where Putin committed these crimes and actually orchestrate a legal case against Putin.”

Several ministers walked out during the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) meeting in Washington, DC, Thursday as Russia’s financial minster spoke, the Danish financial minster told CNN.

“I saw colleagues from all over the world sending a very clear message to President Putin and to Russia that we will under no circumstances accept the war on Ukraine and we stand firmly behind the Ukrainian people,” Wammen said.

Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister and head of the IMFC Nadia Calvino told Quest that the meeting was “not business as usual” and that “different countries different members expressed their views in a different manner, but overall this has been a very productive meeting.”

Following a meeting of the IMFC, a joint communique is normally issued, however, for the first time in history it was not as Russia refused to approve it.

Despite this, Calvino said that the outcome of the meeting was still positive and “when a consensus based organization sees one country walk away, that makes it impossible to have a unanimously agreed communique but that doesn’t mean there is no agreement on the substantive issues.”

The United States welcomed Russia’s suspension from its permanent observer status at the Organization of American States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Thursday.

“With the passage of this resolution, OAS member states demonstrated that we do not stand on the sidelines in the face of the Russian government’s violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses,” Blinken said. “Our Hemisphere stands with Ukraine.”

There were 25 votes in favor, zero against, eight abstentions and one absence on the resolution titled “Suspension of the Status of the Russian Federation as a Permanent Observer of the Organization of American States.” 

Blinken said they “commend the governments of Antigua and Barbuda and Guatemala for leading the adoption of the resolution, and all the governments that supported it.”

The evacuation of civilians is going “very slowly” in the besieged eastern city of Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Thursday.

“There is nothing to delight about Mariupol. Everything is going very slowly. On the Russian side, everything is very complicated, chaotic, slow and, of course, dishonest,” she said in a post on Telegram messaging app. 

Vereshchuk noted that, for the first time, people went from Mariupol to Zaporizhia directly on Wednesday, and that it gives her “hope.”

She apologized to those who did not get evacuated on Thursday. “The shelling started near the collection point, which forced the corridor to be closed,” the official said.

“Dear citizens of Mariupol: as long as we have at least some opportunities, we will not give up trying to get you out of there! Hold on!” she concluded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukraine needs $7 billion per month in financial assistance to make up for the economic losses from the war. 

In a virtual address to a World Bank forum, Zelenksy also said that it would take “hundreds of billions of dollars” to rebuild his country later. 

He said every country must be prepared to break all relations with Russia and that Moscow should “immediately” be excluded from all international financial institutions including the IMF and the World Bank.

Zelensky went on to say that Russia was “using aggressive methods in world markets while fighting this war” and these institutions were no place for them. 

Zelensky ended his address by saying he hoped the next meeting would take place in one of the cities in Ukraine that had been rebuilt with the support of the IMF and World Bank.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday “it is nothing less than an accolade to earn the ire” of the Russian government by being sanctioned.

“In addition to the Vice President, today’s tranche included journalists and spokespeople for this administration, myself included,” Price said at a State Department briefing. “I have to say it is nothing less than an accolade to earn the ire of a government that lies to its own people, brutalizes its neighbors and seeks to create a world where freedom and liberty are put on the run and, if they had their way, extinguished.”

It is “a great honor to share that enmity with other truth tellers, my colleagues John Kirby and Jen Psaki, as well as a number of journalists who have done incredible work, sharing the jarring, bloody truth of Russia’s actions in Ukraine,” he added.

Russia has banned a slew of US figures including US Vice President Kamala Harris from entering the country, Reuters quoted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.

Russia on Thursday expanded its “stop list” banning a further 29 American officials and figures from entering Russia on an indefinite basis, including US Vice President Kamala Harris and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. 

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that the list was published “in response to the ever-expanding anti-Russian sanctions” and includes US individuals of “the top leaders, businessmen, experts and journalists who form the Russophobic agenda.” 

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky, ABC TV host George Stephanopoulos, and Bank of America head Brian Moynihan have also been added to the list. 

 “In the near future, a new announcement will follow about the next replenishment of the Russian ‘stop list,” the statement said.  

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Donetsk regional military administrator, said 79 residents of the besieged city of Mariupol were safely evacuated to Zaproizhzhia on Thursday. 

In a Telegram post, Kyrylenko said that after several delays and failed attempts to open an evacuation corridor from the besieged city, “this is the first time since the beginning of the blockade of Mariupol by the Russian occupation forces, we managed to evacuate local residents in an organized manner and take them to safety.”

Kyrylenko said almost 100,000 residents of Mariupol have already arrived in Zaporizhzhia, promising that Ukrainian authorities will continue to work hard so that everyone who wants to escape the besieged city can do so.

Kyrylenko said during previous attempts to pull civilians out, the Russian forces broke their agreements, forcing those escaping to rely on private transport.

“This time, four buses managed to leave the besieged city in an organized manner. It is much less than agreed, but we still rejoice for every life saved,” Kyrylenko said before congratulating all the evacuees who had managed to escape.

US President Joe Biden announced a separate tranche of $500 million in US assistance for the Ukrainian government in addition to the $800 million in military aid he pledged Thursday.

The new aid brings the total US economic support for Ukraine, the President said, to $1 billion in the past nearly two months since Russia’s invasion.

The $500 million in funding can be used by Ukraine’s government “to stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught, and pay the brave workers that continue to provide essential services to the people of Ukraine,” Biden said.

He also announced “Unite for Ukraine,” a new effort to support Ukrainians seeking to come to the US amid the ongoing, brutal invasion, with approximately two-thirds of Ukrainian children displaced.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Ukraine, evacuation efforts have become difficult.

Here’s what you need to know:

Ukraine’s military release apparent Russian communications intercept with alleged order to kill Ukrainian POWs: Ukraine’s military intelligence on Wednesday released a purported communications intercept of Russian armed forces referring to an alleged order to kill Ukrainian prisoners of war in the city of Popasna in the eastern region of Luhansk, which is bearing the brunt of Russia’s renewed attack.   

“The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine received an audio interception of the occupiers’ conversation, which refers to the order to kill all prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are in their captivity in the area of Popasna (Luhansk Region),” Ukrainian military intelligence tweeted on Wednesday. 

“This is a blatant war crime, a violation of international law, and another striking example that the Russian military are murderers, rapists, and looters,” it added. 

The alleged intercepted audio recording released Wednesday appears to feature the voices of unknown Russian soldiers saying: “What can I tell you, damn it, [expletive], for [unintelligible] — you keep the most senior among them, and let the rest go forever. Let them go forever, damn it, so that no one will ever see them again, including relatives.” 

CNN cannot vouch for the authenticity of the recording and has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment. 

Evacuations from Azovstal plant not possible Thursday as there is no stable ceasefire: There is no possibility to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant on Thursday as there isn’t a stable ceasefire that will provide for safe evacuation, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Thursday during an online briefing. The mayor appealed to international partners to facilitate a ceasefire and a corridor for evacuation. In addition, he noted that around 200 people are currently awaiting evacuation buses in Mariupol, but the buses have not arrived yet. Four evacuation buses with 80 civilians onboard left Mariupol on Wednesday and are currently heading to Zaporizhzhia, the mayor said. He also said that on Wednesday, during an attempt to evacuate civilian population, Russian troops began shelling. 

More than 7.7 million people internally displaced in Ukraine, according to report: More than 7.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine after being forced to flee their homes due to Russia’s invasion, according to the latest International Organization for Migration report. According to the third Ukraine Internal Displacement Report, published Thursday, the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine has risen to at least 17.5% – or more than one in six – of Ukraine’s pre-war population. The latest survey, conducted between April 11 and April 17, found that at least 60% of those internally displaced are women. More than half of IDPs reported a lack of some food products. According to IOM, 28% of families with children under the age of five said they had faced difficulties in getting enough food for their children.

Another Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange takes place, Ukrainian deputy prime minister says: Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Thursday that another exchange of prisoners had taken place between Ukraine and Russia. 

“Today we are returning home 19 people, including 10 military (including 2 officers) and nine civilians,” she said. “This time there are wounded among the released, and this is very important. After this they will be able to receive full treatment and undergo rehabilitation.”

Russia closes consulates of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania: Russia is closing the consulates of three ex-Soviet Baltic nations, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the consulates of Latvia in St. Petersburg and Pskov, as well as the consulates general of Estonia and Lithuania in St. Petersburg will be shuttered and all of their employees declared “persona non grata.” The phrase “persona non grata” literally means “an unwelcome person”. Declaring someone as such usually means they have to leave the country.

A pro-NATO group of opposition leaders from Finland and Sweden was in Washington, DC, this week for meetings with the Biden administration and the Hill, sources familiar with the meetings told CNN.

While in the US capital, the small delegation led by Finland’s Petteri Orpo and Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson met with Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Karen Donfried, Amanda Sloat of the National Security Council, a number of staff on Capitol Hill and think tanks including the Atlantic Council and the German Marshall Fund.

Henri Vanhanen, foreign policy adviser to Finland’s center-right party, said they wanted to give the message that Finland and Sweden are contributors to security, they bring something to the table and won’t be a burden by joining NATO as they already have very strong national defense. Vanhanen said this message was well received.

In the joint meetings at State and the NSC, there was common understanding that “security guarantees” are only given to NATO members and that it is up to Sweden and Finland to decide about joining, said a Swedish parliamentary official and Vanhanen, the latter of which noted they are not in a position to negotiate with the US government. However, there was discussion about how to improve overall safety and security, particularly in the interim period between application and accession. This Swedish official familiar said discussion included cyber issues and bigger exercises in the Baltics.

Both nations are aiming to apply by the June NATO summit in Madrid at the latest, the opposition hopes.

Vanhanen said it is a “pragmatic” issue for Finland as it shares a border with Russia and has been at war with them, and said joining the alliance is a question of “when” not “if.” 

Officials from Sweden and Finland said there is no doubt that the US Senate would vote to approve their countries’ accessions to NATO. The Senate must approve Sweden and Finland joining NATO by at least a two-thirds vote. 

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and EU Commission have outlined a range of energy-saving tips to encourage EU citizens to cut their energy bills and reduce reliance on Russian fuel.

In a news release Thursday, IEA Executive Director Dr. Fatih Birol said “using less energy is a concrete way to help the Ukrainian people – and to help ourselves.”

Birol added that the suggested steps can “reduce the flow of money to Russia’s military and help put us on a path to a cleaner and more sustainable planet.”

The steps recommended include: turning down heating, using less air conditioning, working from home and traveling by public transport when possible. It also states that governments could provide “financial incentives” reducing fares for travel and by supporting the installation of solar panels. 

According to the news release, if these actions were supported by all European Union citizens, then “that would save enough oil to fill 120 super tankers and enough natural gas to heat almost 20 million homes.”

Ukraine’s military intelligence on Wednesday released a purported communications intercept of Russian armed forces referring to an alleged order to kill Ukrainian prisoners of war in the city of Popasna in the eastern region of Luhansk, which is bearing the brunt of Russia’s renewed attack.   

“The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine received an audio interception of the occupiers’ conversation, which refers to the order to kill all prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are in their captivity in the area of Popasna (Luhansk Region),” Ukrainian military intelligence tweeted on Wednesday. 

“This is a blatant war crime, a violation of international law, and another striking example that the Russian military are murderers, rapists, and looters,” it added. 

The alleged intercepted audio recording released Wednesday appears to feature the voices of unknown Russian soldiers saying: “What can I tell you, damn it, [expletive], [unintelligible] – you keep the most senior among them, and let the rest go forever. Let them go forever, damn it, so that no one will ever see them again, including relatives.” 

CNN cannot vouch for the authenticity of the recording and has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment. 

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has previously released a purported communications intercept of a Russian ground unit commander, who said Russian aircraft were planning to “level everything to the ground” around Azovstal, the steel factory that is a redoubt of Ukrainian defenders in the besieged port city of Mariupol. 

On Thursday, in a meeting with his defense minister, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there is no need to storm the plant, but it should be surrounded, and those inside should be offered a chance to surrender.  

“Block off this industrial area so a fly cannot get through,” he said.    

The SBU also previously released audio from purported intercepted radio traffic revealing Russian soldiers discussing killing and raping civilians, bolstering allegations of war crimes by Russian troops.   

Germany’s foreign intelligence service has also intercepted alleged radio communications where Russian soldiers talked about shooting soldiers and civilians in Ukraine. Military observers have also noted a tendency of Russian troops to use unsecured communications in Ukraine. 

Speaking from an undisclosed location to CNN on Wednesday, Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said 80% of his region’s territory is under Russian control, and if Ukraine doesn’t resist, “Russia is certainly not going to stop here and will push further on.” 

“Certainly they [Russians] are spreading out a lot,” he said. “We’ve established our defenses in a lot of towns. They’re trying to encircle our troops, a lot of nasty business is going on there…but they haven’t had any successes so far. We are doing well to destroy their equipment.”

Haidai went on to say that “We have a very serious situation here. The whole of Luhansk territory is being shelled. There is no safe town… We understand that the Russian government is going to push ahead and going to destroy everything in its path. So what we are doing is trying to evacuate everyone as much as possible.” 

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she and other finance ministers walked out of a closed-door G20 meeting with Russia on Wednesday because “it simply cannot be business as usual for Russia in terms of its participation in our global forums” where countries meet to address common challenges.

Yellen’s comments on the walkout came during a press conference with reporters on Thursday. The treasury secretary departed along with European and other Western officials who were participating in the meeting, according to a person familiar with the session.

“I think participation in those forums requires a commitment on the part of countries to obey the fundamental norms and values underlying international cooperation,” Yellen said Thursday. “My decision, along with that of others to leave when the Russian finance minister began to speak, was to make clear that Russia’s behavior … is so offensive to international norms that we’re not willing to allow Russia to participate or to listen to what the Russians have to say.”

Ahead of the meeting, US officials had said Yellen would not participate in certain sessions of the gathering that included Russia. 

Ukrainian officials also spoke at the session as invited guests, but departed along with Yellen and other officials when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov began speaking virtually.

Ukrainian officials on Tuesday identified the location of apparent mass graves outside the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol — claims bolstered by the publication of satellite images collected and analyzed by Maxar Technologies.

In a post Thursday on Telegram, Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, wrote: “As a result of a long search and identification of places of mass burial of dead Mariupol residents, we established the fact of arrangement and mass burial of the dead Mariupol residents in the village of Manhush.” 

Andriushchenko — who is not in Mariupol but has served as a clearinghouse for information from inside the besieged city — posted the coordinates on Telegram, saying Russian forces had dug several mass graves, each measuring about 30 meters (around 100 feet), in Manhush, a town around 12 miles (about 19 kilometers) to the west of Mariupol. 

“Trucks carry in the bodies of the dead, in fact, simply dumping them on the embankment,” he said. “This is direct evidence of war crimes and attempts to cover them up.”

Maxar published analysis of satellite imagery Tuesday appearing to show evidence of new graves at a site on the northwestern edge of Manhush.

“According to recent media reports, Russian soldiers have been taking the bodies of people killed in Mariupol to this location,” Maxar said in its analysis. “A review of our satellite images from mid-March through mid-April indicate that the expansion of the new set of graves began between March 23-26, 2022 and has continued to expand over the past couple of weeks. The graves are aligned in four sections of linear rows (measuring approximately 85 meters per section) and contain more than 200 new graves.” 

Vadym Boichenko, the mayor of Mariupol, also alleged Thursday that Russian forces have buried bodies in mass graves in Manhush, amid claims by Ukrainian officials that as many as 20,000 people have died in weeks of bombardment.

“More than 20,000 civilians — women, children, elderly people — died on the streets of our city from enemy artillery, aircraft,” he said. “And this is also [based] on the evidence of the heads of our municipal services, who saw it. And unfortunately, we have seen that the bodies of dead Mariupol residents have begun to disappear from the streets of our city.” 

Boichenko said the mass graves were off a bypass road, near a cemetery.

“And there is a field near the cemetery, and in this field there are ditches, 30 meters (about 90 feet) long, and there they bury them, bring the bodies of the dead by trucks and throw them into these ditches,” he said.  

CNN cannot independently verify claims that Russians have disposed of bodies in mass graves at that location, and a firm death toll following weeks of heavy bombardment of Mariupol is not available. Journalists in Mariupol have documented the hasty burial of civilians in the besieged city, and images have surfaced on social media showing bodies apparently left for collection in the city. 

Evidence of mass graves outside Mariupol surfaced as Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the “liberation” of the city by Russian forces, although he also called off an attempt to storm the Azovstal steel plant, the final bastion of Ukrainian defenders inside the city, where civilians have also sheltered.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible today to evacuate civilians from Azovstal,” Boichenko said. “Because we are asking for a stable ceasefire. Somewhere we need one day to be able to accommodate those residents who have been hiding there for 57 days in a row, and they are being bombed, bombed and bombed.”

Boichenko estimated that around 100,000 people remain in Mariupol. 

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal spoke briefly on Capitol Hill Thursday. 

Shmyhal said that Ukrainians “feel great support from the United States, from President Biden.”

He discussed the importance of sanctions in addition to other forms of aid, and outlined a number of financial needs, including for internally displaced people, Ukrainian refugees and “mine-cleaning activity,” saying, “we need money, we need technologies, we need support.”

Shmyhal said people are suffering in areas close to major battles and need help. “There is no food, no water, no electricity,” he said.

Pelosi referenced President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will make a formal request for Congress to approve a second supplemental funding package to aid Ukraine, saying “we want to do more.” 

“The President said he will be asking Congress for more. We’ll learn about that in the next day or so to be taken up as soon as we can next week,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi praised Biden’s leadership amid the crisis in Ukraine, saying that he has “been a unifier.”

She condemned Russia’s actions. “Words are almost inadequate to describe it,” Pelosi said.

The situation at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol is “close to a catastrophe,” Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the CEO of Metinvest Holding, the company that owns the plant, told CNN on Thursday. 

“When the war started we had stocked quite a good stocks of food and water in the bomb shelters and the facilities at the plant so for some period of time the civilians, they were able to use it and basically survive on that. Unfortunately all the things, they tend to run out, especially the food and daily necessities. I think now it’s close to a catastrophe there,” Ryzhenkov told CNN’s Julia Chatterley.

Ryzhenkov said originally there had been enough supplies for two to three weeks but they were almost eight weeks into the blockade. He added that those still there “were not giving up.”

The CEO said they had set up a hotline for any employees of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, and so far about 4,500 had been in contact, leaving around 6,000 yet to be accounted for.

“Hopefully they are still alive, hopefully they are ok and hopefully they will get out and we will be able to provide them with all the necessary comfort,” he said. 

According to Ryzhenkov, the company has said the facility will not work under Russian occupation. “Our enterprises will not be working under Russian occupation. We will not be controlling this work we will not be providing this work. Of course Russians can try to restart the plants, but let’s see if they can manage that, I doubt very much,” he said.

Russia continues to bolster their forces inside Ukraine as it refocuses on the east, adding three more battalion tactical groups since yesterday, bringing the total number of Russian battalion tactical groups, or BTGs, in Ukraine to 85, a senior US defense official told reporters on Thursday.

This brings the total number of BTGs added over the past week to 20.

Most of the BTGs being added in Ukraine are “going into the Donbas region,” the official said. 

“Most of them we still assess are going into the Donbas region, but I caution this by saying we don’t know, we don’t know exactly what unit is where on any given day specifically, but that’s where we’re assessing that we’re going,” the official added. 

The US Air Force developed the new Phoenix Ghost drone system to meet Ukrainian needs, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

The new US aid package for Ukraine includes more than 121 Phoenix Ghost systems, the Pentagon said.

“This was rapidly developed by the Air Force in response specifically to Ukrainian requirements,” said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby in off-camera remarks to reporters.

“It provides similar capabilities to the Switchblade series of unmanned systems — similar capabilities, but not exact,” Kirby said. “There’s differences in the scope of capability for the Phoenix Ghost.”

But Kirby would not say what the differences in capabilities are between the Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost systems.

Kirby also said the new system will require “some minimal training for knowledgeable UAS operators,” and that the US Defense Department is “working through” those requirements with the Ukrainian military.

Additionally, concerning the howitzers in the new aid package that will be used to outfit five additional Ukrainian battalions, Kirby said they are being provided per Ukrainian needs for fighting in the Donbas region that the department expects to continue “over days and weeks ahead.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked US President Joe Biden for his announcements of additional military and economic aid for Ukraine Thursday.

“I’m grateful to @POTUS & [American flag emoji] people for the leadership in supporting the people of Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. This help is needed today more than ever! It saves the lives of our defenders of democracy and freedom and brings us closer to restoring peace in [Ukrainian flag emoji],” Zelensky said in a tweet.

Earlier, Biden announced $500 million in US assistance for the Ukrainian government and $800 million in military aid.

The $800 million package would include heavy artillery and drones, along with ammunition, Biden said.

And the $500 million in funding can be used by Ukraine’s government “to stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught, and pay the brave workers that continue to provide essential services to the people of Ukraine,” Biden said.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, approved the extension of martial law in the country by another 30 days. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law across the country following the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. 

US President Joe Biden said Thursday it was “questionable” whether Russian President Vladimir Putin controls Mariupol, Ukraine.

“It’s questionable whether he does control Mariupol,” Biden said adding, “There is no evidence yet that Mariupol is completely fallen.”

Biden also called on Putin to allow humanitarian aid into Ukraine to allow those trapped inside the steel plant to be able to get out.

CNN reported Thursday that Putin has scrapped plans to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, saying those who choose to surrender should be treated in accordance with international conventions. Putin ordered forces to blockade the plant “so that a fly can’t get through.”

Ukrainian forces are continuing to resist attacks on the plant and ignoring Russian calls to surrender. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country’s forces don’t have enough “serious and heavy” weapons to defeat the Russian army in Mariupol as “thousands” of civilians remain trapped inside.

While US President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin will refocus his invasion of Ukraine on the eastern part of the country.

“Now we have to accelerate that assistance package to help prepare Ukraine for Russia’s offensive that’s going to be more limited in terms of geography but not in terms of brutality,” Biden said in remarks from The White House.

Biden also reflected on the war so far, and said Putin is still trying to break up Western unity against the war. He said Putin will “never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine.”

“We don’t know how long this war will last but as we approach the two-month mark, here’s what we do know, Putin has failed to achieve his grand ambitions on the battlefield. After weeks of shelling Kyiv — Kyiv still stands. President Zelensky and his democratic-elected government still remain in power,” Biden said.

“And the Ukrainian Armed Forces, joined by many brave Ukrainian civilians, have thwarted Russia’s conquest of the country. They’ve been bolstered from day one by an unstinting supply of weapons, ammunition, armor, intelligence, from the nations of the free world led by us, the United States,” the US President said.

“As Russia continues to grind out the military advances … and the brutality against Ukraine, Putin is banking on us losing interest. That’s been my view, you’ve heard me say this from the beginning, he was counting on NATO, European Union, our allies and Asia, cracking, moving away. He’s betting on Western unity will crack. He’s still betting on that. Once again, we’re going to prove him wrong. We will not lessen our resolve,” he continued.

US President Joe Biden announced a separate tranche of $500 million in US assistance for the Ukrainian government in addition to the $800 million in military aid he pledged Thursday.

 “In addition to bolstering Ukraine’s resistance on the battlefield, we’re also demonstrating our support for the people of Ukraine. Today, the United States is announcing that we intend to provide an additional $500 million in direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government,” Biden said in remarks in the Roosevelt Room.

The new aid brings the total US economic support for Ukraine, the President said, to $1 billion in the past nearly two months since Russia’s invasion.

The $500 million in funding can be used by Ukraine’s government “to stabilize their economy, to support communities that have been devastated by the Russian onslaught, and pay the brave workers that continue to provide essential services to the people of Ukraine,” Biden said.

He also announced “Unite for Ukraine,” a new effort to support Ukrainians seeking to come to the US amid the ongoing, brutal invasion, with approximately two-thirds of Ukrainian children displaced.

“I’m announcing a program, ‘Unite for Ukraine,’ a new program to enable Ukrainians seeking refuge to come directly from Europe to the United States. This new humanitarian parole program will complement the existing legal pathways available to Ukrainians, including immigrant visas and refugees processing,” Biden said.

He described it as “an expedient channel for secure legal migration from Europe to the United States for Ukrainians,” noting that those migrants must have a US sponsor, including a family or non-governmental organization.

“This program will be fast, it’ll be streamlined, and it will ensure the United States honors its commitment to to the people Ukraine and need not go through our southern border,” he said.

Biden said the United States’ new actions were intending to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he continues his violent incursion into a third month.

“Our unity with our allies and partners and our unity with the Ukrainian people is sending an unmistakable message to Putin: He will never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine. He will not,” he said.

US President Joe Biden announced Thursday he will make a formal request next week for Congress to approve a second supplemental funding package to aid Ukraine.

Biden said he expected Congress to “move and act quickly” on the package.

“In order to sustain Ukraine for the duration of this fight, next week I’m going to have to be sending to Congress a supplemental budget request to keep weapons and ammunition flowing without interruption to the brave Ukrainian fighters and continue to deliver economic assistance to the Ukrainian people,” Biden said in remarks from the White House.

Biden also made a point to thank American taxpayers and military for their contributions Ukraine.

In speaking about the importance of getting aid to Ukraine, Biden took liberties on a famous phrase by former US President Teddy Roosevelt, telling reporters, “Sometimes we will speak softly and carry a large javelin, because we’re sending a lot of those in as well.”

US President Joe Biden said Thursday the US will ban Russian-affiliated ships from American ports in a bid to further isolate Moscow amid its invasion of Ukraine.

“No ship that sailed under the Russian flag, or that is owned or operated by Russian interests, will be allowed to dock in the United States port or access our shores,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. 

He said it was “another critical step” the US was taking alongside its allies in Canada and Europe “to deny Russia the benefits of international economic system that they so enjoyed in the past.”

US President Joe Biden said he spoke with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who was at the White House this morning meeting with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, along with Ambassador Oksana Markarova.

“We had a good discussion. I talked about what I’m about to tell you about today, as well as he was thanking the American people for their support, understands it’s significant, and we talked about keeping everyone together in terms of Europe, European Union and others, in the effort to stop Putin’s brutality,” Biden said.

Biden said “enormous credit” should be given to agencies on the ground exposing “war crimes.”

“It’s so clear to the whole world now. Now [Russia has] launched and refocused their campaign to seize new territory in eastern Ukraine, and we’re in a critical window now of time where they’re going to set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden continued.

The US and its allies are “moving as fast as possible” to provide weapons to Ukrainian forces to defend their country, he said, announcing another $800 million in military assistance.

US President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine Thursday as part of his administration’s latest efforts to reinforce the country’s forces battling against Russia’s invasion.

Biden said Russia has “refocused” its campaign to seize new territory in Eastern Ukraine, making the flow of Western military aid essential.

“We’re in a critical window now of time where they’re … going to set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden said from the Roosevelt Room. “The United States and our allies and partners are moving as fast as possible to continue to provide Ukraine … the weapons they need, the equipment they need – that their forces need to defend their nation.”

The US President also said sharing intelligence was a priority as the war grinds on.

“We’re sharing and will continue to share significant timely intelligence with Ukraine help them against Russian aggression,” he said.

More on the aid package: CNN reported earlier that Biden planned to announce the new shipments of aid as he updated Americans on the state of the conflict, which is nearing its second month and entering what US officials have said could be a bloody new phase.

The new military aid package the President announced comes in at roughly $800 million following a similarly sized measure earlier this month. If approved, the latest package would mean the US has committed approximately $3.4 billion dollars in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24.

This would be the last presidential drawdown until Congress approves more money for weapons to Ukraine. In a presidential drawdown, the Defense Department pulls weapons and equipment from US inventories to send to Ukraine instead of purchasing new weapons from manufacturers.

The Biden administration also announced a new program Thursday called “Uniting for Ukraine” that will provide a streamlined process for Ukrainian refugees seeking to come to the US.

Watch Biden’s remarks:

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01:41 - Source: cnn

The US will announce Thursday it is banning Russian-affiliated ships from American ports, according to an official familiar with the matter.

Russian ship traffic makes for a relatively small percentage of overall port activity in the US, but the move is in line with a ban on Russian aircraft in US airspace that President Joe Biden’s administration previously announced.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal arrived at the White House this morning, along with Oksana Markarova, the ambassador of Ukraine to the United States.

A White House official said national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Shmyhal this morning, and US President Joe Biden stopped by. The officials have now departed.

Biden is set to deliver remarks soon on Russia’s war and is expected to announce additional security assistance to Ukraine.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will also meet with Shmyhal, a Treasury official says. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and Ukraine Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko are also attending. 

In the meeting, Yellen is expected to tell the Ukrainian prime minister that the United States intends to provide “an additional $500 million of immediate funding to help Ukraine continue critical government operations, such as salaries, pensions, and other programs, necessary to avoid a worsening of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. This builds on the $500 million in direct economic support that President Biden announced in March,” a Treasury official says.

US President Joe Biden’s administration announced a new program Thursday called “Uniting for Ukraine” that will provide a streamlined process for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States.

The move is part of Biden’s commitment to accept up to 100,000 people fleeing war-torn Ukraine and is designed to more quickly get Ukrainians interested in coming to the US to the country.

Administration officials said Thursday that many Ukrainians still plan to stay in Europe, but the new program is expected to serve the majority of the 100,000 commitment.

CNN reported earlier Thursday that the humanitarian parole program will require Ukrainians seeking entry to the US to be sponsored by a US citizen or individual, which would include resettlement organizations and non-profit organizations. 

Administration officials said Thursday that individuals will need to undergo rigorous security vetting and checks, including biographic and biometric screening, and complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, including receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, to be eligible. Ukrainians must have also been residents in Ukraine as of Feb. 11.

Sponsors need to pass security background checks of their own as well as declare financial support. There is not a limit on the number of individuals that a person or group can sponsor, but administration officials noted they’ll be evaluating their means and ability to support Ukrainians. The Department of Homeland Security will administer the program. 

“DHS will continue to provide relief to the Ukrainian people, while supporting our European allies who have shouldered so much as the result of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

Through this process, Ukrainian applicants would be allowed to travel to the US and be considered for humanitarian parole on a case-by-case basis for up to two years. If accepted, the individuals would be eligible for work authorization.

Individuals can begin submitting applications through an online portal on April 25.

The limited pathways to the US so far have resulted in hundreds of Ukrainians going to Mexico, where it’s easier to obtain a visa, to then try to enter the US through land ports of entry. 

A Homeland Security official stressed Thursday that Ukrainians shouldn’t travel to Mexico to enter the US. 

“Following the launch of Uniting for Ukraine, Ukrainians who present at land U.S. ports of entry without a valid visa or without pre-authorization to travel to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine will be denied entry and referred to apply through this program,” according to DHS.

The German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, transferred an additional 21 injured Ukrainian nationals from Poland to Germany for hospital treatment, the country’s Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance said Thursday in a statement. 

A special Air Force Airbus A310 MedEvac left Wednesday from Poland to bring the injured children and adults to Germany, the statement said. 

Germany’s armed forces undertook its first evacuation flight for injured Ukrainian civilians from Rzeszow in southeastern Poland — about 90 kilometers (about 56 miles) from the Ukrainian border — to Germany on April 11.

Wounded Ukrainian soldiers had been brought to Germany in the past by other means of transport. 

One of Russia’s richest men has quit as CEO of Lukoil, the country’s second largest oil company.

In a brief statement Thursday, Lukoil said Vagit Alekperov had informed the company “about his decision to resign” as a director and president of the company.

The company did not disclose the reason for Alekperov’s resignation. 

The announcement comes just days after he was sanctioned by the United Kingdom and seven weeks after Lukoil broke ranks with President Vladimir Putin and called for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In a statement to shareholders, staff and customers on March 3, Lukoil’s board of directors said that it was “calling for the soonest termination of the armed conflict.”

“We express our sincere empathy for all victims, who are affected by this tragedy. We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and a settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy,” the board added.

Lukoil produces more than 2% of the world’s crude oil and employs over 100,000 people.

There is no possibility to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant on Thursday as there isn’t a stable ceasefire that will provide for safe evacuation, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Thursday during an online briefing.

The mayor appealed to international partners to facilitate a ceasefire and a corridor for evacuation. 

In addition, he noted that around 200 people are currently awaiting evacuation buses in Mariupol, but the buses have not arrived yet. Four evacuation buses with 80 civilians onboard left Mariupol on Wednesday and are currently heading to Zaporizhzhia, the mayor said.

He also said that on Wednesday, during an attempt to evacuate civilian population, Russian troops began shelling. 

“Unfortunately, many residents made a decision to remain in the town because they thought it will be dangerous and their life will be threatened,” he said.

He added that since March 13, when the first evacuation efforts became possible, more than 100,000 people have left Mariupol but around 100,000 civilians still remain in the city. 

The president of Estonia said the growing body of evidence detailing killings and sexual crimes against Ukrainian citizens emerging from towns around Kyiv amounts to “war crimes” with “elements of genocide,” after he visited a number of sites last week. 

“It’s just horrible. I was speechless. I mean, killing civilians, children, raping women and you see the results,” Alar Karis told CNN on Thursday. “It’s a war crime, it’s a crime against humanity.” 

When pushed on whether what he saw amounted to genocide, he replied, “Well, elements of genocide, definitely.” 

Along with the leaders of Poland, Lithuania and Lativa, Karis met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on April 13. They spoke about a ban on Russian oil and gas and how to get Ukraine’s large storage of grain out of the country. 

“One proposal was that we could, [use] our ports in [the] Baltics and in Poland and use trains to provide grain to different countries. And of course, another option is to try to keep the port of Odesa open [so] that we could provide this kind of humanitarian [aid] to countries,” Karis said. 

Estonia has called on the European Union to impose sanctions on the transport of Russian oil and gas, but Karis did not want to criticize Germany for its decision to continue importing fuel. 

“But [a] country like Germany, of course, it’s a huge country. It’s not like Estonia because we decided to with the Baltic states that we [would] stop buying gas from Russia by the end of year. But for Germany, it’s probably difficult,” Karis told CNN.

The US State Department suggested Wednesday that NATO allies could become actively involved in Ukraine to help the implementation of evacuation corridors. Karis said such a move was unlikely unless Russia started using chemical weapons. 

Russia is closing the consulates of Latvia in St. Petersburg and Pskov, as well as the consulates general of Estonia and Lithuania in St. Petersburg, and all their employees are declared “persona non grata,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Karis was unperturbed by the decision, only saying that “this is kind of practice which diplomats have.” 

Vadym Boichenko, the mayor of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, said Thursday that buses had not yet arrived to begin evacuating citizens from the city as of mid-afternoon local time.

Ukrainian authorities said earlier Thursday they would attempt to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the city, designating a gathering point for departure on Shevchenko Boulevard near the Port City shopping mall at 2 p.m. local time.

“More than 200 residents of Mariupol gathered for evacuation,” Boichenko said. “Someone said that there would be a personal approach to who should be evacuated. First only women with children, then women without children and the elderly. The queue is already standing, waiting for evacuation, but we do not see buses at 3:05 p.m. at the point we identified.”

Boichenko said more than 100,000 people have been transported since March 13 from Mariupol to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed that Russian forces had achieved the “liberation” of the city, but ordered his troops to stop short of taking the massive Azovstal steel factory, which is still in Ukrainian hands. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that “thousands” of civilians remain blockaded inside Mariupol.

More than 7.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine after being forced to flee their homes due to Russia’s invasion, according to the latest International Organization for Migration report.

According to the third Ukraine Internal Displacement Report, published Thursday, the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine has risen to at least 17.5% – or more than one in six – of Ukraine’s pre-war population.

The latest survey, conducted between April 11 and April 17, found that at least 60% of those internally displaced are women. More than half of IDPs reported a lack of some food products. According to IOM, 28% of families with children under the age of five said they had faced difficulties in getting enough food for their children.

“Women and children, the elderly, and people with disabilities have been disproportionately affected as they all represent a highly vulnerable group of people,” IOM Director General António Vitorino said.

With more than five million refugees having left Ukraine for neighboring countries, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a total of at least 12.7 million people have been left displaced since the beginning of the Russian invasion in late February.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Thursday that another exchange of prisoners had taken place between Ukraine and Russia. 

“Today we are returning home 19 people, including 10 military (including 2 officers) and nine civilians,” she said. “This time there are wounded among the released, and this is very important. After this they will be able to receive full treatment and undergo rehabilitation.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson played down the prospects of getting India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a harsher stance on Ukraine, during the first leg of a two-day visit to the country intended to accelerate a post-Brexit trade deal. 

Speaking to reporters, Johnson said he had raised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during his visit, but that India and Russia “have historically had a very different relationship than Russia and the UK” and that his government “have to reflect that reality” in their approach. 

“India and Russia have historically had a very different relationship than Russia and the UK have had over the last couple of decades. We have to reflect that reality, but clearly, I’ll be talking [about Ukraine] to Narendra Modi,” Johnson said, while also applauding Modi’s government for its condemnation of “the atrocities in Bucha.”

India has been an international outlier on Ukraine, abstaining from various UN resolutions condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion while also continuing to make significant purchases of Russian oil. 

The government’s stance shifted earlier this month though, after images of mass civilian graves in the town of Bucha led India’s representative to the UN to “unequivocally condemn” the killings and call for an “open investigation” without naming Russia.   

Previous statements issued by the Indian government have repeatedly fallen short of condemning Russia’s aggression, instead calling for a “cessation of violence” and focussing on “diplomacy and dialogue.”

The United Kingdom has announced a new wave of sanctions targeting “both the Generals committing atrocities on the front line, as well as individuals and businesses supporting Putin’s military,” the UK foreign office said Thursday.

“The depravity of Russia’s assault on the people of Ukraine is plain for all to see. They are deliberately targeting hospitals, schools, and transport hubs in Mariupol and beyond – just as they did in Chechnya and Syria,” UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

“The UK is unyielding in our support for Ukraine and in holding Putin and his regime to account. Today’s new wave of sanctions hits the generals and defence companies that have blood on their hands,” Truss added.

The UK government is imposing sanctions on the following individuals “in response to the continued war of aggression in Ukraine”:

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Thursday additional security assistance to Ukraine, according to an official.

CNN has previously reported the President was preparing an additional $800 million package of assistance following a similarly sized measure earlier this month.

In his remarks at the White House on Thursday, Biden plans to update Americans on US efforts to support the people of Ukraine and unveil the new assistance package, which has been finalized over the past days.

The latest package would come a week after the Biden administration authorized an $800 million security package, which included heavy weapons including artillery and anti-artillery radars for the first time since the Russian invasion began.

The Biden administration is working to get the military assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible because they believe the war is in a critical stage and the continued US assistance could make a difference when Russia’s more aggressive assault on Eastern Ukraine ramps up.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, April 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Related article Biden to announce new Ukraine security assistance Thursday

Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk region military administration, said Thursday that evacuation of the region has become “complicated” amid heavy Russian shelling.

“Lately, at the end of every day, I’ve been saying to myself: ‘We did it,’” Haidai said.

“Because evacuation is complicated. Yes, we already can’t get to some settlements of Hirske. The blue and yellow [Ukrainian] flag continues to fly above them, but the route is constantly shelled by the Russians, or mined,” he said.

“Every trip to Popasna is full of danger — evacuation vehicles have repeatedly come under fire from the Russians. However, today we managed to save 60 locals. And in total for three days, 163 citizens of Popasna,” he continued.

Hayday quoted the Popasna local administration as saying more than 100 people have been killed in shelling since Feb. 24, and that more than 2,500 people still remain in bomb shelters.

The military governor said on Wednesday that 80% of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine was under Russian control.

Russia is closing the consulates of three ex-Soviet Baltic nations, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the consulates of Latvia in St. Petersburg and Pskov, as well as the consulates general of Estonia and Lithuania in St. Petersburg will be shuttered and all of their employees declared “persona non grata.”

The phrase “persona non grata” literally means “an unwelcome person”. Declaring someone as such usually means they have to leave the country.

According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a host country has the right to declare foreign diplomats unwanted.

Echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims for invading Ukraine, the statement said the decision was made “on the basis of the principle of reciprocity, as well as taking into account the provision by the authorities of these countries of military assistance to the Kiev regime and covering up of the crimes of Ukrainian nationalists against the civilian population of Donbas and Ukraine.”

The ambassadors of Latvia, Estonia and the charge d’affaires of Lithuania in Russia were summoned in connection with the “unfriendly actions of these countries.”

According to the foreign ministry, consular employees and other staff who are not Russian citizens should leave Russian territory within the same time frame that was set for the departure of employees of Russian consular missions from these countries.

The fate of the Ukrainian city of Marioupol rests on an unknown number of troops defending the Azovstal iron and steel plant – a sprawling industrial complex in the southeastern corner of the port city.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was scrapping plans for troops to storm the compound.

Instead, Putin said it should be sealed and those inside should be offered the chance to surrender in exchange for their lives and a “dignified treatment.”

Here’s what we know about the plant:

Mariupol’s strategic position on the Sea of Azov has made it a key target for the Russian military.

Taking it would allow Russia to create a continuous land bridge from Donbas to Crimea, the peninsula it illegally annexed in 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has likened the Russian attacks on the southeastern port city of Mariupol to a “terrorist operation” as heavy fighting continues there.

Here’s the latest:

The Biden administration is expected soon to announce new details on how Ukrainian refugees would be able to seek entry into the United States on humanitarian grounds, a source familiar with the planning says.

The move comes nearly one month after US President Joe Biden pledged to admit up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the invasion.

Over 5,000 Ukrainians attempted to gain entry into the US in March, including 3,274 at the southern border with Mexico, according to US Customs and Border Protection data.

The humanitarian parole program, which would fall under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security and could be announced as soon as Thursday, would require Ukrainians seeking entry to the US to be sponsored by a US citizen or individual, which would include resettlement organizations and non-profits, the source said.

The individuals would need to undergo rigorous security vetting and checks – including biographic and biometric screening and complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, such as receiving the Covid-19 vaccine – in order to be eligible, the source said.

Sponsors would need to pass security background checks of their own as well as declare financial support.

Through this process, Ukrainian applicants would be allowed to travel to the US and be considered for humanitarian parole on a case-by-case basis for up to two years, the source said. If accepted, the individuals would be eligible for work authorization.

The Biden administration could begin taking applications for the program as soon as before the end of April, according to the source.

In addition to the humanitarian parole program, the State Department is working to expand its Refugee Admissions Program operations in Europe, the source added, with the goal of providing eligible individuals with better access to the Lautenberg program – an 1989 initiative aimed at helping those fleeing religious persecution from the Soviet Union – as well as stepping up referral mechanisms for Ukrainians seeking permanent resettlement.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday that the administration was working to finalize the details of how it would welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to the US.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the new details but said additional details about the administration’s efforts would be announced “soon.” The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

More than five million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in late February, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that “thousands” of civilians remain blockaded inside Mariupol as he likened the Russian siege of the southeastern port city to a “terrorist operation.”

Ukrainian commanders on the ground have said Russian forces have not honored agreements to open evacuation corridors or enforce ceasefires and have continued to bombard the city. 

Mariupol has been nearly completely destroyed by weeks of Russian bombardment. Tens of thousands of civilians still await evacuation, according to Ukrainian officials.

After numerous failed attempts to establish safe corridors out of Mariupol, four evacuation buses managed to leave the city on Wednesday.

In an interview with French television channel BFMTV, Zelensky said:

“As to our army, the forces of the Russian Federation do not allow us to pass through these occupied 120 kilometers so that we could reach the military unblocking of Mariupol today.
It’s true. We can’t do it today. We negotiate and open humanitarian corridors, and some people are leaving. But the thousands I told you about are blocked there, and so far Russia isn’t allowing these people to get out from captivity.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday proclaimed the effort by Russian forces to capture the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol a “success,” but ordered Russian forces to stop short of trying to storm the city’s besieged Azovstal steel factory, which is still held by Ukrainian forces.

Zelensky added:

A Russian crude oil tanker seized last week by Greek authorities will be released, a government spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Thursday.

Greece impounded the tanker with 19 Russian crew members on board on April 15th as part of the EU sanctions.

The spokesperson for the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy said that the anti-money laundering authority has ordered the release of the vessel. The spokesperson added that the release has not begun yet and could not provide further information at this point.

According to the Athens News Agency, the tanker was headed to the Peloponnese peninsula due to an engine problem. There, it planned to offload its cargo on to another vessel.

However adverse weather conditions led it to anchor near the southern coast of the Greek island of Evia, where the tanker was seized.

The Prime Ministers of Spain and Denmark arrived in Kyiv on Thursday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, their respective offices said.

After arriving in the Ukrainian capital, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen appeared together in a short video tweeted by Sanchez’s official account.

“Ukraine has the support, solidarity and commitment of Spain,” the post said.

Frederiksen’s office tweeted that she and Sanchez would “meet with President Zelensky to deliver concrete support to Ukraine.” 

“Tthey will meet to discuss the current situation in Ukraine, further support for the Ukrainians and the prosecution of war crimes and human rights violations in connection with the Russian invasion,” Frederiksen’s office said in a statement.

Russia has denied allegations of war crimes and claims its forces do not target civilians, but CNN journalists on the ground in Ukraine have seen firsthand evidence of atrocities at multiple locations across the country.

Sanchez announced earlier this week that Spain would reopen its embassy in Kyiv in the coming days, which it had closed shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has on Thursday scrapped plans to storm the Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

Instead, he told his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the plant — a sprawling complex which is among the last significant holdouts for Ukrainian forces in Mariupol – should be sealed and those inside should once again be offered the chance to surrender in exchange for their lives and a “dignified treatment.”

A retired military official told CNN on Thursday the decision by Putin “militarily … makes sense.”

Speaking to CNN, retired Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis said:

“There’s no point in just ratcheting out and going in for each individual person in that very labyrinth complex … There’s no reason to do that.
All they have to do is just keep that last piece cordoned off and virtually the city is already theirs.”

The plant is currently sheltering hundreds of soldiers and civilians. After numerous failed attempts to establish safe corridors, four evacuation buses managed to leave Mariupol on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

“Even though the Russians don’t go after them [the Ukrainian troops inside the plant], because they have them surrounded, they can’t get even food or water, much less ammunition,” Davis added.

“The risk to those soldiers is that they would slowly die if they don’t get some help. I think in probably the coming hours or days you’re going to hear that those troops are finally negotiated out.”

Putin declared on Thursday that Mariupol had been “liberated,” but Shoigu said Russian forces would need three to four days to take over the Azovstal plant. Ukrainian officials have denied that the southeastern city has fallen to Russia.

Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv was under heavy shelling overnight, its mayor said on Thursday.

“The situation is stressful, because overnight there was very massive shelling,” said Ihor Terekhov. “Two markets have been destroyed, firefighters are extinguishing fires there now. There was a direct hit in another residential building.”

Terekhov said that those left homeless by Russian bombardment have been moved to kindergartens, schools and boarding schools, adding that the situation was “tense but under control.”

There are no evacuation planned, he said.

According to Terekhov, around a million people remain in Kharkiv today. He said that about 30% of the pre-war population had left, primarily elderly people and women with children.

Phase two of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – an offensive in the eastern Donbas region – is underway. The question is whether it will be any more successful and competent than phase one, and whether Ukraine will have enough troops and weapons to impede or even block it.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that the operation in the Donbas is “a very important moment of this entire special operation.”

The Russian goal is clear and publicly stated: to secure all of Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk – parts of which Russian-backed separatists have controlled since 2014. A second aim is to crush the remaining resistance in the port city of Mariupol to consolidate a land bridge linking the Russian region of Rostov with Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine eight years ago.

To those ends, Russian forces that were deployed to the north and east of Kyiv have been redeployed and in some cases reconstituted after suffering heavy losses.

Read the full analysis:

Armored personnel carriers of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic drive through a burning street in Mariupol on April 18.

Related article Analysis: Pushed back from Kyiv, what's Russia's military strategy now?

A top Ukrainian official said Thursday that the war in Ukraine “can end in direct talks” between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, said that while talks were possible, he was waiting to assess how Russia’s military offensive in the east of the country progresses in the coming days

This is what the team of lawyers, consultants and the negotiating group from the Ukrainian side are working on today,” he said. “Accordingly, we hope that the positions of President Volodymyr Zelensky will be extremely strong in these talks.”

Russia has shifted forces to Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in what both Kyiv and Moscow have described as a major battle for control of eastern Ukraine. 

Podolyak added:

Podolyak added that he believed it would become more clear how the situation may develop in the next week or week and a half.

Putin has declared that Russian forces have “liberated” Mariupol, but the situation in the besieged port city remains confusing as Ukrainian officials have denied that the city has fallen to Russia.

As the barrage of Mariupol continues, the Azovstal steel plant has become one of the last significant holdouts of Ukrainian forces.

The sprawling industrial complex is sheltering hundreds of soldiers and civilians.

Evacuations: After numerous failed attempts to establish safe corridors, four evacuation buses managed to leave Mariupol on Wednesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Thursday.

“They spent the night in Berdiansk and are now heading to Vasylivka,” Vereshchuk said in a statement on Telegram. 

However, officials say tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in Mariupol.

The co-commander of one of the Ukrainian units encircled in the port said the city remains under heavy bombardment. 

Maksym Zhorin, co-commander of Ukraine’s Azov regiment, said in televised remarks that Russian forces “have not stopped shelling areas of Mariupol” amid negotiations on so-called “green corridors” for evacuation from the city, limiting the number of people who can be evacuated. 

Call for weapons for Ukraine: The vast majority of the southern city has been either destroyed or badly damaged. Photos and drone footage show there is hardly a street left untouched by the war, while the relentless bombing has made it uninhabitable.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that the country’s forces don’t have enough “serious and heavy” weapons to defeat the Russian army in Mariupol.

He outlined two potential ways to end the standoff in the city: “First, it involves serious and heavy weapons […] at the moment we don’t have enough of these weapons to free Mariupol. The second path is diplomatic. So far Russia hasn’t agreed to this.” 

He added:

“We don’t know when we can unblock Mariupol. And I say this openly, that all the boys in Mariupol want our victory, they want a free city, none of them are going to surrender to the enemy. This is their internal feeling, this is what they are,” he added, speaking alongside European Council President Charles Michel in Kyiv.”

Zelensky also said that the fate of the “few thousand” Ukrainian civilians who fled the besieged city of Mariupol through evacuation corridors to territories under Russian occupation is not currently known. 

Two top Ukrainian officials said they are ready to head to Mariupol to negotiate the evacuation of soldiers and civilians, according to a captain with Ukraine’s Azov Regiment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the effort by Russian forces to capture Mariupol a “success,” but ordered Russian forces to halt outside the city’s besieged Azovstal steel factory and blockade it “so that a fly can’t get through.”

In a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin said: “Completing the military task of liberating Mariupol is a great achievement, I congratulate you.”

Ukrainian forces still hold the Azovstal plant in the southeastern port city and Shoigu told Putin that Russian forces would need three or four days to take over the factory.

Putin then said the Russian forces “must think … about preserving the life and health of our soldiers and officers,” adding:

“Yes sir,” Shoigu replied.

Putin said that Russia would offer the Ukrainian defenders still in the plant to lay down arms.

“The Russian side guarantees their lives and decent treatment in accordance with the relevant international legal acts,” he said. “All those who are injured will receive qualified medical assistance.”

Ukrainian commanders on the ground have said Russian forces have not honored agreements to open humanitarian corridors or enforce ceasefires and have continued to bombard the city. 

The port city has been nearly completely destroyed by weeks of Russian bombardment, and tens of thousands of civilians still await evacuation, according to Ukrainian officials.

In a statement on Thursday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk urged the Russian side to open an evacuation corridor from Azovstal. “There are about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded servicemen there now,” she said.

“They all need to be evacuated out of Azovstal today! I call on world leaders and the international community to focus their efforts on Azovstal now. It is a key point and a key moment for the humanitarian efforts now!”

Efforts to evacuate Mariupol continue, but the besieged southeastern port city remains under Russian bombardment, according to the Ukrainians.

Here are the latest developments on Russia’s war in Ukraine:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that there is no need to storm the industrial area around the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and those who choose to surrender should be treated in accordance with international conventions. 

“I believe the proposed storming of the industrial zone is no longer necessary,” Putin told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting at the Kremlin, according to state media. 

The industrial area, Putin told Shoigu, should be sealed and those remaining at the plant should once again be offered to surrender in exchange for their lives and a “dignified treatment.” 

Putin also congratulated Shougu and the Russian military on taking control of the city of Mariupol. 

“Completing the military task of liberating Mariupol is a great achievement, I congratulate you,” Putin said.

Ukrainian officials have denied that Mariupol has fallen to Russia.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that Russian forces would need 3-4 days to take over the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

At a meeting with Putin at the Kremlin, per Russian media, Shoigu said “the remaining nationalists and foreign battalions are securely blocked” at the Azovstal plant.

Some context: As the barrage of Mariupol continues, the plant is among the last significant holdouts of Ukrainian forces in the city and is sheltering hundreds of soldiers and civilians.

Two top Ukrainian officials said they are ready to head to Mariupol to negotiate the evacuation of soldiers and civilians, according to a captain with Ukraine’s Azov Regiment.

Vladimir Putin did his best to put a menacing spin on Russia’s testing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday.

The Russian President said the successful launch of the “Sarmat” ICBM – nicknamed the “Satan II” in the West and capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads as far as the continental United States – would “give thought to those who are trying to threaten Russia.”

But Western experts portrayed the test as “nuclear saber-rattling,” saying the threat to the US or its allies was “extremely low” and suggesting Putin’s real motivation was to distract his domestic audience from Russia’s recent military failures, such as the sinking of its Black Sea flagship, the Moskva.

Read the full analysis:

In this handout photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from Plesetsk in Russia's northwest. Russia said on Wednesday it had conducted a first test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a new and long-awaited addition to its nuclear arsenal which President Vladimir Putin said would make Moscow's enemies stop and think. (Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service via AP)

Related article Analysis: Putin rattles his 'Satan II' nuclear sabre to hide Russian failures in Ukraine

The co-commander of one of the Ukrainian units encircled in the port of Mariupol said Thursday that Russian forces continued their bombardment of the city amid negotiations to evacuate civilians. 

Maksym Zhorin, co-commander of Ukraine’s Azov regiment, said in televised remarks that Russian forces “have not stopped shelling areas of Mariupol” amid negotiations on so-called “green corridors” for evacuation from the city, limiting the number of people who can be evacuated. 

“Think about it, there are more than 100,000 people in the city, some of them under rubble, some in basements,” he said.
“Many of them are in the territory of Azovstal [steel factory], there are a lot of children, a lot of women, the elderly. And today, while agreeing on a green corridor, the Russians simply cynically fired on fortifications, on shelters where civilians were. So, of course, the Russians cannot be trusted in any case.”

Two senior Ukrainian officials said Wednesday they were ready to meet their Russian counterparts to negotiate safe passage for civilians and Ukrainian troops holding out in the city. Zhorin expressed the hope that a third country could act as a guarantor for an evacuation agreement.

Ukrainian officials said they hoped they would be able to resume evacuations Thursday. 

“Today, indeed, a number of people were still able to find and get on buses, but they are still in uncontrolled territory,” Zhorin said. “And we can consider this evacuation at least a little successful when Ukrainians, civilians, will be in the territory controlled by Ukraine. This has not happened so far.”

Four evacuation buses managed to leave the besieged city of Mariupol on Wednesday through an evacuation corridor, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Thursday.

“They spent the night in Berdiansk and are now heading to Vasylivka,” Vereshchuk said in a statement on Telegram. “We are waiting for them in Zaporizhzhia soon.”

Some context: Early on Wednesday, Vereshchuk said an evacuation corridor had been agreed upon with the Russians for women, children and the elderly. And people were asked to gather departure on Shevchenko Boulevard near the Port City shopping mall at 2:00 p.m. local time.

However, officials said it did not proceed as hoped.

“Due to the lack of control over their own military on the ground, the occupiers were unable to ensure a proper ceasefire,” Vereshchuk said Wednesday. “Also, due to the inherent disorganization and negligence, the occupiers were unable to provide timely transportation of people to the point where dozens of our buses and ambulances were waiting.”

According to officials, tens of thousands of civilians remain in Mariupol, which is encircled by Russian forces and has endured weeks of intense bombardment.

Russian forces continued to press an offensive in eastern Ukraine, according to Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration.

Haidai told CNN on Wednesday that 80% of Luhansk’s territory is under Russian control amid a major battle for the control of the Donbas region.

“The enemy tried to entrench in the western and northwestern parts of Rubizhne, but failed,” he said. “They carried out unsuccessful assaults in the direction of Novotoshkivske, the assault on Popasna continues.
”

Residential buildings in the towns of Rubizhne and Novodruzhesk were destroyed by Russian fire and that no food warehouses remained in Severodonetsk, he said. CNN is unable to confirm the details of the destruction described by Haidai.

“Much of the destruction caused by the Russian invasion in the last 24 hours is in Rubizhne and Novodruzhesk,” he said. “People are receiving food only from humanitarian supplies.”

“Six fires broke out in residential buildings in the region,” he said, adding that they have been extinguished and five people were rescued.

The director of the largest children’s cancer foundation in Ukraine says an all-hands-on-deck effort from volunteers, doctors and officials in Ukraine and abroad has been needed to get children undergoing cancer treatment out of harm’s way during the Russian invasion.

Yuliya Nogovitsyna, director of program development at Tabletochki, told CNN on Wednesday that evacuating patients to western Ukraine — and then onward to bordering nations — “was a sort of ‘Mission: Impossible.’”

“From the very first days of the war, we tried to evacuate children from the biggest hospitals. We took them in rather large groups and we sought for either buses or train cars to bring them to Lviv,” Nogovitsyna said.
“It was very difficult and challenging because it was just near impossible to find any means of transport to move these kids.”

Many children were in “severe conditions,” Nogovitsyna said, some with low blood counts or fever. Ukrainian officials would help evacuate whenever possible by providing buses or transport, she said, “but every time it was an ad hoc situation and we had to find the solution.”

Lviv and other parts of western Ukraine are not near the frontlines of the Russian invasion but have faced missile attacks, which “didn’t stop us from evacuating children” as the city was struck, she said.

Nogovitsyna hailed the parents, saying they are “resolved to save their children” and are bravely facing the “double threat” of not only dealing with their child’s cancer diagnosis but also knowing their lives could be lost due to the interruption of treatment or being fatally wounded by Russian bombing.

A team of psychologists, volunteers and international partners such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital are assisting and providing updates to families in Ukraine as children are transported to care centers in other nations, she said.

Her organization has received guarantees from the hospitals abroad that the children may remain throughout their treatment even if the war ends soon, she said. And rebuilding collapsed health care systems would be the next step.

“As soon as Ukraine wins this war and the peace is restored, we want to rebuild the Ukrainian pediatric oncology service,” Nogovitsyna said, “and make it even better than it used to be before the war.”

The US took new steps to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday — announcing new economic sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine on the same day that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other finance ministers walked out of a G20 summit in Washington in protest once Russia’s delegate began his remarks.

Those moves were rich with symbolism about Western intentions to keep tightening the vise around Russia’s economy as the US and its allies try to isolate Putin on the world stage. But they looked feeble against the backdrop of Putin’s provocative test launch of Russia’s new intercontinental ballistic missile and the allies’ inability to save civilians as the latest evacuation attempts from Mariupol collapsed Wednesday.

US officials downplayed the importance of the missile test, noting they had been alerted of the launch window through international notification agreements, that they had tracked the missile’s path and believe it is not yet operational in Russia’s inventory.

But after weeks of saber-rattling from Putin — including his February order putting nuclear forces on high alert — the Russian leader clearly hoped the move would unnerve the US and its allies as they weigh their next moves to help Ukraine.

Read the full analysis:

Civilians walk through a destroyed neighborhood in Eastern Mariupol that has recently come under control of Russia/ pro-Russian forces. The battle between Russian / Pro Russian forces and the defending Ukrainian forces led by the Azov battalion continues in the port city of Mariupol.

Related article Western pressure on Russia hasn't stopped Putin's latest provocations | CNN Politics

The Soviet victory flag from World War II is beginning to appear across occupied parts of Ukraine ahead of Russia’s May 9 WWII Victory Day celebration. 

The red flag — flown over Berlin’s Reichstag on May 9, 1945, when the Nazis surrendered to the Soviets — bears the Soviet hammer and sickle insignia with the inscription, “150th Rifle, Order of Kutuzov Second Class, Idritz Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front.” 

May 9 has since become a revered holiday in Russia and the flag an important icon.

Russian troops raised a large flag as part of a staged propaganda stunt in occupied Kherson, videos published on Tuesday show. Propaganda videos published on Wednesday by Russian-backed separatists in Kreminna showed troops fixing the victory flag to a Ukrainian government building.

Kreminna fell under Russian and Russian-backed separatist control earlier this week, Ukrainian officials said.

The flag was also placed atop the regional council building in the Russian-occupied town of Henichesk in Kherson province. A statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin was reinstalled in front of the council building earlier this week, CNN has previously reported.

Two European officials told CNN that Russian forces are feeling “self-imposed pressure” to achieve any semblance of a victory ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebration. Russia generally marks the holiday with a military parade through Red Square and a speech from President Vladimir Putin.

As Russian troops bear down on the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned his forces don’t have enough “serious and heavy” weapons. Some 120,000 people remain trapped in the city, he said.

Here are the latest developments on Russia’s war in Ukraine:

Russian forces in Ukraine’s Luhansk region have taken central Rubizhne and the nearby village of Kreminna, videos circulating on social media show.

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos. CNN is not airing the propaganda videos, which were published on Wednesday, as they were produced and released by Russian-backed separatist forces and pro-Russian media outlets. 

In the videos from Rubizhne, significant destruction is seen in the city’s center and northern districts. Russian forces and Russian-backed separatists appear to be moving freely in Rubizhne. 

On Tuesday, Luhansk regional military administrator Serhii Haidai pushed back against reports that Rubizhne had fallen, instead saying that Russian and Russian-backed separatist forces controlled only parts of the city. However, he did tell CNN that 80% of the Luhansk region is under Russian control.

In Kreminna, a town roughly 7 miles (11 kilometers) west of Rubizhne, Russian-backed separatist forces were seen in the video installing Russian and separatist flags on government buildings.

Some context: Rubizhne is part of a cluster of small towns and villages that were in Ukrainian hands but lie close to two breakaway pro-Russian statelets inside eastern Ukraine.

Kreminna was earlier taken by Russian forces, Haidai said Tuesday, adding that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn from the city and taken up new positions.

The US will announce a new round of security assistance to Ukraine “in very short order,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday evening, as Russia’s brutal invasion continues.

Psaki told CNN that Russia’s test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile would not change the White House’s posture in aiding Ukraine, vowing that the US would proceed in providing both military and security assistance.

US President Joe Biden, she said, will “have more to announce on the next round of security assistance in very short order. You’ll hear more soon.”

CNN previously reported that the US is prepping another $800 million military assistance package for Ukraine, according to three senior administration officials and two sources familiar with the planning.

Read more here:

Related article More US security assistance for Ukraine coming 'in very short order,' Psaki says

The Ukrainian Air Force has added about 20 more operational aircraft to its fleet because of an influx of spare parts, according to a senior US defense official.

Though the official wouldn’t specify which country provided the aircraft parts, the official said Wednesday that the US and other countries worked “to get them the parts they need to get them in the air.”

The flow of spare parts has allowed Ukraine to expand its fleet of operational military aircraft, despite Russia’s ongoing invasion. They have more aircraft now than they did three weeks ago, the official said.

One day earlier, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Ukraine had received additional fighter aircraft to add to their existing numbers. 

But on Wednesday, the senior defense official walked that back, saying that Ukraine had not received more aircraft, but had in fact received aircraft parts to make more of their existing aircraft functional.  

Still, the official intimated that at least one country was considering sending Ukraine more aircraft.

“I was given to understand that an offer made by another country had actually been effected,” the official said. “That offer has not been effected, so I was ahead of where things actually were.” It is not known which country has made such an offer.

The US has committed to sending Ukraine 16 Mi-17 helicopters, but the administration has declined to get involved in a transfer of Mig-29s from another country to Ukraine via the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked other countries for Soviet-era Mig-29 Fulcrum fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots already know how to fly.

Zelensky has asked other eastern European countries with the fourth-generation airframes to send them to Ukraine, but no country has yet agreed to do so. 

On Wednesday, the official Twitter account of Ukraine’s Air Force said, “Ukraine did not receive new aircraft from partners! With the assistance of the US Government, @KpsZSU received spare parts and components for the restoration and repair of the fleet of aircraft in the Armed Forces, which will allow to put into service more equipment.” 

Ukraine’s Air Force has been part of its aerial defense network, which also includes S-300 surface-to-air missiles and portable anti-aircraft missiles. The combination of platforms has prevented Russia from establishing air superiority over Ukraine and controlling the skies. 

Despite the constant bombardment from Russian missiles and artillery, as well as the strikes on military bases, Ukraine’s Air Force has remained largely intact, though it has suffered some losses. 

In early March, approximately two weeks into the war, the defense official said Ukraine has 56 fighter aircraft, which comprised about 80% of their fixed-wing fighters. But the Ukrainians weren’t using their aircraft much, flying only 5 to 10 missions per day, the official said.

CNN’s Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that the country’s forces don’t have enough “serious and heavy” weapons to defeat the Russian army in the southeastern port city of Mariupol.  

He outlined two potential ways to end the standoff in the city: “First, it involves serious and heavy weapons […] at the moment we don’t have enough of these weapons to free Mariupol. The second path is diplomatic. So far Russia hasn’t agreed to this.” 

“We don’t know when we can unblock Mariupol. And I say this openly, that all the boys in Mariupol want our victory, they want a free city, none of them are going to surrender to the enemy. This is their internal feeling, this is what they are,” he added, speaking alongside European Council President Charles Michel in Kyiv.

Zelensky also said that the “few thousand” Ukrainian civilians who fled the besieged city of Mariupol through evacuation corridors to Russian occupied territories is not currently known. 

Thousands of civilians have successfully left Mariupol through corridors agreed upon with Russia, but “unfortunately a few thousand civilians went to Russian occupied territories, and we don’t know the fate of these thousands of people,” he added.  

Ukraine is “ready for any format of swaps of our people for the Russian troops that they left behind, the bodies and the wounded that they abandoned here,” he said. 

The Russian defense ministry announced Wednesday that it had conducted a test launch of its intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat.

The missile was fired from a silo launcher at 3:12 p.m. Moscow time at the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region of northern Russia toward the Kura test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east.

The defense ministry’s statement said that it landed in the “designated area in Kamchatka.”

The ministry noted that after the completion of a test program, the Sarmat would go into service with Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces. The RS-28 Sarmat is designed to replace the Soviet-era Voevoda ICBM, known by the NATO designation SS-18 Satan.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin congratulated the military on their successful missile test, saying it would “give thought to those who are trying to threaten Russia,” according to the ministry statement as quoted by the state-run TASS news agency. 

The Sarmat was one of the weapons Putin mentioned in a 2018 speech boasting of new weaponry he said would render NATO defenses “completely useless.” US officials played down the threat at the time.